THE GARDEN WALK IN BUFFALO

 

   

The Garden Walk 2009 in Buffalo was such a fantastic experience. Who would have guessed that right near the downtown skyscrapers there could be a small community of cottages that prided themselves on their small gardens. All over the city we visited the most beautiful, bountiful gardens that I have ever seen. Each one was more beautiful than the last. Many of them allowed us access to their side and back yards to get a peek at their wonderful gardening talent. There were multitudes of flowers of every variety and landscaping that took your breath away. It was an enjoyable weekend!

Thanks, dad!

                                                                                                      Do you believe that the dead can communicate with the living? I always thought so but now I am absolutely convinced by what happened this week at my house. My two sisters were visiting from Virginia. We always have a great time and that includes a little wine drinking (without me, of course, since I’m allergic to wine). Linda brought one of her last two bottles of wine that our father had made. He passed away a few years ago and we talk about him often. We were contemplating opening a bottle. I remarked that I had only one bottle left but I was saving it for a special occasion. My sister said, “If not now, when. If not us, who? If not here, where?” We were sitting outside at a small table on the breezeway and heard a crash from inside the house. We all looked at each other since we knew no one was in the house except Sadie whom we could see laying in front of the French doors. I said, “What was that?” I went in to look and called to the girls that they had to see this. My last bottle of wine was in the wine rack where it had been sitting for over 3 years. But the cork was unpopped and the bottle pushed back on the rack to save the wine. We all were amazed that the wine would open at just that moment when we were talking about it. And just that quickly we knew. Dad had opened his bottle of wine for us. The implied message was….this is a special occasion…drink it now! We couldn’t believe that it had happened and were just dumbfounded! If anyone could contact us from the other place, it would be my dad! I know now that he is ok and we have hope for after we die too. It gives me such a warm feeling to know that dad and mom still see us and know what we are doing. Thanks, dad for showing us that miracle!

Isn’t Sean getting big?

It’s Tuesday already!

I don’t know where the time is going! I looked, and lo and behold I hadn’t blogged for a while. I guess summer just gets to be a busy time. This week I’m busy getting the house cleaned for my company. Linda and Diane are coming on Friday. They so rarely come and I’m excited about their visit. We are going to Buffalo to attend the Garden Walk, a tour of many neighborhoods in Buffalo. I’m praying for non-rainy weather. Our summer has been nothing to speak of up here in northwestern PA. It’s rained….a lot! We’ve not had many warm days or nice nights.  Chris and Scott are also coming for a few days. It will be nice for the guys to do some bonding out in the boat.  Today I shined my wooden floors with Johnson’s Paste Wax and Don buffed them. I took a minute to photoshop this picture. Now I have to get ready to go out to dinner with the girls at the casino. Maybe I’ll be a big winner….I don’t think so.

NEW PICTURES OF SEAN

I can’t believe how “grown up” looking Sean is getting to be. I love the red hair, just like grandpa’s.

SADIE’S HOME

Boy, has Sadie grown since this pupppy picture taken a while ago. She was so happy to be back from the vet’s this morning. Now she will never be a mommy (which is quite all right with us). In the months that we have had her she sure has changed our lives. We love our Top Gun, but dogs are just different. THey love you back and want to be around you. THey are also very smart. When I get my purse and keys Sadie knows that I’m leaving and wants to go for a ride with me. She understands a lot. Now that she is older we are going to start training in earnest. I was holding off until the housebreaking sessions were over. SHe still has some accidents in the house and doesn’t have the idea that she is supposed to let us know that she wants outside. So we have to watch her and anticipate her need to potty. SHe knows a few tricks..come, sit, and fetch. She has also learned not to beg for food when we are eating. Now the fun training begins. Our other dogs were very, very smart (what other dogs do you know that can yawn and sneeze on command?) So we have high hopes for Sadie.

HUSBAND APPRECIATION DAY

Do we ever tell our husbands enough how much we love and appreciate them? I have the best husband put on Earth. Not only is he loving and respectful of me but is the hardest worker ever. He tackles all the projects that I create in that decorating mind of mine and makes the dreams come true with many months, and years, of hard work. He never ceases to amaze me with his skills and mental abilities to solve problems. He looks at a broken lawnmower as a challenge and works to make it work again. He solves problems where most men would give up. In the picture above he is working to remove a large tree stump in our front yard. It is hard for him to take a day off from working on something. I will always love him for who he is.

A PERFECT SUMMER NIGHT

Finally…a warm summer night! And I took advantage of it by inviting my good friendsfor an impromptu party  to share it with me. The food was delicious. I made a taco salad with all the fixings, a sweet pepper dip with crackers, and pound cake with a lemon thyme glaze. Everyone brought something and we had cheese, crackers, dips, snacks, and caramel popcorn.                                                                   Don has been working so hard completing the landscape and the courtyard area couldn’t look more beautiful. Yesterday Don put in the weeping cherry tree and it was the perfect tree to complete the garden landscape. Now the bank is totally done and it was a masterpiece after dark with the lights on the waterfall and the glowing lanterns.
     As it was getting dark I lit the fire and we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores. The evening  couldn't’ be more perfect. Good weather and good friends.
 

July 2009

Pond?…….

or private swimming pool?

July 4th 2009

Sadie was running with the big dogs this weekend when Chris brought up his black lab and his girlfriend, Alexandra brought Kori, her chocolate lab. Sadie was so enthralled with the dogs that she could be let off her leash and not even think of running away. She stayed right in our yard following Kori around and making a pest out of herself. Unfortunately after they left we let her off her leash and she immediately bolted as fast as she could across the road and over to the neighbor’s house. So today the fence was completed (except for making the gates) and she can have the run of part of the backyard. She loved it and couldn’t believe that she was free! She ran like lightening around the yard, swam in both the pond and the fountain, and generally had a ball! The fence will be a lifesaver to Don and I who have been taking her out on a leash at 6 in the morning, almost every hour and a half and late at night. Just opening the door and letting her out will be so much easier than those 15 minute sessions where she gets distracted by anything that moves that she forgot what she was doing outside. This should help tremendously with her housebreaking too.

It was so nice to have Chris home. He was such a help getting the posts for the fence all in place, wiring my landscape lighting and washing and waxing dad’s truck. He is such a wonderful son!

This was a great week to get things done. The pond area finally came together when Don and Tim finished added dirt and mulch and I got all the plants in. it looks wonderful out there. In the first picture Scott carried up the cement rabbit and put it by the hydrangea and lilies.  The last picture shows the Russian sage and a yellow squash and zucchini squash that I planted.  The middle two pictures are of the herb garden. Isn’t the lavender divine!!



Saturday night it was off to Ellicottville to see the Buffalo Philharmonic play on the ski slope of Holiday Valley. It was a great concert with fireworks afterwards!