The Lushness Of It All

It's not even officially summer and already I feel overwhelmed by the lushness of the season.

This is the east side of our house where the landscape is allowed to go natural and sometimes it feels like it might grab me as I pass through.



Jack in the pulpit, a wildflower and a survivor.



A view of the front yard. This lightly shaded area has a more tranquil feel to it than the east side jungle.



Meet some of the happy faces in my garden, violas.



Took some time to sit on the porch swing over the weekend and this Comma butterfly landed on the landscape stone only a few feet from me. So many butterflies already this year.



I don't blog often, but continue to garden and take photos like a madwoman. I've planted 29 containers with flowers and vegetables. Most likely there will be more.

Wishing all of my blogger friends a successful growing season.

Don't Do This

If you want to be a garden blogger, don't do this. Don't put your camera on the back of the car and then drive away. The camera won't survive and the spring blooms won't wait for you to buy a new one.

That being said, here are a few photos taken before the incident. 

Of all the daffodils growing in our yard, the Poeticus-Actaea are a favorite of mine. Also known as the "Pheasant's Eye" daffodil because of the small yellow cup edged in red. The flowers have a spicy fragrance. A little past their prime in this picture.

The pink pine cone flowers on the ends of these evergreen tree branches caught my eye. 



Like almost everything else, the hyacinths bloomed early and were as pretty and fragrant as ever.

Bloodroot blooming in our neighbor's woodland area. The name comes from the red color of its roots. One of my favorite early bloomers although the flowers are short-lived.

That's it for now. Can't be accused of not posting at least once a month. New camera in my hot little hands.  

Happy May Day To All Of You!







Pull Up A Chair And Sit A While

Pour yourself a cup of coffee, relax and then make your way over to visit Lesley. She's the gracious host at signs, signs.

This antique shop wasn't open, but that didn't stop me from looking at the outdoor merchandise.

How long have these chairs been sitting out here?

My personal favorite.

The chair built for two with no legs.













A Very Late Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

It's been almost two years since I've participated in Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, but here I am with a very late February post. If you'd like to share blooms of your own, please visit Carol at May Dream Gardens to find out how to join in on the 15th of every month.

My Valentine surprised me with a container of daffs, crocuses, tulips, hyacinths, an amaryllis and a pretty little Foxglove. The amaryllis 'Ludwig Goliath' is now 15" tall.

Three days later the hyacinths were blooming.

The pink in the background is a Kalanchoe

from Valentine's Day 2011.

This is the first winter since being planted

in 2004 that the grasses growing next

to the driveway haven't been flattened 
to the ground by heavy, wet snow.
  Love this winter look!

Early one morning after some fresh snow had
fallen during the night, I noticed two sets of tracks
going down the sidewalk. One belonged to a deer
and the other a cat. No, not a cougar. 



They eventually parted ways,
going off in different directions.
Very sweet sight.

Valentines for the Birds!

Everyone is looking for a little love, even our feathered friends. The Coo Coo Kid and I made these Valentine bird treats and hung them outside. Whether or not the birds find them tasty is yet to be determined. Here's what you'll need to make them.

3/4 cup birdseed

1T. flour

2 T. water

Cookie cutter (inside wiped with oil)

Foil-covered cookie sheet

Straw

Red ribbon

9-year old boy

Have the boy mix together the birdseed, flour

and water until well moistened.

Next, pack the mixture into the cutter,

inserting half a straw near the top

to create a hole for hanging.

Bake the biscuit (with the straw) in a 170-degree

oven until the biscuit is hard, about an hour.

Let it cool. Remove straw and cookie cutter.

Thread a ribbon through the hole

and hang it outside.

(Recipe from FamilyFun)



May your Valentine's Day be simply wonderful!

One of Life's Pleasures

Storefront sign in downtown historic Cedarburg, WI.

"I could give up chocolate, but I'm not a quitter"

(Borrowed from Virtual Chocolate's Quotes)

For many more signs, visit Miss Lesley at signs, signs.

Temperature Does Matter

I bought a small Aeonium Decorum at a succulent class back in April, 2011. It's a plant native to the Canary Island of La Gomera. I wasn't able to duplicate the tropics inside my house, but it did survive until the warm weather of May arrived when I put it outside in a container along with an Escheveria Princess Katena, the taller plant in the back. There's also a small donkey tail in the pot. As the temperature and sunshine increased, so did the rosey-pink edging of the leaves. It quickly became my favorite new find for 2011.

Fall arrived and the temperature started to drop. I brought it back into the house, but between our cat and the lack of bright sunshine the pretty plant started to suffer. Last week when it became clear that it wouldn't make it until May, I set it back outside to let nature take its course and it did just that.

So Sad!

If you have an interest in succulents, here's a very "sweet" blogger who knows a lot about them and her photos are great, too. Visit Candy at Sweetstuff's Sassy Succulents.  

The Coo Coo Kid is busy with fourth grade, but still has time for fun. Here he is eating cotton candy at the Harlem Globetrotter basketball game. Everything about this child makes me happy.



My first time to upload a video to a post. Looks a little distorted, but guess I won't know until I publish it.

I hope that 2012 has been good to all of you, so far.