Friday's flowers

I can't seem to quit taking pics of the beautiful

flowers and trees this Spring.  This tree,

which I think is a Kwanzan Cherry, was seen

at Menard's the other day.  I just happened to have

my camera in the car and was parked close to it,

so I snapped a shot.  I'd like to have a couple

of these in my yard.

 The Dogwoods are a favorite, too.  I'd also

like to have one or two of these.

My tulips somehow got tilled up one year.

I made the mistake of planting them at the edge

of the garden.  I won't name names, but he

didn't remember they were there.  I miss them.

This little Lavender pot was my grandmother's.

I have several pieces that belonged to her.

This is one of my favorites.  The stamp on the

bottom says Prussia, I don't know how old it is.

It may not be very valuable, but I love it.

I don't think I've said much about my maternal

grandmother in my blog before.  She was a sweet

lady and I loved to visit her.  I wish I had her

green thumb.  She loved to garden and was 

quite good at it.  I thought of her when I was 

picking a bouquet of lilacs yesterday at the

edge of the garden.  

The scent of lilacs in our yard is just heavenly 

this year.  The scent takes me back many,

many years.  I can  remember playing under

a huge lilac by our house on the farm. 

Do you have a favorite scent that makes

you think of someone or of your childhood?  

Until next time...

I forgot to get a new seed block for this feeder when I was at the store that carries such.  This Red-bellied Woodpecker is one of many who have been dining here regularly.  I think I mentioned already the pesky Grackles that swoop in and devour the seed in no time.  

 Mr. Cardinal awaiting his turn.

I think he's wondering "where's the seed?"

 

There's not much left!

 

 

He's looking a little bummed out or maybe he's just trying to tell me to go shopping.

I've said this before, but I just adore redbud trees.  Here are a few that are behind our pond.  You can see the water going out of the spillway.  We've had more rain and our pond is full.  We have many redbuds on our Back 40 6 and about 6 in our yard.  I think the birds must have planted 2 of them as they came up volunteer.

 

The sun is out now and it's time for me to get busy.  Hope you are enjoying this Thursday!
 

Until next time...

 

 

Colors

I haven't read what this season's colors are supposed to be.  

You know...the colors that the fashion world picks.

I don't pay much attention to those things.

The colors of nature are what I like.

So many colors to choose from.  

How could we possibly go wrong?

Meet Boots.  

He's a study in black and white.

I love both colors.  

Boots is not our kitty, but he is a frequent

visitor.  He thinks this is his second home.

 

Red is one of my favorite colors.

The Cardinal is always a beautiful sight in

any season.  And always hungry, too.

He even has a red mouth, or should I say beak?

Even the pesky Dandelion is a beautiful yellow.

Such a happy color.  How could you not 

love yellow?  If you have been blessed with

children, then surely at one time you were

given a bouquet of dandelions that were 

lovingly picked and presented with a sweet smile.

I treasure those memories.  Maybe that's why

I love the color yellow.

I'm loving the beautiful redbuds I see everywhere

this spring.  I saw several on my drive to Columbia

today.  I wish the beautiful colors of spring would

last a little longer than they do.

I saw a lot of flowers out at stores like Lowes

and Home Depot.  I am getting anxious to plant a

few new flower beds.  I've decided to stick with

perennials such as Stella's, Knockout roses, Blue

Salivia and Coreopsis to name a few.  They've

all done well and look great so far this year.

Are you going to be planting new flowers this 

spring?  What is your favorite to grow?  

 Do you have a favorite color?

Until next time...

White barn on a Missouri farm

 This barn photo was taken on a little drive in the country

 one afternoon last month.  The grass hadn't turned green yet and 

everything looked kind of brown except for the white of the

barn, so I decided to use sepia as my color for this shot.

I couldn't tell if the barn was being used, I hope it is.  The

white paint looks to still be holding up well.  I think the

vine adds interest to the barn, but probably should be

cut down before it does damage.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm

Until next time...

Springtime

I've been on a blogging break.  It was totally unplanned and I

 really didn't intend to be away so long. 

I did some heavy cleaning about a week or so ago and I moved/lifted too

 many heavy things and it caused my back to flare up again plus 

I've had some sinus/vertigo issues. 

 So nothing exciting like a vacation or trip kept me away, just lack of time and energy for the computer.

