Late & Mild Start to Summer

Spring hung on here .. something that rarely happens. We had mild temps and low humidity really up until the first of June. And while we have experienced good ole summer heat and humidity, our temps have not pushed any records this summer as they usually do.

The Springlike start to summer provided some lovely days outside enjoying flowers and birds and other past times.

My husband's Star of the Nile (I forget the scientific name) came back in full force!  This is just 1 of the plants.  So tall (like my fella!).  I love the color!


Daisies!  My daisies are too thick and the plants around them have grown so that they don't get the sun they need. Our yard is a do it yourself landscape project. The back yard is great and we have started on the side yard (we have a corner lot).  Once we make our way around to the front, daisies and daylillies will move to sunnier locations where they can bloom to their hearts contents!  In the meantime.. I had a lovely surprise one day this May when I found these greeting me with their cheery faces!

One of my favorite past times during our Springish Days was to sit outside a bit while Mac and Mia explorer or just bask in the sun.  I would eat lunch or read or, as on this day, work on Bible study. This was the perfect setting to dig into the Word!



The Confederate Jasmine has taken off this past year and was lush and full of blooms and provided Mia with the perfect spot to hide!  She loved nestling down in the vines and sleeping.







These days the heat keeps my outside time limited, but in 6 - 8 weeks, we will start having hints of fall. And there will be moments where the weather will entice me to stay outside and play a bit. And maybe, just maybe, there will be a late blooming session among the flowers!

Morning Walk

I enjoy morning walks, especially in my neighborhood.. which is a great place to live!  We have been here 20+ years.. so it is home.. we are rooted here.  As I was walking yesterday, I took some pictures. I tried desperately to snap some shots of the crazy squirrels and their antics, but they would never let me get close enough.  I also tried to capture some pictures of the lovely birds that fill our trees with their songs, but again.. they skittered away. There was this one fat robin that I tried to stealthily chase down.. didn't work!  Evidently, I don't have what it takes to be a stalker.

But I did get shots of flowers and such... one of my favorite subjects!

A number of our neighbors have knock-out roses in this vibrant red-pink color.

These neighbors always have lovely blooms in their yard!

Our neighborhood was built in the early 1970s, so we have nice big lush trees for shade 

and to house those crazy squirrels and melodic birds.

So the sun was soo bright that this picture didn't come out like I wanted.. BUT you can see the size of this majestic pine and also the gorgeous blue sky we enjoyed here yesterday.

I love oleander!

Horrible photo.. I know.. I am determined to take another and post soon. But I wanted you to see the vibrant color of this clematis.  Isn't it gorgeous!?

Yes, that is a bush... look at the depth of variation of the greens. I love the greens of nature!

The cross in this yard is cute, but I took this shot because of those ropes. They have foot loops at the bottom. I have no doubt you will often find children swinging and giggling here.  Fun!

A reminder to STOP today and enjoy the beauty the Lord has placed all around you. 

There is nothing like Spring in the South!

Still Winter????

So technically it is still winter and while it is not unusual for us to have warm days .. really all year long down here!... we are definitely having a burst of Spring Fever!  The grass is growing and green (my fellas mowed for the first time this season today!)... buds are poppin' out on plants... flowers are blooming... birds are out looking for homes... I really am feeling like it is mid to late March not February.

I love the weather we are having ... everything is feeling fresh and new and at the same time wonderfully familiar...

Our winter pansies were basically dead... not any more! And yes, that hummingbird feeder is full as it the other one in our yard. The finches love to drink from them and we will probably have hummers here within a month.

The daylillies are waking up....

but the Iris' are ahead of them... 

It may be difficult to see the new growth on that Spirea, but check out that daisy.. yep that is a dead bloom which means some time in the last week we had an open bloom!  I hate that I missed it!

And look at the mint!  So green... and what a smell!

The Nandinas are still full of color and berries...

The neighbors plum is blooming and that bluebird house was cleaned out last week... just in time for the beautiful male I saw scouting it out today!  Cannot wait for the bluebirds to set up house... one of my favorite parts of Spring here...

And yes... despite the fact that it is February and still Winter as far as the calendar goes.. and actually still rather cool.. our Azaleas have decided they are ready to wake up and brighten our day!  One end of our house is covered with these bushes and they provide a lovely view from the breakfast room and kitchen.  

Some are saying that plants have been fooled into thinking it is Spring... I say God knew we needed the rebirth of Spring early this year.  A reminder of His grace and glory!

Makes me think of the hymn.... For the beauty of the earth.... For the glory of the skies...

Anticipation

Years ago when my husband and I were young-marrieds, he brought home a box... in it was a pot with dirt and this odd looking bulb. It was an amaryllis. We did everything it said to do and were rewarded with a lovely red and white bloom around Christmas.  We have grown a few more over the years, but not in a while.

