After The Storms

Storms on the Way

Yesterday it was mostly clouded and very windy but I managed to catch the sky looking south between some clouds. I love cirrus clouds. They are so wispy.

Today on the other hand is not looking so good. Lots of rain and winds are on the way and we are under a tornado watch. You can feel the disturbed weather. You can feel pockets of hot air blowing. Praying for our people up North AL to have to deal with this weather today after the destruction on Monday from tornadoes. I forgot the death toll but 4-6 people were killed. It is so sad that the same areas that were hit last April saw this stuff on Monday. Yikes. Over 400 homes were destroyed.

But look what I found blooming this morning. My first daffodil. The plants look so scrawny and small. I expect that they aren't going to do so well this year since we haven't had any winter to speak of. I expect that that would be the reason the hyancinths didn't have any size to them. Anyway it is pretty even if the photo is blurry. It is hard to get that low to the ground without shaking.

Take care and have a nice day. Hope everyone is safe today.

This N That

It is hard to believe we are in the last week of January and we are so warm and not expecting any cool weather any time soon. I managed to get out and enjoy some of the weekend outdoors. This is where I spent a little time while I was monitoring a project Saturday. I don't think I've shared pictures of my shed out back. Actually it's pretty big. There have been a few interesting things to come out of here. It is a great big ole mess right now and it is taking some time to get it cleaned out. It is snakey and I'm not going in here by myself because I am a scardy cat.

This little pooch is Molly, my friends rat terrier I gave him.

(On this side of the shed I plan to put some camellia's and something else undecided.)

It's just a dirty old shop. Big enough to hold six cars comfortably.

This is John's idea. He is a metalsmith and designed the stepping stone frame to make stones. The flower is his idea and he created the flower frame also. This is a sample he had set up for me to see.

Actually they turned out too thick and the cement wasn't quite right. May have bought the wrong kind. This mixture had a lot of rocks in it. They are about 2 to2-1/2" thick. Way too thick to walk on. I'm thinking garden art here. 

Buddy enjoyed being outside even if he had to be on his chain. He likes to visit neighbors and wants to cross the main road near me so this is what he gets.

I spent my time with my gloves and a shovel. It was time to work on the garden I planned on putting down. First I had to dig out the grass. I do this because I HATE to contend with grass in my gardens. I can pull weeds but grass is hard to keep out when it gets around the flowers. Plus I also back fill with new Miracle Gro Garden Soil.
(The area on this side of the shed is where I plan to put some roses and some flowering vines.)

I got this much done. I'm going to make it bigger but this is the beginning. The digging and loading the sod is easy enough but hauling my load down the hill to drop in some low spots kills me. I'll get there though and it will be a pretty spot.

Anyone know what this is and if I can expect a flower. I have a couple of them and don't if it was in some seeds I spread in the fall.

Daffodils will be in bloom soon. Actually I think it is early as is everything else this year.

What to do with these containers? Plants? Help. I need ideas. They do not have a bottom so they can easily be used them in the garden. 

Anybody throwing out seeds yet in their gardens? I'm thinking about doing just that with this warm weather. I'm thinking it will be an early spring and long hot summer.

Gotta run.  Have a great week.



A Bright Spot

Just a couple of blooms. A bright spot in an otherwise dreary garden.

I am still having problems commenting on some blogs. Don't know what is going on but many of us are having the same problem. Just know I have been by to visit you and sorry I could not leave a comment.

Happy Hump Day...

Aaaahhhh the sun is out today and we are expecting some nice - almost spring like weather over the next 6 days. I hear gardens calling... do you hear it.

Hope you have a nice day.

FYI don't know why but I am having problems leaving comments on some blogs. Connie I have been trying to leave a comment all week on your blog but when I hit comment my screen locks up. It is only happening on a few blogs. Hopefully it will be fixed soon. Ya'll I have been by to visit.

It feels like winter...

How are you today? Me I'm good on this nice Saturday morning. I was enjoying the warm weather we were having but now it feels like winter. I don't think it's gonna last though.

