In My Garden

The weather has been unbelievably nice this past week or so (after we had a couple of weeks of heavy rain). Here are some pictures of how our personal garden is growing:

Those are chives up front, irises in the upper left, and blanket flowers on the right.

The Siberian irises in full glory. The stand gets a bit compromised every summer because cats like to nest in the midst of the patch (and that's okay!).

The peony bush is coming along nicely. We had several peony bushes at our house, and we seriously considered not moving because we loved those bushes (and our extensive tulip plantings as well); so, when we moved here, and I discovered that the previous owner had put a peony bush in the corner of the fence (for natural support)... well!

Finally, the moss roses I planted around the tree out in the common area are blooming. We had a condo board meeting last evening, and after the meeting, the board members praised me for the nice planting.

Here in Ypsilanti, there is a very nice parade on Memorial Day (starting at 9 a.m.) that ends in the cemetery that is not far from our condo. We have attended most years. We stand near the end of the parade route, and the marchers and band members are tired by the time they reach us, so most of us do extra applauding. After the parade, local politicians and veterans groups do some speechifying and wreath laying at the Civil War memorial in the cemetery. The local high school plays Taps. It's a very moving ceremony, and as the daughter and daughter-in-law of long-term military folks, it's an important part of my summer. In honor of my father (dead nearly 38 years), "Off we go...." and in honor of my healthy and vigorous father in law, "Semper fi."