Lovely blooms, love the Typhoo Tea and Eluane, of course, she seems to be guarding Anna de Diesbach.

Beautiful, Serena! Troika is a real beauty and I love Typhoo Tea too!

Typhoo Tea is gorgeous!

Yes, the heat is about to get to my roses also. They seem to withstand it at first, but after weeks of unrelenting high temps, most of them just throw in the towel, bloomwise, and sulk until cooler weather finally shows up.

Kate

Beautiful pics and blooms, Serena. Eluane looks sweet with the Anna de Diesbach.

Your pics really capture the wonderful rich colors of the blooms, they are all fabulous.

Thank you Inga, Seil, and Kate, I'm really hoping if I can get off my Lazy, Lumpy Bumm and to keep watering with diluted Gardenville I can still get the roses to bloom, but everything! in my garden is hand-watered because of BS, etc., and Little E takes the priority. So every time I'm out it's to have gentle ball throwing sessions. She has to sit and wait, then get the ball after I say OK, that way she doesn't run too fast and hurt her herself. Also a Lord-Blessed Miracle, after 2.5 years of my resume sinking into the Black Hole of Resumes Disappearing and only getting 1-2 interviews per year (literally), I finally will be working full-time for a wonderful firm. It's for a 6 mo. contract, so I have to find a way to somehow get quality time for Eluane, and to have hope against hope that the 6 mo. contract will eventually turn permanent, that is the next step.... I've been having some close friends, including my best friend Jim1961 pray about this wonderful job as well, Eluane needs X-Rays to check for possible hip dysplasia, etc. I am seeing a bit of warning signs so getting the job was super important to me, and the firm already had tons of applicants as well (I could tell from the guest signup book, lol!) Getting the position really and truly is a Lord-Blessed Miracle, because I did not! do well in the interview process. The work had to speak for itself and I even forgot to present some of my favorite, most crucial pieces as well, my question-answer sessions were a complete disaster zone(verbal presentations have always been my Achilles heel, and I kept blurting awkward, stuuupid things - I had to present for 4 people and kept fumbling around with portfolio and my laptop and it was a chaotic mess!)... So many thanks to the Good Lord for His Complete Rescue and for Helping me! I am sooo grateful! and it wouldn't have been possible without my good friends loving thoughts and prayers as well. The firm reminds me so much of one of my most favorite firms to work for, HOK, so I'm truly hoping it will be this way as well with really good, nice people and me being able to do an outstanding job for them!

Anway, I am desperately hoping Eluane does not have HD and it's just some temporary strain, but I checked her legs and I can't detect anything.....It's been one month since I held her off from all agility training. Been trying to gradually get her strengthened.

I was going to list my favs - but I can't - they're all superfantastic!!! Such beauty. Well done Serena!!!

Oh - I hope Eluane is okay. Swimming is supposed to be good exercise (isn't it?) for dogs that have hip displaysia. Good thing that you're taking it easy with her. Could just be from the agility - all that turning on a dime stuff.

Good for you in getting such a great job!!! I bet that feels wonderful!! With your sunny personality, I'm sure you'll fit right in and have a great time working there. Awesome!!!
Carol

Praying for the best for you and Little E, Serena. I had an awesome Golden Retriever that had a serious case of hip dysplasia. The Vet and I nursed her along as far as we could go. Finally we decided it was best for her to send her home to be with Our Lord. And I totally get it how Little E takes the priority for you. My darling Toy Poodle, Tinkerbell, takes priority for me as well.

Wow, you have Typhoo Tea too!! It is a rare rose and hard to find. Mine hasn't bloomed yet this year, but when she does HOLD ON!; that powerful fragrance will be worth the wait for certain, sure! ;)

Take REALLY good care, my friend.:)

Love,
Deb

Praying for the best for you and Little E, Serena. I had an awesome Golden Retriever that had a serious case of hip dysplasia. The Vet and I nursed her along as far as we could go. Finally we decided it was best for her to send her home to be with Our Lord. And I totally get it how Little E takes the priority for you. My darling Toy Poodle, Tinkerbell, takes priority for me as well.

