Happiness is a Hydrangea or Two . . . or Nine

~ Summer Crush Hydrangea ~

One of my favorite garden moments has arrived.

After watching the buds form, watering when the temperatures were soaring and picking off yellowed leaves and dead wooden stems,  I am being rewarded with beautiful hydrangeas.

Oh Happy, Happy Day!!

~ Echo Mini Penny Hydrangea ~

Yesterday it rained

and rained

and rained.

All.Day.Long

After the lawn dried a bit this morning I went to check on the welfare of my beloved hydrangeas.

They responded very well to all of that rain.

Hip Hip Hooray!!

~ Little Lime Hydrangea ~

In my last garden I grew several of the Limelight variety.

I adore them, but they grow very BIG.  Way too big for this garden.

In order to still enjoy limelights we recently planted two of the Little Lime variety.  They are supposed to grow to a height of 3-5 feet which is much better suited to our current needs.  They are just starting to form little buds so I shall try to remain patient while waiting to welcome them into the world.

~ Annabelle Hydrangea ~

The Annabelle hydrangea is getting ready to put on it's spectacular show.  It never disappoints.  It is a bit large for it's location, but I don't mind one single bit as it sits right outside my office window.  It is such a beautiful sight to gaze at while doing my work.

We added five new hydrangeas to the garden this year.

Now nine of these beauties mingle with the existing hollies to make a pretty hedge along the side of the house.

With our hot summers, most hydrangeas prefer morning sun with a chance to cool off during the afternoon (sounds a bit like me).

They should be very content in their new home.

There are so many reasons that I love them.

One of my favorite is that it only takes a few blossoms to make a pretty bouquet.  Cut, strip the leaves and plop in the vase.  

My kind of flower arranging.

Do you grow hydrangeas too?

                                                                                

Patio Time

Hello from the Patio

Late last year we had part of the patio screened in.

Now it feels like another room  of the house.

Our old table had seen better days and was on the small side when guests are over.  We've got a new one on order.  It has already been delayed until June.  While waiting for it's arrival I've been moving things around and sprucing up a bit.

I've moved some of my houseplants out here for a little vacation.

I'm planning to follow those PATIO RULES to a tee.

I've already tested out that RELAX suggestion.

After sprucing I went into RELAX mode.

The sky is so blue and our weather has been absolutely delightful.

As I sat gazing at the BBQ grill it occurred to me that maybe Brett would like to join me in working on the PATIO RULES.  I think I'll suggest that he start with GRILL EVERYTHING while I work on

TAKE A NAP

;-)

See any rules you'd like to try out this season?

Spring Snippets

When the tulips and grape hyacinths join the fall planted pansies . . .

When redbud trees slowly begin to dot the landscape with their beautiful flowers. . .

When the winter chill begins to fade away and the sun shines a little brighter, the turtles are content to take it all in.

Mister Robin is busy searching for an earthworm or two, which can only mean one thing...

Spring Has Sprung!!

Hooray!!!

Watching Mister Robin enjoying the spring sunshine prompted me to go home and create a little display with one of my vintage children's books.

Which led to adding a few Spring related items to the table in my entryway.  It won't be long until Mr. and Mrs. Robin begin building their nests.  I haven't seen any yet, but we have been watching Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel running up and down the trees and hopping into their nests.  Quite the acrobats they are providing good entertainment for us while we enjoy the fresh air on the patio.

When we're not being entertained by the squirrel families, the garden beckons.  Lettuce, arugula and parsley seeds were planted a few weeks ago and will soon be making their way into spring salads.

This week we went to the first farmer's market of the season.

The opening event included live music and a few food trucks.

While enjoying the music and eating our dinner, we were joined by some of the resident roosters.  One hopped up on the bench we were sitting on to get a closer look at our dinner offerings.  That was an unexpected surprise, but provided a good laugh : D.

We did enjoy a breakfast of farm fresh eggs and toast with homemade raspberry jam this morning courtesy of the farmer's market.

While I am reveling in the joys of spring here, I realize that it is slow to come in many areas and the waiting can be a challenge.  Just when you see the first sign of spring a snowstorm hits.  Ugh!

