Gonna Be A Hot One

[lennygoran]

In what has so far been a relatively decent summer today it's gonna reach into the middle 90's-ouch! Glad we got that rain yesterday morning-schlepping hoses around today would be madness. Hope our old central air conditioning can take it-appropriately last night we watched an American Experience show on the 1977 NYC Blackout-got to 100 that day! Regards, Len

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperie ... ut/player/

[piston]

Lots of humid, muggy, weather here. Maine sure does not lack in sky-falling water.

[Agnes Selby]

In what has so far been a relatively decent summer today it's gonna reach into the middle 90's-ouch! Glad we got that rain yesterday morning-schlepping hoses around today would be madness. Hope our old central air conditioning can take it-appropriately last night we watched an American Experience show on the 1977 NYC Blackout-got to 100 that day! Regards, Len

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperie ... ut/player/

It was just the opposite in Sydney all of last week. Snow fell on the outskirts of Sydney
and children did not attend school but played in the snow. Roads were closed and
as for me personally, it was mid-winter Philadelphia all over again. More snow is
predicted for next week.

Enjoy your summer, Lenny. My fingers are freezing as I type this although the
heater is on.

Regards,
Agnes.

[lennygoran]

Snow fell on the outskirts of Sydney
and children did not attend school but played in the snow. Roads were closed and
as for me personally, it was mid-winter Philadelphia all over again.

Agnes I had no idea-we face conditions like this when we go to the superb Philadelphia Flower show every March-considered by many gardeners the best in the nation. You got me shivering! Regards, Len

[Agnes Selby]

Snow fell on the outskirts of Sydney
and children did not attend school but played in the snow. Roads were closed and
as for me personally, it was mid-winter Philadelphia all over again.

Agnes I had no idea-we face conditions like this when we go to the superb Philadelphia Flower show every March-considered by many gardeners the best in the nation. You got me shivering! Regards, Len

Lenny, didn't you know? Everything in Philadelphia is the best in America!!!!!

[lennygoran]

Lenny, didn't you know? Everything in Philadelphia is the best in America!!!!!

Agnes Still don't forget NYC! Thinking about best things something not best happened yesterday-a great blue heron came in and quickly grabbed our largest koi out of the pond and flew off-we were too late chasing it away. I guess you could say he got our best fish. Regards, Len

[Agnes Selby]

I am sorry about your darling little fish but the heron is beautiful and majestic.
How did you manage to take a photo of him?

Well, yes, New York is fascinating and noisy. But just think how many films were made
with stories centered on Philadelphia. I think of Philadelphia as home away from home.
Somehow, I was fortunate to meet the nicest people. I also love the Rhoden
statues and the great museum and the river flowing so beautifully with trees
surrounding it and flowering in the Spring. Perhaps it has changed but in my mind
it remains the same.

Regards,
Agnes.

[lennygoran]

Agnes I took just a minute to take a picture out our large picture windows-then I went out to chase him-I was too late-as I ran down toward the pond he flew upward with the koi in his mouth.

Yes philly still has things going for it-the flower show each march is just superb-we love staying in the rittenhouse square area. Len

[Ricordanza]

I think of Philadelphia as home away from home.
Somehow, I was fortunate to meet the nicest people. I also love the Rhoden
statues and the great museum and the river flowing so beautifully with trees
surrounding it and flowering in the Spring. Perhaps it has changed but in my mind
it remains the same.

Changed for the better in some respects. For example, for art lovers, the new Barnes museum has the same outstanding collection, but in a more accessible facility. And for music lovers, we now have two excellent venues, Verizon Hall for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Perelman Theater for chamber concerts and solo recitals.

[lennygoran]

We`ve been to that collection 3 times now over the years-the place in the suburbs was always tough because of the parking problem-the new Barnes building is modern and great! And right next door is Rodin! Len

[rwetmore]

In what has so far been a relatively decent summer

Yes, we've been lucky as there is an El nino this year. Could easily be much hotter, and I'm sure in some places it is.

[lennygoran]

Could easily be much hotter, and I'm sure in some places it is.

We may get there ourselves this week. Regards, Len

[rwetmore]

Could easily be much hotter, and I'm sure in some places it is.

We may get there ourselves this week. Regards, Len

Yeah, but I mean it's late July, the peak of the summer, so what do you expect? We're bound to have our fair share of 90+ degree days virtually every summer.

[lennygoran]

Yeah, but I mean it's late July, the peak of the summer, so what do you expect? We're bound to have our fair share of 90+ degree days virtually every summer.

Still up until now we had gotten off pretty easy-my hopes were raised. Now I'm hoping for rain tonight and tomorrow-otherwise I have to drag the hoses out and water. Regards, Len

[Agnes Selby]

I think of Philadelphia as home away from home.
Somehow, I was fortunate to meet the nicest people. I also love the Rhoden
statues and the great museum and the river flowing so beautifully with trees
surrounding it and flowering in the Spring. Perhaps it has changed but in my mind
it remains the same.

