June Gardens

June has got to be my most favorite month of the year. Our gardens are just bursting into bloom and every day there is something new to see. The pond has got new blooms and tadpoles growing tiny hind legs. Bluebirds are flying all over the yard, nesting in several places. Yesterday we watched an oriole gathering fibers for her nest from a hanging basket. And the new chicks have grown into beautiful birds loving all the weeds, scraps, and grubs we give them.

This is the third day of perfect sunny weather for us. Yesterday I was getting over a case of food poisoning and didn't get much done. Today I'm hoping to work in the veggie garden, tying up the tomatoes - they are growing like crazy - and doing some weeding (they are growing like crazy too!) I'll be sharing some pictures of that garden and some crafting pics soon.

Two Very Busy Weekends

The weekend before last our oldest son Justin passed through after a attending a conference in Canada. We had a wonderful visit with him and had several meals with all the kids together. We also opened the pool and Tad had a great time helping clean off the cover:)

This past weekend we worked in the yard all day Friday, sat for Tad all day Saturday, went hiking and had friends over for a cookout on Sunday, and had a houseful of family for Memorial Day and also to celebrate our middle son's 29th birthday. Whew! I am still worn out this morning!

But I love it all. Spending time with my family is my favorite thing to do (even when the weather doesn't cooperate:(
 

An Anniversary and Flowers, Flowers, Flowers!

Rick and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary yesterday and my sweet husband brought home this lovely bouquet of roses. Then we went to one of our favorite places for dinner. It is a bit of a drive, but that's one reason we like it so much. We go along the river and through some wooded areas that are so pretty this time of year. We had such a good time, eating and reminiscing about all our years together.

As you can see, the gardens are really filling up. Every day something new is blooming and I just can't get enough of looking at these beauties. The rock garden is doing especially well right now and there are so many textures and colors. It has taken us quite awhile to get it that way!

 I got a real surprise when I went out with my tea this morning. We knew there were baby bluebirds in the box at the back of our property, but we had no idea there was a nest in this house right off the deck! They have never nested so close. Bluebirds can become quite relaxed around people, so I hope they know what they're doing. I will be working on my vegetable garden right by them almost every day.  Can you tell, I'm really excited about these guys!

I Did It!

I'm so proud of myself! I finally figured out how to get back here and upload pictures using Google Chrome.  Boy, they do not make things easy for the computer illiterate. But maybe now I can say I'm a step up from that :)

Anyway... so, we spent a week visiting our son and his wife in DC. It was so good to spend time with them and, being in the middle of their spring (and ahead of us by about two weeks), it was just beautiful.

We saw so much...I won't bore you with pictures of monuments and museums. We took our kids all over the country while they were growing up, but we stayed away from big cities, preferring national parks and beaches. Now I wish we had taken them here. It wasn't that hard to get around. Though it was nice to have a Metro lesson from Justin first!

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. We went to a state park with the kids, went on a short hike and let Tad throw rocks in the creek while we looked for fossils, and then ate at a huge buffet at the park inn. They had fried biscuits and hot apple butter. Yum! What a great day!

Techinical Dificulties

We returned from a wonderful trip to DC to visit our son and daughter-in-law to find that I couldn't upload photos onto my blog. I have been trying all week and sent a complaint to Blogger, but so far .. nothing.

There are so many things in bloom in our yard right now. I go around with my camera everyday trying to capture some of the beauty, but can't quite do it justice. If I didn't have other obligations I think I would just camp out in my backyard and soak it all in!

Hopefully I will be back with photos of our trip, the yard, the chicks and some finished projects. See you soon:)

A Perect Spring Day

A small section of our rock garden - a favorite place in our yard.

Kind of weird looking double daffodils.

Bloodroot.

After several very cold and rainy days (my days off ) we finally got one of those spring days you look forward to. Calm, warm, and sunny. It was a perfect day to work in the gardens. So we were out there the whole day, transplanting, mulching, and weeding. There is still so much to do, like putting straw on the strawberry bed, planting the veggie garden, and planting out annuals and new perennials.
I went to the garden center on Friday, just to see what they had out. And as I got out of the car, it started sleeting! Needless to say, I didn't buy any plants that day.

The chicks are in that awkward adolescent stage. Not as cute as they were, but we enjoy them anyway. Soon we will try them out in the hen house and see how everyone gets along.

I hope everyone has a good week, and maybe a perfect spring day to be outside.

Easter Weekend

What a wonderful weekend we had! Lots of things I love - family, friends, and gardening. It didn't hurt that the weather was fairly warm and sunny.

On Saturday we went to the garden center and got those pretty violas. I like them better than the bigger pansies.Then we picked up 6 chicks from the feed store. We have always ordered day-old chicks from a mail order company, so I was surprised that these were already three weeks old. We didn't really mind, because we weren't required to buy a minimum, and we didn't need 25 of the little guys:)

While Rick got the chicks settled into their new home, I played in the greenhouse and planted out the violas. What a happy time here, checking the flower beds several times a day to see what's coming up.

We were hosting Easter dinner, so I cooked all day. On the menu was ham, twice baked potatoes, roasted asparagus, deviled eggs and rolls. Our friends brought roasted brusel sprouts, salad, and a cheese and meat tray. For desert we had banana split dessert, chocolate cupcakes, and cookies. Lots of food for lots of people. We had to squeeze around the table, but we had so much fun.

Tad had a great time collecting eggs in the backyard, while the adults ran around taking pictures of him. Doesn't he look cute in the bunny ears I got him? And of course, Eric spent a good part of time reading Tad the books he got in his Easter basket :)