In Bloom

I mentioned in a post a few weeks back that the roses on either side of our front path were budding and would be blooming soon.  Well, here they are!
Roses In Bloom
It’s early May and today’s temperature is forecast for mid-80s and getting warmer through the week.  This is probably as good as they’ll get as the 90° – 100° is very hard on them.  We’ll enjoy them as long as they last…
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On This Day In:
2021	Thrive
	Are You Still Here?
2020	Perceived Wisdom
	Lessons Are Extra And Blondell
2019	Live It
2018	Mostly Unconsciously For Most People
	Desperately Ginger Lass
2017	Explaining My Equally Meager Results
2016	Every Tool And Every Chance
2015	Something That You Love
2014	Not Really At All
2013	Listening And Deserving
2012	I’m Still Not Certain
2011	True, False And Useful

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Spring Colors

Last year, we had our front yard converted from mostly grass to drought resistant rocks (and some plants).  Here’s a pre-change image…
Mostly grass…
And here are some shots of Spring’s colors…
Colors…
The flowers on the immediate sides of the path are miniature roses, which have a surprising amount of size variety considering they were all bought and planted at the same time…  The ones above are about mid-shin / knee height.
The Tallest…
This is the tallest and next to it (on the lower right) is the smallest.  There are probably a dozen more buds getting ready to blossom.  You can’t really tell from the photo, but there are a half-dozen bees doing their thing on this bush.
Diagonal Shot…
Here’s a better shot of the poppies…
California Poppies…
A better view of the snapdragons…
Snapdragons…
My wife spends a great deal of energy on the gardens (front and back), but it’s worth it for the up-lifting feeling you get when you see everything in the bright morning sunlight and full Spring colors…
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On This Day In:
2021	In Pursuit
	The Music Of Her Laughter
2020	Close, Sustained And Careful
2019	#45: Spread The Fear
	Fear The Beards
2018	Slice, Nick, Cut, Bled
2017	Like Most Blogs
2016	The Window Left Open
	Free Experience
2015	Reality == Perception / (Times Reported * 10)
2014	Tear Da Roof Off Da Sucka
2013	Exposed Spirits
2012	Ow-ow
2011	Focused Relatives

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By Any Other Name (Or Description)

Once I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered.  But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue:  “No good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.”
—     Eleanor Roosevelt
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On This Day In:
2021	Democracy, Pandemic, Economy And Climate Change
	Heaven Is…
2020	Hoping For #46 In January 2021
2019	Interesting, But Not Fascinating
	But Try To Eat The Low-Hanging First
2018	Me, Too
2017	Apt Enough?
2016	Now Or Ever
	21, Pause, Restart
2015	I Am Shocked, Sir, Shocked…
	Lucy & FSND-2
2014	Less Difficult
2013	The Spirit Of Liberty
2012	The Essential Freedom Of Aloneness
2011	A Problem Of Scale
	Fred Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
2010	Another Book, Another Jog…

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Roses And Chores

For the last week, it’s been in the mid-to-low 70’s to high-60’s here.  So my better half decided yesterday that our front yard needed it’s first cutting of the year.  The gardener / laborer (me) took care of that while the chief chef and bottle washer (her) went off for some groceries.  While I was doing the mowing I noticed we got our first rose of the year in our front path.  We have a series of miniature rose bushes on one side of our front path.  There on the smallest bush, was a tiny rose barely the size of the tip of my thumb.  I mentioned this to my wife and she said there is also a single rose out in the backyard.  And, below are the two of them…
2021 First “mini” rose on the front path…
2021 First rose in the backyard…
The backyard (red) rose is not a “mini”, but it’s also not a normal size of one from a florist.  I guess it is still too early in the season for that size.
I apologize for the fuzzy images, but I’ve never claimed to be a decent photographer.  When I tried to shoot between breaths, I could feel my heartbeat shaking my arms / hands.
To paraphrase some quote I’m sure I’ve read somewhere:  “Enjoy the moments of beauty and the days of your life will take care of themselves.”  (Okay, maybe I made that one up.   —  KMAB)
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On This Day In:
2020	Which Is Which
2019	Were You Saying Something?
2018	Ethics Lesson
2017	May I Have Some More, Please?
2016	A Little Lost
2015	This High Place
2014	Elected Madness
2013	Well Written
2012	Related Parts
2011	The King Is Oscar
	Better Reputation?

