Saturday, May 4, 2013

The Moon and The Stars

I loved visiting my grandparents when I was a child.  My father's parents lived out in the country.  My grandmother cooked the best fried chicken.  My cousin always had a knack for talking her into making hot chocolate for us after dinner, even in the hot summertime.  There was no air conditioning, but hot chocolate, made from whole milk, powdered cocoa and sugar, was such a special treat, we didn't mind drinking a hot beverage on a hot night.

Cream Veranda

Occasionally, we had homemade ice cream.  It would take hours, and seemingly several men, to churn some secret concoction into creamy ice cream.  You had to eat it in a hurry, or it would melt into a thin, sweet liquid.


I think my grandparents got only one channel on their television.  It was rarely on.  Usually, the radio played while grandma was cooking or cleaning.  If it wasn't winter, we would congregate on the front porch after dark and look up at the stars.  There wasn't a spot in the sky that didn't have a star in it, either large or small.  I learned to find the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, the North Star, and many other stars and constellations from my grandfather on that front porch.  It was a magical time.


My mother's mother lived in town alone, a widow.  Due to all the lights that stayed on in town, the stars were not as bright at her house as they were out in the country.  We didn't sit out on the porch or eat homemade ice cream at her house.  Instead, we sat at the table and ate homemade cobbler with store bought ice cream.  I was at this grandmother's house when the astronauts first landed on the moon.  She was strict about bed time, but just this once, she allowed us to stay up to watch this momentous occasion on television.  She talked of all the numerous inventions that had been created in just her one lifetime, and wondered what fantastic inventions the future would hold for us.


Then we did what we never did at her house.  We went outside that night.  The stars were dim.  But that didn't matter.  It wasn't the stars she wanted to see.  Instead, she pointed to the moon.

"They're up there", she whispered.

And we looked up with marvelous wonder.


I hope you take at least one night this summer to look up at the stars, and remember the magic of the moon.

The photos are of Cream Veranda.  A small floribunda rose, it grows to about 4 ft wide and high, even though it could be kept at around 2 ft.  It grows in zones 5 though 9, is disease resistant and lightly scented.  It would be perfect as a container plant, growing on a sunny porch.

It's coloring is just a little darker than homemade ice cream.

74 comments:

  1. You wouldn't think looking at roses could make your mouth water. Those are lovely and I enjoyed the reminiscence about ice cream and the moon.

    My MIL used to make custard early in the morning, put it in a metal tray in the freezer, stir it every now and then (frequently) and we had ice cream for dessert at lunch.

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    1. How fun on the custard! I've never eaten ice cream made out of that. I bet it was smooth and creamy, and didn't melt like the homemade milk ice cream did.

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  2. I remember that night, the night of Apollo 11...or should I say "the morning of Apollo 11", since it was quite past midnight as I remember it when the Eagle landed. We're dating ourselves HolleyGarden.

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    1. Yes, I am dating myself. But it was such an important night. So sad future generations may never know that kind of wonder and awe.

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  3. Gorgeous roses! You brought back some memories! I used to drink hot chocolate made from that same recipe, before the days of instant, artificial sugar chocolate drink. And the moon and the stars! I will never lose my wonder of those.

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    1. That hot chocolate was so delicious. Sweet and creamy. Nothing at all like instant!

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  4. A beautiful rose! I also remember that evening - it was an evening in Norway where I lived. My sister and I was eating in the kitchen, my mother came out to us, it was dark outside with a big, full moon and she pointed out on to it and told us that right now there were people walking on that moon. Then my sister turned around, looked out and said "yes, I can see one of them right there!" She was 4 1/2 years old, I was 6 and thought she was veeeery silly. That story is one of the ‘heirlooms’ in the family :-)

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    1. That is such a cute story! haha - I bet she really thought she could see them, too!

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  5. Beautiful rose..I have the worst time with container roses...for some reasons, I don't have the knack to grow them in containers...maybe I'll try again.

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    1. I don't do well with plants in pots - I always forget to water them! I have this rose planted in the ground.

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  6. I just bought a Cream Veranda at RoseDango. I'm still trying to figure out where to squeeze it in! But I like that it's a bit shorter.

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    1. I have been curious as to what roses you bought! I think you'll really like this rose. I love the sweet color. Just a bit lighter than a soft apricot. I have it growing in front of Lion's Fairy Tale, and they are almost the same color and bloom form. LFT is just a bit taller, and a shade lighter.

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  7. Lovely story Holly, tell me is homemade icecream better than storebought. I like this rose it has a nice colour, and your photos are lovely. Have a great day.

