Won't you come into my garden? My roses would like to meet you!

I love this moment when the roses start to peek. I am really getting a feel for this garden and have been working, working hard all week. I have irises yet to rearrange, but things are looking good. I know my labors won't be evident for at least a year. What I see this year is a result of the first two year of gardening on this land. Isn't that such a spiritual application? What we sow now, we will reap later. I have much patience for this sowing and harvesting when it comes to my garden. I wish it would carry over into other areas of my life. God and I have been working on that lately...

So come take a peek and look around at some of my blossoms.

We have also been under construction this week!!! We are having a block wall built, that looks like rough stone on one side. (Cultured stone) This week Pasha has been digging, and digging, one young man digging for two days. Bless Him! We then had the concrete poured for the foundation. And sometime next week there will be a wall. Today they actually delivered half of the blocks...but not all from the same dye lot as we requested...several times, to the contractor, to the store, and now they are dealing with the manufacturer...as in all things construction, human error tends to abound. We are in no big hurry, just excited to finally see our little patch of earth get a few boundaries. Don't worry we are not fencing our back view. We just have some awfully close neighbors on these little city lots. As some of you have commented though, things look and feel much more expansive because of our back view.

Foundation poured

Blocks delivered...

Sorry I have been missing you all a bit in blog land this week. Next week will be busy too. Can you believe I have 1 wedding, 2 bridal showers, and a baby shower this weekend, never mind all the graduations. Amazing!

Sounds like a movie, A Wedding, 3 Showers, and a Graduation…sappy joke I know :] But that's how my silly mind works....................................................
" What was Paradise? But a garden, an orchard of trees and herbs, full of pleasures, and nothing there but delights." William Lawson

A picture I took while standing in a giant bouquet...Claude Monet's Garden in Giverney

Jenna from Down Under

I posted about my youngest daughters trip to Australia about two months ago, and I thought some of you might like and update. Most of her pictures are being posted on her myspace, but she is blogging at Turning Bright in the Sea.

I can hardly believe she has been gone two whole months...we get to keep in touch by a free webcam program called Skype two or three times a week. It has helped this mamma quite a bit to be able to see her as well as hear her voice. It seems like I can read my daughter better that way. She is not a big talker.

She has had an amazing time. She puts it this way, "it is really, really good, and really, really hard." She has had a few moments of homesickness, but not much. Jenna is a very social gal and has made a parcel of friends. What is blessing the socks off of me though is her growth in getting to know her God much deeper with a fuller understanding of who He is.

When I became a Christian at the age of 16, I was the first person in my family to come to know Christ. My experience after I started going to church was such that I found most young people being raised in church not very excited to be there. I was kind of horrified at that. What was wrong with these kids? They had good homes, and grew up in Sunday school. I had never had the blessings of Christian parents growing up. My folks got saved after my sister and I did. I realized down the road that most of these young people raised in church were like 2nd generations Christians and they had a hard time transferring from a faith that their parents believed into actually making it a personal commitment of their own. I prayed hard as a young person for God to help me not raise second generations Christian kids that would fall away from the Lord when they got older, but that they would come to know Jesus Christ intimately and personally for themselves. We ended up being led by God to changed churches to be able to offer our children the best opportunity to do that. Yes, for each one of our kids, we changed churches to find the right youth pastor that would connect with our kids and help them on their way to knowing God. We did all that we could to give them a great foundation as children, but when it came to being teenagers; they all had the need to make the faith of their parents their own. It has been unconventional for sure, others have not always understood. For all three of my kids it has been the right thing to do. I remember simply calling up youth pastors around the city interviewing them to find out how they were running their youth programs. Around here youth pastors don’t usually stay very long in one church, so maybe that was unique to us. I’m not advocating this for everyone else by any means; it was just what was working for us. Now as I am watching and listening to all that Jenna has been learning and all her excitement for God, I am once again assured that all three of my kids do in fact really know Him. This is turning out to be a redefining moment in Jenna's life for God. I am so happy for her and all that God has in store for this beautiful young gal. You can read for yourself her discoveries in getting to know Him more.

