Rose Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

The roses are in full bloom where I live in the Northeast United States.

On a neighborhood walk June 8, I spotted these roses. 

So nice and red.

Or pink. 

June 17, not much in the way of shadows but it was so pretty I had to post it.

Wish us luck as we enter into a period of extreme (for us) heat, with record breaking high temperatures. 

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for her #ShadowshotSunday. Why not come out of the shadows and join us?  All you need is a picture with a shadow in it.

Heirloom Roses #ShadowshotSunday

Roses at Cutler Botanic Gardens, Binghamton, New York, May 31.

Rose York and Lancaster, which dates from before 1551.  I love how not all the roses are the same color; this is a characteristic of this variety.  And oh, the fragrance.

Rosa Belle poitevine, from 1894.  Another fragrant rose which is also supposed to be a rebloomer.

Last but not least for today, an Apothocary rose (Rosa gallica).  This variety is some 900 years old and is tolerant of shade.  And if your nose still has room for fragrance - mmmmm.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for #ShadowshotSunday.

Long Live their King

Like many Americans, I was surprised, and saddened, by the death of Queen Elizabeth II.  She became Queen the year I was born.  She was the only British monarch I knew in my lifetime.

We knew, at age 96, that her days were limited but she met the new Prime Minister only two days before.  What a shock it was to hear, Thursday afternoon, that she was gone.

But life goes on.  The Queen is dead.  Long live the King, his subjects say.

Unlike me, the Queen grew up in wartime England.  For the first few years of her life, until she was 10, she wasn't even in the direct line of succession to the throne.  She was thrust onto the world stage in her teens.

At 14, she gave a radio address to British children who were sent to other countries in the midst of war to keep their spirits up, on a show called "The Children's Hour".

At 18, then Princess Elizabeth served her country as a wartime mechanic.

At 25, she became Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II made mistakes, true, but also served her country with honor and composure.  Her life was never truly her own. She may have been rich, but she was not free.

If she didn't like a particular duty, too bad.  She had to carry on.  And carry on she did, even as her health failed.

Until Thursday.

Now, her son Charles is King.  King Charles III.   I'll have to get used to the sound of that.  So will he...the new King is 73 years old and is thought to be the oldest man to take the throne.

I took various pictures recently (except for the rose) which had to do with Kings or royalty. 

LeRoy, New York. (Named after a New York City merchant Herman LeRoy, the name derives from the Norman people and means "The King".)

LeROI (equipment such as compressors).

Monarch butterfly (one of only a handful I've been able to identify this summer).

On Leroy Street, Binghamton, New York (taken in 2019). 

I wish you well, King Charles III.  You've waited so long for this moment. I hope you use the powers you do have as a constitutional monarch well.

I would like to express my condolences to my several Facebook friends who live in the United Kingdom and Canada for their loss.  May King Charles III fit well into the footsteps of his mother.

No Lilacs Just Roses for my Mom

The young me, growing up in an apartment in New York City, ordered Jackson and Perkins rose catalogs just to look at the pictures, and to dream about growing roses.

My mother loved a talcum powder called Lilacs and Roses, and I've always associated these two flowers with my memories of her.

I have several lilac bushes.  But no roses.

I gave up growing roses soon after moving from Northwest Arkansas to the Southern Tier of New York

The house we purchased a few months after moving here had a beautiful red climbing rose on the western side of the house.  Our next door neighbor, now deceased, had lived in his house since right after World War II, and thought a previous owner had brought the rose plant from a previous residence, possibly in Texas. (This was over 30 years ago, so I don't quite remember)

I got tired of fighting the diseases and the Japanese Beetles.  I hate ripping out plants, but we ripped this rose out.

Now, I let others grow roses and I just come by and admire them.  Our free botanical gardens, Cutler Botanic Gardens, has a Rose Walk which I visit once or twice a year.  I love to take pictures and share with my readers to brighten their days.  We all need bright days in these grim times, do we not?

I visited Cutler on what would have been my mother's birthday, June 4. 

My phone was acting up on me and so I couldn't capture all the names.  But enjoy.

 Belle de Crécy 

Celsiana, which apparently dates from at least 1750.

Sir Thomas Lipton. (I know I've had this on my blog before).

York and Lancaster, a historic rose, dating from around 1551.

A multicolored rose I couldn't enter on my phone for some reason.

And a rose with a name that autocorrect mangled into something totally incomprehensible.

Perhaps my Mom was with me on these rose walks in spirit.  I'd like to think so.

Do you grow roses?

October Rose #WordlessWednesday

Snow covers the ground where I live in the Southern Tier of New York.

