Monday Again???

I'm not sure how this works. Why is it that every day I get up and it seems to be Monday again? Surely I'm not missing the rest of the week? What happened to Wednesday? Usually a nice slow day but I can't remember it! Oh well, Maybe I'll take notes next Wednesday so I can figure out what the heck happened.

Last Saturday was Maddox's (otherwise known as grandchild number 7) birthday. Thousands and thousands showed up to celebrate. Well, maybe it just seemed like that many. Jill came earlier in the week and cleaned the house (probably should have made her come after instead of before) and Jeff grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Luckily the rain had stopped by the time he started so neither he nor the food drowned. Everybody ate and talked and had a wonderful time (at least I hope so) and Maddox made out like a bandit. They gave Maddox his own little cake and now their is chocolate icing on the ceiling, the walls, the floor, the dog.... Wait, we don't have a dog, where the heck did he come from? Never mind, hallucination from chocolate overdose. Susan and her husband were there and she suggested I might have pics on my blog. Sorry, no. What I probably should have done is confiscate everyone's cameras until I downloaded all the shots. But by the time I thought of that everybody was gone. The good news is that our daughter Laura is sending me a camera so from now on I won't have to complain that no one has sent me pics, I'll just have to complain that I went senile and forgot to take the camera somewhere. I probably won't have any more photos on the blog, I'll just have to come up with more inventive excuses as to why they aren't there.

Well, other than that I haven't had any excitement. It is kinda sad, ain't it? The only excitement I've had was a One-year-old's birthday party. Well, besides that I finished Susan's third article, so here it is:


Landscaping Design for Vintage Homes, Romantic Style
As a landscaper and gardener, I think all gardens are romantic, but there is a separate style called romantic. It is characterized by using plants and materials that engage all five senses and embraces privacy. It is by far my favorite style to design and install, but it is also the style that takes longest in time and money to really mature.
Sight: As in any garden the first sense that is drawn in is sight. Using colors and textures the palette is of pastels, blues, purples and greens. Red is used as an accent, not a principal, color and whites are used to blend the colors in a harmonious body.
Smell: Most gardens incorporate scents in gardens, (after all, what are roses for?) but the romantic garden brings scented plants to the forefront. Sweet flowers, leaves that release their scents when brushed against, herbs that are bruised underfoot, all are used in the romantic garden.
Sound: Birds singing, the fountain bubbling, the breeze whispering through the leaves. All are used to great effect in the romantic style.
Touch: Use soft foliage, tender petals, and allow seating close to the water to dip your fingers into.
Taste: Yes, taste! Fruit trees and bushes, edible flowers, honeysuckle (the only style I even suggest this in) sweet herbs that you can break off a leaf and chew. This style is the one to use both plantings and containers to incorporate all your favorite tastes.
Privacy: Outdoor walls, hedges and screens, these are the reason that the romantic garden takes so long to mature. Plant the shrubs tight and use annual vines to cover until the perennial vines and shrubs grow tall. Place a sitting area blocked on all sides from view, close to the water and surrounded with all your favorite scents.
Now just find someone to share your Eden with.

Have a good day, find someone and make their life an Eden.

Wayne