 This is a beautiful Spring and we've had rainy days and wonderful sunny days this past week.

The redbuds in our yard are blooming their little hearts out this year.  They are one of my

favorite flowering trees.  

The lilacs are also blooming now.  I can't remember when they've been this early.

The Goldfinch still hasn't changed into his yellow summer wardrobe yet.   

 Speaking of wardrobes, I did get my spring/summer things out of 

storage.  It is nice to wear something that isn't heavy for warmth.  

I'll get around to all the blogs I read soon and see what you have been

up to.  Hope you are enjoying beautiful spring weather wherever you are!

Until next time...

Planets and Spring

Have you caught the Venus and Jupiter show this week?  The two planets are said to be the closest today, March 15.  I just stepped outside with my camera and got this quick shot as the clouds were moving in. 

* * * * * * * * 

In answer to a question about yesterday's photo.  The two little boys with me were neighbors in our farming community where I grew up.  We were at a birthday party at J's house, the boy on the right, who had turned 4 years old.  S, the boy on the left, and I were 3 at the time of the photo.  We all attended the same one room country school.  S and I went through all 12 years of school together and even went on to the same college.  No, we didn't plan it that way.  I actually had a crush on J at one time in my younger days and he gave me my first kiss.  He even told me one time when we were in grade school that if he didn't love Nan so much, he might marry me!  J and Nan were childhood sweethearts who married and had 2 beautiful daughters, one of which was in my daughter's class and they were friends!  S moved away after college and became an airline pilot who flew out of St. Louis and I understand he had a nice family, too.  Both were really nice guys (and handsome, I might add) who did well and had wonderful families, the sad news is that J passed away a few years ago of a brain aneurysm.  

As to what I had for dinner yesterday for my birthday.  Mexican food!  I had a Chicken Fajita and couldn't eat it all, so I finished the rest for breakfast this morning.  It was yummy both times!  I'm still coughing a lot and have zero energy, but there's nothing wrong with my appetite.  ;-)

One more thing...I actually got off the property today and went to the chiropractor who is helping my aching back a lot.  More about him another day.  Anyway, after that appt. was over, I headed to Wally World and got a few necessary items and couldn't help noticing how Spring has sprung since I've been in the house for all these many days sick!  The forsythia is blooming beautifully, the Bradford Pears and other spring trees are in full bloom, the daffodils and other spring flowers are blooming!   It was wonderful seeing all these signs of Spring!  How is Spring looking in your neighborhood?  Have you had to mow the lawn yet?  It won't be long here!  

Until next time...

Just another day...

 
You see that shameless little flirt in the center?   That little gal is celebrating a birthday today!   

I've been under the weather for awhile, so excuse the lack of a new photo since I haven't had the camera in my hand in days.  I could have dug through my old photo albums, but that requires energy that I haven't yet got.  This flu bug has been a booger.  And did I mention my back was acting up again?   I hope to get back to blog reading and commenting real soon, I can't wait to see what all of you have been up to.  I am getting better, slowly but surely!

The weather has been gorgeous and warm the last few days and I've been sitting out in the sun for short periods of time hoping the sun would burn away the flu bugs.  And, I've been making mental notes of what I should add to my ever growing to-do list.  One thing I've discovered about growing older, the to-do lists are less important than they used to be.  If it all gets done, that's great!  And if not, <insert shrug here>.

I've found the only good thing about being sick is that I get out of kitchen duty!  It's been soup, sandwiches, and fast food around here.  I think the birthday girl is feeling like something more substantial for dinner now.   Hmmmm.  Wonder what I can get ordered for me tonight? 

Until next time...

Again....

I plan to be catching some much needed

Zzzzzz's today. 

 I've come down with the dreaded flu

bug again and spent yesterday

and last night coughing, coughing, and coughing.

Even Stormy doesn't want to get

too close to me.  She slept at my feet last

night instead of snuggling up against me 

as usual.

Until I get to feeling somewhat normal

again, I'll not be blogging or commenting.

My poor brain is too befuddled to

think of anything to say at this point.

I'm hoping you stay well and have

a wonderful weekend.

Until next time...

