“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning  but a going on, with all the wisdom  that experience can instill in us.”  – anonymous.       As  I write the last president’s letter for 2022, I think back at all the beautiful things I learned and will take with me in 2023. Besides feeding my […]

The White Rose John Boyle O’Reilly – 1844-1890 The red rose whispers of passion, And the white rose breathes of love; O, the red rose is a falcon, And the white rose is a dove. But I send you a cream-white rosebud With a flush on its petal tips; For the love that is purest […]

“There is something profoundly satisfying about sharing a meal. Eating together, breaking bread together, is one of the oldest and most fundamentally unifying human experiences.” Barbara Coloroso On July 16th, thirty-eight members of the Peninsula Rose Society members came together under my majestic century-old Southern Magnolia to share a delectable meal. The weather was perfect, […]

by Patti Spezzaferro “Flowers are the beautiful hieroglyphics  with which she indicates how much she loves us. “ Johannah Wolfgang von Goethe June is National Rose Month, and it was first introduced in June of 1959. Some three decades later, in 1986, President Ronald Reagan officially made the rose the national flower of the United […]

By Patti Spezzaferro There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.  Janet Kilburn Phillips Every time I see a plant in trouble, my heart sinks but then I remember the wise words of Janet Kilburn Philips, “there are no garden mistakes, only experiments”. I quickly put on my detective hat and looked at all the possibilities […]

By Patti Spezzaferro In the waves of change, we find our true direction. After being at home zooming for the past two years and three months, Peninsula Rose Society returned to its old stomping grounds at the Redwood City Veteran Memorial Senior Center for its most recent membership meeting. Twenty-five in-person members and twelve members […]

By Patti Spezzaferro Safety is not something that happens by itself. You need to work towards it with the right measures, tools, and mindset. California’s statewide mask order expired on February 15, allowing fully vaccinated people to no longer be required to wear masks in most public indoor settings. According to the Mercury News article […]

By Patti Spezzaferro The red rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart. Anonymous What is it about a red rose bestowed on Valentine’s Day that screams I love you? The color has long been linked to romantic love, revolutions, religion, and the majesty of the monarchy. The tradition dates […]

By Patti Spezzaferro “The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.” Josiyah Martin Celebrating the new year makes me hopeful for better days ahead. Each year is a gift to start afresh armed with a new perspective, a resolve, and a strength to find answers to my garden problems. Even […]

By Patti Spezzaferro “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” — Audrey Hepburn   In 2016, over 63 million people volunteered for nonprofits providing eight billion hours of service. Extraordinary! Volunteerism has been shown to improve a volunteer’s mood, decrease […]