Woodpecker Luncheon

Crumbs from left over biscuits…. pennies.

Placing crumbs on deck railing….. zero.

Watching the woodpecker luncheon…. priceless.

 

 

Blackberry Winter

Blackberry Winter is the last cold spell of the season. It arrives when the blackberry vines are in bloom, hence the name. (Dogwood Winter is a bit earlier, while the native dogwoods bloom.)

Tonight a strong north wind is blowing and a bit higher up on the mountain a light dusting of snow is expected. The blackberry vines are in full bloom. Tomorrow night the tender plants will need protection and the houseplants will need brought back inside.

Further north a huge winter storm is beating down on the northeastern states. I feel for those folks. I’m glad I don’t live that far north.

My order of seeds from Parks Seed Company: Black-eyed Susan Vines and hibiscus in various colors, Cherokee Purple Tomato, okra, and various peppers arrived yesterday.  After this cold spell I’ll be playing in the dirt with a passion.

This afternoon I took some pictures of what’s blooming now:

The clematis is beautiful. It was moved to this location about 4 years ago and has finally regained its former glory. My new “baby” clematis is still getting used to its location, but has blessed us with some blooms.

 

My iris are blooming, even the white one (she went on strike last year).

The Weigelia I rooted about 7 years ago is blooming. A pretty pink, but someday I want a red one.

Hopefully nothing will be nipped too badly over the next few nights. I’ll let you know if it does.

Spring Cleaning

Last Saturday I began cleaning up the yard and checking out my flower pot stash. Two contractor size trash bags later the front yard was neat and clean. A little later the pots ready for occupancy.

Sunday was spent preparing and filing taxes. I’m sure the Infernal Revenue Service was glad to get our hard earned cash. After all, those GSA agents have another conference to attend and need the money.

There’s a lot more work to do in the gardens this year. They are neglected and overgrown. Even in a slightly out of control state, however, they are blooming and beautiful.

Time Keeps On Passing. . .

This little blog has been in existence for three years. Can you imagine!?

Oh, I know I have been a slacker over the past year, but I did post some articles. Nothing major mind you, but I posted something.

So, Happy Birthday, little blog. Congratulations to me for not totally giving up.

Right now, its getting late and I have to take my car to the shop in the morning. That will surely be worthy of a post. What my frame of mind will be when I write it is unknown at the moment.

Wish me luck…. on the blog…. and the car.

Short Thoughts on Leap Day

February 29th was my Grandmother Cantrell’s birthday. She crossed the Veil many years ago as an old lady.

I can remember well her tales of how many years old she was (by counting her birthdays) which seemed weird to my child-self then, considering her advanced age.

I always think of her when her birthday rolls around. She is still younger than me now… as she was then…if you count birthdays.

Hot Wheels Grandpa

My husband’s new wheelchair arrived today. It was delivered just before I headed off to work which let him give it a good checking out while I was away.

This chair has spoke wheels and pneumatic tires which enable hubby to be a speed demon while enjoying a smooth-as-silk ride inside the house and out. Its lighter in weight than his original chair which will make loading and unloading easier on me. By the way, you can get a full sized wheelchair into the truck of a P. T. Crusier.

Since getting this new chair is the equivalent to getting a new car for my hubby, he spent the time between my arrival home from work until bedtime expounding all the features and improvements over the old chair.  (It has lots of chrome, too.) This chair can also be accessorized with such goodies as cup holders, attachable trays for working on crafts or to hold a laptop, and other real cool things for an aging amputee.

We both think its pretty cool.

Hurray for Mild Winters

This mild winter has been fantastic. If this is “global warming” I say bring it on. I could really start liking it.

This time last year we had snow on the ground and cold temperatures. So far this year we’ve only had one dusting of snow. The daffodils are up, crocuses and flowering quince are in bloom, and signs of life renewing abound. My biggest worry is that we might get a late winter smack-down and kill everything that has so eagerly gotten a jump on Spring.

I spent yesterday afternoon scrubbing the deck in an attempt to dislodge the green mold that had flourished there for the past few months. The deck faces north and lack of sun, damp conditions, and warm weather all contributed to the icky green mold. When damp it would become extremely slick and I feared a fall.

By nightfall we were receiving a steady rain which finished rinsing the deck. Maybe all the chlorine bleach in my cleaning water will discourage regrowth for awhile.

I’m planning my garden for this year. I can’t wait to get back to digging in the dirt. Maybe I will be able to lose a few pounds once I get back to gardening and the endless trips up and down our hillside. (One can hope anyway.)