A country drive revisited

Some of you may remember the post I wrote on Monday about a drive in the country.  And if you don't, that's okay, it wasn't that memorable!   This photo was taken on that drive.  I had just topped a little hill and saw a huge nest in the big oak tree and the Big Bird that was in the nest took off before I could stop and get my camera ready.  I don't think it was a bald eagle, but it was large whatever it was!  

Can you tell how large the nest is?  I zoomed in for a better look.  It's the largest nest I've seen that wasn't a squirrel's nest.  I want to go back soon and see if I can get a photo of the elusive Big Bird.  Have I ever said that I love simple things?  Birdwatching is one of those simple things.  

 
When I got home, I checked the bird feeders and saw a Downy Woodpecker feeding and snapped him.  He's not Big Bird, but I think he's cute. 

                                                                            * * * * * * * *

I have a question.  Does anyone know why the background color looks so much different on my blog on the laptop as compared to the desktop computer?  I chose the color on my desktop, what I thought was a nice light yellow.  But, when I work on my laptop, the color looks totally different.  I haven't really noticed this with any other colors that I've used.  Any ideas?

Until next time...

A Missouri Barn

This old barn is a little different from the usual barns seen here in Missouri.  I'm guessing it once had hay stored in the upper level and back of the barn and cattle would go into the lower level in the winter to eat the hay by putting their heads through a stanchion to get to the hay that had been placed in the feeding area by the farmer.  Whew, that was a long sentence, but I think you get my drift?  This barn was seen on that gravel road in yesterday's post during a drive in the country.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm

Until next time...

An Afternoon Drive and Decisions

It was a nice day for a drive.  Which way now?

Straight ahead or left turn?

Life is like that sometimes, isn't it?

Do we forge straight ahead on the same path

or make a turn in the road.   Do we stay

in this house or make a change and move to

a new town, maybe a different state?

Maybe you're pondering a career move.

Or something simpler like changing

the paint colors in your house.  Decisions.

They can be easy or very complex.

 

 

 I would love to live in the country again, it's where 

I grew up and where I feel the most peaceful. 

 But, I doubt we ever will.  We have a home that is

very close to town and a few acres.  It's not my 

dream house, there are many things I'd change if I could.

But, is any house perfect? 

On our few acres, we see these at the pond

every now and then.

 

 Even a wild turkey can be spotted once in a while.

There are beautiful sunsets

to be seen from our house and

equally beautiful sunrises.

 We have close to 3 years before hubby

retires.  Plenty of time to decide what we

want to do, whether to stay or move.

What about you?  We're all faced with

decisions.  Would you like to share one of yours?

Was it easy or difficult?

Until next time...

The weather and awards

It was a beautiful spring-like day although a bit windy to welcome the first day of March.  It's wonderful to be able to open a few windows and let in fresh air.  I can smell spring in the air.  We were lucky to escape the severe weather this week.  My heart goes out to those struck by tornadoes this week, including Branson.  I'm reminded when I see the news how our beautiful days and lives can quickly change when severe storms roll in.
 
I've also been lucky this week to have 3 awards given to me by Dianna of These Days of Mine.  Thank you, Dianna, I appreciate your generosity!  If you haven't visited These Days of Mine, please check out this delightful blog.

The first award is the cheerful looking Sunshine Award.  It seems that in order to accept this award I must answer a few questions.

Favorite color:  Blue
Favorite animal:  Cats, but horses would have come in first when I was young!
Favorite number:  Seven
Favorite non-alcoholic drink:  Pepsi
Prefer Facebook or Twitter?  I don't do either.         
My passion:   My family
Prefer getting or giving presents:   Giving.
Favorite pattern:  Probably gingham check.
Favorite day of the week:  Friday, because that means the weekend is next.
Favorite flower:  Lilacs or roses, I can't decide.

The second award is the Genuine Blogger Award.  There are no stipulations attached to this award and I am proud to accept it.

The third award is the Hug (Hope Unites Globally) Award.  It must be passed along to at least one other person.  You can find out more about the Hug Award here.

I am passing along these 3 awards to the following 3 bloggers:

Sandie at Chatty Crone.  Sandie has a very uplifting blog and she makes you smile, especially every Friday.

Marie at Women Talk About Life.  Check out Marie's blog where she talks about a variety of things.
 
Barb at Grandma Barb's This and That.  I haven't known Barb long, but she has a most interesting blog filled with wonderful photos. 

Until next time...