The Master Gardener

It is so interesting to me, that I can feel all out of sorts, kind of cranky or antsy. Then I start spending uninterrupted time in the garden, and the scent of the soil, the sun, the rain, the birds, my cat Bella hanging out with me, all has it effects on beginning to unwind so much of what seems to have tied me up. I know that time began in a garden and for me getting to reconnect with my garden helps me to reconnect with myself and with my God. So yes I have had a good week in my garden. I have planted all my new roses. Just figuring out where to put them was a bit of an ordeal. And no Strider, Desert Reiver had no sod to remove....I still have plenty of room in my beds, yeah! There is always so much to think about. It has the feel of painting a picture or pulling together a really good meal, or what I would imagine it would take to write a song. I have not one drop of any musical ability in my entire being, besides being able to listen and enjoy, so I would’t really know, just what I could imagine. All the elements need to blend together, complement, pop a little here, support each there, and timing is so important with growing things, there must be timing! All resulting in and culminating in a place that quiets your soul, stirs your heart, and maybe even reminds you of a little bit of heaven on earth.

I so love both the process and the results. Now my garden I would say has passed from infant hood into a twerp of a toddler. It is time to start getting more serious with what I am doing. I need more patience’s and planning, more combining of the elements, the orchestration and sequencing of the blossoms. It will be awhile before this garden hits its stride. But I have good bones getting established a solid foundation. I now need to start refining the planting design. It will take time, but all good things take time. So I wait and watch, rearrange here and there, prune a little, feed consistently, add some new things, and sometimes remove old plants that have served there purpose. You just can't help but see the all metaphors in this process of gardening. Those very same processes, that our Master Gardener can use to help us reach our full potential and our final destiny in Him.

So come take a quick peek if you can stand looking at anymore flowers :]

Bird bath sighting on far right Ladyslipper

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone, and be safe those of you that are traveling.

The Davenport

I had no idea that this lovely lady resided any where close to my city. Oh I had heard people vaguely mention a stay at this place, a wedding reception, a woman’s retreat. But I was not prepared for what I was about to encounter. We traveled just two hours north of where I live to spend a weekend in this grand hotel to celebrate my daughter's sister -in-law's graduation from Whitworth in Spokane WA. From the minute I stepped into to this lobby I was spell bound. My goodness, I felt like I had been transported back in the early 1900's. This lovely hotel that was almost completely demolished in the 90's was lovingly and at great expense restored to its original grandeur. I was amazed. As my husband was checking us in and trying to get us up to our room, I was oblivious. Finally he just set down our bags till I was through gawking. Apparently when this place hit it's hay day your could address "The Davenport" on a piece of mail by just it's name from any where in the world and it would find it’s way to this remote bit of sumptuousness. The hotel made the city of Spokane famous! Queens, princes, princesses, Herbert Hover, and Charles Lindberg were some of the guest of this up scaled retreat.

There were no less than three ballrooms that adorned the Davenport.

The whole upper story around the lobby was a walking tour museum. I was so blown away by this jewel in the Pacific Northwest. We ended up spending most of our time right in the hotel. Who needed shopping (I had blown my wad on the roses anyway!) when you could just sit by the gorgeous fire place and sip a glass of wine, or slurp a Starbucks coffee in all that wonderful ambience.

We were treated by our host to a lovely dinner in the hotel that night and a final lunch the next day. Let’s just say I am going back! The host’s wife and I have already planned a girl’s weekend in October to see The Phantom of the Opera when it comes to town. And hopefully my sister will join us from Montana.

This weekend I could imagine for a just a moment how the rich and famous must have felt so long ago…

My Birthday Treats!

Well guess what? Today is my birthday. It kind of snuck up on me. I have not been a big fan of celebrating my birthday this last decade or so. I just kind of forget exactly how old I am, and try to ignore the years flying by. The funny thing is I usually over estimated how old I am. Then when I finally take note, I am relieved, not quite as bad as I thought. No kidding :] I even had my poor sister a year older this birthday. She thanked me kindly for that :0)

My husband informed me that we are going out on a date. Just the two of us, to a fancy restaurant in town, we have not been to before. It is a winery/restaurant called Tagaris. Looking forward to maybe a wine tasting too! Then we will head over to my daughters for some birthday cake and snuggles and kisses with Puddin Toes.

Well I thought I was going to spend the day in the garden, but when I got up the weather was still in high heat mode. We had record seasonal highs this weekend. It almost reached 100 degrees. We have also had record seasonal lows this month. My poor plants are very confused. Tuesday it is going back down to the 60’s. Go figure? It will be a much better day for planting. So I do hope to get some time finally in the dirt. I do have some roses blooming, and a gazillion about to burst. So pictures will be coming on that account.

