Spring Planting Begins

Yesterday, after working out with my daughter, I picked up some ferns and flowers.  I use ferns on shepherds hooks for privacy because our patio and our neighbors patio are very close.

In the front porch area I planted pink green leaf begonias on the left and pink dawn wave petunias on the right---time to get out my special mulch.  Shredded pampas grass (miscarianthus) keeps the slugs away and they love to munch on my petunias.

In this next planter I have lavender impatiens.

Next to that planter I have a large planter.  I have more pink dawn wave petunias in that one.

On the wall, next to my front door I have more pink green leaf begonias.

Below that I have more lavender impatiens.

This year I'm going to try a fern hanging on the front porch.  It gets morning sun--so we'll see.

Let the watering begin---it doesn't stop until October-November.  I enjoy doing it at first, but when it gets hot, it's more of a chore.



Rain, Rain, Go Away

It's been raining a very long time----days and days.   In the summer of 2008 I built a ditch for the water to drain out of our back yard (and the neighbors yard) down hill to the front yard so the water would not go under the house.

This channel runs gradually down hill from the back yard by the patio, down the side of the house, and half way down the front side yard.  When we get a lot of rain it does it's job marvelously.

I was taking pictures to put on my blog, and my hubby said let's go get gas, so I took my camera along.
Two houses down this is what the manhole cover was doing.

Just around the corner from our house and our daughters house we have a tiny creek.  It ain't so tiny now.

Down stream just a little.  We got gas---$99 to fill up---eek!

After we got gas, we went further down stream to take pictures, but my batteries died and I didn't have my extra one with me.  Too bad --they would have been good. 

Brit's Bridesmaid's Dress

I finished my granddaughter's bridesmaid dress--Taa-Daa!

This is the pattern I used.  I think it turned out real nice, although I had a real hard time with the zipper.

Because the material was a little stretchy, it wanted to pucker when I was putting in the zipper, so the seam ripper was my best friend.  I actually sharpened it because this material snags real easy, and I sure didn't want to snag it.

Below is the back side.  It will look much better with my beautiful granddaughter in it.

 

Note to Brit:  I want a picture of you in your dress please since I am mailing it to you, and I won't get to see you in it.  Okay?  Love You!



Flowers Again

Well it's gonna be another post about flowers, so hang on to your hats. 

They have been predicting rain all day--it may happen.

Our dogwood is at peak in it's bloom right now.

I'm interrupting this post to let my granddaughter know that I'm working on her dress.

More flowers.....

I love this shot---it looks like the truck is on top of the flowers.

I absolutely love these tulips.

Johnny jump ups are everywhere.

 

This last picture shows where I need to finish trimming the ivy with the straight arrow.  The curved arrow shows where I took out a volunteer bush.  I had gloves on when I took it out, but worked up bad blister on my thumb.  It's better now though.  My columbine will be blooming soon, and my clematis---love it.

Spring Has Sprung

I love spring.  These flowers just bring me pleasure.  I have taken a bunch of pictures of some of the flowers in my yard, soooo---here goes...

These aren't all, but that's enough for now.   By the way, I got the results of my sleep study, and I'm completely normal.  No CPAP machine needed---Yea!!

 

Little Bunny Foo-Foo and Smoked Chicken

This little bunny is sunning out in our back yard this morning---cute.  Bunnies like our yard because we have no pets out there, and lots of hiding places from the neighbors' cats.

                        

We smoked some chickens.  I love having meat on hand in the refrigerator.  Smoked meat doesn't get an old taste either, which is handy for me on my special diet--instead of carbs for snacks I need protein to keep my BP from spiking--weird, huh?

This pic was taken soon after we put them in our electric smoker.

This one is taken after the smoking process was over.    I know they look dark, but that's because of the smoking--you don't eat the skin.  We had a meal with part of one chicken, then I de-boned and skinned the remaining......and

bagged the meat into meal sized portions, which I can freeze or just refrigerate, depending on when I plan to use them.  I'm thinking... barbecue sauce and wraps for one meal, and a salad for me.  Soup is a possibility, pot pie also, that is if I could figure a way to make it lo-carb.  I guess I could make some small portions to freeze for hubby, then fix a salad for me.  He's on a lo-fat diet, while I'm on a lo-carb one.  It's kinda tricky.

I just know this meat is great on a salad, or in a wrap, which is real handy when you've got other things you need to be doing.



Two Happy Fish

I love sunshiney days.  It's so nice out.  We decided to clean out the little pond we have.

It may look clean, but there was a ton of debris in the bottom from our great big tree.  There was also a lot of algae in it--not your normal algae, but the long hairy stuff. 

We pumped the water into two containers.  Next my hubby power sprayed it, and I bailed and sponged out the debris--nasty. 

There's our two little 2-year-old goldfish.  They have spent two winters in that little pond.  My water lily root ball is in there too.

Next the saved old water, plant, cleaned pump, and fish went back in the pond.  Hubby added a little extra water.

Done.

Two happy fish.