I scrolled through my phone photos, looking for some flowers to take the edge off of mid-winter.

From October 10, 2021, I found this lovely rose in bloom in a street meridian in Binghamton, New York.  Although it was fall,nothing says summer like a sweet, sweet rose.

 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Heirloom Rose #WordlessWednesday

This pink wild rose may (or may not) be an heirloom called Ballerina.

It appeared on my property line, among lilacs that came with our property, perhaps eight or nine years ago.  It was cut back by our neighbor and we don't get much from it - plus, it's in a lot of shade nowadays from the lilacs.

My neighbor's side is sunnier and I found one nice cluster on his side. (This is a rental now, and the owner never minded if I took lilac flower cuttings. So, I crossed onto his side of the border just long enough to take this quick picture).

Although it doesn't look as good from my side, I also realize I should give it a bit more love.

Joining up with Sandee and her #WordlessWednesday.

A Virtual Bouquet of Roses #WordlessWednesday

It's time for another Wordless Wednesday, and today, my topic is roses.

These pictures were taken Saturday at Cutler Botanic Gardens in Binghamton, New York.  For us, these are early roses.

Harison's Yellow Rose, an heirloom from a New York City garden circa 1824, it seems to have gone out west with settlers "and is still found in old homesteads along the Oregon Trail".  Fascinating story.

 

Frau Dagmar Hastrup (which my auto correct somehow turned into "Frau Dagmar Hardtop").

Last but not least:  Sarah Van Fleet, from the 1920's.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for #WordlessWednesday

Roses 2020

There are so many sad/angry things I could blog about today, but I am going to blog about roses.

Roses are in full bloom where I live in upstate New York.  We have a local botanical gardens called Cutler Botanic Garden, located in Binghamton, New York.

Although if you look them up it says "temporarily closed" that's only for their classes and special events.  The grounds themselves are open - and free.  It's small but who cares?

It's become one of my traditions to show what is blooming.  I went a little earlier than normal this year -last Friday - to see what was in bloom.  Some of these are heirlooms.  Some have a fantastic scent.

My favorite of these - Belle de crèche.

Balance double de Coubert.  This rugosa dates from around 1892.

Belle poitevine with Bee (bottom flower).  This is a rugosa rose from 1894.

Claire Matin.  Not an old heirloom climbing rose - dates from 1960.

From the 1830's, Félicité Parmentier

Finally, Harrison's yellow, possibly from the 1820's.

So many colors.

It's true - the best things in life are not that far from you.  We are fortunate to have this treasure.

Stop and Smell the Roses - #WordlessWednesday

"Stop and smell the roses" is a popular saying.

So I did.

Each Wednesday Esha/Skygirl hosts #WordlessWednesday.

Roses and Rockets

On a historic morning after an agreement made half a world away (which we can only hope works out,for the sake of our generation and future ones), shall we take a short work on my local rail trail, and look at some early June wildflowers?

These photos were taken on June 3.

These roses are invasive, but they smell so good.

A cluster of roses.

Dame's rocket, which is in the mustard family, is, to me "June".  Shall we get up close and personal?

Yes.

Let's celebrate June with flowers.

Welcome To My Blog

To my present readers and those who are visiting from this month's Ultimate Blog Challenge:

Welcome!

I am a 64 year old living in upstate New York, still working full time, and helping my spouse and other family members with the care of my elderly mother in law and autistic brother in law.  Right now my role is advocacy more than anything else for me, but that role could change at any time.

With this blog, I try to create an oasis of calm, showing you the beauty that is my world here in the Binghamton, New York area.  I have been blogging since April of 2009, inspired to finally jump in to blogging by a tragic mass shooting near where I work.  You can check out my very first blog post if you want to read more (note, I would edit it a lot more if I was writing it today).

I've been blogging daily since late April of 2011.  I started doing that with a blog challenge, and just kept on going.  I don't know when that streak will stop, but this will be my 2,787th post.

My current lineup of posts depends on the day of the week, so you can join in daily, or just for the items that interest you.

Mondays are Music Mondays - lately, I join in a meme called Music Moves Me, and I will be joining them tomorrow.  Tuesdays are whatever I want to blog about.

Wednesday is Summer Memories - memories of all kinds.  My Wednesday feature changes with the seasons.

Thursday is Thursday Tree Love, another meme.

Friday I participate in Skywatch Friday, where bloggers from all over the world join to show the sky in their part of the world.

Saturdays are Local Saturdays.  Sundays - whatever I want to blog about.  And, the 15th of the month is still another meme, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

Elmshorn Rose, Cutler Botanic Gardens, July 2, 2017

Here's a little taste of what to expect if you visit my blog.

