Spring Time Fun

Last week the ladies in our Sunday School Class had a luncheon.  It was fun.  I love these ladies.

I had garlic chicken, and it was delicious.  My hubby could still smell it the next day.  Garlic has a way of staying with you for a while, but I still like it.

I also got some plants potted up.  This one is Denim wave petunias.  I potted up some impatiens, and begonias too.  I started some seeds: columbine, petunias, marigolds, and allysum.  All are up except the columbine.  I ordered some evening scented stock seeds that I need to get planted.  I just love the smell of these.

Yard Work Saturday

We worked in the yard today, and cleared the vegetable garden area.  It's a beautiful day for it.

 

Hubby needed to get the area level to make room for a storage building.

 

The patio is being overtaken by my sweet potato vine.  The morning glory in the center of the pic never did flower--too much shade, but I love our big ole tree.

I've just about always used our table for my plant nursery.  I was hoping to make a flower bed in front for the impatiens on the table, but with my back like it is, I just never felt good enough to do it.  I am able to do some gardening, just not the amount I used to be able to.  I am very thankful that I can do the amount that I can.  I am hoping to do some more soon, but that depends on how my back is going to react to what I did today.  It usually takes a day or two for me to know for sure.  So far so good.



Fall Chores

 

 

With Fall comes outdoor activity--we had a work day at Erin's.  Isn't her Sugar Maple gorgeous?!  Pictures don't do justice.

 

 

I worked in my front flower bed getting it ready for winter, then....

went to help (a little) at Erin's house where Hubby had finished the chain saw action on one of her many trees, and trimmed up three others--she is now left with ONLY four trees in her back yard and four in her front yard.  We calculated that she has gotten rid of four trees in her back yard, and many bushes everywhere.  Following that she got all the compost and twigs off of her deck's roof (it's a metal roof with deep channels).  We sorted through it to get the major twigs out, then took it to her front flower bed.

 

Willow leaf compost.  Nothing like composting on  your roof.

 



Bush Wackers

 

 

What a day we had yesterday.  A while back I removed one of our three big bushes out front, and injured my arm in the process.  Yesterday we removed the other two---well, cut them back (it was like a removal because they were so huge).

 

I trimmed back the ivy growing on the brick also.

 

Here is the view from the porch.

 

 

And the view now---what a difference. 

Hubby got out the chain saw and had them babies cut back in no time.  My job was loading the truck with the trimmings.  I'm surprised we got both bush trimmings in the pick-up bed, but we did with lots of tie downs.

They look pretty pitiful now, but next summer they will grow.

 

My sister called when we were leaving for the leaf dump, and needed us to pick up some bales of straw, so I volunteered my hubby to cut down her half dead apple tree and haul it off.  We also cleared her back fence of vines and weed trees, and her side fence also.  We worked a very long time, and today I can hardly move.  Tomorrow we get to mow two or three yards.  Hubby being retired is a lot of work for me, but I love it.  Yard work I love.



Life Is A Changing For Us

 

Hubby is retiring, he's on vacation right now, but no more work for him.  I snapped his picture as he was leaving work for the last time following his retirement party.  He said he laughed all the way home.  He does look pretty happy.  He's enjoying it so far.

 

 

This was his cake.  You can't tell it but it was huge.

We are trying to work out all the details of retirement right now.  Stressful for me.

 

On another note see our sweet potato vine--it's taking over the back terrace.

This retirement will be an adjustment for me, but I believe it will be good.



Green Growth

 

Our elephant ears are bigger this year than ever before.  We've had good weather this summer,  and lots of rain up until a few weeks ago.  But I've been watering them real well. 

The table and chairs are completely covered now-Ha! 

 

 Huge.

 

The sweet potato vine is taking over the patio, but I'm okay with that.

We've had lots of skeeters too.  Hubby's calling--I must get ready for church--no more procrastinating.

 



A Very Busy Week

 

My hubby wanted to take my pic in front of the crepe myrtle, but I suggested it be him in the pic.  He was washing the cars here--(I call him Mr. Clean).

Handsome hubs, and beautiful crepe myrtle.  This pic was taken before the tons of rain we got, which caused the full blooms to take on lots of water then bow down their tops.  They're back to normal now.

 

My week has been filled with lots of things.  I'm working on some more tea towels.

 

My table is being used for my plant nursery.  These plants all needed repotting.

 

I took care of that this week; now they have room to grow.

I also mowed, trimmed, planted a few flowers from my potting table, severely cut back a bush that was about 7-8' tall, hurt my elbow,  picked my sister up at the airport, finished my Bible study, finished teaching Summer Arts--not counting exercising with my daughter, cooking and cleaning.  Let's see-----that's probably not a complete list, but that's good enough.  I need to mow my sister's yard, but it has been too rainy for that.  When my hubby retires, he can help.

