Quote from: Lori Dee on June 15, 2025, 03:16:14 PMSadly, both Boulder and Colorado Springs have had mass shootings and other violent crimes recently. In my experience, that comes with larger cities. As you start cramming more and more people into the same space, you begin to see an increase in violence, crime, drug-related incidents, and gang warfare. That is one of the reasons that I prefer to stay away from big cities as much as possible.

When I was very young, I grew up in the Los Angeles area. With the Watts Riots in 1965, my parents decided it was time to "Get Out of Dodge," and we moved to the desert. Since then, I have lived in cities as large as Chicago, and villages as small as Gerty, Oklahoma (population was 36 back then). I have figured out what I consider the "tipping point". When a city is large enough to need a traffic report on the news to tell you the travel times between points within the city, that city is way too big. 

I drove through areas around Chicago and it seemed like all the towns and cities ran into each other, although there seemed to be many parks and preserves.

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on June 15, 2025, 03:31:13 PMDo you count the suburbs of a big city as part of that big city?

Yes. I didn't live in downtown Chicago. I lived in Roselle, Elk Grove Village, and worked in Arlington Heights. I then moved to Rockford (68 miles away), but the issues were the same. My experience has been that such social issues as crime, etc., do not stop at the city limits. The gangs moved from Chicago into the burbs, then into Rockford. As the burbs grow, so do the problems.

The Smithsonian has an article about an early experiment on overcrowding.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-old-experiment-with-mice-led-to-bleak-predictions-for-humanitys-future-180954423/

I did not care for the car traffic in Chicago and surroundings.

I do not care for it in Los Angeles either.  Seattle traffic can be a mess.

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on June 15, 2025, 03:44:46 PMI did not care for the car traffic in Chicago and surroundings.

I do not care for it in Los Angeles either.  Seattle traffic can be a mess.

On my trip down to Pueblo, we crawled through the Denver Metro area at 5 mph. I expected it, as it was Rush Hour. But on the way home, it was not. Fortunately, traffic was moving twice as fast, 10 mph. UGH

Lori, I was hoping for some photos, so I'm glad you posted them. It looks like a nice place, and it sounds like you've got solid ideas about how you can put the space to best use. I look forward to "after" photos when you've made it your home.

It's hard to be absolutely certain, but the plants in the photo look to me like peonies. If they are, then they're finished blooming, and they always look a bit ratty at that point. Some water will likely help them have a good spring next year, but they won't put on any new growth or really do much more this year. I plant other things around and between mine that will fill in after the peonies have finished, and I cut the peonies to the ground when their leaves start turning brown (which won't be long).

Thanks for the tip, Pema! My peonies are still in bloom. Now, I know what to do with them when they finish.

Quote from: Lori Dee on June 15, 2025, 03:46:58 PMOn my trip down to Pueblo, we crawled through the Denver Metro area at 5 mph. I expected it, as it was Rush Hour. But on the way home, it was not. Fortunately, traffic was moving twice as fast, 10 mph. UGH

Occasionally I read an article that stated a person put a life size female doll in the passenger seat to supposedly fool others that he had two people in the car, so he could drive in express lanes which ban single occupant cars during specific times.

I wonder if the person kept the doll in his car 24/7 to accommodate all his driving.

Seems extreme to me!  But in each case, the driver eventually got caught and had to pay a fine.


Chrissy

Quote from: Pema on June 15, 2025, 03:51:42 PMIt's hard to be absolutely certain, but the plants in the photo look to me like peonies. If they are, then they're finished blooming, and they always look a bit ratty at that point. Some water will likely help them have a good spring next year, but they won't put on any new growth or really do much more this year. I plant other things around and between mine that will fill in after the peonies have finished, and I cut the peonies to the ground when their leaves start turning brown (which won't be long).

Thank you! I love Peonies.

My ex would pronounce them in a way that I always thought she was saying "panties" instead of "peonies". We had a business selling scented candles, and she caught me off guard when she told me to smell her peonies. 

