New water feature

I got a better picture of the water feature I made for the patio area.It is so nice to listen to while we sit in the screen porch.All things I had and really needed to do something with them. We are working on downsizing things. If it does not have a use it needs to live somewhere else.I was going to make a shelf out of the door in the back garden area but it worked out here. My little Japanese maple got hit by the frost but is recovering nicely after a bit of trimming.

Yesterday I had a very nice surprise from our good friends Larry and Mikki .Larry made me a birthday present.I love hand crafted gifts and get very few.This one we will use often while camping.










While I was out I took a few more pictures of flowers in the yard.The Hallie Anna vine is just starting to bloom.I wish you all could smell how wonderful it is .It is also under the screen porch windows.Double enjoyment. the sound of running water and the scent of the blooming flowers.











 The clematis is blooming. Also the bleeding heart and strawberries.

Mr.T Brought me some rocks from the farm to add to our front water feature. 

If you are ever in our area stop and sit a spell.
Have a great weekend.j

I will link tomorrow to http://www.tootsietime.com/search/label/Fertilizer%20Friday~~Flaunt%20Those%20Flowers

Spring /plants

I took a few pictures of things we have been working on in the patio/yards/porch.I finally brought out most of the plants I wintered over. We got 2 more water features set up. The weather has been beautiful. It is cool today but better,for me, than hot humid. On the porch,bamboo water feature in a copper boiler, ferns, begonias, airplane plants.

In the patio area we added an old hand pump to a big pot filled it with water a small electric water pump .A piece of an old door a little wreath and tada.fun water feature.!It is outside the screen porch windows.The sound of the water is so nice.



 





 Moss on the fire brick.
More work to do have a good week.j

A Visit

As I said in the last post we have been busy. Our daughter and her son came for a visit. We went shopping for his new fishing pole and tackle box(birthday gift)

He came to help move the pond fish. What fun! We have around 45 gold fish and 2 Koi.Here is a link to the pond pictures. http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/549162063hjXLeR

We then made monkey bread. Cam thinks it is awesome and wants to make some at home. I love making memories with Cam. He is such a great kid.
He played his guitar and sang for us.He is getting really good. I forgot to get a picture will do it next time.
Weather is still beautiful. We got the corn,radish,carrots,and spinach seed planted. The onions sets planted. The potatoes are coming through the ground. Tomatoes and peppers will wait a bit longer. Night temps still too cold.
So much for this week.Hope yours is going well.j
link to
 http://www.tootsietime.com/2012/04/fertilizer-friday-flaunt-your-flowers_26.html

Wonderful spring

It has been a busy time.Lots going on. Spring tea at the library. Very nice as always.Speaker,Richard Jauron, from the university. Spoke on flowers. Very interesting.His slide show was very good, showing the plants blooming. Helped me remember what I have in my gardens.Wild ginger,Iris,grasses and phlox. The hosta looks good and the ladies mantel will be blooming soon.The fern peony looks good.Thanks Carol.The tiny start is growing. The speaker said they sell for $50 in the stores now. The moss rose has self seeded in the planters on the pond bridge.They are so bright. Cam was here with his mom over the weekend.He moved the fish from the greenhouse to the pond.I will share in the next post as this one is getting very long.Have a great week. Enjoy this beautiful weather. We are blessed.j
link http://www.tootsietime.com/2012/04/fertilizer-friday-flaunt-your-flowers_26.html

you can see more pictures of the pond and gardens at my web shots link . .
http://community.webshots.com/user/nana5111

Gardening/link Tootsie Time

We worked in the community gardens plots this weekend.What a beautiful space to have available to us. So much work goes into these gardens.There are 18 garden spots.
We have 2. 15x30ft. spaces. This year we took the 2nd plot to have room for potatoes. It is the first year for us, growing them. We decided to amend the soil with sand and dry grass clippings. Thanks to Chad,Joanna and Sydney it took little time to move a ton of sand. It would have taken us oldsters a long time to move it all.

 Before the tilling

The ground is so nice now. We planted 6 rows of potatoes.Freeze warnings are out for the next couple of nights. No harm to the potatoes but will not be good for fruit trees.

 

After working in the gardens we had a visit from 2 bikers out for a ride.  Brother and brother in law. Always good to see family.

My Easter lily this year had 7 buds when I bought it.Usually a couple flowers bloom then fall off when more open. This year 6 are open at once.Smells and looks beautiful..The button fern was just to tempting.

