……………………………April Showers may bring May flowers….but…….July, my birth month, is the most colorful month of the year!…..I appreciate those who are very restrained and have all white or all one color gardens, but a Leo just doesn’t roll that way…….The combination of being a LEO and a full blooded ITALIAN…..the more color the better………The second wave of color should be coming in a week or two!…….Of course when things are looking their absolute best leave it up to Mother Nature to knock some of the cockiness right out of you. In the past two weeks or so horrific wind, torrential rain and even hail storms have reared their ugly heads, ripping my beautiful blooms to shreds….When you have a bumper crop you can always count on the locusts to arrive…….With all the storms and more predicted to come, the garden is still looking beautiful, though some what tattered…..A few good days, and some cleaning up should bring it back to it’s glory……………………………….enjoy…………………….much Love…………………….Louis
Yes, my boys know how special the watering can is! Thank you for your condolences. My FIL was a very kind, giving man who told everyone about his faith in God when he met them! It was very sad that he was stuck at a nursing home for 3 months without visitors. My husband begged his brother (who had all the control) to let us take him home, but his brother said no and that he was safer at the home? Very difficult to go through, but I am so thankful we got to see him as he spent just a couple of weeks at a hospice center at the end. Another option would have been to have CNA’s come to his home around the clock as he certainly had the funds to do so. The whole thing has made us reevaluate our will and make sure our boys know what we want.
Covid is definitely getting worse here. A certain political party sued our governor over the stay-at-home orders back in May and our state supreme court ruled that he could not do that. So there are no phases or anything. Maybe that it why we are on the quarantine list, in addition to the numbers going way up into the high area in some spots. Here in the country, I would say only half of the people wear masks. I am glad that several stores and now the two bigger cities (madison and milwaukee) have stepped in and just mandated them. Our youngest has had the hardest time with our restrictions as he feels social pressure to not wear a mask. He sees just a few of his friends and mostly outside as I told him he had to put on a mask if he went inside. Otherwise, the rest of us are staying home, except for work for my husband and 19 yo son. Cody is in Nebraska and they are taking it even less seriously there in general. Cody finally decided he needed to go for another round of treatment in Ontario and hoped to do it this summer break, but for the first time in history the border is closed! I don’t blame the Canadians for wanting it to stay that way! I told Cody to pray that the border would be open during winter break so he could go then. It is quite shocking how badly our country is doing with this, so I try to pray and help others through food pantires and Compassion International (a wonderful charity that helps poor children and their families in third world countries….we thinks we have problems here.) Oh, and I tell everyone to get their vitamin D level tested and make sure their levels are good as that is so very important when dealing with any respiratory infection. Every day is a gift and trying to bring God’s love and light wherever I go is how I try to handle this!
I do hope you have been doing well. Are you visiting with anyone in your garden or have seen any of your family? I am looking forward to a certain faux suede skirt this fall (if I remember right?)! Love and hugs to you dear Louis.
Dear Karen….I feel badly that your son has to be intimidated and shamed to be wearing a mask by his piers….I just don’t understand how educated people and uneducated people who listen to the news don’t realize that this is a plague and has nothing to do with politics. Unfortunately our leaders have made it that way instead of leading the way and making masks mandatory for the entire country. If our president said masks were a must….no exceptions this pandemic could be over much quicker than what is happening now, but our leader is so politically driven and believes his base doesn’t want or believe in the science….It’s called SHADOW of the LEADER. Our president is casting a very dark shadow. The only thing that will help all of us is a vaccine! Science will always win…..It’s terrible that your son can’t get to Canada for his treatments. It’s even more sad that they are not avail to him in his own country.
Dear Louis, I am just catching up after several weeks of being away and having some sad (my dear FIL passed) and happy (our annual family vacation to Glen Lake) life experiences, so it was just lovely to come and see all of your garden pictures! Such loveliness and I had to laugh at how quickly the garden can change in a day or two so you had better enjoy it when you can! I keep adding hydrangeas to my yard too and it was interesting that you said they bloomed more every other year. I find them easier to care for than roses, though I keep trying at them too. What a lovely refuge you have in Jac’s garden during this time.
My grandfather was an avid gardener and I got his old metal watering can after he passed. I think of him every morning as I go around and give my flowers in pots a drink. Our loved ones stay with us. Hugs and love to you!
Dear Karen. so sorry to hear of the passing of your FIL……The circle of life is a difficult thing to deal with when it touches our inner circle……It is so nice that you have your grandfather’s watering can. Yes, it is like having him there with you every day. These small things, that can be meaningless to someone else, can bring us so much comfort. I’m sure you let your children know about the watering can so they too can protect it…………….Is Covid very bad in Wisconsin? I was surprised to hear it was one of the states that was on a list for anyone visiting NYC had to be quarantined for 2 weeks!
Someone earlier thought your beautiful flower resembled Monet’s Giverny. I live in the city. It is a treat to see such a beautiful collection of flowers.
What beauty you have around you with the water and the glorious garden! I read Patricia’s comments about living in a city high rise and especially glad she was able to get joy from seeing your garden.
Wowza! Do you grow any vegetables or herbs amongst all the blooms? (You being Italian and all, I am thinking growing the best ingredients for the best food!)
Not really Kate…..I only grow some Basil. We use to have a huge vegetable garden, but year after year the squirrels, rabbits, crows and other critters have destroyed the garden no matter what we do. It’s easier to go to the farmers market and support local farmers.
What a beautiful garden! Thanks for sharing! I love color!
Wow, Louis, your garden is looking gorgeous! I LOVE a riot of color when it comes to flowers too. You gave us the spring floral tops last year, Jac’s Garden pieces this year … pliease consider putting together a new piece or pieces ? designed around LOUIS’s July Garden at it’s peak, inspired by Jac of course, but nurtured into Louis’s own … that would be fabulous!
Few things are as beautiful as a riot of floral co!or. Thanks for sharing your own piece of heaven.
Dear Louis, What a profusion of flowers and color. You’ve brought some welcome joy into my and certainly others hunkering in the quarantine of city hi-rise apartments. I’m sure to return often for a refresh glance. Thanks and be good to yourself.
Definitely a “not afraid of color garden! What an alive and exuberant place!
Absolutely beautiful!
So gorgeous and enchanting, Louis. Glorious! I particularly loved this line from your narrative: “The combination of being a LEO and a full blooded ITALIAN…..the more color the better……” As someone with a clear affinity for color and a Leo, too, I chuckled with delight when I read it.
Ah, such natural beauty. We really appreciate the basic things much more now. How does the song go? “The best things in life are free.”
Louis, how glorious! Reminds me of Monet’s Giverny. The explosion of color, all in God’s good glory! How wonderful to be surrounded with such beauty, an inspiration for your designs. How much love you and Jac put into it and now it gives it back to you! xoxoxoxo Cat
Louis,
Thanks for posting- it is stunning!!!!!
I’m not sure if the view in person is not better than the view of the sound.
I love water views but also an explosion of color.
Thanks thanks thanks for sharing.
Sarah
Sarah all of my property is basically green with borders of Hydrangeas. I have 250 of sound frontage so there is a big expanse of green lawn, and in one corner a large marble lion surrounded by grasses……but when you go though the white picket fence to my back garden there is a surprising explosion of color…….sort of like Dorothy entering the technicolor world of Oz……it’s always a surprise for my quests, even for me, to see all of that color.