Thursday, May 10, 2012

I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

Do you remember
that old song?
  I think the original
was by Lynn Anderson.
And..
I DIDN'T !
I didn't
promise you a 
ROSE GARDEN
but I DID promise you
some GARDEN shots.

I decided NOT to move
the front garden bed 
this year.
Instead, I decided to work
it for all it is worth.

If you remember
it started something like this...
Weedy and kinda ugly...
okay...a lot ugly...
and a lot weedy.

And this...

After a few days work
it looks like this..
The two windows to the right
are MyHero's office.
The window to the left is 
the laundry room.
The windows are almost floor
to ceiling.

This is looking from the
front porch-down and
across the bed.
Pardon the garden hose
on the left.
He has a mind of his own.
I call him Oscar.
Oscar hates me and is 
always trying to cover me with
mud or spray me when I least
expect it.
I am going to buy a hose reel
and THEN we will
see who is boss of his life!

Do you see the inset there?
My fountain calls that 
little nook home.
I saved all that stone
from the demolition and 
hand scraped every piece so
it could be reused.
I need to get him up
and running now that we are
past freezing.
There are two little frogs on
the sides that used to 
spit water- 
I plugged their little mouths
with gum..now they
just sit there with a
lump in their throat
while the angel holding
the shell spills her water
delicately into the basin.
MyHero thinks I should clean
her up.
I like her with her age showing.
Besides~ if I clean her up
I might have to do something
about my own wrinkles.
At least this way my face
looks better than hers does.
Shut up-family-I heard you!

Another shot -look at that
wonderful old rock.
SweetCheeks says it looks like a
BUTT ROCK...
Seriously...that kid is warped
and I don't know WHERE
she gets it from.
And MULCH..
Lord love us-I got mulch in there!
And here's my porch flag
that flaps sweetly in the breeze.
That's the garage extension 
off to the right hand side.
The door is in the back and
opens onto a cul-de-sac.
That is where MyHero 
has hidden 
PearlyGirl.
You do remember HER, don't you?
Uh-huh---ain't SHE a beaut?
You can read about her here.
One day he might brave the 
neighbor's ridicule and actually
pull her OUT of the garage.

Now...if you are nice and promise
not to eat the last brownie
and swear that it was "bad"
so you threw it out....liar..liar...
tomorrow I will show you
the little side garden where
Bardot the Bike
 (that is Bar-Doh-not Bar DOT
you know- like Brigitte Bardot) 
has made her home.

See ya then...have a great day!

your photo name

52 comments:

Musings from Kim K. said...

What a lovely tour. Everything is looking so nice and fresh. Mulch makes everything all pretty again. I especially love knowing that you also have fights with your garden hose. Tee hee.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Looking real good! You have worked hard and it shows. Yes, it does look like a Butt rock. hehe You know in a can of sliced peaches there are some with the grove in them. When my twins were tots, inevitably one would whine... 'I don't want the hiney peach!' Warped, I know, but it's gonna make you giggle every time you open another can of peaches!

Susie said...

Diana,
I think you did a great job on the flowerbed. I love the fountain.
I think SC takes after you.:):) Enjoy this pretty day. Smiles, xo, Susie

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Hi Diana!
I love your side garden. It looks so pretty and so trim and manicured....did you do that???

Love your fountain. I think she's perfect just the way she is.

I had to laugh that you named your water hose...I hate mine, it hates me too....LOL! I bought a hose reel once and it didn't like me either.

hugs
Sissie

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes said...

It looks just beautiful!!! All your hard work has paid off! Now you can relax and enjoy it each time you walk by! Great job!

Gina said...

Your garden looks pretty! It's so neat & tidy now. All that hard work paid off!
I love your fountain! I'm afraid of frogs, so I'm kinda glad you plugged their mouths with gum. :D

The Decorative Dreamer said...

I love looking at yards. Your angel fountain is fabulous! Poor little frogs though. Gulp..LOL! You have certainly done a lot of work, it looks very defined and manicured now. I can't wait to see more!

Susan said...

Diana you are too funny with your post. You crack me up woman! Your garden is beautiful and so is your fountain!

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

The garden looks terrific!... and you lucky duck to have a camper. Are you going places? :-)

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Bee-yoo-ti-ful, Diana! That looks great. I love when fresh mulch goes down. I think it instantly makes it all look neat and makes all the plants look so nice. I have plans to help my daughter with hers this afternoon. It's been cool the past couple of days, so it's an ideal time to get down and dirty! I just don't know if I'll be able to get back up again.

Cristina Garay said...