It is common for bloom size to shrink when it gets hot.  While 90 isn't terribly hot, the concrete around it makes it hotter.
If a rose has very deep roots the bloom size may not shrink.
The roses in my front yard will grow very deep roots into the wet clay soil.  2 feet deep!

Rose canes get old and non productive.  It can be helpful to take out older canes to be replaced by newer ones.
Thinning out growth is certainly helpful if you have the time to do that.
Roses benefit a lot from cultivation as they are bred for beauty and may do strange things that are counter-productive.

https://denverrosesociety.org/

Thanks, Marion.

I remembered a post where you were discussing trimming roses, so that is why I thought of you.
Thanks for the link!

I didn't notice any old canes, but the whole plant seems choked near the bottom, like it could use some air flow. The concrete definitely makes it hotter. I my put a layer of stone along the base to help prevent evaporation.

I know someone who had all the stones in her yard removed and replaced with wood mulch.
I also use wood mulch.  I need to buy more this summer and remove the weeds that are growing in the rose beds. Then cover the bare spots with wood mulch to prevent weeds from growing.

Quote from: Maid Marion on Yesterday at 01:37:06 AMI know someone who had all the stones in her yard removed and replaced with wood mulch.
I also use wood mulch. 

Thanks, MM.

I have used wood mulch in the past. I think the issue here is that it gets windy, which would blow it all over. Even if it stayed in place, management may be concerned about the fire hazard with the hot and dry conditions. The plan would be to lay down some weed fabric and place a layer of stone on top.

Is there a best time of year to trim roses to thin out the crowded canes? I know that I don't want to be out in the heat doing yardwork. But maybe Fall, when it cools down, or winter, when the plants go dormant?

During my recent travels, my Jeep's odometer clicked past 100,000 miles.

Within a few hundred miles of that waypoint, I got the "Change Oil" notification. The Jeep has a CVT (Continuous Velocity Transmission), so it is a self-contained system, and no way to inspect the oil myself. The only dipstick on the vehicle is the person sitting behind the steering wheel (me). Because it is a closed system, it takes a mechanic to change the oil. I have an appointment to do that this afternoon.

Many moons ago, a mechanic told me that the "Check Engine" light that comes on periodically is to get people to have a mechanic look it over, not that there is anything wrong with the vehicle. He said there is a regular 9-volt battery on the back of the dashboard, and when that battery goes dead, the "Check Engine" light comes on. On average, the battery lasts approximately 50,000 miles of driving, so it is a good way to encourage people to get periodic maintenance done.

The reason this is not widely known is that they don't want people ignoring the warning light, thinking it is just the battery. Some people (me) have even pulled the dash and replaced the battery themselves. I had just had the vehicle serviced and knew that there was no problem. If the light had come back on, I would have taken it back to the shop to get it checked.

If you are not a mechanic, never ignore your vehicle's warning lights. It might be a simple issue like a bad sensor or broken wiring, but it needs to be checked out to prevent major problems down the road.

https://firesafemarin.org/create-a-fire-smart-yard/mulch

https://denverrosesociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lets-Grow-Roses.Planting-Pruning-Fertilizing.May_.Dave-Ingram.pdf

The worst time to hard prune is a couple weeks in the Spring before a killing hard frost.  The pruning will spur new growth which is killed by the cold.  This could kill a plant.

Generally you can take off dead wood at any time.  I've not had any issues thinning bushes in the heat of summer as roses usually go dormant if it gets too hot and reducing foliage reduces their need for water.

It is best to leave the canes long in the fall as freeze/thaw may kill the top parts of the canes in winter.  They will grow from the undamaged buds lower on the canes in the Spring.  They may be trimmed to four or five feet tall to reduce wind damage.  As well as thinned out if you have the time.

Roses are pretty tough and can do better with lots of pruning by an expert to direct growth, much like some dogs do better with constant attention.

Thanks again, MM.

For the advice and the links.