Category Archives: Flowering Plants

Mind the Gap…

There was a gap today between cloudy spitting weather and more cloudy spitting skies. When the beautiful gap of sunshine appeared I was still in my robe and slippers but decided to head out to get some new photos of our May yard. If my neighbors had blogs they would have some fun posts catching me outside in my indoor garb!

I really like this variety of pink azalea. I couldn’t tell you what the variety is but it’s buds and blooms are sweet.

After our Bible Study last night I turned on the T.V. before going to bed to some news that made the title of this post just a wee bit prophetic. A bridge that is part of our Interstate 5 between me and Canada had a section collapse. As Judy in her comment says I’ll have to mind that Gap as I travel to Canada early in June. 70,000 travelers a day will have to mind that gap.

This is a photo from google images. This is the road I’ve driven on time and time again to go to the northern part of our state or to head to the Canadian border. This is going to slow down lots of travelers who will be re-routed to other roads to get north or south. We are all so thankful the people in the cars that plunged into the very cold Skagit River were rescued in a timely manner and were not seriously hurt.

And to the more mundane…Friday I have 2 appointments in the morning and then Dear and I will start enjoying our 3 day weekend with him hopefully getting off early from work. We are going to stick close to home this weekend. How about you? Are you traveling or staying home?

The Merry Month of May…

My yard busts out in all it’s pink glory in the Month of May. Get ready for pink overload. I’ll throw in some non-pink, too, just for some contrast.

The Rhododendron is the Washington State Flower. We have 4 mature plants in our yard. We added a new Rhoddy last year from our trip to the Rhododendron garden on Whidbey Island. When it blooms it should be yellow.

Here’s that little break from pink I was talking about. This is one of our dwarf Top Hat Blueberry bushes that can thrive in pots.

Our Rosemary bush is in full bloom. We use the fresh rosemary year round in cooking.

These pansies are still making me smile. I can see them from my kitchen window.

More proof that I have other flowers that aren’t pink in my yard and on my deck.

My Lenten Rose has gone mostly green at the end of it’s cycle.

My azaleas are full. This darker variety is in full bloom and the light pink has all budded and waiting to open up fully.

My Dogwood tree only has two blooms this season and my lilac has none. I’m wondering if I planted the lilac in a spot that is too shady…

Yes, my Dogwood tree when it blooms fully should also be a lovely blast of pink. Here’s hoping it thrives…

Hope you are thriving and enjoying Spring wherever you are and as not to forget our friends in the Southern Hemisphere you should be enjoying your Fall. Have a great weekend everyone.

Apple Blossoms

Apple Blossoms

God might have clothed the apple trees
In scentless brown of gray —
Such frail and fleeting blossoming,
So soon to pass away —

Instead of this fair springtime garb
Of fragrant pink and pearl,
That flutters down like rosy snow
On every breeze a-whirl.

His goodness gives the pleasant fruit
On laden boughs down-bent;
His lovingkindness adds the bloom,
Its beauty and its scent.

He loads us with His benefits
Until no want we know,
And then He sends the little more
That makes our cup o’erflow.

He opens wide His hand of love;
He gives no stingy dole;
His tender mercies crown our days:
O bless the Lord, my soul!

Annie Johnson Flint (1866-1932)

California is back to it’s old ways of showing off it’s sunshine. All my family is slowly trickling in today. Two more to go. I got to see the Bride and Groom last night along with my folks and may brother’s family from Dallas. Their daughter will be one of the flower girls and she was quite confident about her task since she has gotten experience in two of her cousin’s weddings in the last year.

I haven’t taken one photo since I’ve gotten here but tomorrow is the wedding so my camera will be clicking away!

Hope all is well in your part of the world. We’re hearing a lot about droughts and floods. Hope things won’t be as bad as they are predicting.

Home Again…

…for a short time.

We had a good drive back and forth to the far North East of our state. We made it over Snoqualmie Pass with no restrictions both ways. We had a very nice visit with our son. I’ll be uploading my photos and sharing more about our trip tomorrow or Friday.  For now I’m sharing the photos I took of my Lenten Rose this past weekend.

We are unpacking and getting ready for our next adventure at this old house. I hope to come around soon and see what you all have been up to soon!

Primrose Delight!

On the first Tuesday of the month Fred Meyer Stores offer a 10% discount to anyone 55 and older for a variety of products sold in their store. I enjoy taking advantage of these simple perks. Pretty primrose varieties called out to me  with thoughts about a Valentine Day tablescape. I also bought some bird seed  for the upcoming GBCC ~ Great Backyard Bird Count. I think I found a purse that will hold my camera and travel documents for our upcoming trip to Milan, too.

When I got home I decided to take photos of the flowers in the lovely sunshine. An hour after I took these photos the clouds and rain rolled in.

Our little piece of property used to be part of a larger piece of property with a nursery on it called Primrose Acres. This information is from word of mouth (not documented) from an old gardener down the road from us. I choose to believe it and like the idea that my little part of the world had such a charming name in the past.

What’s going on in your corner of the world? This is a quiet week here except for our tax prep appointment but we never know what each new day may bring our way…

What’s New…

…in my zoo!

