For The Love Of Gardening...

Before the weeding was complete

 they made their debut,

but

as you can tell

I really

love

the ornaments.

Have a nice day!!!

Spring Preview...

Looks like we are going to have a bumper crop of Bluebonnets this year. Our back yard is covered.

Have a great weekend!!!

Bits of Beauty...

When I went to visit my dad yesterday a lone Spider Lily met me beside the front step. It was a bit of unexpected beauty. The kind that takes your breath away.

Then around the corner

 and on the fence-more beauty.

It just goes to show what a good rain can do.

Have a fun Friday!!!

Scarlet Beauties...

My entire flower garden has either burned up from the intense heat and lack of rain or been chewed to death by hordes of grasshoppers. I went out to pull weeds today and discovered this bit of splendor scattered about.

  

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever...

John Keats 

Flowers for the Patient...

My husband began treatment today for his second tooth implant. The first one garnered him a huge bouquet of mixed flowers. This time it was a beautiful red vase full of equally beautiful red roses. I must say I have never received anything more than a phone call from a doctor, but it was nice and appreciated.

Have a great weekend!!!

Awesome Saturday...

Thought for today:

God does not give us overcoming life: He gives us life as we overcome.~~Oswald Chambers


Our annual shopping trip to Grapevine Mills Mall was awesome! Each year just before school starts we meet the kids at the mall in Grapevine. We shop, eat, and just hang out. Year before last my daughter announced she was expecting, so my granddaughter now says she likes our shopping trip because we find out "secrets".

New ball caps!!

Crazy Hair takes a ride on the mall merry-go-round.

We originally started meeting at the mall when we still had kids in school. We continued on while our youngest was in college. When she graduated I said that was it. My oldest didn't want it to end, so we still meet each year. The difference is Mom and Dad no longer pull the checkbook out for them. They are on their own. It seems to work and we all have a lot of fun.

Amanda's tea-lite fish.

In front of a painted wall.

There were 12 of us this year. Work clothes, school clothes, books, shoes, caps, and of course lots of odds and ends were purchased. One of my best finds was a purple patch-work shoulder bag. I am a sucker for bags. Then at the very end of the day we gathered in the Books-a-Million coffee shop to say our good byes and there it was, on a bargain table, so unexpected. My treasure of the day. A Tasha Tudor Cookbook. What a way to top off an already awesome day.

We didn't find out any "secrets" this year, but we had a lot of family fun and look forward to next year.

Have a great week!!!   

Goodbye Bluebonnets...

If bluebonnets are a sign of spring then the lack of bluebonnets are a definite sign that summer is on it's way. Today I harvested bluebonnet seeds. The window to harvest is narrow and I almost missed it, but there was enough left to fill a gallon baggy. I will scatter these in the barrow ditch in the fall and cross my fingers.

 When the seeds are ready to be collected they become very dry and turn from green to grey in color.

If left to their own devices the seed pod will twist and burst open expelling it's seeds. When you pull them from the stem you have to hold them tightly until you get them in your container or they will pop open and leave you empty handed. I love the feel when they pop open in my hand.

As soon as one beautiful flower dies out others are ready to take their place. There may be no bluebonnets, but the beauty continues. God knows exactly what he is doing.
.

Have a Great Day!!!!    

May Flowers...

THE BRENDA PHOTO CHALLENGE

Spring Beauty...

The beauty of spring is all around us. It seems a shame that sometimes we fail to notice. God gives us such a beautiful world merely for our enjoyment. 
This morning as I let the dogs out and as purple is my favorite color, I couldn't help but notice a display of gorgeous purple and yellow flowers growing beside my daughter's back deck.

I have no idea what they are so I will have to refer to my truly amazing "Howard Garrett's Plants for Texas" book and look them up. I have spent many hours with this book in my hands. It gives information on over 500 Texas plants-trees, shrubs, flowers, vines, grasses, weeds, fruits, vegetables and ground cover. The best part is he lists the problems each plant has.  He notes which insects they attract, whether they are drought resistant, if they are invasive, and how to plant and maintain them. I have gone through the entire book and put checks by anything I thought I might be interested in planting. I left off anything that attracted an undesirable insect, was too invasive, or just not to my liking. Before I go to the nursery I refer to the checked plants and see at a glance what I might like to purchase and usually take my book along for quick reference. I highly recommend this book as your "one-volume encyclopedia" on Texas Gardening and now the "Plant Detective" is on her way to figure this one out. Any ideas?  

First signs of spring...

 This small, beautiful bluebonnet is just one reminder that spring is on it's way.

 

Soon there will be hundreds and hundreds covering yards, fields and highways.

I can hardly wait!!!