The variety is long-forgotten, if it ever was known, and since this little rose is at my parents’ home it’s unlikely that anyone ever knew the name. That doesn’t negate or diminish its simple beauty or artful design. It’s a miniature rose, in a stunning shade that manages to be both electric and calm – not the easiest hat-trick to pull off, but leave it to a rose to make it happen so gorgeously.
There’s a vintage, antique appeal to roses – their classic beauty and fragrance has been noted throughout history, and if you were lucky enough to grow up around a few gardens, a brush with a rose in June is a summer treat that often grows into a cherished memory.
In different light I call it different names, but I love whatever shade in which it appears, as this is one of my favorite sections of the color wheel. Backed by shades of chartreuse, it makes for a stunning combination. I also love how it looks to be absolutely screaming for notice and adoration, or maybe just some water. Mere words do not do it justice, and perhaps that’s why it refuses to be called by any singular color.
The highest I’ve ever likely jumped has been over one of those parking lot dividers. A far cry from the stunning heights that pole vaulters achieve, such as Olympic medalist Chris Nilson, who earns his first Dazzler of the Day thanks to his high-jumping prowess. (As for me, these days making it over a curb is the extent of my high-jumping.)
We had just greeted the first swallowtail butterfly of the season a couple of weeks ago, and thankfully that was on my mind as I rounded the corner of the house to inspect a small patch of herbs, which, depending on the year, includes chives, feverfew, basil, lemon balm, grapefruit mint, dill, and parsley. This year I’ve only put in some basil pots and a single curly-leaf parsley plant. As I crouched down to inspect the sad bit of progress these sun-loving herbs had made in all the rain, I was further dismayed to find the parsley in the midst of total annihilation by no less than four striped caterpillars.
Pushing back the initial instinct to panic and kill, I went inside and did a quick Google search. Something told me not go on a killing spree just yet, and I recalled the similar-looking caterpillars that morphed into the Monarch butterfly, and which favored the Asclepias plants just a few short feet away.
In another lesson of patience, and conducting research before action, I discovered that these striped creatures were the precursor of the Swallowtail butterfly, and my hesitation in excising them may have given wing to some swallowtails of the future. I also decided to sacrifice the whole parsley plant for however many critters wanted to begin their journey to butterflydom.
The common annual geranium (not a true geranium at all, so don’t be fooled by the name) makes for a floriferous and showy mound of scarlet – a fiery beacon in the garden or on the patio, where it will regale passers-by in nothing short of a shouting bout. All noise and hoopla and bright, flaring color – a flower after my own heart.
I hung a couple of these from our canopy last year but wasn’t impressed enough to do it again this season. These sorts of annuals are everywhere, so I can get my fix when I visit my parents or ride around the neighborhood. Beauty’s where you find it.
With a winning smile, and a winning track record, and double-entendres abounding, Noah Lyles swiftly earns another honor as Dazzler of the Day. He’s racing again tonight at the Olympics, where he currently reigns as the World Champion. Speed, agility, and affability, Lyles and his many attributes make for the ultimate Renaissance man.
The Olympic caliber wrestling on display in Tokyo this past week is nothing like the WWF nonsense that I knew as wrestling from my youth. There is a place for that frivolous piece of entertainment and fakery, and I’m all for it, but on this day we are celebrating the genuine athletic skill and refinement of Kyle Dake, who’s doing the real thing in Tokyo as we speak.
The Japanese painted fern is said by some to be the most beautiful foliage plant in the world. I’m inclined to agree with that bold statement, given the variety of color and shades in a single frond. I also enjoy how these hues change and evolve as the plant grows. Come fall, these will turn a creamy yellow, sometimes almost a pale white, ghostly echoes of the green and teal and gray and maroon tints you can find on them now.
Ferns like this provide a visual cooling system for the garden when the days get hot and bothered. That hasn’t happened much this year, but their beauty is still appreciated, and they are hardy and reliable perennials that can withstand a total takedown by rabbits or groundhogs and rebound before the season is completely done.