Hope your week is a good one.j

http://www.tootsietime.com/2012/04/fertilizer-friday-flaunt-your-flowers_12.html

He is Risen

Praise God.

Hope you all have a beautiful day..j

Spring/Happy Easter/Tootsie Time link

It has been an unusual spring.Very warm some days. Today not so warm today. Weather bug says freeze warning till Friday. I had a fern and ivy set out but they went back inside for a little longer.The lilac tree is blooming. I am going to cut it back after this years blooms are done so I treated myself to a big bouquet. They smell wonderful.

 Time to use some of my collections. I have a lot of baskets. What is the point of having things if you do not use and enjoy them? My children are not going to want all my stuff so it does not have to be kept pristine for them.

My intent is to fill the baskets I have with plants from my greenhouse and maybe a few new plants VBG. If they get ruined from water so be it.
We added a new shelf to the front porch. It will be a great place to display the baskets of plants.It is just a little to cold yet ,but soon. See how good the lilacs look on the table under the shelf.

 Because of the freeze warning I covered my tulips.The last 2 years they froze off. As you can see in the back ground the hosta garden is looking good. You can almost see the hosta growing. The flowering almond is also in bloom.

A few days ago we were in the patio working when a car stopped. Not one we recognized. Turns out to be an old class mate of our oldest son. They were in the area for a family funeral. We had a nice visit. Bo said he spent as much time in this house as in his own. Fun memories. Great family.

I want to wish you all a Happy Easter. We will have our girls and their families here for a few days. j
LINK to http://www.tootsietime.com/2012/04/fertilizer-friday-flaunt-your-flowers.html

Checking in

I finished up 2 of the little quilts.

The broken dishes and the basket are from Kathleen Tracy's books. I did only one basket instead of 4. No time to do the 4.

We have been working in the yard and gardens.It took several days and worth it. Everything looks so good and getting green.Over night the tulips and daffodils grew a couple inches. Over night the leaves popped out on the curly willow and the bridal wreath bush (spirea).I am ready to plant garden but it is way to early for veg. gardens in Iowa. Our last frost date is May 15th.
I did bring a few plants out of the greenhouse.

 The ferns did very well in there this winter. I will take them in when it gets cold again.

 I cut some branches off the forsythia and brought them in a week ago. The bush is already in bloom.The spring rain has taken off some of the blossoms.I am linking to Tootsie Time,
http://www.tootsietime.com/2011/03/fertilizer-friday-flaunt-your-flowers_22.html



I have had a few nights waking early in the morning. One morning I had a rose in my mind I decided to draw. Thought I'd share the sketch.

Mr T. wanted a cherry pie,with home made crust not bought at the store, for his birthday today. All went well until the last 5 min. and it ran over. He said no matter it will taste good. Have a great rest of the week and week end.j

New things make me smile

It is funny how a little something new can lift your spirits. New packages of seeds.
Changing out an old lamp shade for a new, buying a few new plants, and a new rug.Little things make me happy.

We did a bit of shopping the other day. I was in need of a new rug for the kitchen and was lucky to find one on sale. The lamp shade was found at goodwill. Yay for me, matches my valances perfect!
The plants were a spur of the moment.You know how it is.
The roses were so affordable who could pass them up? I plant them out side in the spring and have quite a collection of miniature roses that bloom all summer.
The fern was perfect for the bunny planter by the lamp. Treat yourself it feels good once in a while.j

Did you know

That you can use  the bottoms you cut off the onion and plant them to get new onions?

I did not know that until last week when reading blogs. So I tried it and it works! The brown skin are the starts from my winter onions. The one on the left in the picture is from the bottom of a store bought onion I used last week in chilli. The larger one in the center was our last garden onion that was pretty dried up.It is growing really well. I will use the greens for a salad.I am linking to
 http://www.tootsietime.com/2012/03/fertilizer-friday-flaunt-your-flowers.htmlhttp://www.atthepicketfence.com/2012/03/welcome-to-inspiration-friday-no-54.html

The marigold seed I saved and planted are starting to sprout.

I have been trying to use up the extra blocks I found in a tote in the basement and a few more from the broken dishes challenge.
Mr.T. is making progress on the wiring and plumbing for the new laundry room.
I need to do some shopping today for potting soil and a few more packets of seed.
Have a great weekend j