End of the Week....

 The mourning dove was so pleased to find all the sunflower seeds that were added to the feeder. I coul hear them singing outside in the early morning. 

The evidence I now provide to show how I have cuts on my arms and punctures in my fingers.  I will use gloves from now on as I am pretty cut up from the battle with the yellow rose.

My new neighbor says he solves the problems with roses by not growing any them.  I said to him that he misses out on all the fun. The yellow rose looks good now and one wouldn't think it would with all the dead wood that it had in it. 

My William Baffin is a climber and it is posing a problem for me,  It is so healthy and all the branches are all spread out on the ground. I have some of it tied up to a trellis but I need to redesign an additon support to get some more of it off the ground. 

 When we got home from the hospital stays and health care stay, my wife gave me my birthday present.  My old birdbath leaked and stopped holding any water after numerous tries to seal the cracks. The solar powered fountain is an added fun thing with different nozzles to use to get different kinds of sprays.

My block design is working.  I placed them there last year and the grass has filled in making the same effect as I had seen in a garden book. The grass will get cut tomorrow as the backyard gets it hair cut. Thanks for stopping by today.

Thursday.....

 The rains have made my hostas grow larger than I have seen in years. This was planted there for a cople of  years and it spills out and over the wall. 

The salvia blows in the wind showing a reat set of blooms on these plants.  I have mentioned before how I am discouraged as to how the plant has taken over the whole garden area.  I didn't plant it there but I have seen it invade and crowd out so many good plants. 

The yucca is getting ready to put out a great set of blooms. I moved that plant from my old place and planted it in the rock garden area of the planter.  It has grown heartily in that location. 

I buy plants and have an idea as to where I want to plant them and then I plant them somewhere else. I like this kind of petunia but it seems like it has a lot of stems and isn't going to spread now that I have planted it. I will wait and see. I found moss rose this year and have planted some of it with this.  I will plant the rest together in a container. 

I have yard areas to mow again today. I will be home now and can do it with ease. My wife and I are so much enjoying the peace and quiet of our home.  The nursing home has much of the same noise qualities of a hospital.  The workers stand in the hallway and yell back and forth to each other. Someone leaves his radio on all night or a fire alarm goes off accidentally. Della is enjoying the freedom of going to all parts of the house as she has mastered the walker use in good fashion.  Life is so much better.  She does have a surgery yet to have done in her future but getting healthy and strong is the goal for now. I can cook some and I can find plenty of places to pick up food that she likes to help her gain weight. Cherry pie and ice cream was her treat last night after supper.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Home....

 

 

 I made my last trip to visit my wife at the Health Center Home.  I was able to bring her home from her stay at the hospital and nursing home since March 25th. Her five weeks at the center got her back on her feet and walking with a walker.  She can't believe how quiet it is at our home.  There is something always going on night and day at those places.  One of the aids, a guy, actually cried as he said good bye to us. We made some good friends at the home both workers and residents. 

 I have lots of weeds to pull, a few flowers to plant, and general upkeep of the property. I have things to do to keep Della going in the house and I can get some times out side at different times during the day.  I bought a lot of groceries this afternoon and picked up meds for both of us. We are back living together and the house can start to run more normally again.   We both will sleep good tonight.

Trolling Through Tuesday….

One of my favorites of the smaller iris in my collection.

William  Baffin rose, first discovered for sale in a nursery years ago. I bought one because it was in Grand Marais, Minnesota. I figured if could survive the winters there it could survive Iowa winters.

When former clients of the nursing home die the family sends flowers from the funeral. The all white theme seems to be a trend as the last family to send flowers sent all white bouquets for each dining room table.

I was helping my wife pick out a shirt to wear for her final day at the health care center, nursing home. It was easier to send some visuals than have her to describe them to me. She has been in the center five weeks. She passed all the tests and can go home.

Monday….struggling with blogger!

The variegated red twig dogwood has been responding well to our rains. I had to trim some of it back as it was sprawling onto the sidewalk. It’s a part of our memory garden for or border collie we lost three years ago.

I have three flower boxes in front of my trellises. I bought clematis for each one and this one is in bloom already. This is an experiment to see if they will thrive and winter over in the spring.

 I am having trouble posting photos on this site so I won’t have any logical sequence today. The sunrises that have any evidence of a sun are happening very early in the morning. The clouds are dominating the sky and we have high humidity as you can see below.

Sunday…..

As a kid 65 years ago I remember seeing all these different small  iris in the cemeteries on Memorial Day that had such wonderful colors. I collected the one rhizome probably 20 years ago that is one of my favorites.

I spent a lot of time watering these roses the past few years of drought. The rains have been wonderful. I love all the red!

 

My wife will be released from the nursing home, health centers, on Wednesday and I can start pulling grass the next day. I’ve been pulling some big ones as I run errands around the property but now I can get to it.

 I always take a photo of my newly mowed yard for proof to all my bosses. Sometimes I share the photos with my sons to prove I am still able bodied and can do it myself . Sometimes I share with my brothers who live in southern western states. I sometimes I share with my wife to prove that I wasn’t out on a folly and was actually working.

Some Things…Fix it Chris!!

I bought hardy geraniums for the front yard flower bed. Sadly the salvia is taking over that bed. I have to do some clearing of it so other colors of flowers can be seen there. What made think of thinning it was the sight of a neighbor’s with it filled all in completely of salvia.

The strong wind sent the neighbor’s backyard children’s playhouse and slide for quite a tumble. That was a few days ago when it happened but I just noticed it this afternoon.

 While being outside with the internet repair guy, I snapped photos. The chives loved the rains and did put out lots of blooms. The installers of the neighbor’s new internet line severed our line. The guy mumbled and cursed to someone on his phone at the office abut the screwup. He just chattered endlessly even when I was not about their watching. Once things were spliced he was off. It was actually two hours later.