IT'S SPRING TIME!!!

 Happy Spring! It's finally actually here. No more saying, "Spring-like"! We've been in the high 70's lately, but today we reached our high of 60 early this morning. Now the temperature is dropping into the 50's. No big deal, but kind of funny - the first day of spring we have the coolest temperatures in a few weeks! 

I love daffodils. I don't have that many planted, but I hope to change that this fall. They are one of the first signs of spring around here. As I drive around town I see them still blooming and am slightly disappointed I don't have some still blooming.

This picture is too bright. I was taking it during the sunniest part of the day. I'll be planting these in the yard soon. I hope they do well and bloom next spring.

We're still waiting on the insurance company to come assess the damage to the house. We still have the tree leaning on it. We'll have to hire someone to come take care of it. I hope it doesn't cost too much.

I hope you're having a lovely week. Thanks for dropping by.

STORMY SATURDAY/SUNDAY

 How did everyone fair Saturday night with the storms? It wasn't the storms that got us, it was the wind. It blew a tree down onto our house. Not a giant tree, but big enough to cause damage. It didn't come through the ceiling, thank goodness.  The actual storm hadn't even arrived yet. As you can see, we still have our Christmas lights up! May have to get them down for repairs to be done. 

Spring has definitely sprung around here. Bradford Pear trees are leafing out, their pretty white blooms being crowded out. The trees have a nice green haze around them as their leaves start to emerge. We've had a busy week and I'm looking forward to a week with nothing to do. I hope your upcoming week will be a great one. Thanks for stopping by.

RAINY DAY

 This is a post about reversing some things I've said...like I like rain. Oh sure, I like rain just fine unless I'm walking through the parking lot at church without an umbrella and as far away from the building as you can get. It was a cold rain, too. Reversal number 2...the daffodils around here are in full bloom, not through as I reported last post. Apparently, it's only mine that are done. I guess picking your daffodils makes them die faster and I picked all of mine. This fall I am going to plant a lot more so I'll have plenty to pick and plenty still blooming in the yard. 

The best thing about the rain today is a rainbow was created. They are always so exciting to see. This is actually an older picture because the one I took today didn't turn out, the rainbow was just to light.

I think the rain will be done soon and the rest of the week will be lovely.  I hope you have a great day. Thanks for dropping by.

STORMY WEATHER

 Big storms were predicted night before last, and some people did get them. Luckily, we just had some rain. But yesterday, after the rain had left, there were huge winds. We've lost our Spring-like temperatures, so with the blustery wind and colder temps, it felt brutal to me. I can handle the cold, but not with the wind. 

Even though the rain had moved out, storm clouds remained. I love storm clouds. They are so much more interesting than blue sky to me. We tend to get a lot of storm clouds, but no rain. That's always a disappointment.

A  little bit of blue sky peeking through. There was a good bit of blue sky, but then it all turned back to dark clouds. 

I was so worried about the storms and high winds that I moved a lot of my plants into a protective area. I was afraid the high winds would break the tulips. All's back to good though. My daffodils are all done blooming. That's always sad.

I hope you're having a wonderful week. Looking forward to the weekend. I'll be doing childcare at church. I still haven't made it to the Home Depot nursery. Maybe I can do that tomorrow.

TODAY'S MUSINGS

 Not much happening this weekend. We drove to Home Depot, but realized it was Saturday afternoon and decided it was going to be too crowded, so we turned around and headed back home. We'll go Monday instead.  I really don't like crowds. Don grilled us some salmon for dinner and it was delish. He is the grill master, but he's passing the torch to our son, who loves cooking. What a lucky mother I am. 

This is our dog Arie. She is laying on her favorite piece of furniture, but she's too big for it so she lays with her head hanging off. If I laid like that my eyeballs would be popping out, but apparently her big ol head can take all that extra blood. 

Our temperatures have cooled off. This morning the low is in the 30's. Our high is expected to be in the 50's. A far cry from our highs in the 70's. Still, I kind of like this on again/off again weather. I think we might get some rain late in the week. That always makes me happy!

This little setting is on my dear mother's singer sewing machine base. I gave it to her for one of her birthdays - found it at an antique flea market. It has a nice slab of marble on top. 

I'll be heading out to church soon. I teach a 1st grade class then go to hear the message. I love my church and find the messages interesting, but I have the hardest time sitting for an hour and ten minutes. It's pure torture for me to be still that long. What's a girl to do? 

I hope you have a great week. Thanks for stopping by

HELO MARCH

Hello March! I know you're going to have cold days and blustery days, and rainy days, but I am so glad to see you. This winter was fabulous, it still has about 3 weeks to go, but I know there are going to be many Spring-like days with nice temperatures. Maybe we'll squeeze in a fire or two, enjoying the last of the winter-time cold days. I promise I won't be upset, I'll roll with it. 

