Too many things needed doing last week and encroached into my Idyll time. I see I missed Cyns birthday altogether since I failed to even keep up on reading. Honestly, I have to cheat and use a photo from last season for your card, Cyn, how bad is that? Just havent been taking many photos since my lack of spring color is so pathetic. Nevertheless, glad you had a good one and hope your reunion was fun! Cindy, congratulations on the baby granddaughter youre going to welcome in just 4 months. With all the Idyll grandmas, youll have advice and experience at your fingertips! Your garden will be perfect for a little girl with the wonderful shades of pink and pastelsbeautiful Asao! Nice youre enjoying a visit with your son, Bug. Feed him well and if he stays any length of time he might develop a taste for those veggies. Hope you received a newsy communication (and photos) from the family to celebrate Ivys birthday. Im sure shes going to take off now that shes taken those first couple of steps! Saucy, how do you find enough time to work with your neighbor and then in your own gardens? Especially now when everything needs done at once! Those orchid photos have such a romantic quality about them, Deanne, or thats just my perspective. Something reminiscent of Victorian times with delicate colors, urn amongst the vases and soft fabric of the window treatments. Youre correct, I certainly did enjoy the little Goldfinch and I never noticed they have that little area of speckling on the head. Always fascinated by rock walls but I cant imagine how you make them look soright. I mean, Id be constantly thinkingthis one here, or should it be that one?and it would take me forEVER! Woody, the cookie monster lying in wait is a perfect caption for that photo! Is he as good natured and cuddley as he looks? Sammy caused me to do a quick double takefirst time for me with the breed! No matter how many times I look at those Delphs, Kathy, the color just blows me away Wow, they are out of this world! Ditto what you said on the weed eater. Even after the numbness wears off I feel twitches and tiny tremors in my forearms or have the sensation they could float right up in the air. Norma, how in the heck do you manage to use that thing for so long?! Michelle, you have such a fantastic display of spring color and what a great idea to build the raised garden to be seen from the DR window. Your gardens appear so well planned and thought out I find it hard to believe you described yourself as a "plopper" in a previous post, lol! Good that you are able to spend more time with Kenzie in spite of the situation; my fingers are crossed things will even out and the intervention be of help. Weve had three days of high wind, gusting up to 40 mph without rain. Im feeling quite fractious watching the endless assault of helicopters coming down. What a cursethey are everywhere. Ill never get them out of the new grass seed and mulch areas, aaargh. And then, of course, I spent three days putting down top soil where the stump was ground out getting it level, raking it smooth, applying more seed only to have a tree three houses down let loose and across they sailed. Today at the store, the checker told me I had two helicopters stuck in my hair. I think Id rather have a wandering cow stroll through the gardens than 12,452,000 helicopters. Candy

Canary Bird, both the yellow sweetbriar and the hybrid xanthina. The sweetbrier doesn't appear to have made it to the USA yet. The hybrid xanthina is very difficult to find here. Rotes Phänomen, the purple/red rugosa, it is purple/red everywhere, including the stamens and inside the canes. R. foetida--the single form, I have the double 'Persiana' and love it. Nothing in rosedom more yellow! Schoener's Nutkana, which is a cross between the California native species R. nutkana and the hybrid perpetual Paul Neyron. SN was bred in California. Large plant and flowers (single medium to dark pink), repeat blooming in my area (botanic garden), shade tolerant, few thorns, lots of hips. And rust resistant unlike its parent Paul Neyron. R. hemisphaerica, the sulphur rose. Packed with petals. Very hard to get! Rosa cannabifolia, the hemp-leaved rose. A beautiful, and primitive, rare alba. Flowers look similar to R. fortuniana. White double flowers. Schön Ingeborg, an absolutely gorgeous light pink hybrid perpetual that Cliff Orent imported. Now to be found sporadically at Palatine. Very double. Suzanne, a double light pink spinisissima with the beautiful small foliage of that species. Gets big and bushy. Looks graceful and primitive. Missed getting it from Pickering (they sold out) a few years ago, then they dropped it from their catalog. Was on the waiting list at High Country Roses but their mother plant died. R. beggeriana, its big and bushy, with single white flowers, and reblooms. Produces plentiful black/purple hips which are good for wildlife. From hot, dry areas of the world. Lemon Light, a yellow seedling of the enormous tree-eating Kiftsgate but not quite as large. Used to be in the catalogs of Heirloom (and not seen anywhere else). Hope they offer it again. R. glutinosa, the pine-scented rose, a pink single. I like roses with either unusual scents in the foliage or flowers. Forestfarm grows it, but is out-of-stock. I've asked them to propagate it, so maybe 2014! Buttercup, a small yellow Austin, with flowers that resemble buttercups. I want it, but I don't want the RMV that would be inevitable should I purchase direct from Austin. Not readily available elsewhere, especially from any that virus index. R. horrida, it is, as its name implies, a horrible little thing! Loaded with thorns, the beasty suckers like mad, and thus appeals to me. White single flowers, sets copious hips. Good for wildlife food and safe haven. From the Caucasus. Paul Délépine, a stunning small polyantha I saw at Eurodesert. It is a sort of purpley pink. Very floriferous. Yellow Blush, a light yellow alba. Very double. I'll probably have to wait a good long time before this one is available.... Domine Sampson, a short light pinky lilac marbled hybrid spinossima. Melissa Here is a link that might be useful: Rotes Phänomen

OK, "Holiday-ers!"...you won't believe this! My 30% coupon still had a few days left after getting home from vac on Sun. So a couple of my 'retired co-workers' & I had lunch today & shopped at Kohl's... I was keeping my fingers crossed.... ...saw some other brands of dishes for 40% off & walked in the next aisle...NOT 40% off...but 50%!!!! WOO HOO!!!$$$$ I was definitely seeing RED!!! So for 50% off PLUS my 30% off coupon, I brought home: 4 dinner plates 4 salad plates 4 bread? plates (smaller ones) ...each w/a diff pattern & one milk rooster vase 4 cereal/soup bows (bigger bowls) + 2 more cherry placemats Whoopee!!! Just wanted to share ...I will post pics later...as I need to wash them & change cupboard around so can use as 'everyday' dishes, too! And then I need to see that look on DH's face when there's MORE dishes on the counter tomorrow! Thanks, you 'Enabler's R Us!' Jeanne S. (here's pic from Kohl's that I copied) Here is a link that might be useful: Kohl's link American Heritage Collection

I wish I could see more of their homes! I think I'd be happy with any of them, but I would prefer either Cam and Mitchell's or Phil and Claire's . . .BUT, while they are decorated beautifully, I'd still redo them as they are a little too "cool" for me. We have a very similar blue that is in the hallway of Phil and Claire's in our bathroom, and even though it's new (DH picked it) it's not my favorite. I love that none of them seem to really work yet they all live in masterpiece homes! Now, ask me who I'd want to have lunch with, and I pick Cam in a heartbeat! He'd be my BFF!