alarmcat

hello?

Yes, I’m here. Sorry for the long absence. With spring comes TONS of garden work that takes up my spare time. I’ll be back soon. I promise.

lily of the valley

I love lily of the valley…so pretty and fragile. I’ve always held a special fondness for lily of the valley because it’s the birth flower for those of us with May birthdays. Aren’t they pretty??

 

crazy busy week

It's one of those weeks!! Just wanted to come up for air and say "hello" before I get back to work. Wish I could go out and play today. It's beautiful outside!

 

what color is a burp?

Just got home from a trip to KC for the weekend. Had fun with co-workers on Friday. Got to hang out with Joshua, too. He’s always good for a new magic trick or the latest in third grade humor.

Took this picture of my mom’s garden. What great weather…I’m loving this spring!

Driving home today, I had the windows down and the music loud. Love it that I have short hair and that it’s looks the same when it’s wind-blown and when it’s not!!

Sometimes I don’t mind the drive to KC. I like to crank up the music and sing my heart out. I sing LOUD when I’m alone. When my husband is with me…it’s always on NPR!! I like NPR. Don’t get me wrong. It’s just that when I’m in the car for 4 hours, I’d rather SING than listen to news. Today’s playlist included Bob Seger, Brandi Carlisle, and Johnny Cash. (I love "I Walk the Line"...what a classic!)

Oh, so what color is a burp? Burple, of course!!

spring colors

A little tour of the yard today. The pansies are looking good. They loved the snow we had last month and are really plumping up!

 

I just love pansies! They have such cute "faces" don't you think? 

So many things blooming and popping up. I love these tulips that I planted in the fall. It’s always a surprise when I plant bulbs because most of the time I’ve forgotten what color they are supposed to be!!

The forsythia looks pretty with our neighbors pink shrub in the background.

We have about half a dozen vibernum bushes that smell wonderful!!

And the herb garden is looking good. I dug up the sage and rosemary to plant new this year. The rosemary didn’t do very well last year. I think I need to find a sunnier spot for it this year.

I forgot how pretty our yard looks in the spring. I also forgot how much weeding there is to do!! I did get the shade gardens lasagna’d last weekend. So they are good to go. 

chance the garden gnome

Today, I gave Chance a fresh coat of paint. Here is before:

And here is after. What do you think?

A little background on Chance…he’s named after Chance the Gardener from the movie “Being There” with Peter Sellers. A classic!!

I got him as a Christmas gift from my husband 6 or 7 years ago. At the time, my grandson was around 2 and just about as tall as the gnome. Poor Josh was scared to death of him!! As you can tell from this close-up…Chance is a bit too lifelike for a two year old. Well, and I have to admit, a little too lifelike for me. As I was painting him, I found myself talking to him. “So, Chance, should we go with the same color for your clothes or would you like something different? Same? Ok. Sounds good. How about a little color in your cheeks? I think so, too.”

Chance is now back to his spot in the herb garden. And I’m back to talking with the cats again!! 

tgif

Whew….the end of a very busy week. Well, almost. Tomorrow we are having a fall carnival for the kids at the shelter. I’ll be there for a few hours tomorrow doing face painting. The number one request last year was…..Spiderman!! Maybe this year I’ll get to do something besides spiders. I can only hope.

Here’s a pic I took of our new birdbath. It’s a very popular hang out. Most times there are at least 10 birds splashing around!!

And this one is a sketch of a sign I saw. Heading west from my house, there is a stretch of road with No Parking signs about every 20 feet or so. This one had what looked like Morning Glory growing on it but I’m sure it’s just some weed. I think all signs should have flowers or vines on them. As long as it doesn’t cover up the message on the sign, I guess. It’s just prettier that way.

my new favorite flower

 

Until this year, I had never heard of or seen this lovely flower!! I imagine this flower must surely bloom in Giverny….it looks like something from a Monet painting, doesn’t it?

I bought a six-pack of Cleome at the garden center in May and now they are taking over the front garden. They’re so pretty though so I don’t mind.

I didn’t know at the time, but each of long spindles will sprout seed pods soon. My garden book says they will “self-sow prolifically.” Anybody need some seeds for next year’s garden? 

summer bouquet

Brought these fellows in the house today at lunchtime. Had to shoo away the bumblebees, they really L.O.V.E. that salvia!! I added some basil to the mix for the fragrance! Mmmm….

cucumber salad

Anybody need cucumbers?? We got ‘em! Here’s a recipe we like. It’s a great side dish for spicy foods.