This was the funniest garden tour I ever have! I like the angel fountain the way it is! Your garden is looking really nice!

Debbiedoos said...

You have beautiful gardens Diana. I am in garden envy for sure. All nice and green and plush.

Tete said...

Looks so much better without the weeds! So, can you move after all of that work?
I like the little statue like she is. I like things with an aged look anyway.
Got up with a head ache this morning and the new contractor will come by today to work up an estimate on the deck. Could it be that by next weekend I could be sitting on the deck in the shade????

Jettie said...

Love it.
And please keep Pearly Girl hidden, my own hero would be trying to buy it to decorate our driveway.

Donna said...

Looking good, Diana! What are some of the shrubs that you have planted? You are the only person I know who has named her garden hose, AND her bike! Gee, I wonder where SweetCheeks gets her sense of humor? I can hardly wait to get home and work in my flower beds. Oh, and you'd better get the Pearl fixed up, so we can meet up in the UP this fall!!

Debbie said...

Your garden looks wonderful Diana!
Did you say you stuck gum in the frogs mouths? One day you will go out and they will be blowing bubbles at the poor little angel.
Looking forward to seeing the rest of your gardens..especially the one where Bridgette is sitting.
Enjoy your day.
xxoo

Debby said...

Your gardens look great. So much work. Mine won't look like that ever. Love the fountain and the butt rock.

Amber ~ The French Pressed Home said...

Love it, Diana! LOVE IT! I am looking forward to my first cup of coffee and NanaDiana now, everyday! :)I love giggling first thing. Thank you!
xo, Amber

Ann@A Sentimental Life said...

Looks like your hard work paid off, I need to be out working on mine but with this runny nose..no!

Petie said...

Growing up, I was convinced I was going to be a singer, because I knew all the words to that song. I would go around the house singing it all day long. It drove my brothers and sisters crazy. Your garden looks amazing.

Nellie said...

I love this post, Diana! You have been working hard on your garden, and it really shows your efforts. Oh, I would NEVER throw a brownie out.:-)
xoxo Nellie

bj said...

Love your garden and your home is lovely.
I even like the butt rock.:)

Kelly said...

The area in front of your house looks so good. Love your fountain! Wish I had one. It's so tranquil listening to a fountain.

Gert said...

Oh I love what you have done to the front of your house/garden. Everything is beautiful ...especially the fountain girl...now I think she has character just like she is...smile..

Blessings,
Gert

Anonymous said...

hope the frogs enjoy the gum!
Lovely flower beds, really lovely, I think your hubbies motor home looks like fun!

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Beautiful garden and lovely home for a wonderfu and sweet lady! The motor home sounds like fun, lol..Oh hon, I'm sorry you can't eat sea-food, I simply love it, anything that moves under the sea, heheheee..but yeah, I guess I'm expensive like you, I simply adore lobster too, lol! Our hubbys are going to have to splurge on us sometimes! Thanks for your visit, you always make me happy. I wish you and your family a wonderful and blessed MOTHER'S DAY.
FABBY

Little Miss Maggie said...

Lovely spot. Looks very inviting. I love the shaped greenery. I would not clean your angel at all. I am sure she appears old and wise. Youth is overrated anyway, don't you think?

Julie Marie said...

Oh Diana, you are just the cutest lady I know!... first off, your gardens look beautiful!!!... you have done alot of work in them... I love your hanging cone shaped basket!... and those poor froggies... can't you at least put bubble gum in their mouths so they can blow some bubbles once in a while???... and yep, I ate the last brownie... and I savored every bite of it... so maybe you won't show me your bike?... I hope you forgive me and show me anyway, xoxo Julie Marie

Sunny Simple Life said...

That bed will be wonderful to peek at out your windows. That motorhome is so awesomely retro. I cannot believe someone wouldn't want to buy that. It looks in great shape. All the older trailers are so collectable right now.

Donna said...

Oh Diana,

What a lovely home! Your garden looks so clean and well formed, green and pretty!

Butt rock, yea, I wonder where she gets that warped sense of humor from too, must be from your Hero! With that big old van, must be! Do you use her camping?

Can't wait to see Bridget! Hope you're having a great day! We're (yes my Sweetie is helping me this year!!) almost finished with the garden planting. Lots of seeds, so you're going to be very excited to see our 'wet dirt!' Some color spots, and Sweetie is even getting excited about some other color spots!!

Thank you for sharing! Have a wonderful weekend, Diana!

Hugs,
Donna

Blooming Rose Musings said...

