Rocks and Roses

I had quite a shock this morning when I went to my car only to find a fist sized rock had been thrown through my back window.   The hole was the size of the rock so I thought I might as well go do my shopping before coming home and calling insurance etc.. which always takes a while. What I hadn't realized was that as I drove my window would slowly fall apart. It was quite disconcerting to hear the constant tinkle of falling bits of glass. By the time I got home the hole was as big as you can see in the photo.

                       Here's the rock amid some of the glass.

On a much nicer topic my Bonica Roses are full of buds and more open every day!!  See my scissors hanging on the little post?  That's so I can quickly do some dead-heading when I am on my way to wherever.

These are my Rugosa Roses, also in the front yard, but on the other side of the front garden bed. Most of them are the dark pink ( and very scented) except for the one on the right which has smaller flowers and is a lighter shade of pink.  You can just see my white one on the right.

 It's a pleasant day, mostly overcast, but cool so I'm baking bread in my thrift store pan which I'll show you next time. It's a long skinny pan, very different so of course I had to buy it ( .50).       

Thanks for visiting.  I love to read your comments so don't be shy!!

     Granny Marigold

A Very Short Post

Luna expressed her wish to see this Lavender Rose plate ( that had scones on it in my last post).
So, Luna, here is the plate with its matching tea cup and saucer.

When I cut down one of my Chive plants I kept some of the flowers and steeped them overnight in vinegar. It gives the vinegar a lovely colour and a mild onion taste. DH asked what I plan to do with it. Well, maybe nothing. I don't bother making my own salad dressing . But it was fun to do it and I did have the perfect little bottle!!!

My Basil is doing great in the South window. I can hardly keep up with using it ( I'm the only one here that will eat it). I did send some home with #2 Daughter yesterday but there's still lots left.

That's my very short post today. We are having very warm weather and I'm getting my work done in the cool of the morning so I can sit and read in the afternoon.

Thanks for visiting,

      Granny Marigold

Dishes & Aprons

This week's thrifty buys include these lovely dinner plates, cup and saucer, and three pastel bowls, all for three dollars.

I have never had a gravy boat and I know I won't use it often but for a dollar I thought I'd buy it. The pretty tea cups were .50 as was the apron!!  Can you believe all the cross stitching and work on it and it sells for half a dollar!

This apron is one I've had for a while and it's one of my favourites with the contrast of bright pink and black. I had baked scones and couldn't resist putting a few on my  Royal Albert "Lavender Rose" plate . We've had a couple of cooler days so I did some baking before the very warm weekend arrives.

Speaking of weekends... I hope yours is a good one.  Thanks for popping by.

Granny Marigold

Books

With the gardening I'm trying to keep up with you'd think I wouldn't have time to read but even gardeners have to put their feet up and relax, right? 
These 4 books are from the public library;  I picked them up today.  Stars Come out Within is a memoir by Jean Little; are you familiar with her books? Mostly she has written for children and young adults but I enjoy her books and they're usually a quick read. She had a life full of difficulties battling with depression and blindness.  I thought Once upon a Time was also her book but apparently this author is a different Jean Little.
I don't remember who recommended the Judy Blume nor the Exiles from the War, which is also a young adult book.

I often stop and look at the little lending library in the park. These books were donated by the Rotary Club. I have read Sharon Butala's non fiction, now I'll read her fiction. Luckily there's no "due date" on these books so I can read them later.

Then there's my 2 Susan Branch books that I ordered from Amazon and received today. I'm thrilled to own them ( I already had 3 of her older books. I also have ordered  A Fine Romance by that hasn't arrived yet).

Having a stack of books waiting to be read is a delightful feeling!!  I'm determined not to rush through any of them but to take my time and savour each one.

 The week is half gone already, can you believe it? Where does the time go?

Thanks for visiting today,


          Granny Marigold

Birds, Houses, and a Tree

It was a very warm day; that may be why there were less birds to be seen than on previous visits. We did see these Sandhill Cranes who were quite approachable. They had no baby to protect since both this year's babies died. When they have young ones they can be quite dangerous.

                       Wood Ducks are very pretty... maybe I should say handsome since the male is much
 more colourful than the female.

                        Lots of blooming bushes...

                          and Lupines growing by the paths.

         I like old houses even more than bird watching. We saw these on the way.

Stopped to ask a fellow what kind of tree he had in the front yard but he didn't know. Could it be a Jacaranda? Does anyone know? I typed in tree with pale purple tubular flowers and that's what I got.

It really felt like Summer today. We get a few more of these days then some rain by the middle of the week. It's amazing how quickly pots dry out in the heat. I had to do some watering when we got home.

I hope you had a lovely Sunday and that the week ahead will be a pleasant one.

Thanks for visiting today.


             Granny Marigold

Sunshine

We're enjoying some lovely sunshine today and that is the forecast for this May long weekend!

Every year I wait for the Spring Clematis to bloom and hang down over my garden shed. I don't mind one bit having to push it aside so I can get past.