For now though let me share about why I was doing the “Happy Rose Dance” (Note to non gardeners, you might want to skip this paragraph.) The night before our trip to Spokane, I did some research and found a rose nursery that sells “own root” roses. It was only 12 minutes from our destination. So we started out early and planned hitting Northland Rosarium, and then doing some shopping in downtown Spokane. Well….we meandered out into the country side down some lonely lanes, and pulled up to a home with several greenhouses on the side, and some lovely gardens getting under way. Everything was well laid out for me to shop till my hearts content. I drove up expecting a busy Sat. morning at the nursery and just having to fend for myself. As it turned out I was their only customer at the moment and I had the full attention of the owner/rosarian Carol. As soon as she understood we were talking the same language in seconds I was on the grand tour. I found it such a privilege and such a delight to have this woman’s time and attention. I am not sure exactly how long we were there. My husband would know? All I know is eight roses, and two English delphiniums later I was done and spent, in more ways than one. What I really enjoyed about this visit was that I was learning from an expert about some “new to me” types of roses and getting some really experienced growing advice from Carol. She knew exactly what my interests were and how those would be best suited. It is just so rare for me to find such kindred souls in the area of growing roses. I hate to say it but even at our local ARS rose club. The folks and I are not on the same page. They are mostly focus on growing old school Hybrid Teas, and showing them for blue ribbons. Nothing could be further from my interest in rose growing. I want the ambience of them in the garden, not on the show table, the scent of roses both inside and outside my home, ease of growing them, and the look of romance. Typical Hybrid Teas, tend to look like roses on a stick, with no scent and a lot of diseases. Not that a few of them don’t turn my head, just not my main event.

So let me get to my purchases...

Romantica Roses: Fredric Mistral

Romantica Rose: Classic Woman

Kordes: Icegirl Panarosa HT

This was the best picture I could find, I think this one is fairly new

Kordes: Cinderella/shrub rose

Florabunda: Julia Child

Grandaflora: Nicole Carol Miller


I did get one classic Hybrid Tea, but it looks nothing like your mother's roses.
Elle

and a miniture rose called Baby Boomer

I will share later about the Davenport, and perhaps about Tagaris

Note to all rosarians check out this great nusery, the plants look very healthy and bigger than most own root roses.

Thank you so much Carol Newcomb!

How was my weekend???

Well it is late, after midnight. Too late to do much typing… I know some of you will be checking in on blogland tomorrow morning. So here is a little preview...

First of all the picture above is my first glimpse inside of the Davenport. I was simply amazed all weekend at this place...

Second...let's just say I am doing the "Happy Rose Dance.”

I will probably be posting more tomorrow night...because tomorrow morning, I will be...in my garden!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Can’t wait to hear all about it!

Heading out of town for the weekend

Sounds like a lot of folks are taking trips and vacations this week in blogland. We will be heading out of town for a graduation in Spokane. We will be staying at a fancy schmancy refurbished old hotel called the Davenport. Oh and there will be shopping! I have a few nursery leads to follow up. So I will be back with pictures and I am sure with some more plants! And who knows Puddin Toes will be along, so I am sure we will buying pink things :0)

Tim Tam alert...I know there is a World Market in Spokane, so any of my local buddies need some Tim Tams??? Give me a jingle...do phones even jingle anymore?

Everyone have a safe and great weekend!!!

A brief check in...with my blogging buddies!

Things are going well in the garden...still a lot of planting to do. I am enjoying focusing on my plants with all my kiddo's gone this week. Even Puddin Toes is away on a visit with mom in Seattle.
Newly planted dogwood
Climbing roses in bud, can't wait till they are in bloom!

Now Barbara, unknowingly challenged me over at Ramblings from and English Garden. I was admiring her wild woodsy English flowers, the bluebells, and the cowslips...then I remembered I have some wild flowers blooming right behind my house, some gorgeous light pink phlox. I do love these blossoms growing wild in the desert. They are delicate in their beauty, yet longer blooming then my domesticated phlox, whose colors seem much too harsh after these wild ladies. looking down from my backyard
looking up the hill to the back of my house and garden shed. It all looks so raw and naked from here...
but in the yard we do have some life going on
a new plant for Mother's Day from my daughter, love the rich dark color of this Asiatic lily
Sorry if I am boring you all with my garden, but this time of the year, I am always

"In a Garden"
It is just bliss for me....
Have a great week everyone!