Nothing much happening for me this weekend. Last Saturday was my child care day at church, so this Saturday I can play. I see a trip to the Home Depot nursery in my future! I'm looking for purple violas and pansies.

I thank you for dropping by my blog. Comments are appreciated. I love to see who has visited. Have a lovely day.

PRETTY SKIES

 I pulled into the church parking lot and saw this beautiful sunrise. I was so glad I remembered my phone so I could capture it. I often forget to carry my phone, I find them a real nuisance, and yet I can't do without it. How pitiful am I? I guess they certainly have their place in our lives.

Are you seeing hints of Spring yet? Our weather has just been fantastic. Today's high is 77*F, a little overcast. I spent some time sitting on my deck just enjoying the light breeze and the birds chirping

I hope you are having a lovely day. Thanks for dropping by.

I am participating in Skywatch Friday.

GREAT SPRING-LIKE DAY

Yesterday hubby and I spent 2 hours at the clinic - him getting an iron infusion. His activity level had dropped so drastically he had to have another infusion - this makes 4 so far. He is being treated for Aplastic Anemia and is feeling much better today, I'm happy to report. He's even cooking us breakfast. 

Made a trip to Walmart to see what they might have for Spring planting. They didn't have much, but I did buy some potted daffodils, tulips, cyclamen, and hyacinth. I was disappointed they didn't have any pansies or violas. I'll have to try Home Depot.

This little parrot vase belonged to my dear mother. I think it belonged to her mother.

                   

  

We love sitting on the deck and these flowers make it even more enjoyable. Today my daughter fell through a rotting place in the deck. This is very aggravating because this deck isn't that old and supposedly used pre-treated wood, plus a deck stain, but there are a few places of rot.  I'm just glad daughter only got a scraped leg and didn't break anything or need stitches. We're going to have to figure out how to fix this dangerous situation.

 Spring will be here before you know it, sooner for me it seems. I wouldn't be surprised if we got more cold weather. March is generally cold and blustery. I'm told our last frost date is usually in March. 

I hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by.

 Oh! Glorious Spring-like temperatures, how I've missed you. Don't get me wrong, winter was fun and cozy. Two (two!) snow events. Warm fires. Warm quilts. Warm soups. Yes, winter was surely enjoyed. But it's time to move aside and welcome Spring. I have a few patches of daffodils in full bloom. They are such a bright spot after the gray days of winter. I made this little bouquet and put them in this little Dutch girl vase. I just love it, I think it's so cute. 

I have more daffodils this year than in years past. I know it's because of the cold winter we've had. I have one patch that used to bloom but now doesn't. Not sure why. They send up nice green leaves but no flowers. Maybe I'll dig them up and replant.

I love the little parrot vase. I'll pick more daffodils later today for it. 

A nice, pretty little bouquet. 

I hope your day will be a joyful one. Thanks for stopping by. Keep warm and take care!

SPRING IS HERE

 A fine, spring-like day. Short sleeves and flip flops. We built a little bon fire but had no marshmallows or hot dogs to roast, sigh. It was a lot of fun though. 

On Monday's my ggrandaughter takes the school bus to our house. She had a lot of fun with a nice stick and the fire. So easy to entertain when there is a bon fire! My son is a fire building extraordinaire. It was really nice to spend some time outdoors, listening to the birds and watching the squirrel antics. My daffodils and hyacinths are in bloom. They are so pretty, I need to make a bouquet. Perhaps for tomorrow's post.

I hope you have a lovely week, thanks for dropping by.  

MY THOUGHTS

It turned my stomach when I saw Elon Musk gleefully handle a chain saw while gloating over who was going to get fired next. To have so little regard for your fellow human is repulsive. How you can fire 100's of people and not care at all about their lives, their families, their whole existence being turned upside down. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior. I understand that our government may need to be made smaller but, please, have a care about the people you are affecting.

COLD AND BLUSTERY

 A lovely day, a bit on the cold side (high 37F) and quite blustery,  but beautiful cloudy skies. I love when a gray day starts to break up and leaves behind puffy clouds and blue sky. 

At home, we're enjoying a fire and Seinfeld. I love this picture of the puppers all relaxing at the fire. I don't know if there is anything that would move them right now. You would think they've been working hard on the farm all day. You would be wrong. This is pretty much their day - other than eating and the occasional walk. You gotta love um. Man's best friend, unlike Meeka, man's enemy. lol. 

I hope you are having a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping by. 