I am here to offer a bit of encouragement.

Perhaps where you live winter seems like it will never end.

Like the little boy in this vintage storybook you may be tired of it.

If that is you, I hope that seeing spring's return, as it is happening here in the southeast United States, will offer hope for what's yet to come in your area.  It may not happen as soon as we might like, but it's on it's way.  NO FOOLING :).

A little bouquet of spring cheer from me to you.

Happy April ~ Happy Spring!!

It Snowed

That snow I was talking about in my last post came to fruition.

Sunday morning we woke up to a beautiful blanket of snowy white.

Looking out the back windows, it appeared that the wildlife were busy making tracks in the early morning hours.

Even the birdies were leaving their tracks in the snow.

So cute!

As the day progressed the snow gave way to sleet.

Clearly we were not leaving the house so I did something that I haven't done in many years.  Stayed in my pj's all day and read.  I've been working my way through Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles mystery series.  If you've not read this series, each book finds ex-lawyer turned herb shop owner, China Bayles, solving a mystery while also tossing in a lot of facts and sometimes recipes about various herbs.

Having just finished Rosemary Remembered, I came across this sweet potato recipe that I had torn from a Cooking Light magazine.
It is basically mashed sweet potatoes with salt, pepper and minced fresh rosemary added.  The topping was an interesting mix of finely sliced shallots caramelized with a bit of brown sugar.  It added a nice pop of flavor to them and the shallots got slightly crispy which was an added bonus.

I tend to tear recipes out of magazines with good intentions for trying them.  Once I try them they either get tossed or earn a place of honor in my recipe binder.  This one is now in the binder along with a few other sweet potato recipes.

We eat sweet potatoes often and it's nice to have a few different methods to prepare them.

Now, on Thursday, there is still some snow lingering and rain is falling.  The weatherman is tossing around the snow word again.  If we get it, I don't think it will amount to anything.

In the garden my chives are partially buried in snow.  No doubt wondering what the heck is going on.  Tonight I've got potato soup on the menu.  Not sure if it's worth stomping through the soggy snow to clip a few to garnish the soup.

Garden Notes ~ January 2022

New Year's Day brought temperatures in the upper 70s.  Unseasonably warm even for these parts.  

After pruning the crape myrtle tree and pulling my fair share of weeds, I took a little walk around the garden to see how my plants were faring.  Some things go unnoticed when only glancing at them through the windows.

I was a bit surprised to see new buds forming on some of the Encore Azaleas.  I've never seen them trying to bloom at this time of year.

While bending to pull a weed under the loropetalum shrub, I was pleasantly surprised to see the bright pink blossoms greeting me.

Another surprise was finding some of the daffodils sending their shoots up already.  Most were still slumbering away underground, but here and there a few had decided to peek out early.  No doubt the warm temps have them a bit confused.

One of my favorite outdoor tools is our battery powered leaf blower.  It works great to blast the leaves and other debris that tend to accumulate on the patios and front porch.  It gets the job done a lot quicker than the broom.  I found it amusing to see little pansy plants popping up in the beds along the edges of the patio.  It looks like some of my clean up efforts must have blown seeds away along with the other debris.

I may not have placed them in their current new homes, but I've got to admire their tenacity.  Here they have even established themselves among the rocks in the fountain garden.

   

Showing their cheery little faces on this sunny January day.

Since New Year's Day our temperatures have gotten much colder.  In fact, a glimpse at the weekend forecast is showing a 100% chance of snow on Sunday.  I'm not sure what that will mean for the early garden bloomers.

Inside there is a great sense of excitement!

Snow is such a rare occurrence here.

Sitting in front of a crackling fire while watching the snowflakes fall sounds like a perfect way to spend a January day.

❄⛄❄

Fresh Starts

There is something so appealing about a brand new calendar.

All of those little squares waiting to be filled in with the events that shape our days.  Oh, the possibilities.

May this be the year that our calendars fill up with joyful moments once again.

