Abbey’s Rose

Posted on 12/05/2015 by Laurie

Nature can be a crazy, beautiful thing. As amazing as it is, I still have one rose blooming in the garden – in December, a week after an ice storm.

This is a delicate miniature rose that a friend gave to us as a memorial to our Boston Terrier Abbey after “Abbs” passed away in the summer of 2014. I thought that I had lost it last spring when it didn’t come out of dormancy with our other roses; but I dug it up and put it in a pot, hoping that it would come back. Here “she” is, still blooming.

I am thinking that maybe I will bring the pot inside for the winter to see whether I can keep Abbey’s rose alive, since I have never successfully overwintered a potted rose outside. (I purchased roses in pots during winter months and transplanted them outside in the late spring, but have never gone in the other direction.)

In the meantime, on this December day, I am delighted to see Abbey’s rose and to think of our sweet girl.

Thankful Past Thanksgiving

Posted on 12/01/2015 by Laurie

Thanksgiving is over and December is here, so it is time to pack away the pilgrims and the pumpkins for another year and start preparing for Christmas festivities. We had a truly delightful extended family spend their Thanksgiving with us at The Morning Star – a family that we have know through the bed and breakfast for about 15 years. For them, and for the many, many wonderful guests that we have had stay at the B&B over the last 19 years, we are thankful.

Wishing you the best as this holiday season continues …

Frozen Woods

Posted on 11/30/2015 by Laurie

A hilltop view of the frosty morning …

FrozenWoods

As always, wishing you a lovely day!

An Icy Day

Posted on 11/29/2015 by Laurie

With the freezing rain that we have had over the last 24 hours, it is a good day to stay inside, have a warm drink and read a book … or go outside and take pictures in the garden for a wee bit first if you are someone like me! These are quite a contrast from the photos that I took just 12 days ago. It is so dreary out today that I had to use a flash to get a few of the shots, something that I almost never do outside.

Wishing you a warm and lovely day … and safe travels to anyone out on the road in this area today!

Late Autumn Garden

Posted on 11/17/2015 by Laurie

So far this year, it has been a very mild autumn here in Manhattan, Kansas, allowing for an extended period of color in the garden. The weather, the last few days, has been grey and damp, with rain on and off. So the colors are really showing up in bright contrast to the skies. Here are a few pictures that I took this morning. I hope that you enjoy them!

JapaneseMapleNov2015-2

RoseMagentaNov2015

RoseMarilynMonroeNov2015

Pumpkin&Geranium

ChrysanthemumNov2015

DaisyNov2015

BeautyBerryNov2015

JapaneseMapleArtisticNov2015

Wishing you a beautiful day!

Asiatic Lily ‘Kiss Me Kate’

Posted on 06/10/2015 by Laurie

I love this time of year when our lilies are in bloom!

Have a great day!

Rainy Day People/Weekly Photo Challenge: On the Way

Posted on 06/04/2015 by Laurie

Rainy Day People

More on this week’s Photo Challenge: On the Way.

May Showers, May Flowers!

Posted on 05/09/2015 by Laurie

Both despite, and because of, all of the rain that we have had lately, the garden is looking quite lush. I couldn’t help but go out in the drizzle this afternoon to take some pictures. The garden should be gorgeous for Mother’s Day.

… And to my mother, who taught me to garden, “I hope that you have a great day out amongst the flowers, Mom! Love ya.”

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!

Getting Started

Posted on 04/29/2015 by Laurie

After a coolish and rainy April, the garden is full of buds are about ready to burst open with color. Here are a few photos from this morning of our early bloomers.