Our Return Home

 Thursday, July 16, 2026

We were gone for about a week and a half. Here's what the yard looks like.

I admit it's a little overgrown in spots but it's not as bad as I anticipated.

The annuals did really well despite the heat we had. Dale said we got a pretty good amount of rain while we were gone. That helped. 

Peonies, Lily of the Valley, Bridal Wreath

 Wednesday, June 3, 2026

The peonies have finally popped! Those flowers are big and heavy. 

The flowers for the bridal wreath spiria is done for the season although if you look hard you can find a few left.

Same for the Lily of the Valley.

Ya just really need to appreciate 'em while ya got 'em.

Memorial Day 2026

 Monday, May 25, 2026

Our Lily-of-the-Valley is flowering and the fragrance  produced has a lovely sweet smelling strong pungency. Andrea's mom tells us she can smell it in Andrea's yard next door.

Speaking of Andrea, her Bridal Wreath Spiria is flowering and spilling into our yard like a waterfall. 

Neither of the flowers shown in this post last long so we try to appreciate them while they're here, and knowing human nature, would be easy to do if they lasted all season. 

We stopped by the store ealier today and picked up some more brats. Dale cooked them up on the grill...

...and they were delicious.

We also had baked beans, cole slaw, and potato salad. It's really starting to feel like summer. 

Lots of Digging Today

Monday, October 20, 2025

Recently Dale removed the overgrowing grass on the back walk. 

I saved some of it that was still attached to the roots and transplanted it over by the fern garden stones where there are numerous bare spots. 

I also cleared out a bunch of the plants on the north side of the house which I think are chives. They look rather nice when they flower but they are also prolific spreaders. You can see to the right in the above picture how invasive they can be. This whole space is supposed to be lily-of-the-valley which is pictured on the left. 

The dirt between the other onion/chive plants and the hose is the area I cleared out. 

 

The State of Our Yard Today

 Wednesday, September 17, 2025

I stopped by Bachmann's today to pick up some flowers for our garden. With all of the malarky going on in the world today I'm looking forward to creating something of beauty. I've meant to do more in the yard this summer in terms of planting flowers but this is the first I'm getting to it. 

Picked up some celosia (also known a plumed cockscomb) and some mums.

The celosia is the tall stuff that looks like flames and the mums have the more traditional looking flowers. Dale's always loved the garden in autumn. I do too. Even when I plant in the spring I like to go with fall colors in anticipation of late August thru October. Now there's even warmish weather into November. Although I'll never complain about pleasant weather, summer in November in Minnesota is quite sad for the overall state of the planet. 

Dale moved the lawn today.

It got quite shaggy while we were in Arizona for nearly a couple weeks and I felt I was back in the 70s when we got home on Monday. 

The daylilies are not flowering as prolifically as they were earlier in the summer but we still get a few blooms now and then. 

The ferns have held up pretty well this year and have lasted quite a while mostly due to the amount of rain we've gotten however they're starting to brown....

...although not nearly as much as the lily-of-the-valley. 

The sedums are flowering and will turn a brilliant auburn red as we progress through fall. 

Bought a few gourds at Bachmann's too but these will stay in the house for now as the squirrels will gnaw them mercilessly. 

Remembering May 2012

 

Photo taken back in May of 2012. Our next door neighbor at the time trimmed back his bridal wreath spiria and I was pissed. I think it looked more beautiful in our yard than it did in his. The branches draped over into our yard and the white flowers that appear in the spring looked beautiful. It was like a waterfall of white. Anyway, they grew back eventually and looked great again. Now, in 2025, the bushes are not as full as they used to be. Maybe they're just old. 

Lily of the Valley in 2012.

Snow on the Mountain, 2012.

Another photo from 2012. The hosts around the back yard pine tree don't come in as nicely as this either. 

Bleeding Hearts, 2012

Memorial Day Weekend 2023 - Lily of the Valley

 Saturday, May 27, 2023

The Lily of the Valley is blooming and boy oh boy is it fragrant. 

Memorial Day Weekend 2022 - Saturday

Saturday, May 28, 2022

Gorgeous summer day today; perfect start to Memorial Day Weekend. 

Dale joined me for drinks. 

Great day for a cigar and backyard jazz. 

The Lilies of the Valley were beautifully pungent.

It's nice that it's finally summery outside. 

Still warmish in the later evening for my evening walk. It’s warmed up overall just enough that the warmth doesn’t go away immediately when the sun does. A sure sign of summer. 

Our neighbor, Steve, who used to live across the alley from us has moved to a new house up the block. Took this as I walked by his backyard.