MEEKA

 This is Meeka. We think he is a Norwegian Forest cat, not a Main Coon. His original owner said he was a Main Coon. Meeka is not in any way a nice cat. He's not friendly. He's not family oriented. He's not kind. He doesn't like to be touched, except occasionally around his ears. So you can imagine my surprise when this surly cat climbed on to my lap - 3 times - yesterday. First he just sat on the side of the chair.  That in itself freaked me out. Then he started kneading on me. Oh wow! Finally, he climbed in my lap and slept.  He did this three times. How happy I was! He's getting loving in his old age! On the third time I started rubbing around his ears...he attacked me full force. He bit my hand 3 times then jumped down. And I thought we were becoming such good friends.  Oh well, the enemy within. 

 I hope you are having a great Tuesday. I had my hair cut (not happy). Take care.

IT HAPPENED

 Well, it happened. As soon a I turned my back, BAM!!!  Cold weather returned. Way down here. Way down here in the South. Down where we were already thinking Spring had sprung. Of course, we knew it wasn't really spring yet. But we had some 80 degree days. Daffodils are blooming. Hyacinths are up and budded. It sure seemed like Spring was here. But we are rolling with the punches. Enjoying a nice, cozy fire, food that warms, quilts and blankets. Nothing better on a cold day. 

How about you? Are you still shoveling snow and staying indoors by a fire? I hope you have a great week, take care and keep warm!

GRAY SKIES TO BLUE

 After a great day of rain yesterday, today the gray skies were breaking into beautiful clouds and blue sky. I was at my husbands doctor appointment when the skies started clearing. I'm taking these pictures through the tinted windows of the office.

Walking through the parking lot I saw this tree that I liked and decided to get a picture through it's bare branches. Spring will be here soon and all those branches will have a green haze.

After the doctors appointment we ate lunch at Chylacas. I always get a Texas Fajita which was delicious. An early Valentines Day treat. I hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by.

I'm joining Skywatch Friday, Hop over and see the cool sky shots.

A CUTIE PIE

Since my last nature post did not endear many people to the assassin bug, I thought I would post something that I am absolutely sure you will love! You've probably heard of this adorable octopus before. I think it is just the cutest thing. It is the Dumbo Octopus. 

I think he is so cute. He gets his name because of his little ear-like fins that flap and makes him look like Disney's Dumbo. 

From Wikipedia:  Genus Grimpoteuthis, they are assumed to have a worldwide distribution living in the cold, abyssal depths ranging from 1,000-7,000 meters (3,300-23,000 ft). They eat crustaceans, bi-valves, worms and copepods. Dumbos grow from 7 inches to 12 inches. They have a life span of 3-5 years. 

If you want, you can go HERE to see a little video of a Dumbo Octopus. He is so cute when he uncurls his legs. 

I hope you're having a great weekend. Thanks for dropping by. Take care.

SPRING WILL COME

 My Northern friends are covered in several feet of snow. Makes me almost feel guilty over our spring-like temperatures. But still the garden is brown and the pots are empty. I haven't made it to the garden center yet so I'll post some previous spring pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

Just to ease your mind, it IS coming. One day we'll look up and see a green haze as the leaves are breaking through. Then we get to deal with the pollen. You gotta have it, but I do dread it. I hope you are having a lovely weekend. Keep warm and take care.

SPRING COLOR

 With Spring giving us a little sneak preview, I thought I would put some flowers up today. What better way to ease the pains of winter than with a little bit of color. While I enjoy the soft grays of winter, I am looking forward to some color. Last year I was unable to work in the garden due to a bad back and old knees. Instead, we planted some pots with pretty plants and enjoyed them all summer.

Certainly this was smaller than my garden, but I enjoyed these plants a lot. The upkeep was much easier on this old body. I look forward to picking out this years plantings.

I hope you have a great weekend. Thanks for dropping by, take care.

STORMY WEATHER

Hello friends! How are you today. It's a delightful Thursday here. A little mist in the air. Possibly actual rain coming soon. We've had some very dark clouds tracking this way. I love seeing storms approaching through the trees in my back yard. 

Oh Spring! It feels like you are here already, but I know it's just a little present, a little view of what's to come, just not quite yet. But it is a wakeup call to start getting ready. I need a trip to the garden center to  purchase potting soil and soil conditioner. I didn't plant any bulbs last fall and am regretting it now. Maybe they will have some already potted up at the Center. I also need some fertilizer. Guess I'd better get with it, Spring won't wait for me to get it together!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll leave a comment as I love them! Have a great weekend.

I am participating in Skywatch Friday I hope you'll drop by and look at all the beautiful photos.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

 An absolutely beautiful day here in Georgia. It's 72*F and sunny. I think this will last all week before we drop back to the 30's and 40's. I love clouds and wanted to snap some nice pictures but there wasn't a cloud in the pure blue, blue sky. I see signs of life under the leaf liter. Little green points poking through. I'm so excited and can't wait to see some daffodils and hyacinths. 

I ran across this picture of some kitties we were pet sitting for. I think it's so cute, though I may have posted it before. Such cute kitties.