Changed for the better in some respects. For example, for art lovers, the new Barnes museum has the same outstanding collection, but in a more accessible facility. And for music lovers, we now have two excellent venues, Verizon Hall for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Perelman Theater for chamber concerts and solo recitals.

It all sounds lovely. The chamber music concerts were born in a church in Rittenhouse Square.
We lived for a year in Rittenhouse Square. From my apartment window on the 8th floor I could
enjoy the goings on in the Square. Old men and women sat on park benches, children
were playing, people were strolling and some were rushing through the square to some unknown destination.

On the right of my window was the famed Curtis Institute of Music. On the left was a church where the
chamber orchestra was born. On Sundays Professor Max Rudolf would conduct the gifted
players, mostly Curtis students, often his conducting students would take up the baton
and there never was a scarcity of soloists. Music surrounded Rittenhouse Square.
During the week we had the privilege to hear the Curtis students in recitals.

We left Rittenhouse Square after a most pleasant year and moved to a suburb called Haverford.
There we enjoyed a lovely brook flowing melodiously through the garden and fulfilling
my husband's need for gardening.

[lennygoran]

There we enjoyed a lovely brook flowing melodiously through the garden and fulfilling
my husband's need for gardening.

Agnes so it's your husband who's the gardener-all this time I thought it was you! Regards, Len

[Agnes Selby]

There we enjoyed a lovely brook flowing melodiously through the garden and fulfilling
my husband's need for gardening.

Agnes so it's your husband who's the gardener-all this time I thought it was you! Regards, Len

I am too but he is the REAL gardener, I am just an assistant.

[lennygoran]

I am too but he is the REAL gardener, I am just an assistant.

Ah, now I get it-you'd both appreciate the much needed half inch of rain our garden got overnight then--just in the nick of time. We're just back from visiting private gardens in Dutchess County, NY-great! Regards, Len

[Agnes Selby]

What a lovely house!!!!! And what is the name of the flower?
No wonder you enjoy gardening in such beautiful setting.

Our garden is now absolutely full of snowdrops. I will confess to you a terrible
crime but it must stay between us and cannot go beyond these "walls". It could
land us in jail!!!

We smuggled 4 snowdrop bulbs in our luggage when we came home to Australia.
Since 1988 they have multiplied and are gorgeous. You will not tell anyone will you?
The snowdrops do not remember Philadelphia and even though it does not snow in Sydney
where we live, they enjoy the Aussie climate.

Regards,
Agnes.

[lennygoran]

And what is the name of the flower?...You will not tell anyone will you?

Agnes the name of the tall plant in front of the house is amaranth--it's a short-lived perennial but drops seeds which often come back so you might get lucky and see it year after year. As for your crime I may have to report you-maybe you'll be lucky and the statute of limitations has run out! Regards, Len

[Agnes Selby]

Thank you, Lenny. It is a beautiful flower. I will see if I can get some seeds for it.

Regards,
Agnes.

[lennygoran]

Thank you, Lenny. It is a beautiful flower. I will see if I can get some seeds for it.

Agnes hope you're successful-it made a superb statement in this garden-here's a description of their property:

"Katie Ridder and Peter Pennoyer 366 Ludlow Woods Road. Millbrook, NY, 12545
Millbrook, NY
This garden is a celebration of large-scale flowers and saturated color, inspired by beloved books (Christopher Lloyd, Ken Druse and Page Dickey) and gardens (Wave Hill, New York Botanical Garden and Stonecrop). It is a lush mix of perennials and annuals – both ornamental and edible – set within a crisp structure. Our hornbeam-enclosed flower garden with formal blue stone paths was inspired by the flower garden at Wave Hill. Our garden centers on a pergola draped in 'New Dawn' roses and white wisteria that serves as an outdoor living and dining room. The hedged garden also links the house and garage, which features a greenhouse where I start everything for the cutting garden beside our barn from seed. I am just starting a simple woodland garden leading down to our pond. Edmund Hollander designed the surrounding landscape of simple hedgerows and trees. Our seven-acre property is surrounded by working farmland so we have borrowed views that serve as a foil to our garden. While our house, designed by my husband, Peter Pennoyer, and our garden are relatively new, I’ve been gardening for twenty-seven years albeit on a much smaller scale. Here, I do all the work myself although once each month Timothy Tilghman, Horticulturist at the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy in Yonkers, comes to help me with editing and to teach me specific gardening techniques that I’ve read about for years but never fully understood until I had someone like him to show me.
Read more about the house and garden in the August issue of Architectural Digest!"

Regards, Len

[Agnes Selby]

Thank you, Lenny. I will.

Regards,
Agnes.