Out like a lion ! ! !

A look at some of the roses in my garden

The wind has been raging here for the past few days. It's not at all fun to go outside even to get in the truck to go and get my coke in the mornings. I really do not like the wind. I was so hoping to be able to get out into the garden beds and do some pruning on the roses today. There was a lot of damage done to the canes by the heavy snows we got all winter. I want to get out there and trim them up so they don't look so hopeless. Sunday morning at about 3:00 am it started to lightening and thunder. I love a good storm as long as I'm inside watching it. I layed there listening to the thunder and seeing the flashes of lightening and it almost had a soothing effect on me. Now I realize that here in Idaho we don't get the severe storms that other areas get so I can feel relatively safe. But I've always loved L&T storms. There's something eerie and beautiful about them. I don't love the wind however and I'm hoping that April brings tamer weather so I can get out there and get those roses in shape so that they can look like the pictures above that I took of them this past summer.

Can't wait for poppy time!!!

There's something about their papery petals and fuzzy stems that I can't seem to get enough of. I have poppies in many colors in my garden. These are some pictures of a few of last year's blooms. I always seem to be on the look out for the newest color I can add to the borders. The bees love them and I love bees so I will always make room for them in the garden. After they bloom, they go dormant and so I always plant them with something that will grow up and hide the dying foliage. They are so hardy and reliable. When I plant them I have to be sure about the spot because they don't transplant well. But once there in they are almost bullet proof. I planted several new ones this past year so I can't wait till they bloom. The snow is now gone from the

garden so I should see them emerging any time now. Can't wait!

Living with texture...

I love having a lot of touchy, feely stuff around. The more tactile the better. I think it adds interest. It gives our spaces more visual interest. I guess that's one of the reasons I love gardening so much. All those different shapes and textures are so pleasing to the eye. Even the clothes I buy tend to have a lot of texture to them. One of my favorite things in the world to do is go to fabric stores and feel all the different fabrics and their different textures. When I'm out driving I really key in on the different textures in the landscape. As I get older I find that I really look at things. In my youth I lived unconsciously most of the time, totally unaware of the beauty around me. That's one of the gifts of aging, the ability to really see. It's almost as if all my senses are keener now. I know there are people out there who don't have to wait to age before they see the beauty in the everyday. They can see it now. They see it always. In my case it has come with maturing. Whenever it comes, be grateful.