Baby Pictures

Here are the baby pictures of my Festiva Maxima peony.  This peony is a descendent of one that my mother planted.  Years ago, I dug the original plant up and transplanted the roots in several locations in the garden, and it has slowly but surely prospered.

I love the buds as they begin to unfurl, petal upon petal opening to the morning song of the birds in the garden.  Their rosy calyxes hint at the surprise that awaits, in the center.

Ahh, there it is -- a scarlet slash amidst the crumpled snowy petals.  

OK, do you think that's enough creepy poetic flower imagery for one day?  Yeah, I thought so, too.  Sorry, just pictures tomorrow.  I promise.

Wild Roses

The first week in June is always Wild Rose Week at our Little Red House.  You will awaken one morning to the scent of roses wafting in on the morning breeze.  Yes, I know how corny that sounds, but it is absolutely true.  Wild white roses grow like weeds around here, climbing up trees and tumbling down banks, to fill the air with their lovely scent.

As a gardener, I can't really take any credit for the show.  They grow with wild abandon, flinging themselves up into the arms of the pin oaks, and rambling through the old pastures of our yard.  I always encourage them where I find them if I can -- this one has been pruned hard, but still manages to anchor a corner of the garden near the birdbath.

I wish I could somehow reproduce the scent for you.  It is like a pale, sweet breath of Tea Rose perfume in the air.  We sometimes take advantage of it, and drag the garden bench to sit near the rioting shrubs.  That is the picture you see in my header.  Spring and early summer are the best times here in New Jersey, before the weather turns too hot.  Happy June, dear bloggers!

What's New In The Kitchen

I realize it's been all flowers all the time here lately, so I thought I'd show you a few pictures of my favorite kitchen things.  

Here is one of a pair of old handpainted German bread plates.  They were 50 cents each at one of my favorite thrift stores.  How could I resist?

This old chippy painted tin is one of my favorites, with it's motif of birds, nests and eggs.  The small Fenton  vase was found at a rummage sale, and the green tole tray in the background was a bargain at $16.

Here is an old tole tray I found at the thrift store a while back.  I tend to look for green and gold to fill my kitchen, since my cabinets are a sort of taupey -- yellowy color, and my wallpaper is a green and cream check.

And finally, this cute little yellow creamer with the orange flowers was a more recent thrift store find.  It shares the mantel above my range with some turnip salt and pepper shakers, and the chipped old painted tole tray.

I hope you have enjoyed our little kitchen tour.  It will probably be more flowers tomorrow!

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I had such a great time reading your thoughts on gender and presidential politics yesterday.  Thank you so much for sharing!  Dare I hope that we will have a campaign that does not "use religion to divide us, and patriotism to bludgeon us," as Obama said last night?

Possibilities, and Hillary Clinton

Possibilities -- I think that is what I love most about Spring.  Wherever you look, there are so many possibilities -- tiny seeds or big fat buds, lovely blue robin's eggs and soft green leaves.  So much promise!

I've always loved Spring best, but I often wonder if I don't appreciate it more now that I am feeling just a little bit past the age of unlimited possibilities.  Yes, there are so many things I can still learn and do -- write a novel, visit Italy, take a REALLY good photo.  But there are also some that I probably will never achieve -- run a marathon, edit a magazine, decorate a house from the ground up.  But I think I will just focus on the possibilities.    

Pondering possibilities has also brought me to thinking about Hillary Clinton's pursuit of the Democratic Party's nomination for president.  I can't help feeling some sympathy for her, as her quest becomes more and more unlikely.  I have always been a bit of a feminist, and I certainly would like to see the first female president in my lifetime, but I'm not sure Hillary is my candidate.  I'm also a definite pragmatist, and I can't imagine picking a president solely on gender.  And frankly, it's getting just a little embarrassing to see the moving goalposts and the spin necessary to get her to the nomination.  

So here is my question to you:   the majority of you reading this are female, and probably of the age that, according to the polls, overwhelmingly supports Senator Clinton.  Do you think she ought to be president because of her gender and do you think that she has been  denied the nomination because she is a woman?

I'm looking forward to reading your responses.

Flowers, Flowers, Flowers! (And a New Computer...)

I got a new computer -- yay!  It's a Mac, and I love it.  It's amazing how funny it feels not to have a computer for a few days.  Is there such a thing as Bloggers Anonymous?  Some days I feel as though I waste so much time on the computer, but when I don't have it I really miss it.  I guess I need to find a happy medium.

So I'll be taking the next few days to get used to this new machine.  In the meantime, here are a few flowers currently blooming at our Little Red House.   Happy Spring! 

Sunshine

Some days, you just have to drop everything and turn your face up to the sun. Happy Saturday, dear bloggers!

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My old Toshiba laptop has given up the ghost, so I may be absent from the blogging world for several days until I get it replaced.  I prepared this post a few days ago, but since I can't always upload pictures on my daughter's Mac (do I need Firefox or is it just Blogger problems?), I'll be doing some research and comparison shopping today.  If you all have any recommendations, could you please drop me a line?  Thanks!

A Spanish Garden

No, I have not been traveling in Spain, or even in California or Florida. Believe it or not, this garden is about two or three miles down the road from my house in New Jersey. It was originally designed for the family of mining industrialist Evander Schley, by the famed landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman in 1926. It has been restored by the firm of Statile & Todd, Inc. as a part of the designer showhouse and gardens, Mansion In May, to benefit Morristown Memorial Hospital. Here are some more views: