The Spring Equinox

The morning sun highlights my garden on this day of the Spring Equinox. That forsythia in the pot at front right demonstrates how mild the winter has been - the poor thing has been sitting there patiently waiting to be planted out since I bought it eleven months ago. I always have a few plants that captivate me at the nursery or spring plant fundraisers but when I get them home I can't immediately find where to plant them. Since this one has shown it is a survivor I had better find it a more permanent location.

The view from my driveway on a misty start to the day.

I liked the patterns the spring sunlight coming through the trees was making.

The green man finally made it out of the garage. This was a catalog purchase years and years ago but somehow it had never been installed. When this cedar tree had to be cut down because of winter damage last year I had them leave a good length of the trunk figuring I could still use it as a venue for morning glory vines. Without the vines it was looking fairly silly so I hung the green man.
The cherry trees in our street are out in peak bloom for this day. The blue periwinkle and the daffodils add to the spring vignette.

I just can't help continuing to record the beauty of the pansies this year as they are the most gorgeous I have had.

Did you enjoy sharing the views of this wonderful day that nature has provided for the spring equinox in my garden year?

This one's for you Jill.

Aah, March 1 - is it the beginning of Spring? Certainly, with the sunny sky and temperature heading for 70 degrees F it seemed as though it was as I headed out for an afternoon in the garden to deal with a heavy crop of weeds.

My artist friend Jill had bemoaned the lack of opportunity to paint en plein aire earlier in the week so I thought I'd have a little fun and set up some scenes or still lifes for her to consider next time she is looking for a subject.

I thought I would title the above scene "waiting for spring". The wind pruned twigs and branches have been piled up waiting to be carried away. The daffodils have sprouted and are setting buds. The bird bath has been set right side up again waiting to be filled with clear water. The bluebird house has been cleaned out and is again full of hope that this will finally be the year the bluebird finds this prime location and moves in.


Could this one be "end of day"? The sun is getting low in the sky and making good shadows. It is time to head inside and think about making dinner.

Earlier I had thought I might set up a still life. Alas, it is clear I am not the art teacher as there is way too much going on in this scene. But just in case, "the purple pose".

But the gardener wants to make a statement about how lush and vibrant the pansies are for the time of year. "A spot of yellow".


"Say cheese everyone" and squint into the bright afternoon sun.


And take a pause and "reflect" on the day.

Speaking of reflections...a cardinal has been stopping by to protest the intrusion of a look alike bird that sits right there at the base of the front door. But alas, neither of them will hang around to have their photograph taken.

So, are any of these scenes worthy of the paint brush, oils and canvas Jill?

In a Pink Mood

Do you sometimes find yourself noticing things in one particular color? It has been a while since I posted anything but from time to time I would think "oh, I could put that on the blog" and never get to it. And then I noticed that the images I was thinking of all had a pink theme. Above, it was the pink tulips that made a pretty bouquet.

The January sunset after a snowy day made a lovely showing for just a brief time.

While the one in February was not quite as pink.

Today, still in February which should be cold and wintery weather, I was outside celebrating the sun and 50 degree weather by doing a little weeding. And suddenly I looked up and noticed the pink blooms on the plum tree so it was time to put away the tools and get out the camera. This blossom is three weeks earlier than last year.

No, I know this is not pink, but it is the first photo of the daffodils blooming for this season. This one is two weeks ahead of what it was last year.

After a winter that really barely happened it is a joy to see the first blossoms of spring.

Pansies for Purrsy

It has been a very sad day for my sister and brother-in-law as they said a final farewell to their beloved 19 year old Birman cat, Purrsy.

In an eerie co-incidence I was out on my front porch early this afternoon (at a time that was Wednesday morning for Purrsy) admiring how well the pansies looked. After all this is the middle of winter for us.


Rest in peace dear Purrsy. These pansies and violas will remind me of you and your lovely sister Amber for the balance of the season.

Look what came in the night

What did come in the night? And did it bring a friend? One came up the grass and the other took a short cut through the garden and emerged out from behind the boxwood. Obviously, it did not come up the front steps and ring the doorbell.

No, sorry, I know there's evidence it walked right past me but, as you'll notice, I had my eyes shut.
What was it looking for on this cold trek?

This forlorn fellow didn't see anything either.

Count the footprints - this series does not add up. And why do they suddenly stop? Where did he go, where did he go?

The holly trees always manage to maintain their dignity in the face of the white stuff that comes in the night.

And if you're looking for summer well you'll have to wait a while. The days of frolicking in the birdbath are suspended for a few months; or weeks if you're the hopeful sort.

Stay warm.

It's been a while

and I am still waiting for real inspiration to appear and pesent itself as something worth posting about.

But in the meantime, I'm wondering, if I am seeing flocks of bluebirds in my garden can happiness be far away?


A few years ago I put up a bluebird house out in the back garden. Each year I hope that this will be the year a bluebird moves in and I might have a bluebird family in the backyard. So far, that has not happened. For the past couple of years I have seen a flock of bluebirds land on the front lawn for a couple of consecutive days in spring and then I never see them again. But last week I saw a flock swopp in and land in the backyard and feast all over the cedar tree. Several days later, there they were again.

Now this is way too early to qualify as spring. So, will this be the year when the bluebirds do move into my garden? I hope so.

I get a lot of pleasure from watching the bird activity out back and they do seem particularly attracted to this cedar tree.

I'll keep you updated with the bird stories. Of course this is dependent on the birds holding still long enough for me to find my camera, quietly open the window and then take the photo. I can only try...right?

Of Moles and Men and English Teachers Too

I usually try to come up with some sort of a theme to write a post about. Sometimes it requires the reader to work hard to make the connection as all they see is a bunch of photos; some of the time they might even wonder why someone would have even wasted the effort to aim the camera and push the shutter. It's just me attempting to be creative.

This morning was a cold one (23 F at 8am) and when I stepped out in the backyard with the dog I could see the moles had been extra busy overnight. Maybe they need to dig faster to keep warm. They better hurry because the ground will be frozen soon. Now you may not notice this but if you look hard in the photo above you can see the earth has been disturbed where the moles are tunneling. The dog can always smell they have been around.

If you are following my quilt blog you might have noticed that this week's block was called Grapes of Wrath. I guess that is what has inspired my literary connections for this weekend.

"Two paths diverged in a yellow wood and sorry I could not take them both..." Robert Frost had other meaning for his words but that piece came into mind as I noticed these two paths diverging in my woods this morning. I have had a number of sightings of two bucks in my backyard in the past few weeks. On Wednesday they were browsing on bushes in the woods quite near the house but it was a dismal day and the photo I tried to take did not come out well at all. The photo above shows deer A took the left path while deer B chose the right path. Frankly I wish they'd just purchase a one way ticket and take the path down the driveway and out of my yard altogether.


Given it was a cold morning my men made brunch and decided to include a good serving of grits to stick the ribs together.


And finally in my series of "the intention was there but the photographer couldn't quite carry through on the idea" is my photo of an exciting visitor to the back yard last week. It was a glorious sighting of a pileated woodpecker. They are much larger than the woodpeckers we usually see in the trees out back. Known as very shy birds they were the inspiration for the Woody Woodpecker character.

The bird baths have been turned over for a few weeks now and I feel badly for my bird friends. It must be time to install the bird spa that I got last December. Since we put it on the railing of the deck it might entice the birds closer so they are easier to see than this one shown above in the black walnut tree. Of course, any visiting woodpeckers would need to understand our hospitality in terms of the deck is only that they use the bird bath. Any pecking they need to do can be satisfied on the many trees out back.