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.