A Little Gardening and a Day with Emmy

Last year I posted pictures of our backyard full of roses and flowers that showed up without me doing much other than weeding and watering.

Our front yard is another story. It had 4 Rose bushes, 2 Camellias, 2 Azaleas and 2 very old trees. 

Nothing bloomed last year because Mr. SS "butchered" (his description) them all. This year we had a few Camellia blooms and this beautiful Azalea .

We didn't plant any color last year because Mr. SS wanted to landscape and put in sprinklers. Well, that hasn't happened yet...he's designing now, but I just wanted some spring color, so we decided to put everything in pots, so they could be moved when he tears up the whole yard.

We had kept some of our landscaping decorations from the big house. Much of it stored on the side of the house. I had really forgotten what I had. Here's one of the benches and bunnies that were begging to be cleaned up and brought back to life. The Elysium in the background comes up on its own.

Another forgotten bunny and yellow pot on our front porch table.

I did buy this window box new at Lowe's. It was black and when I asked the garden center guy if they had any window boxes, that's what he showed me. I said "No, I want something cute." You can imagine the look I got. Anyway a can of spray paint and I'm okay with it.

An old fountain that had fallen apart. It used to be 3 tiers, But Mr. SS managed to put it together enough to use it for a planter.

Two more dirty pots came back to life and adorn the front walk.

Another bench, bunny and a couple of potted plants. I still have a couple more bunnies. Did they multiply over on the side of the house? I don't remember having such a "thing" for bunnies.

There was already a little flower bed around one of the big trees, so Mr. SS planted some flowers in the ground. He said, "No matter what I do with the landscape, that tree's not moving."

Now for my day with Emmy.I got to pick her up from Kindergarten and bring her home with me for a little one on one time. In case you have forgotten,  she is the youngest of our 10 grandchildren and quite the character. She just turned 6, but acts more like 16,

except when it comes to picking what she want to eat and drink out of. I have a drawer with all the baby dishes and she just had to have a sippy cup...silly girl.

She got to have her favorite Mac and  Cheese and Strawberries.

She noticed all the new flowers out in the front and asked if she could water them. Well of course...these days, I can use all the help I can get.

She is such a joy. We also had some reading time, blowing bubbles time and some just good being silly time.

I pulled up some pictures on the computer of her helping me in the garden when we lived in her back yard.

She was only 2 here. She's 6 now. Where does time go?

Feeling blessed with a fun Spring day with Emmy

and a home with a yard to plant flowers in.

                                             

A Touch of Spring

A Photo of my yard!!

Several years ago, before it was my yard. 

My neighbor gave this to me the other day.  He took it from his side of the fence. If only it could look like this again.

When we moved into our small cottage in late August, everything was dead and even the 30 plus rose bushes looked sad. After a little water, we were able to get many nice bouquets of roses before winter settled in. But there was no sign of any thing else.

Now with the warm weather the flower beds have been taken over with weeds, some over 2 feet tall.

As we are clearing out the weeds and trying to prepare for spring planting, we are finding a few surprises.

Reaching up for some of the early spring sunshine, we have found a few of:

these,

and several of these,

and a whole bed of these (please ignore the weeds),

and lots of these.

As I was weeding this flower bed, and after I had pulled up some of these sweet pea vines, my neighbor said, Emmet had sweet peas growing all along that old trellis.

Opps. Well luckily, There were a couple I hadn't pulled out yet.

We'll see what happens with those.

A little of these purple pretties too.

After 2 days on my knees, one of my knees went out and I  had to keep it propped up with ice for a couple of days while I watched my sweet Mr. SS weed a  few more of the beds.

He wanted me outside with him to "cheer" him on, he said, so he hung my favorite wicker swing.

Now that my knee is better, I will start weeding the rest of the beds tomorrow, a little at a time. Can't kneel, so maybe I'll just scoot around on my bottom. (I know, not a pretty sight), but I have visions of what used to be:

Before I go, I have to wish a big Happy Birthday to my granddaughter Kobi.

She turned 13 today and her wish was to go to Olive Garden with her Mamaw and Papaw.

Could we be any more blessed.

My Secret Garden

                                          

                                                                             

Happy May Day!!

Since it is a day for flowers, I thought I would finally show you the garden I have been working on.

