A few more flower photos

Been working in the yard off on on for most of this week.  It's a glorious way to spend time!!  I've said it before, but I'll say it again.....it's just so beautiful right now.  I can't help but take a few more images of plants that are currently blooming.  The peonies are finishing up and the roses are just starting.  Each day more roses unfold.  Some of them are so fragrant, others just pretty.  Soon there will be a bit of a lull in color, waiting for the annuals to find their roots and take off and reward us with brilliant and bright color.

I love this particular view right now.  The beech tree is so pretty, the perennial geranium is full bloom, a corral bell plant, painted daisies and a couple peonies.  Green lawn and a wheat field drying up in the background!

Love this peony against the tri-color beech foliage.

I'm a huge fan of this color rose.

Painted daisies happily blooming!  They are so bright.

This rose shows up from a great distance.

And oh my, this oriental poppy is striking and stately.  

A close up of the flower, and a busy bee gathering black pollen!  So interesting.  

Easy commute.....

Right beside the bee hive, the yellow rose of Texas is blooming like mad!  The girls that have this plant assignment don't have far to commute to get their work done!!

The yellow rose of Texas blooming almost inside the bee hive!

This rose is so, so, so fragrant!  And a vigorous grower!  Before next season I need to do some heavy duty shovel pruning.

And. if you can indulge me for still more flower photos, keep looking.  Everything is so pretty right now in the yard.

My favorite iris and a spectacular clematis in the background.

A closer look at the clematis.  Every day more and more flowers open.

This is a beautiful peony.  Not the really old cultivar like the photos a few days ago.  And a very pretty iris in the background.

I love this single white peony.  I have a couple of these and they are always so showy.

Very tiny and delicate pinks.  They look like miniature carnations.

Miss Kim lilac and a wonderful single peony.

If only you could get close enough to smell the glorious fragrance of this gal.

"Black" iris.  It's really not black, but just about as close as you can get in the plant world.  I love it with the sun shining through the blossoms.

Another stunning peony.

The tri-color beech at it's peak color for the season. Painted daisies in the foreground.    

A close up of the tri-color beech leaf.  So striking.  The color will fad a bit as the season progresses, but it will remain this yummy red color until fall. 

The first rose to bloom.  I think this is Mordens Blush, but I wouldn't swear to that. 

I planted the garden yesterday and the day before.  It is so terribly dry, that I had to water just as soon as the last seed was sown.  Every year, when I plant, I imagine that this will be the best garden yet!  The cabbage won't get aphids or worms, the beets won't be attacked by the leaf hopper beetle, the corn won't get smut, the tomatoes will actually produce instead of growing enormous amounts of foliage, etc. etc.  Time will tell, and you will be the first to hear about the successes and the failures of the 2015 gardening season.

What a display today with the clouds and the deep blue sky.  The garden is planted and ready to grow, grow, grow!

What I love most about my yard and garden is the planting and the tending.  Using the produce is nice, and of course the colorful and beautiful flowers brighten each day, but what I really love is the planting and the tending.  Hopefully, there will be produce galore to share with friends, family and neighbors!!!

It's a beautiful day.....

for a ball game!  While in Boston we toured historic Fenway Park.  It was built in 1912.  It has been remodeled and added to in those 103 years, but it mostly retains the flavor and feel of an old ball park.  My mom is a HUGE baseball fan so this was high on our list of things to do in Boston!  Interestingly, the Sox were playing in Seattle when we were there!

Roni Jo and Alicia in the gift shop across from the stadium.

Waiting for the tour to begin.

Grandma Jo and Grandpa Jim sitting in the original ball park seats.

Grandma, grandpa, Roni Jo,  David and Alicia in the historic seats.

I think these are so cool!  Notice, there aren't any cup holders!  

Roof top garden at Fenway Park.  These greens are used in the kitchen to serve patrons in the sky box seats!  

Grandpa, Roni Jo, David and grandma sitting in seats in the "Green Monster".

Looking out over the field at Fenway.  Would love to mow this lawn, but would need satellite guidance to drive this straight!

Grandma and grandpa posing by Red Sox greats!

And, the rest of the tour group by the same statue.

