May Day Roses

roses

Happiest May Day to you! In honor of May Day I filled my house with roses and took a ton of garden pictures because the roses are at their peak! I hope you find a moment today to sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy. 

My favorite garden shot is when my beloved greenhouse is peeking out from behind
a lovely foreground of foliage.

Climbing Blaze






wash day

This unknown David Austin is so fragrant. Luckily it's not too far from our
bedroom door and often I can smell its fragrance wafting into the house.

Climbing First Prize



Climbing Eden, above and below


unknown David Austin

unknown David Austin

The roses against the fence in our veg garden.

Graham Thomas

The patio off our bedroom, and the gorgeous view I wake up to every morning.


unknown David Austin

A good picture of Climbing Eden. 





Last week we got a new, much needed counter, sink and faucet. Totally thrilling for me.

Above and below, a close up of the olive branches with flower buds that I used as a filler.


We're having a dinner party tonight and this is the reason.
I found this hidden away when I recently did my deep cleaning.
It's sealed, and the big reveal will be tonight to find out who, if anyone, got it right.
This would have been written in 2019 or early 2020, before the pandemic
and when we had a dozen or more Democratic presidential candidates. 
Should be interesting!






My adult son made this Lego Typewriter and I fell in love with it and confiscated it!
Maybe it can be my Mother's Day gift?


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Cime Tempestose

knitting








My new summer sweater is Cime Tempestose by Knitting For Breakfast. I love the name but had no idea it translated to Wuthering Heights until a few minutes ago when I googled it!

The sweater is knit in one piece, top down, with the yoke increases incorporated into the feather and fan pattern. There's bobbles too! I don't know why this gorgeous pattern only has 22 projects even though it's been out since January. Perhaps the designer is not all that well known, but look at the beautiful design page! They appear to be two sisters who team up to design. Their design style reminds me of a mix of Caitlin Hunter and Andrea Mowry. Check them out. I think you'll be as impressed as I was.

The yarn required is dk weight and I used a discontinued cotton, Calmer from Rowan Yarns. This pattern would also be beautiful in Summerlite DK, or in winter, long sleeves with Kidsilk Haze doubled. 

And in other news--last week we had a duck family wandering our street. Duck and quail families are infrequently found in our neighborhood and on the few times I've seen them I think they must be making their way to the creek, but this mama was walking in circles. As I got closer I heard little distressed duckling quacks and when I came to the storm drain I looked down and saw three ducklings had fallen down the grate. Their tiny quacks were pitiful and mother duck was desperate. Two neighbors joined me and we tried to lift the grate, but there was no way we could move it even an inch. I finally called the fire department and told them the problem and if they weren't too busy would they please come and save some ducklings? Five minutes later four of the nicest men arrived in their shiny truck thinking that an actual baby had fallen down the storm drain! They were relieved and amused to find they were there to save ducklings, but I assured them I was clear in my call that the tiny emergency was baby ducks, not a human, but somehow the message was mangled in transit. Anyway, they were good sports and proceeded to lift the grate and scoop up the ducklings. After they were returned to mama duck, they waddled off to where we know not, but it was the opposite direction of the creek and the grate. The firemen were so sweet and took pictures to show their families and the guys back at the firehouse. Thanks guys! 💜





www.kristenrettig.com


This post has affiliate links. If you purchase something from an affiliate link, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting the blog. If you'd like to make a comment, please click here or scroll down. I reply to each comment and that response will appear directly below your comment. If you would like a personal reply, please know that I use the Blogger platform and they do not give me your contact information when you comment. If you would like a personal reply you can contact me using the contact form on the right side at the very end of my website. If you would like to receive Knitionary posts by email, please subscribe here.  







 

spring garden

garden

My first garden post of spring is here!  Mother Nature has been kind and gifted us with several spring showers followed by sun. The garden has been loving it. We are getting even more rain tonight and tomorrow! Bliss. The wisteria is looking magnificent in these photos, but since I've taken them the flower racemes have grown another foot! I'll take more pictures this weekend. The roses are on the way and some of our early bloomer varieties are close to being in full bloom. My husband has been saying this is going to be THE year for roses. A few days ago I emptied the greenhouse and planted nearly every thing that I'd started from seeds. The zinnias and cosmos are in the flower bed under the wisteria, and the vegetable garden has tomatoes, chard, eggplant, peppers, and summer squash. I scattered dill and lettuce seeds in one bed and planted a few rows of scallions and radishes in another. The teepee has bean seeds that are just starting to sprout. The only thing I'm waiting on in the greenhouse is the cucumbers. If they don't sprout I'll buy a few plants at the garden center. 


We have been busy in the garden every day and I find I can spend hours out there as long as I stretch my back once in a while. I put in my ear buds (listening to Pachinko at the moment) and set a timer for 30 minutes to remind me to stop and stretch for 5 minutes or more. It really works wonders. I also bring my knitting outside and sit and knit whenever I feel like it. This is how I often waste a pretty spring day.


I know many of you like to know the seed varieties I've planted and my next garden post will have all that information for you. 



Our oranges are at their peak sweetness right now.
Citrus ripens fruit at the same time it blossoms for next year's fruit.
The fragrance is so fresh and beautiful.




peony

We make a bean teepee from the prunings of our fruitless magnolia. 
The branches are 20 feet long!







We've owned a small electric rototiller for about 20 years and it's a lifesaver! My husband has an extra long cord that can reach just about anywhere in the garden. He rototilled the first 4 feet of the perennial flower bed and it's where I plant the zinnias and cosmos. They are only about 4 inches high when I transplant them from the greenhouse, but they're sturdy enough to be outside.


Climbing First Prize


The flower racemes of this Japanese wisteria will soon grow so long
that they will almost drag to the ground!



















www.kristenrettig.com

If you'd like to make a comment, please click here or scroll down. I reply to each comment and that response will appear directly below your comment. If you would like a personal reply, please know that I use the Blogger platform and they do not give me your contact information when you comment. If you would like a personal reply you can contact me using the contact form on the right side at the very end of my website. If you would like to receive Knitionary posts by email, please subscribe here.  

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