I never really finished all that I intended, but after leaving town for 2 weeks and Easter...well ya know this is probably all that will get done. Named  "The Secret Garden by my granddaughter Lexi and because it is not easily seen from the rest of the yard as it is at the front of our RV cottage and feels "secret"

In front of the bench are stones that have all the grandkids names on them (except Emmy). They have been somewhere in my garden wherever we have lived.

My DIL Stefani has given these to me  on Mother's Day after each of the grandkids were born.

Maybe I'll get one for Emmy this year.

You can see one better in the next picture.

The first section of fence I had as a prop in my first booth at the Five and Dime Antique Store. So it is over 10 yrs. old and quite weathered. Mr. SS was able to purchace 2 new ones and sprayed them to look similar to the old one. I will show you later why we decided to put theseup. We started with vines, but needed more of a...shall we say barrier statement.

I have a thing for Radio Flyers and have bought new wagons and trikes for all the kids, but this vintage one was purchased when my oldest grandson was 4. He is sixteen now. He used to pull his 2 yr. old sister around in it and grandkids have pulled each other ever since. It has 2 broken wheels now and has been retired to a prominent place in my garden.

I love these yellow Petunias. I have never had yellow ones before and these are more of a vine.

The snails like them too.

This little vingette you've seen as background for pictures on this dress form. I decided to just leave her there all the time. One of the kids plopped a straw hat on her. Perfect.

This is off to the right of the garden and very visable, but a good photo site.

One day I noticed a hummingbird and Mr. SS said he had seen one too, so next trip toWalmart I found what I thought was the perfect hummingbird feeder. None of those red plastic ones was good enough for my hummingbirds.  Funny thing...we see them, but they don't come near the feeder. Do you think they would like the red plastic one better.  Hummmm??

Okay, I saved the befores for last because, well they are pretty awful.

When we moved here in December, we brought some of our garden props with us and those helping us just piled them up in this corner.

Then in February, I started getting inspired to start the garden and moved a few things around like this.

In March we bought some plants, vines and the fencing and my vision came alive.

This is what is behind our fences and I mean no disrespect to the neighbor. He really is nice and honestly when you have property to spare, you tend to push things to the back. We did at our other house. Behind our horse barns was a junk pile.

So by planting vines and putting up the fences, we have a little privacy too in our Secret Garden.

I will be linking this post up with http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for Metamorphosis Monday.

Click on her link above  or the button on my side bar to see others that will inspire you with amazing changes.

Hope you had a Happy May Day. I did.

God is Good!!

Life is Good!!

Maybe It's Not the Camera!

I have a confession. I have been blaming my lousy pictures on my camera since I started my blog. I have a Kodak Easy Share and it is my first and only digital camera. I dream of having a Nikon or Cannon Rebel like so many of you bloggers have, so I always feel I need to apologize.

While doing some things to get ready for next weekend's family Easter Day here at my son's home (and our new place), Drew my 11 yr. old granddaughter, saw a ripe strawberry in my flower bed and said she could lay down on the ground and get a good close-up picture (she obviously knows my love of good pictures for my blog). While I went off to get the camera, Jewel, the strawberry thief dog, ate the ripe strawberry that was right between the two green ones below...really.  I had been warned about her.

Because this one turned out so good, Drew asked if she could take pictures of flowers in my garden.

I still crave a new Nikon or Cannon, but you be the judge. Is it the camera or possibly the person behind that Kodak...thanks Drew for the beatiful pictures of my flowers.

One of the chores some of the kids and I did was to get the herbs I had bought several weeks ago planted. They were so small when I got them, but were almost too big for the buckets we planted them in.   I rescued some old buckets that I had collected from my garage sale, thinking they would work for planting herbs. So that's what we used.
Drew and Jack planting their buckets.

The herbs smelled so good as we planted them. We talked about each one and what foods they might be good in.

Camy posing by smelling the herbs in the bucket she planted.

We have Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Chives, Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, Sage and something else.

Did you know bay leaves grow on trees. I didn't until yesterday. My son was trimming a tree close by and told me it was a bay leaf tree. I told him he was throwing out the makings of a lot of good soups. I always get teased about putting leaves in my soups and beans.  I guess I just have to step out my door to get the makings for some "leaf" soup.

Back to our herb garden.

Mr. SS and I rehabed a table and chairs  too, but honestly, I had so much trouble with this post and getting the pictures posted right, that I need a break and will post more in a couple of days.

We are back in Chino as of last night and I have more sewing today, so for now...

God is Good!!

Life is Good!!