Progress Notes

Hope everyone will bear with me on this very NON-EXCITING post, but I wanted to have a little picture-record of my garden progress. Since I have a tendency to misplace things, it is rather senseless for me to keep a garden journal . This seems to be the best place for me to remember where I put it since I don't keep a garden journal.

After cutting back the lavender (to the ground) last fall, it has made a very nice and full return. Last fall I, also, took 2 cuttings from my one mum and placed them in the propagation pot. In the spring I transplanted them to the garden at the front of the house. Both plants are filling out nicely and are loaded with buds. Red flower (in the daisy family) is spreading like wild fire and needs to be divided and given away or planted elsewhere.

I'm really thrilled with my flower pots this year. I planted several varieties of petunias which thrived, but had to be watered morning and night.



Knowing that I wanted a Hydrangea to plant in the yard, my first born had given me one for Mother's Day. After a few months in the house, it came as close to death as possible without being declared DOA. In desperation, I finally took it outside and continued to water it. I figured it was a lost cause, but I was pleasantly surprised (read "shocked") when it's crumply brown foliage fell off and was replaced with some beautiful, fresh green leaves. Then it went the extra mile and re-bloomed this past week. Who would have thought?

I shot this photo of it for Foto Friday when the topic was "Blue". Now I guess the topic would have to be "Pink" since it has changed its color.

I need to get it in the ground and give it some time to settle in before winter.

Some of you may remember this picture of a Rose of Sharon shrub I had started from seed in the fall of 2008. This is what it looked like in May of 2009; by August of last summer it had
managed to produce 2 lonely blooms.

Here it is today. It has grown approximately a foot since I planted it and has several blooms and dozens of buds.

All of these plants would probably have died while I was away because of the hot dry weather. So I owe a real BIG THANK YOU to my male child (who can hardly be called a child anymore) because he had carefully tended and watered them for me each day while I was gone.

Enjoy It While It Lasts!

Our magnolia tree is in full bloom, or maybe I should say WAS in full bloom. Even now it is starting to fade with the heat. I truly love the deep mauve and cream blooms.

Two (or was it three?) springs ago it bloomed so profusely that it looked as though it had been transported here from Fairyland. It was an umbrella of blossoms and dripped petals so that even the earth beneath was covered with a carpet of mauve and cream. It was beyond beautiful. I have chided myself ever since for not having taken a picture of it. In the time that we have lived here, I have never (before or since) seen it as gorgeous as it was that year.

During a survey of the yard yesterday, I discovered that my old-fashioned Iris have buds on them, as well my Coral Bells and Bleeding Heart. I'm trying very hard not to let myself believe that warm weather is here to stay, but it is very difficult. Each year I am lolled into a sense of false security, thinking cold weather has been banished for good, only to be rudely awakened by a cold snap and a scurry to cover the flowers in a hope to save them. Still, I am enjoying the wonderfu weather. Hope you are, too!

Foto Friday Challenge - Spring

Another week has flown by, and it's once again time for the Foto Friday Challenge hosted by Rebecca. The Challenge topic this week is SPRING. (Isn't that a glorious word?)

For our oldest, Spring meant disgarding her long, weighty, winter locks for a fresh new look! It has certainly given new life and bounce to her hair, and (in my opinion) a more mature look.

Two weeks ago this was only a bouquet of daffodils. It amazes me how quickly the hyacinths sprouted and bloomed.

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Nanci Sings Those Low Down Green "Blues" - Foto Friday Challenge

Have you ever obsessed over something that it made absolutely NO logical sense to obsess over? Well this past week that is exactly what has happened to me. The subject of my obsession was the color green. This has NEVER before happened to me as a result of a Foto Friday Challenge; and truthfully I have yet to determine why it did this past week. Perhaps I have just been cooped up too long this winter with everything outside my window being shades of white or grey.

We road to town last weekend using the back country roads. All along the way I kept seeing green street signs and I tried to think of how I could make them into a really interesting picture. Since we were on country roads, I saw plenty of green John Deere equipment that would make a swell subject of a photo. When we arrived at town, I saw green traffic lights that I mulled over what perspective might make them interesting. In fact, I was so lost in thought about the green things around me that my husband finally asked me if I was okay or was something bothering me. (So, you can see that this girl had a SERIOUS problem). To compound my misery, I did not have my camera with me.

Through the week it continued to be the same for me. Everywhere I seemed to see green -- green lids, green bowls, green fabric, green thread, green houses, and green water towers. I even ran across green scrubs on nurses at the hospital (I had taken my FIL for followup tests at the hospital on --you guessed it--St. Patrick's Day.) And often I was kicking myself because my camera was not is tow.

Late in the week, we once again headed off to town -- Bill at the wheel and me riding shotgun. The difference was that we didn't go the nice scenic country roads. We took the interstate, but I did take my camera this time. The problem is that great green signs fly by much too fast to get a shot. Suddenly, what goes by -- but a tractor hauling this on it's flatbed. It was BIG!! And it was GREEN!!! So the following was taking while riding down the interstate at 65 m.p.h.

