Everything's coming up roses - for me. (Ethel Merman)

Roses in my yard. I don't know the names of most of them, since many were planted when I bought the house. This is one of them. I love its color.

The bud of an English tea next to my garage.

Fully open.

This one is called Night Owl.

Betty Boop.This climber has been planted for at least three years. Now it's blooming for the first time. The picture doesn't do it justice, though. It's covered in 'bunches' of blossoms.

Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns;

I am thankful that thorns have roses. (Alphonse Karr, author).

Won't you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you.

This quote is from the Irish playwright, Richard Brinsley Sheridan. I can think of no other quote that applies so fittingly to my daughter's roses.  Come with me on a walking tour:

Above and following are Comtes de Champagne, lovely English tea roses. Starting out with yellow buds, upon opening they are lighter, and then fade to white when fully open.

The white roses in the background are called Lichfield Angel.

These roses are named Harlow Carr, and have the fragrance of the perfume "Joy," by Jean Patou.

The Queen of Sweden.

Let's Go Indoors for a While

Okay, so it only took me five years to redo my front bedroom. Better late than never. It's hard to tell, but the color was a very faded pale green.  The color was one I liked, but it was DIRTY!!!

My daughter gave me these lovely picture frames, which finally inspired me to do something about this room.  With her input, the decision was made to venture into the pinks/roses/lilacs shades.

So, we bought paint samples and brought home paint swatches to try and make a decision.  That process started last fall.

I began painting in February but then for various reasons just put the project on hold. Finally, this weekend I was determined to finish. The paint color is a pale pink, called Water Lily Bloom (from Lowe's). Part of the reason I chose it was because of Lily, one of my daughter's cats.  Even though Lily despises me, I love her!

All done! And now, I have a room that I'm happy to enter and enjoy! 

I'm thinking about getting some white sheer panels for the windows, but as usual, my daughter will have the final decision on that.

That interesting mark on the wall is apparently the reflection from the mirror!

This potter's bench is perfect in this room now. There is a shelf on the bottom, which I promise not to clutter up!

Now, the only thing left to do is freshen up the closet and bedroom doors, plus the molding around the windows, with some white paint. It's on my list. Oh, and yes, I have to put some pictures in these lovely frames!

How About A Snowball Fight?

Figuratively speaking, that is.  I'm referring to the beautiful Chinese Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum), which is a very interesting semi-evergreen shrub.  In my wanderings around this spring, I only saw a few.  What's fascinating about these beauties is how the blossoms start out chartreuse and then turn pure white. 

This one is in the yard of one of my friends. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to see if after the blossoms turned white.  The chartreuse color is very unusual, don't you think?  I really love it!

Going Bananas!

Banana Magnolia, aka Magnolia figo, Michelia figo, Magnolia fuscata

This unbelievably fragrant shrub smells just like fresh bananas!  I recall one of these in my grandmother's front yard when I was a child.  It wasn't until I was house-hunting a few years ago that I came across these in the yard of one of the houses I visited.  I didn't buy that house, but I bought two of these great shrubs to go right next to my front porch.

I moved in the last week of April, so they had already finished blooming. But I anticipated the following spring with great expectancy.  In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the entire gulf coast. It also did something else: it caused the banana magnolias to bloom out of season.  Now they are supposedly spring-blooming only, but mine bloom twice a year without fail, although the heavier blooms are in the spring. 

First buds, the last week of March this year.  Aren't they cute?

Just look at those fuzzy little things! 

The blossom out of its 'peel,' ready to open.  Oh by, the way, those little shrubs are now as tall as the roof of my house.  In five years, they have tripled their size.

The banana fragrance is so spectacular that it's hard to describe, except that it smells like a 'sweet' banana. For about three weeks each spring (and a week in the fall) I relish the idea of sitting on my front porch with a good book and a nice drink of coffee or lemonade (depending on the weather), waiting for a breeze to pick up the delightful fragrance and send it my way.

It's easy to see why it's called 'banana' magnolia. The blossoms look just like miniature magnolias.

Do Drop In at the Dew Drop Inn!

This little restaurant in mid-town Mobile just happens to be Mobile's oldest.  Now in its third location (since the 1950's), it's been around since 1924. That should tell you something about its popularity.

Its specialty is the famous Dew Drop hot dog.  Served with chili, sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup, and pickles, its taste is unique.

If you prefer something simpler, you can order an 'upside-down' dog, with the chili next to the bun and the dog on top.

The Dew Drop's cheeseburgers are credited with being the inspiration for Jimmy Buffett's song, Cheeseburger in Paradise. (Yes, Jimmy Buffett was born and raised in Mobile.)

What's better than a side of fries? Onion rings, of course.  They are the best I've ever tasted!

This restaurant has special meaning for me.  You see, my father worked there and later became owner for several years prior to his retirement.  I've grown up on Dew Drop food. And while I love the famous hot dog, my absolute favorite thing to order is their catfish, along with sides of cole slaw and macaroni and cheese. They even throw in some fries and onion rings.

The Dew Drop is always crowded, especially on Saturdays (closed Sunday). The decor hasn't changed since the 1960's when my father owned it. Very 'stylish' tangerine formica table-tops, with booths around the walls and up the middle of the floor.  It's a fun place to eat, for sure.