Some of you may have been quick enough to read my now you see it, now you don't post.  On that topic I can only say it felt like a good idea at the time.  Not so much the next morning.  So, it was reverted to draft form.  I can only say that sometimes life is just plain sad and even though I strive to keep this blog a happy place, that's not always realistic.

So, our Christmas wasn't anything like I had hoped and imagined.

We put a plan B in place and made a different Christmas memory.

Thankfully our weather was unseasonably warm and sunny.  Perfect for exploring a local hiking trail. Getting away from the house and walking in nature was just what was needed.

This year I welcomed the opportunity to put the Christmas decor away.  Nothing like keeping busy to keep your mind off of other things.

Once the decor was dealt with, I made a cup of tea and perused all of my Christmas cookbooks.  I parted with many of them when we moved and discovered many more that could go now.  It felt good to purge them.

I did like this idea for decorating a small rosemary tree so, I kept this one.  I bought one of these rosemary trees this season, but never thought to decorate it this way.  A simple idea with pretty results.  Hope I can keep it growing until next year.

With another Christmas season done and dusted, I look forward to the opportunity a new year holds.

A time for fresh starts.

***

To those who contacted me behind the scenes, thank you.

To anybody else, forgive me for being vague.

Sometimes the stories aren't ours to tell.  When they involve a loved one who is struggling, it's a process we work through.

I thank you for your understanding and wish you all happiness and good health in the new year.

Onward.

: )

Cheerful Christmas Decorating

The amaryllis that was just planted in my last post has come and gone.  It was in bloom on Thanksgiving and sure was pretty while it lasted.

The cactus that was loaded with buds has also done it's thing for the year.  I now know it is a Thanksgiving cactus.  It, too, added beauty to the house as we celebrated Thanksgiving.

Now they shall both be treated as houseplants until spring when I will move them outside.

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying these days leading up to Christmas.  Are you busy decking the halls or have you already finished?

Mine has become scaled down to a very manageable process.  I must say I am really enjoying it now.  Everything has been decorated for a week.  I do have fun tweaking things here and there.  

The little oil painting above was a recent thrift store find.  It was in a very dated frame and was tossed into a bin with a very low price tag.  I'm sure it had been cast aside in favor of modern pictures found at places like Hobby Lobby.  

The little boy pulling his fresh cut Christmas tree up the lane to the farmhouse transported me to days gone by.  The rolling hills covered in snow provided such a peaceful setting.  When I turned the painting over there was an address label the artist had placed there many years ago.  I don't know why her beautiful work wound up in the thrift store bin, but I wasn't about to let it remain there.

I did set it free from the dated frame and then added it to my hutch.

It's small size makes it an ideal piece to use in little vignettes around the house.

Another thrift shop visit yielded this DECEMBER frame.

Actually it was in a box with 11 more frames.  One for every month of the year and boy are they ever pretty.  

I spent some time last night going through my photo albums in search of a suitable picture for December.  It seems I stopped having pictures printed in 2010.  It sure was a trip down memory lane to look through all of those albums.  I then looked through the albums on my phone and still couldn't find a photo of all of my (small) family together at Christmas.  So, I settled for one of my son and his girlfriend with a snowman they built on one of the only Christmases that we had snow.

At the top of my to do list this year:

Get one nice photo of the whole family together for Christmas.

My Christmas decorating doesn't change much from year to year.

I kind of use the same elements in slightly different configurations.

This year I was craving the comforts of Christmas past in my kitchen.  Grouping select pieces of my vintage treasures with a bottle brush tree seemed to work on the countertops.

Christmas Cheer next to the stove.

Another little corner and a place to enjoy my favorite ornaments up close.

The view from the kitchen sink.

Couldn't resist these cheerful tea towels.

And it wouldn't be Christmas without the sweet little toy stove.

On a recent phone call with my eight year old grandson, he told me that the two things he wanted to do when he comes for Christmas are:

1:  Make blueberry pancakes with grandpa.

2:  Decorate cookies with lots and lots of sprinkles.

I can see I need to add something else to my to do list:

Purchase lots and lots of sprinkles :)