The amazing thing to me is that I actually have it in focus. LOL


You can check the speedometer to verify the speed we were going, because like I had been doing all week with other things, I noticed the green-lit dash.

These pics are the wonderful green life that is popping up around me. HOORAY!! This shot is of my propagation pot that sits by our living room window. These cutting were taken last fall, and now have roots and are ready to plant outdoors when the weather permits. I keep meaning to post how to construct and use this wonderfully easy method for increasing your number of plants cheaply.



This is how my Autumn Sedum appears these days. I actually prefer to see it in the spring when it reminds me of little green rosebuds.


This pic and the following one were both taken the same day this week. One doesn't receive as much sun as the other.

You can see the difference a little sun makes. The other thing I notice is that the yellow of these Dwarf Daffodils completely overwhelms the green foliage.

This is a treasure of mine given to me by a dear, sweet lady at church who is in her eighties. She gave it to me when she downsized to go into a smaller apartment. The value for me is that she entrusted me with this vase that holds a wonderful memory from her childhood.

As a young girl in her parent's home she remembers her mother always kept it full of pansies. I planted some pansies at my house so that I could keep up the tradition. However, it is too early for pansies so my Dwarf Daffodils grace it in the spring.

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Be sure to scoot on over to Rebecca's place and join her for Foto Friday Challenge. There's always a great assortment of photos echoing the week's category. A wonderful way to start thinking of how things look through a camera lens. Participants are always welcome.

ACCORDING TO MOLLY

Hi! I'm Molly. I'm the very special pup in this family. It's hard for me to believe that it's been nearly three months since I came to live here. I heard my pets saying that it has been about nineteen years since they last had a dog in this household. Pssst... don't let them know I said this, BUT they really are a bit out of practice.

Still, they do their best by me, and I'm not complaining. In fact, I really like them!

It's really boring around here during the school day. All I hear is, "Molly, we can't play now. We're trying to get our schoolwork done!" or "Molly lie down and be quiet!" And they won't let me out of their sight. It's almost as if they think I might get into something or piddle on the floor. I mean ... not that I haven't had an occasional accident, but I think I'm pretty good at "going" outside. So other than Piddle Breaks during school, it's not much fun during the day.

BUT once, school's over and the BIG GUY gets home, then it's wonderful around here. I chase balls and sneak things and run so they have to chase me to get their stuff back. I'm telling you it doesn't get any better than that. UNLESS...

It's being outside in the WHITE STUFF that's been falling from the sky. It just showed up one day, and it keeps getting deeper and deeper. It's higher than my shoulders, so I must (mostly) confine my wanderings and play to areas that have been already shoveled. My boy has created a maze for me in the snow, and I get plenty of exercise and fun racing through it. They tried to catch some snapshots of me running the maze, but the results were nothing but a BLURRRRR! My friends call me "Speed"!

But I let them get a few shots of me.

Here I am on SURVEILLANCE. . . are there any other animals or birds invading My Territory? Sometimes I have to climb up on the snowbank to get a better view.

Sometimes, I have to do a little SUN-BATHING. This white stuff is cold.

Whoa, wait a minute. . . I smell something. What is that?

Gotta get to it!!!!


Gotta dig

deeper

and deeper, still. What's down there?

Oh, yeah . . .I remember this green stuff. Yummm

Well, I'm kinda busy, so I'm gonna sign out for now. See ya around later.

MOLLY

The Unearthing

I'm not sure that "The Unearthing" is the appropriate title for this post. . . We really weren't moving earth, but rather that fluffy white stuff. Maybe I should have called this the "Excavation" or "The Archaeological Dig" for DIG WE DID!

A few of you might have noticed that I have been missing from the blog neighborhood for over a month. My precious father-in-law was hospitalized on the 18th of December. Since that time he underwent five procedures including a cardiac valve replacement and bypass. This left Bill's mom lonely at home. #1 Daughter stayed over several nights during that time to help ease her loneliness. Last Friday night was one of those nights. This is was greeted her at 5:30 Saturday morning. Fortunately, she was within walking distance of work.

After digging ourselves out at home, we decided to surprise #1 by going into town and digging out her car. We weren't quite expecting what we saw. It was only a large (VERY LARGE) bump in the snow.

Ahhh. . . it's not a wooly mammoth -- it's a little car.

Bill had to exchange his snowblower for a shovel.

The last few shovelfuls, and we were done at last (We thought)! Oh yeah, we then realized that we needed to dig out Gram's car, too. And then the Man-child got an offer he couldn't refuse. A man at Gram's apartment building offered him $25 to shovel his car out as well.

Believe me, we were ready to sit down when we FINALLY finished.

Y Blessings,

Nanci

Snow Happy To Be Back

On Saturday, this is the view to which we awoke here at Brambleberry Cottage.

See the little speck in the snow on the picnic table. Let's take a closer look. . .

This was our measurement at about 9:00 a.m. We had a couple more inches before it stopped snowing in late morning.

This pic might not look like anything spectacular, but when you know the history to this picture, you understand why we are praising the Lord for such a simple thing as snowblowing . My guy has come a long way in the past year and a half, although his man-child sure liked playing with Dad's toy last year.