 

 

Overgrown Bushes

 

 We've had so much rain that here it is August and things are still very green--I love it..

 

 

 This morning I cut back a bush that is so overgrown that we can't see out our windows.

 

 

 Here's what it looks like now.  There's plenty of room for growth now.

 

 

 I've got the trimmings in the pick-up and ready to take to the leaf dump.  It took me three hours to do it and now my elbow is so sore that I may have to have hubby's help with the other two bushes.

 

 Here's a look at my ferns--so lovely.

 



What I been doin'....

 

Gardening, mowing, Bible study, and swimming, that's what.  I've kind of ignored my blog just a little bit.  This morning, real early (6 am) we went to take care of my sister's yard.  I was getting ready to mow, and hubby said look at the sunrise--so I took a pic!

I never tire of a beautiful sunrise or sunset.

 

I finished up my Isaiah part 1 for the spring.......

 

and this is my Summer study--Wa-hoo!  I love it. Two more lessons.  In August we start part 2 of Isaiah.

 

I've got lots of watering going on in the front....

( see the neighbor's cat?)

and in the back.

 

Lastly, I've been swimming---just look at that water.

Makes me want to jump in just looking at it.



Tea Towels and Flowers

 

I've finished another tea towel--this one was easier than the last one.

 

Tuesday I think I tried to kill myself.  I planted the bed of elephant ear bulbs below---by myself.  Usually I get my hubby to help me.  In the future I must remember to do it in stages.  It was hot Tuesday--a big no-no for me.  Next year I must remember to first peel all the skins off the bulbs, next prepare the bed, then lay the bulbs on top, and then plant them.  It's easier to space them if you lay them on top of the prepared soil first.  There were a lot of tree roots in that bed, and I worked in composted manure and ground up pampas grass my hubby made for me.  Hard work for a hot day. 

I still have about 10 small bulbs left, I guess I'll pot them up then give them away.

 

 

Here's what is blooming right now--chives above, and sweet rocket below.

 

 

My clematis is just starting to bloom.  The columbine on the left still aren't blooming--very late this year.

 

Honesty.

 

Lastly, my roses are just starting to bloom--I have red, pink, and white, but the pink ones are my favorite---Queen Elizabeth Grandiflora.

 

I hope that is all the hard garden work; I think it is........maybe.

 

 

 

 



Wonderful Mother's Day

 

We had a nice Mother's Day.  Erin had us (Hubby, Celeste and family, and I) all over for dinner, and daughter (Jennifer) in Iowa called---(God bless our children!)---they are so good to us.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal, the grand kids are such fun to be around, too.  Later, Erin treated hubby and I to a couple of movies.  Mac enjoyed all the attention.

 

 

 

On another note, I finished my Juniper tea towel.  I think this one is a little too busy.

 

 

 

The birds at our house are whacked out this year.  We have a robin still banging on our back door;  it has been trying to fly through the glass for a month now.  The cow bird robbed the finch nest and Momma finch abandoned her almost empty nest.  One of the two remaining eggs is dented.  What is going on here?

I guess birds at our house are out of luck.  I watered the fern this morning and got the nest soggy--doesn't matter--momma's gone.

 

 

 



Weird Spring Snow

 

Wow! It's snowing in May.  I took these pics this morning--I can't believe it.  I covered up the annuals because I thought it would get cold.

 

 

I had to cover up my flower pots, too.

 

 It looks like tent central in my back yard.

 

 The temp is barely above freezing.

 Hubby had to drag out the ice scraper this morning.

 

We've had some pretty big snow flakes, but mostly they're melting as soon as they hit the ground.  I may have to replant all my flowers; I sure hope not.  Some flower pots are in the garage, and hubby brought in the ferns that were in the back yard.  I left the fern on the front porch because of the finch nest, but it looks like it's gonna be fine.

Strange weather.



I Love Gardening!

 

Our side yard here.  I had a bunch of columbine die last year in the drought (because I forgot to water them), but I have 5 plants left.  Once I trim the ivy it will give them a better chance.  The ivy is a bit invasive.

 

 

Our dogwood is blooming well, because I watered it last year.  Our neighbor didn't water his and it has very few blooms on it even though it's a bigger tree.

 

 

The honesty is doing very well.

 

 

I moved two huge rocks yesterday with the help of a dolly.  I could barely scoot them on and off of the dolly---HEAVY.  They were covered by greenery where they were, so I moved them here.

I also got all my plants in the ground and in pots, and guess what....It's suppose to snow tonight and tomorrow.  Yikesees!

 

 

The finch nest has five eggs now, with one looking bigger than the others.

 

Our rockin' robin is still banging at the back door.  The term bird brain comes to mind.