Our times are so uncertain - I rarely post about politics, and hope that you will feel welcome here.

So, I would love to know who you are.

Did you come from the Ultimate Blog Challenge?  Or, are you a long time reader?

Once again, welcome!

Roses 2017

This is a tradition on my blog, a cherished visit to a local botanical garden and their old fashioned roses.  Actually, not all of them are heirlooms, but this free jewel of Binghamton, New York is well worth a visit for its roses and for all of their flowers.  In fact, the daylilies are starting to bloom.

But back to the roses.  If only there was smell-o-blog, where I could transmit the fragrance to you, but there isn't, and I can't.

This year, I start with Rosa gallica 'Tuscany Superb', from around 1837.

This rose is supposed to darken into a purple but I love the color I did see.

 Raubritter, a "ground cover" rose introduced in 1936.

One of my favorites, Mme. Hardy, a damask first introduced in 1832.  So beautiful and white.

Ishpahan damask, also introduced in 1832.

Moving into red territory, how about Dortmund?  This is a climber, introduced around 1955.

Finally (this is a ramblin' blog after all), Albertine, a rambling rose from 1921.

I don't grow roses.  I used to, years ago, but had too many insect issues.  Yet, I love them, and hope you love today's post, too.

In today's world, I hope this blog can be a place to rest for a few minutes, so you can go forth with renewed strength. 

Happy Sunday!

Dogs, Doves and Determination

The Rose Parade has taken place for 127 years now in Pasadena, California, usually on the first day of January.  (It is not held on Sundays, so on days where January 1 falls on a Sunday, like this year, the parade is held on January 2.)

I watched it, thousands of miles away, at my home in upstate New York

Creating a float takes hundreds of hours and lots of determination.  The rules seem simple - floats in the parade must be covered in natural materials.  So, every visible surface on every float you see is decorated in flowers, bark, seeds, walnut husks, or other natural materials. Flowers, seeds and more must be glued on individually.  Some materials are so fine that volunteers use tweezers.  Since most of the materials are perishable, they must be installed on the floats hours or days before the parade, by hundreds of volunteers.

The best floats receive awards.

The work is tedious - but, look at what this determination produces.

This float was called Doing Good in the World.

In this closeup, you can see some of the natural materials.

There are two other floats I would like you to see.   One float featured surfing dogs.  Yes, several dogs surfed, on real water, carefully monitored by handlers.

The float with the dogs was the largest and heaviest float ever in the Rose Parade. It is successfully rounding a corner which lessor floats have become hung up on.

The other float paid tribute to victims of a tragic shooting last year at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.  Several survivors of the shooting rode on the float.  Doves were released to honor the 49 dead.  A large flowered dove hovered over the float.

It was a beautiful tribute, but sad, knowing that so much violence still remains in the world.

Again, determination - determination to continue forward after experiencing something like that, was on display.

A lesson in determination for day 3 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Summer Ramblings - Lilacs and Roses

It's summer! 

As I switch focus on my Wednesday feature from Spring Things to Summer Ramblings, I want to blog about one our senses, the sense of smell.

Not everyone enjoys the scent of flowers that are supposed to smell nice.  

But since my sense of smell has started to deteriorate some, hastened, apparently, by a wisdom tooth surgery a couple of years ago that resulted in a sinus communication (now healed), I'm more aware of problems in smelling things.

Also, my son and I, apparently, have a genetic issue with the scents of certain flowers.  To us, several sweet scented flowers smell not so sweet.  To be more exact, they smell like garbage.  My son has it worse than I do.  He can't even enjoy the scent of lilacs.  I can, but certain lilies, magnolias, and many paper whites fall into the category of scents I can't stand.

My mother, who would have been 98 in June, loved a talcum powder called Lilacs and Roses.  If only I still had some of her tins.  At least those scents I can still enjoy.

But the next best thing, perhaps, are some current flower pictures.

West side of Binghamton taken 6-18-16

Korean lilacs are finishing their blooming where I live in upstate New York.

And, at our local botanical gardens, the heirloom roses are finishing up their bursts of bloom.  Many of these are so fragrant, they really make me wish for smell-o-blog.

The ones I am featuring today had name tags.  Yesterday, I featured a couple of pictures of those that didn't.   And, fortunately, my genetic issue doesn't affect my ability to enjoy the scents of roses.

Belle Poitevine, above, is a "classic old rugosa" with a "strong fragrance".

Leda damask - or is it?

Mme Hardy - a classic old rose.

So beautiful, and so full of scent.

Does anyone else remember the talcum powder Lilacs and Roses?