This year we are "amaryllising" again.. 2!

Here they are a week ago teasing us...

I cannot wait to see them full grown and in full bloom.

Ahhh the anticipation...

Just 'cause....

My sweet husband of 28+ years and I went out to eat Friday night and afterwards we strolled around and did a bit of looking and shopping... among our meager purchases was this...

from Hubby to me.... no special occasion... no making up for making me mad... just 'cause.  "Just 'Cause" flowers (and phone calls and notes and kisses and such....) are the best!

Catching Up... Looking for Fall... Flower and Garden Show

I have been woefully negligent with blogging.  I am too busy enjoying the journey to blog about it, I guess!   We are in search of Fall here. I live in the deep South and Fall isn't really a season here. It is more like a guest for a few weeks.  We have had hints.. some cooler temps and breezes.. but then the heat and humidity came back. I think they were jealous of the attention we were giving the crisp cool weather.  That taste of Fall is enough to send us into Fall mode. My husband is a very artistic and creative fella and he loves to create with flower and leaves and such. He had a blast decorating the house for Fall.

Here is our front door....

I love that he also decorates the back door. You have to come through the garage to get here, so pretty much the only folks who see this are us... he figures we deserve some loveliness too!

Of course there has to be some decorating inside too...

the Breakfast Table

I was given some pears... these are just a few... they have been peeled and sliced and cooked until nice and soft. Tomorrow they get pureed in the food processor and then they get turned into Pear Butter.  My first time to make it.  Hope it is good!

Last Friday, Hubby and I went to a Fall Flower and Garden Expo. It is in a small town south of us and is a huge deal. The largest show of its kind in the Southeast with 1000s of folks coming. It was really lovely and I am sure it will be come a regular excursion for us. Here are just a few pics of things we saw...

That is the joy I've been finding on my journey... I hope you find a bit every day as your journey through life.  Look for it.. it is there!

Flowers!

I live in the deep South... so fall is a stranger to me. I love the pictures I see of autumn... I love the thought of it and the little teasing hints we get in October... but it is a rare treat here to have all that glorious fall color.  But what we lack in the fall, we make up for in the Spring!  Here are a few shots of the things blooming and growing at my house.

Our regular azaleas bloomed several weeks ago (didn't get any pix!) but we have some late bloomers in the back yard.. in fact, these bloom several times a year.  The buds have just started teasing us with color this week. I am hopeful that next week they will be full of red blooms!

My husband fell in love with Foxgloves when we were walking through the nurseries over the past few weeks, so we now have several planted in pots around the yard with yellow lantana and white and purple petunias.  The flowers on the foxgloves are so delicate and fragile looking to me.

Here is a bit of the yellow lantana... a nice punch of color!

I adore Petunias! 

                                                       Hubby loves salvia...
















We both like verbena... I chose PINK this year (my friends know why!  LOL!)... it looks really great with the bright green sweet potato vine leaves!

Or with a bit of sunshine lighting it up...

Take time to stop and enjoy the flowers in your life today!

My Little Corner of the Yard....

Several years ago my husband decide to transform our rather bland backyard into a bit of an oasis... still leaving room at the time for kids stuff, ike a swing set and sandbox. Those are gone now as the kids are college age, but the oasis is still here and more lush than ever. The best part, for me, is tucked away in the corner by our bedroom.  My old glider, hubby bought for my birthday 19 years ago, is in that corner with lots of beautiful greenery and flowers and a great view of the yard and bird feeders and bird baths.  I use to sit out there a lot, then life just got sooo  busy.  The corner was never lonely though, it became our son's go to spot.  He sat out there and sang while listening to his iPod (PTL he is a musician with a good voice) and he talked on his phone, guess he was after privacy!  Well, I am reclaiming the spot this year!  This past week I made myself stop "doing" and go sit on the glider with a book and some time. It was wonderful!  Here are some of the things I observed from my little corner of the yard....

Ok you can't see much here but that bit of golden-red fur and the black fur next to it are my 2 pups... Mac and Mia.. both are a year old (ok.. Mac is 13 months, Mia is 11 1/2 months.. close enough!)... they are minature long-haired dachshunds and will show up on this blog regularly! This is the back end of both of them as the are hunting in the bushes for an evil roly-poly or lizard!

Here are the wild wieners rolling around in the yard. Mia seems to always be on her back!  But don't worry... she can take care of herself.  When she gets tired of it all she grabs Mac by the ear or lip and puts a halt to it!

I love the red coloring on the leave of our nandina bushes and the pretty red berries.

And here is one of the pots of lovely flowers my husband potted for us to enjoy. 

I hope you have a place to go and relax and enjoy where you live. Everyone needs a little space to call their own!