In The May Garden

The azaleas in my garden have come and gone with nary a picture taken to document them.  I suppose that had to do with lacking energy while they were in their prime.  The past week has been fairly productive on the gardening front and a few times the camera came out.  It's nice to have documentation here on the blog so that I can compare from year to year what bloomed when.

Here the clematis are still putting out blooms, although they will soon be done.

While I wish I could say this basket of strawberries came from my garden, the truth is they were the first of the locally grown berries from the farmer's market.  The day we bought them our son was coming for dinner.  We picked up an angel food cake and whipped cream and had a delicious seasonal dessert.  Brett and I went on to enjoy that dessert every evening until the cake was gone.  Our rationale was that after waiting all winter for the local strawberries to arrive, we have to take full advantage while the season lasts.

I love how the garden centers offer these drop in planters.  

I think they did such a nice job with this color combination of coleus.

They should be well suited to the mostly shade situation on the patio.

Keeping my fingers crossed that I can keep them looking this lovely all summer.

One of my favorite places to be at this time of year is the garden centers and nurseries.  Looking at all of the beautiful plants is so enjoyable and it seems like people are in good spirits as they plan their gardens and landscapes.

I couldn't resist this mushroom to add a bit of whimsy to the pot of impatiens on the patio dining table.

Our weather today calls for rain most of the day, yet the sun is shining.  I hope there will be at least one good soaking so that I don't have to drag out the hose to water the seeds that have been planted here and there.  We did receive a lot of April showers.  Since my seeds weren't planted then, there will be no May flowers unless I keep them watered.

🥀🥀

Saturday's Stormy Start

Long before I was planning to get up this past Saturday morning, a large clap of thunder boomed and jolted me into wakefulness. Trying to sort out what just woke me up so suddenly, I could hear the rain coming down in buckets and realized the source of this unwelcome alarm clock.

Moments later an emergency vehicle raced down the street with sirens blaring and red lights flashing.

Not the sounds one wants to wake up to.

Later in the day the reason for that early morning siren was revealed.

This home is located at the other end of our street.

It is rumored to have been struck by lightening that hit a gas line.

Fortunately it was unoccupied at the time.

Thanks to the prompt response by our local fire fighters, the fire was extinguished before it could spread to the house next door.  

In the afternoon the sun came out and all was calm.  In fact it was so pleasant that I had to wonder if this was just a bad dream.

Each time we come and go from the neighborhood, the house serves as a sad reminder of how things can change drastically in an instant.

Another Year Older & Feeling Better

My 65th birthday will be memorable for two reasons.

1.  Medicare

2.  Covid

Boy, birthdays hold a lot of excitement in the senior years.

Ha Ha Ha!!!

Despite the above, it was still a very nice day.  The weather was beautiful.  There was cake, flowers, cards, gifts, calls, emails and texts. The only thing lacking was my energy, which I'm happy to say has now returned.  Hooray!

Thank you for your kind comments in my previous post.  Fortunately none of my family members caught it.

April seems to be flying by and I am finding it hard to believe that we are in the last week of this month.  I need to get busy in the garden.

Feeling a bit behind on that front.  Our sunny days with mild temperatures should be ideal for getting out there and digging in the dirt.

What are your plans for this final week of April?

Under The Weather

Morning Coffee View

Shortly after my last post we made an impromptu decision to drive down to Florida for a few days to spend Easter with grandson, Jaxson, and his family.  It's rare that we get to see them for Easter and we thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  Lots of games of Clue and Monopoly were played.  Sunday we enjoyed a nice Easter dinner together.

Monday morning we loaded up the car and headed home.

As the miles went on all I could think was that I wanted to be home in my own bed with a soft blanket.

It seems the virus that I have escaped for the past few years has found me.

While I now feel quite a bit better, I'm still testing positive and lacking energy.

Keeping my fingers crossed for a negative test by Wednesday as I've got a birthday to celebrate that day.

I'm hoping to muster up enough energy to do a little blog visiting this afternoon as all this sitting around is getting rather BORING.