I should get outside and enjoy this spring day. I hope you have a good week. 

ASSASSIN BUG

Have you heard of the Assassin Bug? They live in Malaysia and are quite the fashionable bug. They hunt ants and kill them by turning their insides to liquid and then they suck the insides out. That leaves behind the ant's exoskeleton. They then take the exoskeleton and place them on their back. It's supposed to confuse the enemy but I think it's a fashion choice. Aren't they cute?

We're coming up on Monday. I have one task to do tomorrow then my day is free. I hope you have a great week. Thanks for stopping by.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

The skies in the mountains can be so beautiful. The picture I'm sharing today is from the north Georgia mountains, near Helen, Georgia. My daughter snapped these for me. I'll be going up in March to stay with my her for a few days. There are so many pretty areas I can't wait to visit. Her friend is always photographing the most beautiful waterfalls, meadows, buildings, etc. I hope I get to see some of them.

I hope you have a great weekend. Thanks for visiting. Take care.

I'm joining Skywatch Friday. 

 

WELCOME RAIN

 We had some welcome rain this week. It just drizzled all day. Nice and misty and drizzly. I love the rain. There is just something wonderful about a day of rain. Often our rain is at night, where you can't really enjoy it. This weeks rain was all day long. So nice.

This little cedar tree sparkled with drops of rain. I thought it was so pretty.

This morning the temperature is hovering around 35F but it will warm up nicely to 64F. The sky is breaking a beautiful blue, not a cloud in sight. Thanks so much for stopping by. Take care and stay warm!

HORSESHOE CRABS

 Did you know that horseshoe crabs have blue blood? I was fascinated by this fact, then I read that 500,000 are captured and released after some of their blood is harvested. It is used by pharmaceutical companies.  I'm not sure how I feel about this. I saw a picture of the poor animals being strapped down and it just seems a little cruel. They are such an interesting animal, I hope this harvesting doesn't hurt them. 

Horseshoe crabs aren't really crabs at all. The are closely related to spiders. Even though they look scary with their long pointy tail and many legs, They don't bite or sting. Their tail is used to help them turn back over if they are turned over by a wave. You can pick them up to help them get turned right. 

I hope you're having a happy Tuesday. I don't have anything I need to do today so I'm just gonna vegetate. 

MONDAY MUSINGS

 Super fun having my daughter home for a week. We treated ourselves to dinner out. Good conversation and good food can't be beat! While looking out the window at the restaurant I noticed this beautiful holly that was full of berries. Didn't see any birds eating the berries which surprised me. I know they love them.

There was also a plant that was casting wonderful shadows

.These aren't the best photos. Kind of hard to be inconspicuous taking photos in a restaurant! I hope you are having a great day. It's been a misty day around here, just enough for slow windshield wipers. 

Thanks for stopping by. I love comments so leave me one! It will be appreciated.

A BRIEF TRIP TO THE MOUNTAINS

 A quick trip to the mountains to pick up my daughter. She is coming home for a week long visit. I haven't seen her for a month, so I'm very excited. The drive was pleasant. Hubby and I got very nostalgic talking about our childhoods. The sky on the drive up was completely cloud free. But on the way home this beautiful cloud formation was captured.

The winds must have been really strong in the upper atmosphere. The clouds are so wispy. 

When we got home the animals were so excited to see Sally they totally ignored Don and I. We put a pizza in the oven and turned on Seinfeld, Two of our favorite things.

I hope your day is great. Thanks so much for stopping by.

I'm participating in Skywatch Friday.

AND THE SNOW CAME

We only got a little, but it was pretty. Our flakes were really tiny. I was hoping for big fat ones. The snow created a nice cozy day for us. The snow was like powder. I've never seen powder snow. I've heard that skiers like to ski on powder. I heard we actually had skiers in Piedmont Park, skiing down the hills. That sounds like fun.

It must seem silly to my Northern friends for me to get so excited over an inch of snow, lol. But I do! It's been years since we had any. It's like a holiday around here! Extra special snacks, extra firewood, Lots of quilts brought out. We prepare well. Today the sun was bright and melted a lot of the snow,  but any wetness left behind will refreeze tonight as we dip again into the 20's. My brother is a good 200 miles south of me in Florida and he got 13 inches! I'm jealous!

I hope you've had a lovely day. Thanks so much for stopping by. It's frigid over much of the country so keep warm friends. 

LAZY DAYS

 Oh boy is it cold. I know some of you are even colder, but this is super cold to me! We're waiting for the snow to arrive. We may get some, we may not. I guess it's a wait and see event. The animals are all taking the day off and have been lazing around on the sofa. 

Cold outside but nice and cozy warm inside. I've got a big pot of chili cooking and warm quilts all around and a nice fire. 

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some nice snow pictures! I hope you're having a great day. Thanks for stopping by.