Wow, you have Typhoo Tea too!! It is a rare rose and hard to find. Mine hasn't bloomed yet this year, but when she does HOLD ON!; that powerful fragrance will be worth the wait for certain, sure! ;)

Take REALLY good care, my friend.:)

Love,
Deb

Oh, Krista! I missed out on your post because I was cross-posting then had to leave so I didn't see your comment! Thank you! I also hope HarmonyP will cross add photos of her beautiful Border Collie, Dusty. I would love to get more photos of Eluane in the garden with that Gardenville helping to pump up the roses, but I'll have to wait and see on this. Gardenville usually does an amazing job. In case I can't get any more E-in-the-Garden (without blooms, my garden is hideous) I do have a real cute Eluane with Balloons video as a backup.

Oh, Deb, Goldies are sooo loving! They are truly heart dogs too! Thank you so much for the loving prayers too, Deb! Yes, I hope it all works out for the Little E. Sadly she came from a horrible breeder who took advantage of her ABCA papers (Eluane has working dog lineage but I found out too late that the breeders lied on several things and probably also lied about the parents being 99% perfect-rated hips). And my sheepherding expert friend, Pam, had to break the news to me that many BCs with Eluane's stance do have HD. Eluane has a Ballerina stance (feet rotated outwards for both the front feet and the hind feet). When I got her, Eluane had hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, Giardia and Coccidia. Just a horrible and irresponsible breeder! But with all things, no matter how many struggles, the Good Lord always shines and I always feel so lucky to have my Little E! She has been the perfect dog for me in countless of ways! Hugs and lots of love to you, from me and the Little E.

Carol, thank you about the roses and the congrats! Hoping this summer you will have beautiful weather in Canada for the roses! and that your daughter will help you with the photos so that we can all enjoy your potted collection like last year :D What lovely photos you had!

Typhoo Tea defintely deserved a new thread....stunning! Also really enjoyed your picture of Little E in the background of your "Anna" rose!

Congrats on the job as well! I know with me working full time M-F, volunteering at the animal shelter on Saturdays, and taking care of my own dogs who are mainly special needs, plus the garden...I never really have time for me. Then I remember that the dogs & garden are things I really enjoy, so that really is "me" time. Then my poor husband gets a few minutes of us time mixed in here and there. :)

I'll keep Little E in my thoughts & prayers regarding her hip dyplasia. Having grown up with herding dogs & working a lot with them, I know they are prone to it..but they just LOVE to play, run, and jump so much its hard to say no!

Tammy

Congratulations on your job, Serena, best wishes. That is good news! Hope Eluane will be OK with her hip situation.

Thank you so much Tammy and Krista! Tammy, thank you for the extra loving thoughts, you Deb Krista and Jim in keeping fingers crossed for the Little E. I do feel the XRays are very necessary so that we can plan and decide what to do from here on. And I need to know for sure and have to save tons of money for those XRAys. Tammy, Bless also on your time with the animal shelter! We need human angels like yourself~ the animals are so lucky having you!

Typhoo Tea bloom looks great! All rose bloom pics are fantastic! I see Eluane peaking in the background... lol

I have to say Viking Queen is my favorite, and of course Eluanne improves every picture she's in!

Just looked at your beautiful pictures and noted a request for Dusty pics (twist my arm!!!)

Praying for you that your darling does not have HD. But, many a dog lives a very long time with it, so do not be too disheartened just in case...

Toastmasters can be very helpful in conquering a fear of public speaking!

Dusty and Elle (with Tilly in background): - deep watering in sand and heat means a LOT of water
{{gwi:295920}}

Thank you, Ingrid, for all your sweet words. I was just talking with Boxo on how I wish I had yours, Renee's, and your gorgeous gardens to bring Little Eluane to. We miss so many wonderful photo ops for Eluane, no thanks to my Lopsided Garden. Rose blooms are sometimes lovely, but never! the Garden.

HarmonyP, how beautiful and Sweet Dusty is ! And so cute, Sleeping Tilly in the background. Tilly actually reminds me so much of a Kelpie in that particular angle! And I love the white Blaze on Dusty too! Eluane has the Blaze. I call it the "heart within the heart" especially when they are sleeping, it is sooo cute! I am real good with Arm-Twisting, and am preparing for more arm-twisting for Dusty. In fact each time I get a Lumpy thread up, I will arm-twist for her. Border Collies deserve their "Day in the Sun" lol! But lol, I get to BRAAAAG and Swagger about being the Expert Arm Twister for Boxo! He is sooo fun to Stalk and Arm-Wrestle with! Every Gorgeous Garden needs a Prime Stalker, lol!

