Mother Nature....

Whew!

Mother Nature's been pitching quite the

Hissy Fit, lately.

Fires in the West and Northwest.

Earthquakes in Mexico.

And, hurricane's....lots of hurricanes.

It's been years, since we were in Mexico City 

or San Juan, Puerto Rico.

But, just his last spring, we were in 

St. Thomas and Dominica.

We took back to back Caribbean cruises.

We went to St. Thomas on each cruise.

It's a fairly dry island.  There are no natural rivers, and it might not rain for months.

Ironically named, Water Island sits in the middle of the bay.  See the big cacti?

Magan's Bay

The island depends on desalinization of sea water,

which supports a bigger population, as well as the 

vital tourist industry.

More people means more buildings.  And, when hurricanes come, 

more things to damage.

Photos I've seen show major damage....and, almost no green left.

Trees completely stripped.

Very sad...

Dominica was on our second cruise...the one where Mr. P had the flu.

So, we didn't tour the island.

We did get off, and shopped right at the port.

Back on the ship, we could see quaint, colorful houses, along the water.

Colorful, but not very sturdy.

I'm thinking these houses are no longer standing.

Dominica took a direct hit from Category Five Maria.

There is massive destruction there.

We were told that it rains somewhere on the island, every day.

This was our view as we sailed away.

These islands depend on tourism for their living.

Let's hope they can get back up and running very soon.

I know they'll give it a great try...

just like here in the States...Texas, Louisiana and Florida.

The fire ravaged West.

And, people in Mexico.

We have hope...and, faith.

We've booked a cruise next fall, to go back to these islands

Mr. P missed.

It's time for Mother Nature to settle herself down.

Have a good, and safe weekend.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Deja Vu, All Over Again...

Last year, we took a cruise to the Caribbean.

We returned to a garden full of weeds....and a LOT of work to do.

Well...we did it again.

 St. Lucia

This year, we took TWO cruises.

Two, ten day cruises, back to back.

The first ten was great.  Our niece and nephew were with us.

We took lots of excursions, to see these beautiful islands.

The last ten...not so much.

Oh, the islands were beautiful.  But, Mr. P came down with the flu.

I can tell you...having the flu, on a cruise, is not that much fun.

We need to do the second cruise again...without being sick.

Oh...I managed to avoid getting sick.  

Yay me!

The return home was pretty much the same as last year.

Weeds, weeds, and more weeds.

Plus, the hard winter freeze damage.

Another year of hard work, getting things cleaned up.

And, this year, replacing quite a few plants.

I'm not looking forward to the clean-up.

But, there is some Spring beauty already...

The old iris....pass-alongs....are blooming.

The new ones, the ones I bought and planted in September, 2015, 

are not doing so well.  

I'll just hope for better...next year.

So, I guess you can see what will be going on around here.

Pulling weeds...cutting back more freeze kill...pulling weeds...

replanting some things....

Oh, did I mention PULLING WEEDS?

Spring is bustin' out all over, here.

I hope your spring is, too.

Now, I gotta get to work.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Happy Spring...

And, we're pretty cold here, today.

But, maybe this cold front it Winter's last hurrah.

We just got back from a trip.

Did you miss us?

And, we came home to this.

I've been making some progress.

But, still LOTS more to clean up.

And, because the last Halloween Flood washed away all the mulch,

there will be that job to do, too.

Still...the plants are doing pretty well.

We even have some blooms.

 Mexican Honeysuckle

 Pansies, Primrose and 'Mushrooms'

Unknown Irises

Spiderwort

It's these beauties, that make me keep on working in the garden,

instead of throwing in the towel.

Today is supposed to be cool, but the sun is shining

and it's beautiful out there.

Hope your first day of Spring is just as beautiful.

Now...back to the weeding.....

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Yes...We've Been Away....

It's been along time, since we last met.

Last time, I showed you some nice new growth in the garden.

I was worried it was coming out too early.

I was right.

While we were gone, we had some cold weather.

How cold, I don't know.  But, it burned back things that had made it through

24 degree mornings in winter.

Where were we?

Well...headed west.  We had lovely weather that first day...lol

Saguaro National Park, Tuscon, AZ

But, we soon came out into the sun.

We were taking our time, getting to our destination...

seeing places we'd never seen before.

Closer and closer....the Pacific awaits us.

I just happened to look out the hotel window, as our ship came in.

We boarded and sailed away to Hawaii.

I'll have more on that later.

Meanwhile, back at home, the weeds and rye grass were getting a good hold.

The joys of living on a golf course.

I'm making some progress.  It's slow going.  There is a lot of grass.

But, I think Spring has sprung.

Time for new beginnings, in the garden.

Life is good.

Hope all is good where you are, too.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Gotta Get Away....

We're still having our yo-yo weather here.  Warm up for a few days, then wham!....cold, again.

You can't get used to one, before the other takes over.

Well....we're tired of this.  So....

We're getting on this.....

....and, heading for here.

Ten days of fun and sun....or, maybe rain.  Part of this is a rain forest, after all. 

So, I should have lots of interesting plants and critters for show and tell, when we get back.

The garden here is still in it's winter sleep.  Neighbors and family will watch over things....maybe water the pansies...while we're gone.

Stay warm...we'll see you when we get back.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~