First Peonies of The Season

The ant 🐜 is a bonus. They are supposed to be good for the peonies as they eat the sticky nectar which helps them open.

My busy days in real estate have slowed down because the house is under contract for a June 21 closing. Will keep you posted.

Now I am busy with mowing and more mowing. Most of my pots are planted in the front garden and on my balcony. May has been exceptionally cool and I have enjoyed it. Have a great Memorial Day tomorrow. xo

A red one is opening this morning.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY🇱🇷

xo

🇺🇸 The Poem of World War I 🇺🇸

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

John McCrae, 1872 - 1918

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place, and in the sky,

The larks, still bravely singing, fly,

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead; short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe!

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high!

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

READ MORE about the poem of World War I in an article from The Washington Post. I posted this in 2017 with more about the Punch article.

🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

Memorial Day Flags near My Cottage

There was a ceremony this morning at the little park around the corner but I missed it. I drove by later to see all the flags blowing in the wind to honor our fallen heroes. By afternoon, the sky was blue, filled with white fluffy clouds. Still on the chilly side but at least there was no rain. HAPPY  MEMORIAL  DAY. xo

Blackberry Winter at My Cottage

I broke down and turned on my heat this morning. I can't believe how cold my cottage is and my hands are like icebergs. I have put away almost everything related to winter, my draft dodgers under all my doors, my down comforter, and other things like that. My mother used to call this weather Blackberry Winter but summer doesn't officially start for another three weeks. I found this royalty-free image of blackberry leaves encased in a hoar frost and I thought it was perfect.

Enjoy the Memorial Day Weekend and stay warm if you have unseasonably cold weather too. xo

HOME

Have a Great Memorial Day Weekend

Imagine yourself sitting in one of these chairs enjoying a beautiful sunset. Armchair travel at its best, right? via

♡🏠♡

Memorial Day Remembrance

The poppy is the recognized symbol of remembrance for war dead in Canada, the countries of the British Commonwealth, and the United States. The flower owes its significance to the poem In Flanders Fields, written by Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) John McCrae, a field surgeon in the Canadian artillery, in the midst of the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium, in May 1915.

The poppy references in the first and last stanzas of the most widely read and oft-quoted poem of the war contributed to the flower's status as an emblem of remembrance and a symbol of new growth amidst the devastation of war. via

IN FLANDERS' FIELDS by John McCrea

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

The key points of his biography. He was a truly remarkable and inspiring man.

Memorial Day at My Cottage

I posted this Pottery Barn ad on Memorial Day 2012. I still love it and this porch party is the perfect place to celebrate family and friends to remember our fallen soldiers.

I photographed this pool at a gilded age mansion in Bernardsville several weeks ago. I added the text to remind you to use your sunscreen. I also posted this on Instagram this week.

My nasturtium seeds are getting their second set of leaves.

Are you going to any Memorial Day parades today?

I hope you get a good place to see it. This dog found a great spot to see the marching bands.

Wonderful Sleeping Porch

You know you love this! Here's wishing each of you a restful Memorial Day Weekend, especially if you have a sleeping porch. via

Bunny Mellon Embraced Friendly Weeds

Giant Mullein growing in her poolside gazebo.

Vanity Fair once described Bunny Mellon as the “high priestess of pruning and pleaching” for her devotion to gardening and personal love for pruning. While Bunny had an affinity for picking wildflowers and celebrated vegetable gardens, she loved pretty weeds as well.

Verbascum thapsus, a biennial plant, was once used as an herbal treatment for coughs, congestion, chest colds, bronchitis, and inflammation. For most of the year, the huge, furry leaves flourish under Bunny’s gazebo, stationed next to her display greenhouse. She felt that weeds were friendly, and often added to the beauty of her home, hence why the weed mullein was allowed to sprout between the stones. Its common name may have come from the Celtic term meaning yellow.

Read the entire article at Oak Spring Garden Foundation

Happy Memorial Day. It's cold, dark, and rainy here at my cottage but I don't mind. xo

The above link will lead you to my previous posts commemorating this holiday, celebrated each year on the last Monday in May.

Framed 48 Star American Flag

via

In 1912, two stars were added, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars on the American flag to 48, arranged in 6 rows of 8 stars each. There were thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies. This flag flew from 4 July, 1912, to 3 July, 1949.

Hope you are having a great Memorial Day!

Memorial Day 2017 Lest We Forget

John McCrae, 1872 - 1918
Biography here. More history of the poem here.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

John McCrae, 1872 - 1918

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place, and in the sky,

The larks, still bravely singing, fly,

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead; short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe!

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high!

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.