We walked from the Gardner to Fenway, through the Fens.  We passed an amazing city block of community gardens on our way.  It was interesting.  Some of the plots were vegetable gardens, some were delightful green sanctuaries, some full of weeds, which made me very tense!  We didn't tour the whole block, which I would have loved doing, but enough to get a feel for the diversity of plantings and designs.

A mid city garden sanctuary.

The same plot, different view.

This hardscape ornament made the farm folks smile!  It's a rotary hoe blade.  A piece of equipment that we used to use in our farming practice.  We hauled hundreds of these off to the scrap metal recycle depot last year!

After graduation on Sunday, we attended the last concert at the Gardner museum in the regular season.  It was a string quartet, plus guitar, associated with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.  Wow!  What a treat to hear these talented and accomplished musicians perform.

Reynald snapped a few photos of Alicia doing her job!  They are blurry for a reason!  She moves fast, fast, fast to make these events a pleasurable even for both the audience and the musicians!

Alicia doing her job at the Gardner!

Moving the staging for various instrumental configurations.

Reynald got her to stop for just a second for an almost clear photo!

Pizza at Centre Street

Friday in Boston this past week was a fun and full day.  We toured the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum, got to see where Alicia works and had lunch at the Tavern Club with Scott Nickrenz, Alicia's boss at the Gardner.

The Tavern Club is the oldest club of it's kind in Boston, dating back a couple hundred years.  Scott treated us to a wonderful lunch and delightful conversation.  He showed us around the rooms that were accessible to members and their guests.  The library is for members only so of course we didn't violate that rule!

Friday night was beer and pizza night at Centre street!  The girls and David made pizza for all of us, and showed off the new pizza peel that Grandpa Jim recently made for them.  David made sure there was a growler of dark beer for me!  He also got an IPA for the pale beer drinkers!  I was extremely satisfied with a belly full of pizza and a very dark and bitter beer to chase it down!

Alicia and Roni Jo rolling out the homemade pizza dough in their kitchen.

And, mixing the sauce.....

and, adding the sauce to the dough.....

and, pizza on the grandpa made pizza peel......

and, in the oven it goes!

One of  the finished products!  There wasn't a single piece left at the end of the evening.

Me and my dark beer!  I admit to being a little tired before I had my frosty mug!  Sleep followed not long after dinner!

David and Reynald in some kind of interesting conversation.  I was probably asleep by this time!

Grandma Jo and Grandpa Jim basking in the warmth of family, good food, and a cozy east coast apartment.

Dr. Veronica Jo Mielke!

This past weekend we were in Boston to attend Roni Jo's graduation ceremony from Boston University.  She received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy degree.  However, it's not really official yet.  She still has to finish her current internship, then take the boards in July.  But, she's closer to finishing than starting!!!  She's been in school for 21 years and really isn't tired of it!  We are so proud of her and look forward to using her expertise in the coming years!!!!

Boston University mascot.....the terriers!  

Plan for the day!

Beautiful greenery and flowers adorn the stage

Roni's family gathered at the ceremony.  From back to front, Jean, grandma Jo, grandpa Jim, Paul, David and me!  Reynald is taking the photo.

And now Alicia joined the fan club!  She biked in to her work earlier, then biked over to join us for the ceremony, then biked back to work!  Definitely the quickest way to get around on a heavy Boston traffic day.

Roni Jo receiving her doctoral hood.

Roni Jo and a few classmates after the ceremony.

A very proud mama!!! 

Roni showing off her doctoral hood!  Paul and Grandmpa Jim in the background.

David's parents, Paul and Jean, Roni Jo and David.  

Me and Reynald, Roni Jo and David, grandma Jo and grandpa Jim.

Grandma, Roni and Grandpa!

And, the whole family, minus Alicia who is already back at the museum, getting ready for the afternoon concert.

David and Roni

Boston University water bottles!

Raise a water bottle toast to the DPT class of 2015!

I'll post a few photos of our other Boston activities tomorrow.  It was a super fun weekend.  Paul and Jean hosted a wonderful evening of food and family on Saturday night, complete with betting on the horses for the running of the Preakness.  We toured historic Fenway park and attended an amazing concert at the Gardner, and enjoyed the museum beyond the music department!  Happy to be home, to the peace and quiet of Rolinco Road, recognizing that it's good to leave now and again, so that you get to come home!