Being without fragrance (and when it comes to the blooming of the bamboo that is a very good thing) means that a perfume like ‘Bamboo Harmony’ takes great creative license in the way it conjures the peace and calm and serenity of its namesake. This Fargesia nitida – one of the clump-forming bamboo varieties – was planted last year, and it was one of four specimens from a nearby bamboo farm. It’s doing the best of the bunch (two are in shadier nooks, and I’ve found that sun in these upstate New York parts serves them better than shade) as it gets morning light reflected off a corner of the house, where warmth is also captured and thrown off by this brick chimney.
Happily, this one is also in the most prominent position, anchoring a Japanese-inspired portion of the side-yard garden, where it is joined by ferns and hosta for a calming and foliage-focused area. All of these bamboo plants were almost decimated by rabbits at the end of this past winter. I thought they’d made it through the toughest days, when all of them disappeared in a few March weeks, when food was apparently difficult to come by for the bunnies. This fall I’ll keep that in mind and protect them with a few little fences. Good fences make good neighbors, and that goes for the animal kingdom as well.
Hurdles. Life sometimes seems to only be about the hurdles. We have enough of them on our personal journeys, so I’ve never felt the need to put unnecessary ones in my way. Earning the gold medal in the Women’s 100 meter hurdle event, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn adds some gold to Puerto Rico’s medal map, and gets this Dazzler of the Day honor in the process.
Given the excessive rain of this summer season, I’ve had ample time to spend indoors and not feel guilty about it. That dovetails nicely with the cleaning up of our attic loft space, which has already hosted a favorite friend. It’s also been the perfect place for office video conferences – removed from the main floor so I don’t annoy Andy, and quiet enough for no interruptions from the endless parade of Amazon deliveries.
It’s also become a favored place to write these blog posts. Some of Grieg’s Lyric pieces have formed the aural backdrop to these sessions, creating a sacred space of calm and serenity, while also inspiring with their beauty and musical journey.
So much of my life has been a search for sanctuary. In all of the homes I’ve had over my lifetime, there are those moments when one doesn’t feel safe or secure – and for that reason I’ve always striven to find a sense of sanctuary within. Meditation has led me closer to this, but it never hurts to have an actual physical space in which to sit still and simply exist. This little attic loft has provided such a haven, and for the first time in forever I’m not absolutely dreading the arrival of winter now that such a cozy nook exists.
Currently it’s decked out, not decked out as the case may be, in a crisp and minimal wardrobe of white and cream, and come fall I’ll add an ample supply of blankets and additional pillows to add to the coziness, while bringing in more candles and comforts in an effort to conjure the wondrous spirit of hygge.
We’ve got almost two more months of summer left, however, and the universe owes us some sunny and sultry weeks to make up for the relatively disastrous spell of weather we’ve had. I’ve reconciled myself to accepting if this doesn’t happen, and having this attic space has played a big part in that. Beauty remains a balm, serenity remains a refuge, and I can still muster a smile in such surroundings.
This rainbow-painted fire hydrant resides near my childhood home in Amsterdam, NY. I’d bet a great many things that this was not done for any sort of LGBTQIA+ Pride, but regardless of the reason, it’s a lovely sight.
If I was still crowning Hunks of the Day, Karsten Warholm would likely be a top contender. For now, he and his Track & Field prowess will have to make do with the Dazzler of the Day, as he speeds over hurdles in search of a gold medal for his home country of Norway.
Born in America, Lamont Marcell Jacobs moved to Italy at a young age, and so it is that red, white and green country that gets the distinction of earning a gold medal in the men’s 100 meter dash. The only dashing I’m seriously considering at this point in my life is that Door Dash thing. Congrats to Jacobs on this dream come true.
The Summer Olympics in Tokyo are in full bloom, as evidenced by the plethora of Olympic posts here, and the Speedo shots of some favorite Olympians. The links alone are enough for this Monday morning recap, so go on and indulge. (Special kudos to Tom Daley and Matty Lee on their gold medal, and for sprucing up this post with their Speedo poses.) See more below…