Y Blessings,

Nanci

Time to Leave

At long last, creative juices and opportunity have merged supplying me with some photographs and enabling me to join Rebecca for her Foto Friday challenge. This first photo is of the small oak tree in our yard that reminds me of living death each late fall and winter. It wears its dead leaves all winter until the new buds push them off the limbs in the spring.



Our maple tree only had four leaves clinging to it. As I was focusing my lens on one uncooperative leaf, it had the audacity to let loose and drift out of the frame before I could even snap the shot. THIS ONE was a little more cooperative.

Some of you have already seen pictures of the leaves of this tree on a recent post, but I went out again this morning to take fresh shots. The folage on this tree seems to set it ablaze and persistently cling to the limbs long after other leaves have abandoned their trees.

I must be honest and admit that this pic was staged, but I liked the stark contrast. I am truly excited about the photographs in this post because none were retouched or cropped -- something that is very, very, very (Did I say VERY???) rare for me. While the pics are far from top-quality, still they are very good for ME. I usually have to do a lot of fudging to make them look half-wise decent.

And now we come to that last variety of leaves that is so dear to my heart. . .

The LEAVES of a good book.

Thanks to Rebecca for hosting FOTO FRIDAY. Visit her and check out all the other great photos there.

Octobter's Bright Blue Weather?

From my youngest days, I have always loved autumn and one of my most favorite months is October. I think this is because of a poem my mother always recited this time of year about October's bright blue weather.

BUT, if you look at these pics I think you might have to say "October's dismal white weather". No blue skies in sight.

In the fall, this tree in our yard is my very favorite. It is always the first to put on its new autumn ball gown, and it is usually the last to shed it. The range of color is extraordinary; the leaves' palette ranges from a deep maroon to brilliant crimson to gold and palest maize.



Although the month is nearly over, and we haven’t seen a lot of October’s bright blue weather, it’s hard to fret too much. With so much color abounding, even rainy days don’t seem quite so bad.

Y Blessings,

Nanci

October Bush Bender

Last Thursday / Friday brought us quite a winter (uhhhhh...perhaps, I should say "autumn") wonderland. It doesn't have quite as nice a ring to it, but it IS a little more accurate.

It stuck around just long enough to steal some large branches from the trees, and was gone within two or three days. If it hadn't left its calling card of hundreds of broken branches in the area, you might not know it had ever stopped by for a visit.

It was amazing to see the trees and bushes bent to the ground with snow while, at the same time, my Ivy Geranium was still blooming in the hanging basket. The snow in the yard was about four or five inches deep. but as you can see in the pics the grass beneath the trees remained green and untouched. The heavy, wet snow clung to the leaves and boughs of the trees , but never reached the sheltered grass below.

Because the roadways were cluttered with large broken branches and power was lost, the schools in the area were cancelled. My kids were a little disappointed that our homeschool went on as scheduled, the only absentees were heat, water, and lights.

A Pleasant Surprise

Back in May, I took you on a quick tour of the flora around Brambleberry Cottage. I must be honest and say that my flower gardens have been neglected this summer. So I was thrilled when I returned home from taking our #1 daughter to work this foggy morning and was greeted by this sight as I turned in the driveway.

My Rose of Sharon bush which I had started from seed last fall and planted outside this spring has blooms on it!!! It has grown about 6" inches over the summer, but I never expected it to bloom this year since it has been as neglected at the rest of my flowers.

But bloom it has; and it was such a wonderful surprise! I have several shades of Rose of Sharons in my yard, but this deep pink is by far my favorite.


Rebecca, this pic is especially for you. See, I am paying attention to Foto Friday tips!!
Here's my macro shot.

A Summer's Day

The Pause that Refreshes

May is probably my busiest time of the year. It's the push at the end of the school year. It's putting the final touches on homeschool portfolios required by our state. It's chock-full of dentist, eye, and medical exams required by the state for my homeschoolers. So let's just say...it's not my favorite month of the year.

But Friday (a week ago -- can you tell I'm a little behind on things? :D), we joined some friends from church (also homeschoolers) at the lake nearby for an evening of relaxation. It was a much neeeded time of fellowship and refreshment. They are a great family; there are three boys, so our boy was thrilled to out-number the girls and to have some good male bonding and lots of talk about hunting, fishing, and GUY STUFF! I on the on the other hand I was grateful for some female "tête á tête" and getting better acquainted with J***, the mom.

We made it the simplest of picnics -- just hoagies, chips, drink, and of course, Cookies. No fuss, no muss -- just the way I like it!

I know you'll never guess what the guys were planning on doing.

The evening was warm and pleasant. The scenery was beautiful. We were nearly the only ones there, so it was quiet. Oh, and did I mention that the water was Cold?

Of course, that didn't stop the kids from getting in to cool off after fishing and throwing the football around.

You might notice that everyone in the water seems to be looking down. Strange, huh?

Well, they discovered some crustaceans that were much larger than the one that we usually find at the lake. So the HUNT was on.

This was the finale to a great day at the Lake.

Y Blessings,

Nanci