Picture Purr-fect

After a long and difficult winter, we now have had the wettest April in 139 years! I wish we could share some of the rain with our friends in Texas! Day after day of rain and gloomy weather makes me want to look at pretty things.

Usually I am hesitant to cut so many of my spring flowers to bring inside, but with the rain, high winds, and the occasional threat of hail,  I knew they wouldn't last very long outside. I have thoroughly enjoyed the tulip and daffodil bouquets in the house!

I am still trying to learn more about photography and my camera. It seems that there is always more to learn. During these past few gloomy days, I've been  experimenting with indoor photography, (with no natural sunlight). The bouquets of flowers make the perfect models!



Speaking of purr-fect models, here is my sweet kitty enjoying our cozy spot. Cats always make things look even cozier!



More beautiful tulips!



I thought I would include a shot of the night stand I bought at a garage sale last year and painted turquoise.



I don't usually follow color trends, but I am loving all things turquoise, especially the robin's eggs and my sweet collection of blue Ball jars. (The peony picture is from last year. I can't wait to have them again!)

This Weeks Miscellany

My fur babies and I thoroughly enjoyed the warm sunny weather earlier this week. I cleaned up in the yard and did a lot of weeding and some mulching. Lilly stayed close by rolling around on the grass and keeping the birds at a safe distance. She loves to chase them away from the feeders. Libby is an indoor cat and she always tries to find a warm sunny spot to lay in.

It rained a little today and I was so glad to see it. The ground was already dry and starting to crack and the grass was turning brown. We should have more rain over the next few days, so hopefully that will green the grass back up and perk up the garden.

When I did a walk around the yard yesterday, I saw little feathers in the flowerbed, (center picture). I think they are chickadee feathers. I was so sad thinking that my little chickadee that had been working so hard building a nest had met its demise. I still see chickadee activity in the bird house so hopefully it wasn't one of the ones nesting.



I have enjoyed the tulips this year! I am surprised at how long they have lasted, although with the rain today, I'm pretty sure they are finished for the season.

I cut several tulips a few days ago and tried to artistically photograph them. It was too windy and I spent the time fighting the trifold display board that I was using for my background. It won the fight.

I haven't had time to try to photograph them again and after the rain today, I doubt there will be any left to photograph.

So, I thought I would go ahead and share my blurry tulip pictures. I'm still holding out hope that I can have another, less windy, photo session with the tulips.

Today is my twenty-eighth wedding anniversary. I spent the day going to garage sales with a friend and then my sweet hubby and I went out to dinner.

I can't wait to show you my weekend garage sale treasures! I got something that has been on my wish list for several years!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Shy Lilly

Lilly has enjoyed the warmer weather and is so glad to be taking walks again, (me too)!


She gets very nervous when I aim my camera at her and she refuses to cooperate.


She is my faithful garden companion. She is usually a very good girl and lays close by while I'm gardening. However she was very naughty Monday and chased a cat across the street, refusing to listen to me or come when I called her. I guess I have some obedience training to do before unleashing her. I think she forgot how to behave outside.



A few weeks ago I saw the male blue jay feed the female, actually it was more like she took it from the very reluctant male. This morning I saw a male cardinal feeding the female. It was so sweet. I hate that I wasn't able to get a picture of it. The birds are singing and looking for nesting locations. I hope I have occupants in my bird houses this year!

I plan to get some more cleaning up done in the yard today, the temperatures will be dropping again for a few days and there is even a chance of snow.

For those of you who are interested in bird watching, here is a link to a barn owl that is nesting. The babies should be hatching any time now. This is fascinating to watch and kind of gross when they eat.

Snow and Bird Watching

Today we got about three inches of snow. Being from Alabama, I really dislike the long winters here in Indiana, but I've grown to love, really love, watching the snow fall while the birds flock to my feeders. It brings me incredible pleasure to sit at my kitchen table, sipping on coffee, with my camera close by snapping pictures of the birds. I use my swing frame for a bird feeding station and the birds come right up to the patio, even as close as the door. The pictures aren't as clear as I'd like since they are taken through the sliding glass doors, but from the warmth of my kitchen, I get some pretty good photo opportunities.