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    1. Homemade ice cream is certainly different from store bought. I think everyone has their own personal preference. I like them both!

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  8. Oh my! How beautiful does your time in the country sound! I could picture every bit of wonder in your story about the stars and homemade ice cream! Your roses are just gorgeous! Thank you for reminding me to slow down and to eat ice cream under the stars with my sweet beams....sometimes slowing down is sooo important! Have a wonderful Sunday!

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    1. I hope you and your beans enjoy a wonderful summer night under the stary sky.

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  9. Wonderful memories, beautifully written. A rose the color of homemade ice cream -- perfect.

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    1. All this talk about ice cream has made me want some! :)

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  10. Hi HG. Very evocative writing there. Really enjoyed it and got the feel of those hot evenings under the bright stars.

    Can you tell me please, what is the rose on you blog Header photo ? It is spectacular. Can't wait for mine to start blooming - new rose hedge planted from bare root this year, the old Gallica rose 'Charles de Mills' . Can't wait !!

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    1. Your Charles de Mils hedge sounds divine. It will be stunning! The rose on my header right now is the common Knock Out!

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  11. What sweet memories you stirred up with this recollection. Your roses are gorgeous. Makes me want to take a bite of them. MMmmmmm

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    1. I do love this creamy color. I've really enjoyed this area - it is more pastel than the rest of my garden, and I'm truly enjoying its luscious colors.

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  12. Your roses evoke those lasting memories of your childhood - so nice of you to share them with us along with the pictures of your scrumptious roses!!!

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    1. I love that, while we're weeding or doing other such mundane tasks in the garden, it gives us time to think, and reminisce.

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  13. Any good online store from where I can buy that rose? I am looking for nice scented rose.

    The story brought tear in my eyes. Though there were lots of restrictions in the society at that time, especially for women and colored people, but those were the simpler, happy days, I think. Whenever I read about them, I become very nostalgic. There were some kind of simplicity and more human warmth and relation at that time, I think. We have all the gadgets at our disposal now - cell phones, facebook, email, chat-messengers and what not, but somehow are lives have become more busy and lonely...just my feelings as I am too young and thus have no experience about lives in 60's and 70's or early 80's.

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    1. The thing I think that has changed so much from that time is our attitudes. Then, we were looking forward to so much more being achieved. Now, it seems that there is just so much negativity, and our focus has all turned inward. As for the rose, try Chambleeroses.com. This rose has very little scent, so you may want to try one that has more fragrance, but it really is a pretty rose.

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  14. I really enjoyed your story of childhood! To this day I enjoy going out and looking at the stars and moon. That rose is beautiful!

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    1. I love nothing better than watching the stars on summer nights. Seeing a falling star is always a nice highlight, too.

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  15. Some sweet memories that made me think of my own grandparents, though they lived in a big apartment building in the city. The rose is lovely.

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    1. I'm so glad that you thought of your own grandparents. I didn't think of those times as being special, but as I've gotten older, I realize they really were.

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  16. I did not know how much I missed the stars from my childhood until I moved back from the city. The stars in the country are amazing every night! I am very lucky since I had all 4 grandparents until this past year. 31 years of memories are amazing. I even had two great grandmas until I was in my teens.

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    1. How wonderful to have known your grandparents and great grandmothers for so long. My great grandmother didn't pass away until I was 22. Those are special relationships.

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  17. Lovely story and more or less so recognizable. Our grandparents and parents lived in the country and we do too, but the city is very near to us. We can see the stars, but not very often but we also have memories to evenings full of stars. Your pictures show a beautiful rose, but it is unknown to me.

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    1. I will never forget how full of stars the sky was back then. Now, with all the lights, they are not nearly as magical.

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  18. Beautiful memories. Spending time in the country when you are a child is a special treat. Stars and fireflies are magical and something man can not recreate. Your Cream Veranda rose is gorgeous. Love the creamy pink color.

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    1. I love seeing fireflies, too. I used to see them often when I was a child, but now they are a rare sight.

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  19. What a wonderful, endearing story Holley, of fond memories of your childhood that you will forever cherish.

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    1. I love that each generation has their own special memories. I think each person's childhood should seem a bit wondrous.

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  20. Wonderful story. My grandparents went from horse and buggy to man on the moon also. It must have been wondrous for them. Thank you for sharing and bringing back memories.

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    1. Can you imagine all the inventions that generation saw? It must have seemed like we would continue that wave of invention, and be walking on the moon by now, in flying cars, with robots doing all the work. It seems that time of invention somehow got side tracked.

