Shortly following WWII,  Shirley Hadley and her husband built 1880 and planted a little magnolia much too close to the kitchen window, as it turned out.  The Hadley’s quickly outgrew the house and moved away and the magnolia quickly grew too large for that spot — but there it stayed.  The family who moved in next and lived here for many years (the house is generally known as “The Rankin House”)  kept it cut back so it would not grow right through the kitchen and out into the front yard.Now, it is three stories high and just as wide.  During summertime, the fragrance is so heady that it sometimes wakes me up when it comes in through my open bedroom window.  Shirley died this year, but her beautiful tree  lives on.

Not me!

The beanpole:

And the beans!

When I was about twenty-five, I had a dear neighbor who had just retired and took the time to teach me how to plant and care for hybrid tea roses.  After that, he always referred to me as “a fellow rosarian.”  Hybrid teas are in disfavor now, but my favorite in George’s garden was “Bewitched,”  and it remains a favorite of mine today. He helped me plant one in my first garden, and I have one now, although it was hard to find for my present garden.  I never prune, spray, rub off aphids with my bare hands, or wait for those first huge pink blooms that I do not think of George.  Now, most of my other roses are growing on their own roots and not grafted, and I always choose unusual colors with eccentric fragrances.  But every spring, I wait for this old favorite to bloom with its traditional rose perfume and big pink petals — traditional and reliable like George.

M-M’s chicken salad.  Best in the world.  There was amazing strawberry shortcake for dessert, but I couldn’t wait long enough to take a picture of it.

Some of the grandchildren:

Pretty pink gerberas: