A rose is a rose is a rose....

...unless it's a New Dawn rose!

My New Dawn rose bush is finally starting to take off!

It's taken quite a while, but it was worth the wait.

The pale pink buds open into...

...the most amazing roses, creamy white with just a hint of blush.

They look so beautiful...

...paired with small aqua bottles 

(like this old Mellin's Infant Food bottle I found at Fairground Antiques years ago).

While visiting a relative on the Cape last week, hubby and I stopped for lunch 

at a wonderful restaurant in East Dennis, The Marshside.

And just look what was blooming profusely!

I don't know what I enjoyed more, my lunch or the gorgeous shrub and flower gardens 

surrounding the restaurant.

 Trellis after trellis overflowing with New Dawn roses... Be still my heart. 

I wonder if mine will ever look this good? 

(Are you drooling, Claudia? I know you love New Dawn as much as I do!)

Does your heart skip a beat for hydrangeas rather than roses?

Then you are in for a treat!

So many colors, and all so beautiful!

(click any photos to enlarge)

As if the gardens out front aren't enough, this is the view of the marsh...

...looking through the floor to ceiling windows that line the back of the restaurant.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in one of those houses way off in the distance 

and wake up to this view every day?

In closing, I thought I'd share my incredible lunch with you (photos, at least :)

A side salad...

...followed by the baked seafood casserole, green beans, and rice pilaf.

It was all d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!!!!!

Here's a link to The Marshside's website. 

If you find yourself on the Cape, I highly recommend it!

I'm linking to Tracie's Cottage Garden Party at the lovely Fishtail Cottage

and Cindy's Show & Tell Friday at the beautiful My Romantic Home.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Donna

A Patriotic Creed

A Patriotic Creed

by Edgar Guest

To serve my country day by day
At any humble post I may;
To honor and respect her flag,
To live the traits of which I brag;
To be American in deed
As well as in my printed creed.

To stand for truth and honest toil,
To till my little patch of soil,
And keep in mind the debt I owe
To them who died that I might know
My country, prosperous and free,
And passed this heritage to me.

I always must in trouble's hour
Be guided by the men in power;
For God and country I must live,
My best for God and country give;
No act of mine that men may scan
Must shame the name American.

To do my best and play my part,
American in mind and heart;
To serve the flag and bravely stand
To guard the glory of my land;
To be American in deed:
God grant me strength to keep this creed!

**************

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

A safe & happy 4th of July to you all!

Donna

Feeding Time at the Zoo...

A couple of weeks ago I paid bills on the table outside. It was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon, much too nice to be stuck inside. It wasn't long before I had some friends join me. (The peanut basket I brought out with me is like a beacon.)

(click on any photos to enlarge them)

This is one of the many bluejays who visit our yard. But this particular little guy is the only one brave enough to come right up to me to get his peanuts.

It's taken a while for him to feel comfortable enough to come this close. I doubt he'll ever trust me enough to eat out of my hand like my chipmunk friends, but I feel honored that he trusts me enough to come this close.

I was almost out of peanuts on this particular day, so he had to hop down into the basket to retrieve his treats, with me sitting right there. Another act of great bravery on his part.

I know bluejays can be mean birds, but I still have a soft spot for them.

Now Ms. Titmouse isn't nearly so shy. She always makes sure I see her when she comes to visit, hopping from chair to table and from side to side to catch my attention. I think she likes to be admired and told how cute she is.

Of course my little Chips are ever present. Today I made Chip get his own peanuts out of the basket instead of hand feeding him since I was busy paying bills (and taking pictures!).

Here he is with his cheeks full, on his way out of the basket while Sammy Squirrel decides whether or not to join him.

My little Chips are fearless creatures, always eager to become friends with the peanut lady (me). 

Another picture of Sammy deciding whether to join us while Mr. Blue Jay watches over the peanut basket from the top of our wrought iron planter holder.

It really was a perfect afternoon. I even had a visit from shy Mrs. Mourning Dove, who braved the feeding frenzy in order to get a drink from the fountain. Having all these little creatures around sure took a bit of the sting out of paying bills!!

Have a beautiful week... Donna

My new birdbaths...

...aren't really birdbaths at all. They're actually plastic chip bowls I just purchased from The Christmas Tree Shop.

I've had these hydrangea patterned ones for a few years now, and although they're somewhat faded from the New England summer sun, they're still going strong.  
(I store them inside our shed over the winter months.)

Some are placed on the ground where, in addition to the birds, they get lots of action from our squirrels and chipmunks. I've also seen some of our nocturnal visitors drinking from them (skunks, possum, and raccoons).

Some are placed in old birdbath basins that have cracked and no longer hold water.

 Some sit on tree stumps...

And some sit on metal garden tables/plant stands.

The birds love the large size. There's lots of room to splash around. This is one of the new bowls. I filled it with water and placed it in an old wicker planter I have on the deck.

 They didn't have any hydrangea patterns this year, which I'd been hoping for, but they did have a great selection of designs. I got some that were very bright and cheerful (top row) and some that were more subdued garden and bird designs (bottom row).

I think the birds will really enjoy these for years to come.

I got twelve. That's "12."  A full dozen. Yup. Call me crazy, but when I find something good, I sometimes buy backups. If I take good care of the hydrangea ones I have now, I might not even need to use these for a couple of years yet, but I like having these as backups in case the hydrangea bowls crack or develop leaks.

 At $1.29 each, I couldn't pass these up! I'm not sure if this is a special sale price or the everyday price, but if you have a Christmas Tree Shop nearby and are in the market for an inexpensive birdbath (or twelve), run and pick some up!

The birds will thank you!

 (2010 photo of blue jay at one of the birdbaths on a small metal plant stand/garden table.)

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
We're in for about 4 days of humid, over 90 degree weather.
I'm sure I'll be spending much of that time making sure my birdbaths stay full!

Donna

Our Pet Chipmunk

Sometimes I feel as though we really do have an enchanted garden, and the other afternoon was a perfect example. While it's not very big or fancy, our little backyard is filled with a variety of birds and little critters scampering about. And we've made some "enchanting" friends back there.

One day last week hubby and I sat back there and spent quite a bit of time with one of our "Chips," seen here taking peanuts from me.

Not wanting to play favorites, Chip divided his time equally between hubby and me.

We all hung out, just chit-chatting, admiring the garden, and enjoying a glorious summer day.

After a while, Chip decided he'd like to choose his own peanuts.

He may be small, but he's got a mighty big appetite!

A bit later, while tossing peanuts on the patio for Chip and some of his friends, one peanut ended up in the waterfall fountain.

Our little Chip wasn't about to let a bit of water stop him from retrieving that tasty tidbit, as evidenced by this short video:

I've made a set of "steps" by placing rocks, from small to large, along the inside edge of the lower level as it's a bit deep for small animals and birds and I want to make sure they're able to get out if they ever fall in. Chip was smart enough to climb down those rocks in order to reach his peanut. That's my boy!

Wishing you all enchanted gardens filled with magical little creatures!

I'm linking to Tracie's Cottage Garden Party at the lovely Fishtail Cottage
and Cindy's Show & Tell Friday at the lovely My Romantic Home this week.

Donna