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  21. What a lovely story. My moon memory includes shelling field peas and talking long into the Georgia night after the astronauts made history in 1969. Also, I still make cocoa that old fashioned way - tastes good and has memories in every sip.

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    1. I haven't had "old fashioned" hot chocolate in many years. Maybe this autumn I'll make some.

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  22. What a sweet memory! :o) I love the moon and look for it almost every night. I was born in 1969 but teach about the moon landing in my astronomy unit in science. I'm surprised there isn't an Apollo rose.

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    1. There is an Apollo rose! But it was named before space exploration, after the Greek god Apollo. I hope when you're teaching about the moon landing, you convey some of that wonder, pride, and unbridled dreams - expectations, really - of the future.

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  23. Holly, interesting story of the Moon and rose. I love this rose, and as you said, it is for zone 5, will try to buy it. I heard about astronauts on the Moon at the morning the next day. It was awesome surprise, we watched on TV their steps there.

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    1. What an experience that must have been for them to be walking on the moon! It must have felt a bit surreal.

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  24. What lovely memories and a beautiful rose. I always look at the moon and stars on a clear night, although they seem to be few and far between now.

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    1. You're right. The stars don't seem to shine as brightly any more.

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  25. Nice memories for you of the old times. The Rose is sure a lovely one.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  26. Oh I remember homemade ice cream on those porches watches the stars and moon...and listening to the frogs and crickets...fabulous memories conjured up by a stunning rose.

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    1. Oh, yes - the frogs! They were so numerous back then. Now it's a special thrill to hear them serenading the night.

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  27. How nice it was reading this post of yours. Thanks for sharing your memories with us. I also have a lot of memories involving food, preparation of food and so on and it seems odd since normally children look like they don't care at all about eating and family lunch/dinners seem to bore them. Indeed in 30 years or so those moments will stay with them for ever, like a mark in their soul. I still remember the scent in the kitchen while my grandmother prepared lasagna.

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    1. I agree that cooking can make some wonderful memories. It is becoming a lost art. But, perhaps a resurgence will happen!

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  28. Your beautifully-written piece brought a tear to a crusty curmudgeon's eye. The mysterious wonders of childhood seem to pass so quickly. Sweet memories like yours are a wonderful balm to our sometimes world-weary minds.

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    1. I am shocked and delighted that my piece brought a tear to your eye! I enjoy looking back sometimes. It was a much more positive era. People looked forward to the future, and one didn't hear all the doom and gloom that is so prevalent these days.

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  29. I too have memories of turning the handle while making ice cream. Looking at the stars at night and cloud shapes during the day! And walking with my grandmother in her Rose Garden. Ah, the joys of a more simpler life... Thanks for bringing back those fond memories for me today :-)

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    1. I'm so glad you went down memory lane. Those hand-crank ice cream machines took forever!

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  30. It is wonderful to have such memories. I lost grandparents at a really young age and it is hard to even remember their faces. My parents were the youngest of their siblings and I have little family left, a few cousins. Your memories are what kids dream of, the simple pleasures of childhood.

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    1. I'm sorry you don't have much family left. I have been blessed to have known most of my grandparents, and even my great-grandmother throughout my childhood.

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  31. I love reading about her time spent at your grandmother's house. And how momentus it must be to be looking up at the moon that night, knowing that the astronauts are there at that very moment.

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    1. It really was incredible. That sense of accomplishment was one that entire country felt.

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  32. What a beautiful post in both word and pictures. Thank you for transporting us all to such a special time and place.

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    1. I miss the attitude of those times. I am truly sick of all the negativity I hear about the earth these days.

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  33. just the softest prettiest color!

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  34. Lovely! I live in the city and every time I go out to the country I'm always amazed at the stars. I think your post captured how magical they are.

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    1. It's truly amazing how many stars there are, when we can see them.

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  35. Grandparents are so good at making memories which last a lifetime. I wonder what my little guy will remember. My in laws had a cottage overlooking a lake. Every summer we timed our visit for the Perseid meteor shower. Our children snuggled up with beloved grandparents, watching the meteors come in over the lake and yes there was grandma's hot chocolate too.

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    1. What a wonderful memory-making tradition! That is a truly special, and one that will be long remembered.

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  36. What a sweet story. How magical it must have been to look at the moon knowing for the first time someone was actually up there. One of the things I love about living in the country is the big skies filled with stars.

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    1. I love looking at the stars, too. I don't do it as often as I should. It is truly wondrous and magnificent to see them all.

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  37. Hi there! wanted to introduce myself and hope that you will come over to Fishtail Cottage's garden party and share a gardening post some time? Love meeting knew gardeners! xoxo,tracie

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