Speaking of new…Happy Rosh Hashana to all our Jewish friends. The Jewish New Year begins this evening and ends September 18th. L ‘Shana Tova!

I finally put away my red, white and blue. My fall bins are ready to come down from the attic. I was at Target and saw these fall tin wall pieces and they were priced right for me…

I subbed out my plates for the tin pumpkins and pear for the Fall season. That might just be a tall skinny pumpkin but we’re calling it a pear after our pear bounty here.  At Christmas time I’ll add something new again.

Here’s a closer view of the pumpkin. These pieces were $2.50 each.

On Saturday Dear and I went to Cabela’s in Tulalip and while he was spending his gift card from the kids I found this table top tripod for myself. I’ll be using it for my food photos.

I bought this crown shelf piece to incorporate with my Christmas and Easter decor celebrating Christ as my King.

My hydrangeas are fading but still beautiful to my eye.

The maple leaves are falling and before we know it the lawn will be totally covered! Look at all that clover in my grass…

Later on Saturday the work continued on the siding with Josh helping again. I made a big pot of chili for the workers to enjoy when they were done.

Progress is good to watch…

We are still promised many dry days and Dear is encouraged with the extra time to finish the siding before the rains come!

When our Saturday was almost done we got one of those dreaded calls that my dad had to call 911 because my mom was very disoriented and didn’t know what end was up. Family met my dad and mom at the hospital and the doctors think she had a TIA event. They kept her overnight and are doing more tests today. I’m happy to be flying down to Southern California next Saturday so I can visit with my mom and dad in person.

So…what’s new in your zoo!?

Almost Fully Bloomed…

Our hydrangea is finally showing us it’s color. Soon it will be fully bloomed.

I made 2 trips to Canada this past week. My first trip was full with a reunion of the girls from Mennonite Girls Can Cook. It is rare that the 10 of us can all be together but we were able to pull it off on Wednesday of last week. We enjoyed a full day together with great food and fellowship. Tuesday and Thursday sandwiched all 10 of us together on Wednesday with smaller gatherings. Hearty slices of time with a wonderful filling in between!

Fun little gifts kept coming out at our different gatherings. Here are the gifts I brought home across the line…

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul. Proverbs 16:24

Friends are the flowers in the garden of life…

This description for this gift made me smile!

A fun basket of treats on my bed from my hostess Marg. Marg brought all of us a special treat from St. Petersburg, beautifully woven napkins. My gift to the girls was not confiscated at the Border…

Bags filled with lavender. I’ll be staying in the U.S.A. this week but am looking forward to a soccer game with the English Premier team Chelsea vs. the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday.

I’m linking up with Mary for Mosaic Monday.

Around the Yard…

 

Tuesday was a busy day around my little domain. Favors given and orders picked up. Emails sent and received. My main goal for the day was to mow the lawn. After that was accomplished I started dinner. We ate dinner which is an early experience here. Now we three are sitting with our feet up and watching (for the first time) The King’s Speech. Yes, we are the last people in the world to watch The King’s Speech!  Here we sit exclaiming…it’s Darcy, it’s Elizabeth Bennett, it’s Mr. Collins! It’s a Pride and Prejudice Reunion!!

What does all this have to do with my mosaic you might ask? Well nothing except if you know me and my blog I am compelled to share at least one nice photo a day. These Azalea blooms, a rhododendron bloom, and the pears on our tree just showing themselves were the subjects that called out to my camera on a recent turn about the yard.

Hope your Wednesday is going well.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

My Window View…

 

The view from my computer window has changed…

 

Does anyone know what this plant is called?

Happy last Saturday of winter to all of you! We are headed to Snohomish, Washington for breakfast and a little antique shopping.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

A Walkabout…

…the yard.

Merriam Webster defines “walkabout” as a 1908 coinage that refers primarily to “a short period of wandering bush life engaged in by an Australian aborigine as an occasional interruption of regular work”

Well after being sequestered in my garage all day working on boxes, boxes, boxes, I decided a walkabout the yard to see what’s blooming was in order. For the record I emptied lots of boxes and haven’t even gotten to the dishes yet. Oye Vay!

 

Two of my rhododendron bushes are blooming. I have to get some expert advice on pruning them this year because they are growing higher then the roof…

 

The Rosemary bush is at the end of it’s bloom. When the blooms are fresh it’s fun to use sprigs of it to garnish platters. We garnished our lamb at Easter with the sprigs but I forgot to take a photo.

I don’t know what this is but I like the color of the blooms.

Two of my Azaleas are blooming profusely. The two pale pink ones are just budding.

 

My garden gnomes are being overgrown…

We had some interesting changing skies yesterday and some fun visitors to the apple tree.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Duck spent a good portion of the day resting under our tree.

I’m linking up with Sandy at The Reluctant Entertainer this week. Here’s her theme for this week…

What flowers are in your yard right now, or in your kitchen window, or on your counter tops? Do you have any dinner plans to use them as a centerpiece?

Click on the image to get to Sandy’s to join in the fun. Today is Cinco de Mayo and I’m still working on those boxes so Dear is taking me out for some good Mexican food tonight. I won’t be setting a table till this weekend or bringing fresh flowers in till then. I’ll just have to take another walkabout to enjoy the blooms outside!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.