Nesting Season

While tending my pansy bed, I spotted the sweetest little nest lying in the mulch.  I don't know if our recent windy days blew it from a nearby shrub or just where it came from.  I am always in awe of the work that goes into constructing bird nests.

Naturally I felt the need to save this tiny masterpiece.

For now I have decided to give it a place of honor amongst the Easter decor.  A tiny nest with a not so tiny egg.

We've been keeping our eyes on a nest being constructed in our bluebird nest box.  I know this isn't the work of a bluebird as they use pine needles.  Instead this soft mossy model is the work of the Carolina chickadees.  It's been going on for awhile.  So far no eggs.  Hopefully that will happen soon as it is always a delight to watch the eggs become little baby chickadees.

When our neighbors recently returned from being away for several months, they went to take the cover off of their outdoor furniture when a bird flew out and this nest came crashing to the ground.  Sadly there were eggs in it that are no longer.

It was a surprise to the neighbor and the mama bird.

I could tell by the large amount of leaves, especially the lacy skeletonized ones, that this was the work of the Carolina Wrens.  

They don't seem to mind putting their nests in places close to the house like potted plants and wreaths.  In our last house I would watch one carry nesting materials up to the retractable awning and construct her nest under the awning where it attached to the house.

I loved the up close viewing of her setting up housekeeping and avoided using the awning until I knew the babies had flown the coop.

Speaking of flying the coop...

This bluebird nest has flown away to a new home thanks to Ebay.

While I am still attracted to it's vintage charm, it was time for it to find happiness in a new home.

In This First Week of Spring

In this first week of spring our weather hasn't decided if it's ready to warm up.  There have been many nights of covering the blueberry and hydrangea plants as the temperatures dipped into the 20s.  Despite our best efforts, there was still some frost damage here and there.  On the bright side, it has made for a long stretch of daffodils unfolding.  There are still new ones coming out which delights me.

The chilly days provided me with the ideal excuse to stay inside and decorate the house for Easter.

Once that was done a pretty springtime puzzle beckoned.

Soon my tulips will be in full bloom along with the grape hyacinths.

The next several days are forecast to be in the upper 70s.  That ought to convince the weather that spring has most definitely sprung!!

I do hope that spring is off to a good start for you.

🌷🐥🐇🌷

A Library Visit

A library visit was on my to-do list today.

Pulling into the parking lot, I noticed some early spring blooms in the garden area next to the library.  

Since I was in no particular hurry, I decided to head over there and take a closer look before going into the library.

The land where the library now sits was donated by a man to honor his wife's memory after she passed away.  She loved to read and garden so, he wanted to honor her with a library and memorial garden in her name.  Apparently he worked in the memorial garden every day until he passed away in his 90s.

Here you see the library in the distance.

All of the sitting areas inside look out over the garden where there are trails to walk on, benches to sit on and many plants to add seasonal beauty.  Here and there are bridges built by local Boy Scout troops

Meandering along the trails I spotted some pretty pink azaleas.

I'm not sure what this is.

It was taller than me and loaded with these fringy flowers.

As someone who also enjoys reading and gardening, I somewhat reluctantly left the garden to tend to the main reason for my visit.

I've been attending a bi-monthly Spice Club meeting and it was time to pick up the next packet.  Each meeting focuses on a different herb/spice.  In April it will be dill.  Our packets contain a sample of dill and several recipes.  We are free to try them out.  When the meeting rolls around we can bring a dish to share, although it is not required.  The gal who runs the meetings loves to cook and brings samples of all of her recipes for us to taste.  It has been a fun way to gain some new inspiration in the kitchen while meeting new people.

It seems no visit to the library is complete without checking out a book or two.

While I'm not familiar with this author, the photo makes me want to be out in the garden planting pretty flowers.

It's still early for that as our frost date isn't until April 15th.

This past week has brought a lot of daffodil bouquets reminding me that it won't be long now.

Do you visit your local library and, if so, what are some of your favorite things about it?

📚📚📚