Here is my favorite photo of Eluane because it shows her meltey, expressive eyes!

HarmonyP, Eluane trains and competes in agility, and it's one of her favorite activities, and we just started some new fun things for her, the herding and also dancing to music....But alas! Agility/dancing to music when she lands or does the turning and twisting puts added strain on the hips. Agility, dancing, and our new sheepherding efforts are so fun for Eluane and I. If she has HD it will completely change everything for both of us (tears), so I definitely appreciate the prayers! Here is one super short dance video which really shows those unusual rotated feet which splay outwards....The other dancing videos are too fast to notice as clearly, but in this one you can really see it, plus the landing on the hind legs.

Eluane's Rotated Footwork

On less worrying topics, sometimes heat-faded blooms can still have a strange loveliness to them. Here is Clementina Carbonieri. You can see the bleaching but it almost seems to give it a very "antique" crepe paper look.

Royal Sunset is at full flush. Since it takes 7 weeks for it to rebloom instead of the usual 4-5 weeks' like the rest of my roses save for the continual bloomers like VQ or the stingy ones like Cornelia, I might as well try to keep posting while it lasts.

Love your BC photos too!

My cousin has a sweet little gal. We had a great one too years ago. One of my photo buddies and facebook friends posts photos of her pups when she has litters, they are so cute! But real working dogs and more work than I am up for! I love watching her herding videos too, guessing most of you know and watch her puppies too (Contact Point)

Hi, Kippy! Border Collies are wonderful dogs, but unfortunately they are not meant to be bred save as actual working dogs. Your friend's dogs are not working Border Collies, they are Sports Border Collies, and there is a deep, fierce war between true working B.C owners (those who have livestock) versus the "B.C. Sports dogs" and B.C. pet breeders; also a bitter battle because AKC does endorse puppy mills and because they allow conformation shows which judges BCs solely by looks alone, which is so wrong! I compete in AKC, but I tried to bridge the division between the 2 worlds with completely disastrous results. Tried to convince the Working Border Collie folks that those of us who do compete in AKC should at least try to petition or talk to the people in charge about not having conformation shows for B.Cs and to try to plead-ask AKC not to endorse or give registration papers to puppy mills. But the working B.C. folks completely condemn AKC, whereas I would love for people to help change/transform the system, to try to work together to make needed changes, and to educate Sports Border Collie owners. Reading about Contact Point makes me very sad. Your Facebook friend is not having folks sign non-breeding contracts and actively encourages the breeding of their specific line. I looked up their website. Breeding is only if the dog keeps going back to the original! breeding lines of a true working B.C. (one who actually works livestock for a living). The good thing is that at least your friend does test for hips, but!! I notice there is only one set of parents being tested. Your Facebook friend is also breeding wayyyy too many border collies which is a term called a high-volume breeder, very dangerous, because many abuse the brilliant reputation of border collies for profit (just like Eluane's breeder abused her). Also what Contact Point calls herding is not real herding. It's good that your friend does try to keep within the traditions, but to mix up the 2 is dangerous and misleading. Pet B.C. owners and those who just run their dogs for sports can own BCs, but they should never ever! become breeders or else gradually the B.C. will become a dumber and dumber animal. A champion agility dog may have enough intelligence but so many do not! Many act like dogs on cocaine, the glazed "unseeing" eyes.... The only way to tell is by constant tests to see how fast the dog can catch on to complicated commands and directions, testing them on livestock, all those intelligence and personality tests which many agility champion folks do not have time for. They are too busy trying to "win". Plus sports dogs cannot employ all of the intelligence factors that the true herding B.C. gets to have and you have to spend countless time and energy training and weeding out for the ones with the most intelligence, keeness and biddability. HarmonyP and I really love the beauty of the true working B.C. It is a very precious and irreplaceable gift which I hope will live from generation-to-generation, perfect and complete. The rest of us ordinary B.C. folks must never breed.

serenasyh - I think I've posted the same thing 3 times and forgotten to press the second submit button, and my post disappears. That's what happens when I take vacation from work - my brain goes dead.