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Burst Buds

Last week I posted images of some of the roses we have starting to bud / blossom out in our front yard.  Here’s the updated images….
The Red Bloom
The Two Yellow Blooms
Our Snapdragons and a single Red…
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On This Day In:
2019	Tomorrow’s Bread
2018	Impeach 45: Make America Great Again
2017	Training Shoulders
2016	You Just Have To Care
	Day 4 – Blending
2015	My Slow Education
2014	Great Service
2013	You Really Should Wear More Sweaters
	Here I Am God
2012	The Serenity Prayer
2011	The Victory Of Life

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First Buds

Last Monday I was out in the front yard cutting the grass.  We have a number of miniature rose bushes on either side of our front path.  I noticed two of the bushes have buds which are starting to bloom.
Our first “red” bud.
Two yellow (with pinkish tinge) buds.
Once these get going, they will continue to bud and bloom through late-September / early October.
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On This Day In:
2019	What If Nobody Believes Them Either
2018	It’s About Heart Not Skill
2017	Winning So Much I’m Already Tired Of It (Not)
2016	Punishing Red Binge
2015	Bits In The Soup
2014	More Beef, Less Bull
2013	Where Are Your Mountains
2012	Spherical Knowledge Of Hamsters
2011	Taking Stock Over Time

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The Sun Came Out

We have been having a few days of overcast weather lately.  Yesterday, I was putting the bins out for the weekly pickup and the sun broke out.  Next to me was a flash of color.
I paused to see what had caught my attention…  Snapdragons, some garden frogs and two pots of mini-roses (budding, but not yet blooming).  Our daffodils are gone, but it looks like spring is sprung.  The three frogs are “Hear no evil”, “Speak no evil” and “Falling asleep” – which I guess is supposed to be “See no evil”.
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On This Day In:
2019	The Importance Of A Deadline
	Chaos Is Not Really A New Remedy
2018	History Will Judge Harshly
	Father Time, Perhaps?
2017	Odds Are
2016	Prayer, Too
2015	History, n.
2014	See It Sometime
2013	Precious Friend
2012	It Couldn’t Be Done
	Feeling Surrounded?
2011	Surprise!

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People Will Come

Don’t talk about it.  The rose doesn’t have to propagate its perfume.  It just gives it forth, and people are drawn to it.  Live it, and people will come to see the source of your power.
—    Mahatma Gandhi
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On This Day In:
2018	Be My Hero – Vote Tomorrow!
	He Was All Of Us…
2017	Black And White
	Advice For #DumbDonald
2016	Mirror, Mirror
2015	Speaking With Forked Tongue
2014	The Code
2013	Eventually Formed
2012	Remember To Vote Tomorrow
2011	It Sounds Like Chaos Theory To Me

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One Before I Go

I would rather have one rose and a kind word
from a friend while I’m here
than a whole truck load when I’m gone.
—    William Blake
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On This Day In:
2018	And Blog Posts, Too
2017	Just Doin’ It
2016	Definitely Not Bell Shaped
2015	Dreadful Pity
2014	Worse Than Useless
2013	Personal Prisons
2012	So, Not Yet Then
2011	Real Love

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I Rejoice

You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.
—    Ziggy
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On This Day In:
2016	Conscientious Courage
	Speaking Of Which…
2015	The Beautiful Snow
2014	Nurtured By The Voices
2013	Précis
2012	Fear And Understanding
2011	Just Being Human

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