I've been working on getting some things organized around here. Kitchen cabinets just get so disorganized and when I reach back into the cabinet and grab a can and pull it out and I say well I didn't know I had that or I've looking for this. So I looked around the house for some containers that would fit into the cabinets upper and lower and got to work. I have a box in the kitchen of expired goods and some went out of date in 09. Oooh thats not good.

My two spare rooms have both become the dump all so that is needing attention so I have been getting some things cleaned out to haul off to goodwill. It's still in the trunk come to think of it. Still have more to load up. Also carrying out a lot of stuff to the trash can. I am also making a stack of items I intend to use in some decorating and crafts. I am hoping to finally get one of these rooms ready for guests and not a junk room. The other room will remain my sewing room with a little more organization and craft room.

And that brings to mind my other projects I'm getting ready to do and that is to get crafty. I use to be so imaginative with crafts and would sell them back in the day and made some money too. I've had my thinking cap on so we'll see how the crafts come out. I will share if they turn out to be usable. The sewing machine is catching dust. Got it last year and haven't completed the curtains I started last year. So I've got plenty to do and catch up on.

And let me not forget those gardens. This year my goal is to create some more gardens mostly featuring a start of a hydrangea garden and a rose garden as well as a perennial/annual garden(s). I have lots of seeds I ordered back in the fall and have been blessed by seeds from fellow bloggers and I will be getting these started indoors somewhere in the house with a grow light. I will direct sow some of these zinnias and maybe a couple more kinds of seeds. I may be looking for some advice this coming week as I begin the seed sowing process. I want to direct sow as much as I can. A greenhouse is on my list of things I have to buy when the money is available.

Well, I'm gonna get busy here. Hope you all have a great weekend whatever you are doing. Blessings...

January Warmth

We are having some crazy weather this year. I think everyone is experiencing warmer than usual conditions. Here it is warm and sticky. Worked in the gardens some clipping and triming. Probably shouldn't have done that but it was so nice and things are greening up already.

Look at the hyancinths. Way too early for this.

My hyancinths are not gonna get any height on it. This little thing is only a couple inches from the ground.



Hope you all have a great day and wonderful week. I'll be coming by to visit.

I'm Running Behind...

Hope you all had a great New Year. Mine was quiet. I'm ready for a brand new year too. A new year for me means a fresh start and I'm all for that. I'm gonna say I expect 2012 to be a year of changes. I just hope they will all be good ones.

 I'm running behind on my blogging. I have a mouse I can control now and that makes all the difference in working this laptop.

On New Years Eve I took pictures in the gardens and fully intended to make a post then but I just didn't get around to it. I hope you'll let me share a couple of blooms with you.

Things are looking pretty straggly in the gardens but when I got to looking I found some signs of life in there. I have to say that I'm not a great gardener during November and December. But now that January is here I'm ready to get the ball rolling. Went shopping today too. I'll show you what I got in just a minute.

Dianthus is in bloom.

I thought this beauty died on me after I moved in Sept (I think). Darla you told me it would spring back.

I can't believe I have parsley still doing so good. It looks better than it did in the summer.

The osteoporum has new growth all over and the blooms just keep coming.

The geraniums had a nice bloom on it but sadly it faded with the most recent cold snap we had 3 days ago.

And the pentas have also given to the cold. Just don't look at all that dead stuff on it. Just don't even look.

Daffodils are popping up. Yeah. Anybody think we're gonna have an early spring. I do.

Hyancynths are one of my favorite blooms. I'm looking forward to these babies.

I don't know what this is but I can't delete. I hate that because I've got to move on and you do to.

I am so pleased I still have these blue babies blooming.

I was surprised to find this one sprouting new growth. Of course it's gone with the cold now. I have a couple of layers of leaves in my gardens. I tend to think it adds a layer of protection to the roots of some plants.

Yes that's a little bloom on it too.

Ooops. Blurrrryyy. Azalea in bloom.

I love clouds. I probably have said that before but anyway I caught a couple sky pictures today.

this morning

mid-day

mid-day

evening

Oh - I told ya I went shopping. I'm getting in the mood for some more pretties in the garden. I also have my seed starting stuff. Don't yet know how I'm gonna do this since I don't have a green house. I'm thinking a grow light.  

Hope I didn't bore ya too much.