First - I wanted to tell you that your incredible posted photo of Eluane looks like it is right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Her expression is amazing. Border Collies have the BEST facial expressions - and what they communicate through them is limitless.

When I originally bought Dusty (strange thought, buying a best friend) I bought her as a breeding female. I breed horses and thought - why try my hand at breeding Border Collies. By the time she was less than a year I had her spayed for a myriad of reasons. The foremost was that I knew it was a huge responsibility to place a Border pup properly. They are not family pets, although they make some of the best companions on the face of the earth and I cannot imagine not having one (and only one). We have 2 other dogs, and could have many more - but I couldn't have more than one Border at a time. They are like having a different kind of creature altogether, not another "dog".

Besides needing lots of physical activity, they need an equal amount of intellectual activity and they have to feel they have a true and necessary purpose in life. I don't do agility or any formal herding, but Dusty has a ranch of horses to herd. It's a little clumsey as the queensland pushes the horses, and Dusty rounds them up and brings them back (simultaneously). Fortunately the horses put up with it and the dogs enjoy it immensely.

Plus she has all sorts of other activities she does for me, including carrying the hose around when I water plants and horses, carrying my water bottle wherever we go - she takes it out of my hand and insists that she carry it (there are misc. water bottles scattered all over the property where she got distracted...), testing the perimeter of sprinklers, testing water depth of every puddle, unearthing gopher holes, supervising all of my tractor work from my seat with me on the tractor, participating in the birthing of all our mares (before we took a breeding haitus), removing hoof trimmings when I trim the horse feet (and permanently disposing of such trimmings - all the dogs partake) and being my car companion for every errand when temperature permits.

I know we're being bad ;) talking about Border Collies on a rose forum, but honestly, my gardening wouldn't be a fraction of the joy it is without my canine companions.

Seren,

Sorry you don't like Karens style/business. Dogs and breeding is a hot topic and I don't want to cause an issue here.

I have an akc reg dog with a full registration, but I am not educated on breeding, feel it is a giant responsibility and choose to have my dog fixed.(not a border collie) It is unfortunate that if you want to show your dog for confirmation that it does have to be intact.

Karens dogs seem to enjoy herding the sheep and seem to do well in agility trials. So many border collies are purchased because people want a smart happy active dog, but they need owners that understand that their bodies and minds need exercise and a job to do. Ours was dumped at the pound due to a heart murmur. But he was a great dog til his heart gave out.

But, I know I do not have the time or the herd to keep one happy and no plans on having one again.

HarmonyP, oh, that is sooo cute! You'll need video of Dusty too! Videos are wonderful ways to capture all the wonderful memories! What a Sweetheart Dusty is! Our beloved animals live such short lives so please take tons of photos, get video up too :D

Oh, yes, I definitely agree, HarmonyP. Border Collies are not! Pet dogs, they are extremely time-demanding, very needy dogs, because their nature is to be commanded and to work with sheep all day long, to continually think and assess "on-the-field", and when you try to change and mold that out, you make a dumber animal and the best qualities of the BC will be forever ruined.... Kippy, I actually feel blessed that we are talking about Border Collies, because as you can tell, even with HarmonyP we start out with one concept then we realize and change our minds once we understand all the ramifications. Agility is extremely popular and too few people understand why the B.C. is an "endangered" breed.

Kippy, I do have AKC papers- I compete in AKC, there are 2 wonderful AKC secretaries I know of, there have been some really sweet AKC judges too! but the problem is that no one realizes that AKC does endorse puppy mills and this must be stopped. If we can at least get this practice changed, what a difference this can make!!

