I Like Thursday: May 30, 2019

The scent of peonies is everywhere Scout and I walk these days.  

I love the fragrance!

This week has been all about the garden!

I've spent all of the week weeding, mulching, and gardening the front yard.  I wish I could tell you I'm done but alas, no.  Gardens are never done but I had to give my hands a break from repetitive weeding 😊

And then the weather turned anyway....

The humidity and storms came in with a vengeance but we didn't have the devastation of the midwest.  Please keep all those folks in your prayers!

My favorite flower this week is Astrantia, also known as Masterwort (yes, Astrantia is a prettier name).  It is blooming in my much neglected back yard right now but I'll be weeding there as soon as we get better weather.

 I also like these pretty asiatic lilies.  I'm hoping the rocks keep the squirrels from digging them up.

 In the front yard, I've set up a bird bath for Scout's viewing pleasure!  She can watch the birds from her favorite window but is far enough away that she can't bother them during their bath.

Lastly, I've put a lot of lemon balm around our back patio.  When my husband is home, he is greatly bothered by mosquitoes and I've read lemon balm is supposed to repel those bugs.  I'll let you know if it works!

Have a wonderful week and be sure to visit other "I Like" posts by visiting LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color!

Memorial Day Remembrance

I like Thursday: May 23, 2019

Hello!  How are you?  It's Thursday and that means positive posts to brighten the internet!

One of my friends posted the work of Hungarian artist, Erzsébet Szilajka, recently.  I found these images fascinating!

I like puppies!!!

Scout has what we jokingly refer to as a "plethora of patient puppies."  They are really funny to watch.  A few days ago we were walking up a street and saw her dog friend, Luca sitting patiently looking the other way.  He was waiting for Happy another pup to join him.  Happy and Luca joyfully greeted each other and then they realized that Scout was approaching.  The two of them sat down and patiently waited for her to arrive and then..yes--they greeted her joyfully then all THREE of them realized that Milo was walking down the street and all three of them sat down and awaited Milo's arrival so they could joyfully greet Milo as well.  It was hysterical to see this.

It's a ritual we see almost every day.  Another day Happy and Scout greeted Mack the border collie in the same manner...

I'm still trying to get a head of the summer heat in the garden.  I know once we have a lot of humidity, I'll be limited in working outside. This week was perfect weather.  Cool in the mornings, warm afternoons and then comfortable again by twilight.  The city does pick up our yard waste but this week I had so much that I had to take a jeepful to the dump.  So much rain last year and this--the weeds grow as if on steroids.

Today is rainy and we've had a few thunderstorms already (and more later) so I'll catch up on some much needed housework and wash. 

How is the weather where you are?

Lastly, I like sky surprises.  I was putting away my garden tools last night when I spotted an unusual thing in our city sky...and it made me smile.  

Have a wonderful week and an amazing holiday weekend.  I'll be mulching but reflecting on the many men and women I have known who served in the armed forces.  Happy Memorial Day!

I Like Thursdays: May 16, 2019

You have to keep your sense of humor when every weekend drops about 2.5-3.5 inches of rain.  We are in for sunny weather now and hopefully one dry weekend.  Meanwhile in the garden, the weeds are having a festival but so are the plants.  We are under major construction in the garden.

Gardens change.  This year we are doing a major overhaul because we took a tree down in our backyard and now my neighbor has had to take two of her trees.  Suddenly the back garden is full of sunlight and I'm scrambling to move shade loving plants and replace them with sun lovers.  All this while doing an overhaul of my front yard for an event next summer.

Last year was full of rain and so is this year and plants are spreading everywhere so I'm also dividing and sharing plants.  Last weekend my best friend Linda came to collect a truck full of plants.  This weekend, I'm delivering another load to my other bestie Beth.

It's purple week in the garden:

Yesterday morning was lovely and Scout and I enjoyed walking through the park.  We saw "Big Blue" one of our resident herons and old men enjoying a morn of fishing.

I like bird baths:

This is a new one for me but I like the top piece because it is perfect for butterflies to gather for a drink.

In other news, I recently acquired a new quilt for my collection:

I like the blue bows in this piece.  They were the two favorite colors of my Nana Betty.  She was also a passionate gardener and I think of her every time I am working in the garden.

Have a wonderful week and be sure to look at other positive posts via LeeAnna (our hostess with the mostess)

  You can see more positive posts here.

I like Thursdays: May 9, 2019

It's Thursday and that means we post something positive on the internet for "I Like Thursdays" hosted by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color.

How are you doing this week?  I've been under the weather but still we go on...

Sleepy skinny Scout says, "good morning!"

We've seen a new bird down at the pond this spring.  I've seen them elsewhere but now they are residing also in our neighborhood park.

It's a red-winged blackbird and we are delighted to welcome them to our neck of the woods!  The males have the red/orange spots; the females I keep confusing with wrens or sparrows because they are very non-descript.

I know I've talked about this before but I love lilies of the valley.  They were the first flowers I ever received from a man.  My Dad gave me a small pot of them when I was about 4.  I remember feeling in awe of the responsibility of caring for something living and when the actually bloomed, I felt like this:

Other things blooming:

 I like Irish and Scottish Moss:

Now that we only have one dog, we are putting more ground cover in the yard and we are hoping this takes off.  

 Last weekend I put in a path and planted the moss alongside of it.  Unfortunately it still looks a mess because I have to protect it from a puppy who thinks all new plants should be christined (and not in a good way).  These old chairs are doing the trick for now:

Where the old tree had been, I am hoping to put some kind of contemplation corner.  This is a work in progress and I haven't had the energy to do much with it the past few days but my infection is responding to antibiotics so I hope to garden by Sunday or so.

I hope you have a lovely week!  Thanks for visiting!

I like Thursdays: May 2, 2019

I like Thursday is a day when we share things in our life--or that make our life--a more positive experience.  If you are interested in reading more positive posts, check out LeeAnna's blog, she shares all the folks that participate!  What has made you happy this week?

I'm happy because my husband has been home and although he leaves again this Saturday, it's been great having him here.

Scout when she was a pup and Greta.

On Sunday night, my Mom called at 11 p.m. upset because Greta had fallen down and couldn't get up.  I was really afraid for Greta and worried that this was the end.  She is 13 now and Scout just adores her.  I am happy to report that Greta is recovering.  She has a sprained hip and tonsilitis (I'm not kidding about that) but is responding to treatments.  We are so happy and grateful to have Greta's continued presence in our world!

I like wild violets.

When I was a kid, we moved to a postwar subdivision and the soil was clay upon clay.  My brother and I hated weeding in that soil; I think my Mom used to make us do it when she was annoyed with us.  However, there was an old house that we used to pass when we walked home from school and the soil there was rich and dark and there were wild violets everywhere which I would pick to take home.

Years later when I began gardening, my Nana Betty always told me:  "we don't weed the wild violets."  She loved them too and everytime I see them bloom this time of year, I think of my sweet Nana.

I like my silly girl. 

Everytime we pass this dog statue, Scout has to go give it a sniff.  It reminds me of The Velveteen Rabbit but Scout never seems to remember that it isn't a real dog!

Scout got a haircut on Tuesday but she refuses to model this morning.  It's a bit of slug morning for her!  More photos later!

I'll be in Wind Gap, Pennsylvania next week at the Heart In Hand Quilt Guild.  I have a new trunk show called The Girl in the Postage Stamp Quilt and Other Stories that I will be sharing with the members.  It's always so fun to visit guilds and especially the ones I lecture at regularly!

Have a wonderful week!