I love gazing into the canopy of the 70 year old maple tree in my backyard.

I’m grateful for its beauty and the shade it gives me.

I’m so grateful for the beauty and shade that I overlook the labor it requires from me to rake up its unending drop of yellow leaves in fall!

I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree. Joyce Kilmer. The first poem I ever memorized, in 3rd grade, I think.

Things are at full tilt in mid-July. First up, lovely pink hollyhocks.

My clematis is making a come-back showing this summer. I lease my home when I’m living in Europe, and nobody cares for my garden the way I do. I am so happy this vine is blooming again this year!

Gardening in Colorado is a challenge. Daylilies are a staple and they have begun blooming their hearts out in the heat. We had more rain average by a long shot this spring (we have received more rainfall in the first 6 months of this year than we typically get in a full 12 months) and certain perennials are taller than I’ve ever seen them. Daylilies are one of them!

Purple yarrow is a nice touch in the garden.

My phlox are just about done blooming for the season.

My daisies grew taller and bloomed earlier. These are stragglers.

One of my favorite plants is the mallow. I love these pale pinkish/purple fragile blossoms!

My espaliered apple tree is quite productive this year too. Several apples are growing nicely. This is not apple orchard terrain, so I’m proud of any apple sturdy enough to grow here.

Gardening is one of my favorite pastimes. I miss it when I’m not here.

Is random shots like this that appear in my feed:

Incredible.

And somehow this pictures goes along with the random pictures I took today.

Wish I’d thought of this. I’d have worn it and designed others inspired by this in a heartbeat.

The picture above was from the most incredible hotel room I’ve ever had the pleasure of sleeping in. I never wanted to leave this room and its absolutely stunning ensuite bathroom.

Don’t forget to look up. In India, it’s a must!

These hands. This labor.

I’m a bit of a voyeur. I still wonder what these two were discussing. I wish I had her poise.

Yes, the Taj Mahal is stunning. But I honestly found the scenes involving laborers pretty stunning as well.

The picture above is for my dad. He made his living with equipment similar to that above. But I never once saw any of his farm machinery decorated with garlands or flowers. Darn, I missed a great chance when I was a child to decorate my dad’s stuff.

I recently watched the new HBO show about Rock Hudson and came across his 1961 film with Gina Lollobrigida, Come September. I enjoy rom/coms from the 60s and had never seen this one. It’s adorable.

Part of the charm for me is that it is set in beautiful Italia. I admit it, I’ve been missing Italy pretty badly lately, and am very eager to return.

Maybe you’ll get a kick out of this, as I did. Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee are in it, as well as a very young Joel Grey.

Roses!