I do hope Karen will eventually change her ways and no longer allow non-stockdog folks to breed Border Collies. It takes decades to really understand and know these animals and to accurately test for the very best genes, and you always have to go back to their original roots, have strong relations with the Sheepherding community, I mean the REAL Down-to-the-Earth working folks. Only working with livestock can the Border Collie's original intelligence remain intact, and even amongst those that herd for a living, only the best should be bred, anyway. A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY. I used to think the best sports collies to only be bred (one litter at the maximum) per year to a really good stockdog and only if that agility person had national placings and had strong friendships and tested out their Border Collies with herding, but after reading about Contact Point, I understand now why the sheepherding community cannot trust us agility folks EVER! Karen's failure to give non-breeding contracts to anyone besides the stockdog community is a major failure, plus the misrepresentation of what is a working Border Collie. Once you fail to breed your generation back to the stockdog lines (one parent always! has to be a really good/sound stockdog-the other tested) you immediately lose or water down the Best genes. You cannot breed unless one proves oneself worthy of breeding by the stockdog community, you have to do real on-the-field herding, not just hobby-herding, every pup has to be neutered that goes out unless it's a working stockdog. If anyone wants a B.C. be sure you are ready for all the responsibilities- go to the B.C. Boards and ask for help, advice and for references on who is a good breeder, and promise/sign a contract to neuter. Anyone who does not ask for this contract is not a reputable breeder. I learned the hard way- Eluane was my 1st dog/my first Border Collie. The horrible breeder of Eluane is Nightshades Border Collies. Poor Eluane was so ill from all those worms and parasites!

I've actually got lots of blooms still going on Climbing America and Folklore but they are too pouffy to show. So this is the last! Unfortunately the Purple Beauty bud I wanted to save for Boxo's July 14th celebration doesn't look to be surviving the heat from what I can tell :( so it probably won't ever get to bloom.

and here is a honeybee photo.

Love the rose & honeybee pics!

serenasyh - you do have to be careful though of "getting on the bandwagon" of the crazy Border Collie war - of the working dog vs. the rest of the world. I completely get it, and agree with a lot of it, but it has become border(tee hee)line vigilantism and so exclusive and fanatic that I find it tiring.

Bottom line, people need to be able to have the companions they want to have, and make their own life choices (hopefully to the benefit of their animals...). Border Collies are indeed very different, but the working dog faction can keep their requirements of 2 working parents, and their own registry or not, and keep the working heredity, and let people who want straight working dogs have straight working dogs. But telling people they can't have or breed a dog that doesn't fit in with a very rigid set of rules - well... I remember this is a rose forum, and apologize to rose people who are annoyed with this, but ... tolerance is a very good trait, and we should all be mindful of it. My girl was purchased from AKC parents that were shown in conformation only. She is a working fool. And I could not possibly in this lifetime or other, hope for a better companion. I will now go back to roses ;)

Lol, yes, I agree, HarmonyP. It's hard, sort of like biting one's tongue when us conservationists/environmental "fanatics" go crazy when we see pollution being dumped into the ocean without any regulations, haha! Yes, I'll agree not! to discuss hot topics like pollution control, Border Collie breeding wars, and other flaming topics. I sure don't want rose threads wilting under all this debate, lol!

Thank you Jim, yes, it's nice to finally get a more clear honeybee photo. Usually they move too fast and are blurrier. Maybe the heat is also slowing them down too because of all this heat :P....

Hi, folks since I'm getting very few quality blooms now with weeks of 100+ weather, I'll just plug along with Drought Roses, haha! and the ones that can keep chugging along. I am having some very promising buds right now on Royal Sunset, Troika and looks like Broceliande is setting up some new baby buds as well. Unfortunately my Etoile de Hollande has flat-lined. Dead! I'm really crossing my fingers for Jim's Distant Drums. Every year I have roses that die because of our heat in spite of being watered every day. It's the baby, tender roses which die. If I'm lucky DD will survive.

Penny Lane Climbing Rose: I love this rose even if it's white, haha!

Folklore: (a blooming machine but unfortunately it has its parent's abysmal BS magnet genes- Fragrant Cloud, lol)

Poor DD...He always seemed like a weak rose from the very beginning. Your rose blooms look great Serena! :-)

Very lovely blooms and pics, Serena!

serena. STOP trashing our name. seriously, you are making assumptions
based on ONE puppy. Yourpuppy didn't have parasites when we
sent her to you. it was YOUR responsibility to keep up on deworming, otherwise the parasites come back. CoccIndia and giardia reside in almost ALL dogs. My friendis a scientist too, a canine parasitologist for a pretty major university.
if you wanted to see a copy of Eluanes parents hip tests, we gladly
would provide them. Her Parentshave excellenthips, and both are trained in livestock. please knockoff the slandeous accusations. I was looking throughstuff on here and stumbled on to my name beingtrashed. pkease stop.