Diana, I think your garden beds look wonderful! And I love your fountain with her age showing...I love all of us with our age showing! She and we have worked hard for every wrinkle we have so we should be proud of them.
I know just what you mean about the garden hose...I am in constant battle with mine and to be honest, the hose wheel wasn't much help. SweetCheeks is right on about the butt rock. Hmm, I can't imagine where she gets her sense of humor.
XO

Anonymous said...

It's looking really good. Helped enormously by having that butt rock!

Kim Gillian said...

It looks great, your hard work has paid off. I really like your fountain!

Mark said...

Okay, good job on the garden but I'm in love with that camper of yours. I want to shrink it to Tonka toy size and put in on my bookshelves. It's so cool!
m.

Jackie said...

Love it all, girlfriend! Uh, would you come to Phoenix and help me with my garden.....uh, wait a minute....we don't have anything green in Phx....just desert, rocks and cactus....nevermind! Oh well, I guess I'll just drool over yours.....fabuluuuuus!

Blessings!
Jackie

Maria Elena said...

Diana, your garden looks so pretty and clean! All that hard work paid off! And I know it was hard work! And I love, love PearlyGirl!!! OMG! My husband is going to loose his mind when he sees these pictures! LOL

Unknown said...

I had to laugh at your comment about the frogs! Your gardens are shaping up so nicely.

Pam Kessler said...

There's Pearly! I've missed her and I'm sure she's getting lonely in the garage. I would love to have a camper, but that may just be my romantic idea of a camper in my head. I don't remember being so in love with them when I was younger and we actually camped out in the woods with no shower facilities and all that fun stuff.

Shopgirl said...

Somehow I have known you forever...I name things too. I love the work you have done in the garden area, and oh the gum in the frogs mouth got me (thanks for the giggle). It is to windy for me to get out and work in the flower beds today...40 mile an hour wind is not my idea of a good time outside. Here I am stuck at home waiting for my car, I must find something to do. Oh ya, I am doing something, I am blogging!!! Hugs, Mary

Ruth Kelly said...

I want to thank you for the lovely Mother's Day Plate from the year that my son Tobin was born and also for the lovely card. You are so sweet. I never dreamed that I would have blog friends when I first started to blog.

I laugh, I cry, I pray, I look forward to reading and seeing photos every day. Frankly, it is so much better than facebook.

Thanks again.
xo
Ruth

Diana LaMarre said...

I think it looks great! I am glad you didn't remove it all. It would take years to grow shrubs to that size.

Patty Patterson said...

It looks great! I like the shrubs and the rock! Nice job!

Lucille said...

You have a lovely garden, Diana! I love your angel. I agree that it's better to leave it as it is. Aren't we always painting and aging things. So I agree to leave alone something that has just aged naturally! Am I making sense here? Oh, I think you know what I mean.

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Oh Diana, I swear those garden hoses certainly do have a mind of their own. Sometimes I worry about garden tools. My weed eater jumped out and slashed my leg, yes my bad leg today. I think it was out to get me. It certainly couldn't be the operator. lol! Your bed looks lovely. Isn't it amazing what mulch does? It certainly is black gold! I say that your little lady has aged well. I like her just the way she is. I'm laughing about Bardot. Last time my hairdresser cut my hair she kept calling me Brigitte Bardot. She said she was making me into a beauty like her. Ha-ha, hardly!
Hugs,
Jann

momto8 said...

beautiful pics! now you reminded me how much work I have been putting off!! mulch next weekend I guess..

The Polka Dot Closet said...

Wow, you're working hard and it show's....I can't believe you shoved gum in the frogs mouth LOL!

Carol

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Of course we remember the way it looked..and now to see the after shots..I cannot believe all the work you have done. It looks wonderful. What a great job!
I could tell you where Sweet Cheeks..never mind!!:)

Janet said...

Great pictures. Wonderful job on the garden.

Butt rock!! LOL You 'crack' me up.

WHERE does SweetCheeks get her 'warp-ness from?? Bet I know. LOL


Nana, you mustn't do that to her little mind. It will come back to haunt you.

Take care, Janet W

Blessed Serendipity said...

Diana are both of your thumbs green cause your garden is looking beautiful!

xo,
Danielle

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

All your hard work has paid off Diana, it looks beautiful!!

Gypsy Heart said...

Lots of hard work there...and it looks beautiful. I just love plants and flowers. The angel is really nice and yes, an aged appearance makes her look very nice. We, on the other hand, do not need that effect.

Enjoy!
xo
Pat

Angela said...

You flower beds look great!! We've been doing a lot of work outside and it's NOT easy!! ;)