The empty bed on the left has Dahlias planted but not yet up. I still have empty pots that need flowers but the garden centers are crazy busy this weekend and I'll wait until next week to go buy what I still need.

                 My succulents are enjoying the sunshine!!

This poor broken fountain is a great spot to put yet more succulents. I must try to straighten out that top piece.

                             Some just planted Snapdragons.

This last bunch of Lilacs was on the dining room table until now but was beginning to look very dried up. Out here is one step closer to the compost.

Whatever your plans for the weekend are I hope they include some fun times. We're planning a drive to a bird sanctuary on Sunday.  If we get there before 10 o'clock we'll be able to join a group of birders who are very knowledgeable and not only share that knowledge but also set up their scopes so we can get close-up looks at elusive birds.

Thanks for visiting,

           Granny Marigold

Happy Mothers Day

 I hope you are all having an enjoyable Sunday whether it involves a family 'do' or not. Enjoy the day.

My Lily-of-the-valley are spreading a bit too vigorously and I've begun to dig some out. I'm glad they are happy, but I do want to have room for other perennials!!
  I love to bring them in and their scent is so delicate!! 


I'm posting these pictures for Ellabie, who has more kinds of Daylilies ( and other Lilies) than I  will ever have!!
These didn't come with names but you can see what they ( hopefully) will look like when they bloom.

            I had space for 3 so I bought 2 of the above and one of the reddish one below.

While looking for the Daylilies I spotted these Lilies.  There were 6  small plants about 6" high for a very reasonable price.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.  


             Granny Marigold

Freebees

On our morning walk we noticed that the parks workers were digging out a large bed of mixed red and also white Tulips. The red ones were no longer looking good but the white ones still looked great.
We stopped to ask if we could have some of the white ones and they said sure. I happily brought them home and now I can enjoy them for however long they last.

We went to what used to be my favourite nursery ( this year they've raised the prices and lowered selection) and as usual some plants jumped into my cart. Not many because I had a list of what I wanted and either didn't find or wasn't willing to pay what they were charging.

Stopped in at BIL's place and got free rhubarb. Most of it I'll freeze for winter jam making,

Now I'm off to begin washing and chopping that rhubarb.  I hope your week is off to a good start.


                        Granny Marigold

Mostly flowers

It's Lilac time and we were able to cut a nice bunch over at my son's townhouse complex. We do have a huge old lilac bush in the back of the yard but it reaches for the sun and is probably more than 20 feet tall. It towers over the old playhouse and that's 14 feet high. The blooms are all on the top and inaccessible.
Every year I get out this dollar store 'suitcase' and put my lilacs in or behind it. The sewing machine was my mother's.

                                     The first dark Iris is in bloom.

                              Forget-me-not self-seeds and pop up everywhere.

               I don't know what these are called. They also bloom purple and are quite invasive!

My rhubarb is quite a small plant and so far hasn't produced a lot but I did have enough to make a rhubarb coffee cake.  I'll give it a dose of fertilizer and see if it will do better. Meanwhile we'll go to my BIL and SIL's place and get some of their surplus.

I hope you had a lovely, peaceful Sunday with pleasant weather. Ours was a mix of sun and cloud but at least it didn't rain.

As always, thanks for popping by.

        Granny Marigold

A Spring Storm

Yesterday late afternoon the skies, which had been clear and sunny all day, became dark and before long we had wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. I had been out earlier in the day to deadhead my tulips.. Sadly, the early ones are done.

The later tulips were in full bloom and the wind seems to have broken many so I brought them in. Might as well enjoy them while they last!

The weather continues to be mixed today. I think it will be a get-things-done-inside kind of day!!

Thanks for visiting today. Have a great weekend.


       Granny Marigold

This and That

Another of my This and That posts!!  Maybe I should call this one What I did today!

The sun shone and we had a lovely day. DH and I strung the supports for the pole beans ( which we can't sow until the ground warms up but I like to get it ready!).  He made the frame 8 feet high so hopefully this year they won't go over the top and get into an intertwined mass!!
The little plastic cover on one end is protecting the little Perennial Sweet Peas which are about 6" high. I started them indoors and put them out in their little peat pots. They also grow very tall and will share this new support.

The alpine Clematis which I think is Frances Rivas is hanging full of small blue flowers.

Before I came in to make lunch I cut some Grape Hyacinths and had fun taking some pictures of them. I really should have trimmed the stems to the same length. I don't know why the ribbon looks pink because it is pale purple, as is the little doily which also looks pink. 

                 This tiny tea pot is a recent .50 find.

   And for supper we had tomato,  lentil and spinach soup( that also has assorted other veggies in it).  I made it yesterday and we had leftovers so that was easy!

Something that was very special today was a surprise visit from my second oldest GD who lives and works in New York. We don't see her often and when she does come out she usually surprises us!
So....that was my day. Tomorrow the forecast is for rain so I will get some housework done, maybe get a bit of shopping done as well. What are your plans?

Thanks for visiting, 


        Granny Marigold