I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Our Christmas was different this year since we weren't able to travel home to Alabama. There have been many years with plenty, but this was a very lean Christmas for us. We are still kind of reeling financially from the previous job losses. That is OK, thankfully my children are older and they understand. It also helps us to put our faith into practice since we acknowledge that the real reason for the season isn't about gifts, but about celebrating the birth of our Saviour. We know this is just a bump in the road and we also know there are many who are in the same boat. We hope and pray that 2010 will be the year that we get firmly back on our feet and we are striving toward that end. I hope that 2010 is a year of peace, health and happiness for each of you.

After Thanksgiving Miscellany

Wednesday while in the kitchen cooking, I noticed a Cooper's hawk on the bird feeder dining on a house sparrow. Wouldn't you know it, my good camera was upstairs, but it didn't have the zoom lens on it anyway. I grabbed the camera that I keep in my purse and took a few shots before it flew away. The white balance setting was wrong, so the pictures didn't turn out very well.

I didn't see the hawks much over the summer, I guess now that it's turning colder they'll be more frequent visitors. As long as they dine on house sparrows and starlings I won't be sad to see them visit.

I dread seeing how many rabbits are here next year. There are more this year than I ever recall seeing and they are quite brave considering we have a dog that chases them out of the yard when she see them. They just keep coming right back.

I was cleaning and organizing in my craft room and closet a few days ago, of course Ms. Kitty has to be in the middle of it all. She particularly loves flowers.

Today has been a restful day, sleeping late and eating leftovers. No Black Friday shopping for me, there has never been anything that I wanted bad enough to fight the crowds over. Some people love it but, no thank you, that is not my thing.

Seeds

I've been a very patient gardener so far this winter. Last year I wasn't patient and started some seeds as early as February 5th which was way too early for my zone 5 garden. I'm getting antsy to start sowing and will probably begin in the next few days.

Just out of curiosity, I counted my seed packets tonight and so far there are 52, including the ones I collected from my own flower garden. I'm sure I'll be buying more when I go to the Indy Flower and Patio show in a few days. Most of them are zinnias, cosmos and sunflower seeds which will be directly sown in the ground. I can't have too many of those in the garden.

Of course Libby had to get right in the middle of things.

She plopped down on the seeds and began to play with the string on my pajamas. Silly cat!

I had to change my RSS feeds due to the changes with Feedburner and Blotanical. This stuff confuses me and I almost have to do it with my eyes closed because I'm so afraid I'll mess something up. I hope it doesn't cause problems with anyone. Please let me know if something isn't working right.

Poor Little Bird

This morning my daughter noticed the cat trying to get up to the window. She opened the blinds and saw this poor little goldfinch huddled in the corner.

I went outside to see if I could tell what was wrong. It was shivering in the cold with it's little head tucked in its feathers. It wasn't moving, not even with the cat so close to it...

and pawing at the window. As I approached it flew away, obviously injured, but still able to get away. It flew to my neighbors back yard.


A little while later I heard Lilly in the kitchen going nuts at the door, I was sad to see that the goldfinch had returned.

Poor sweet little bird. I wish I knew what to do for it. Any ideas?

Edit: The goldfinch has died on the patio. I wonder what was wrong with it. So sad.

Enjoying the Sunshine!

We are enjoying another day of sunshine, two in a row! The temps are in the mid-forties today but at least the sun is streaming through the windows.

We are having to step over both the cat and dog as we go down the stairs, because the sun is now most prominent through the landing window. Libby is sunning on the stairs and Lilly is sunning herself on the landing. Good thing I'm not doing laundry today!

LAPCPADPOUB

At the invitation of HappyMouffetard, from The Inelegant Garden, a lot of bloggers are posting about their cats today.
'Lets all post cat photos and dire poetry on our blogs' (LAPCPADPOUB*)

I couldn't pass up this opportunity to share a few pictures of my own special kitty, (I'll have to skip the dire poetry part, I'm not feeling that creative tonight.)

Sometimes Libby is aloof like other cats, but most of the time she is very friendly.

She often finds unusual places for her catnaps.






She loves to lay on books, especially if they are open and in my lap.

She loves to roll around in the catnip.




She often sits in my lap while I'm at the computer, trying to lick my fingers as I type. She is my shadow and sleeps beside me at night. She actually comes when I call her. As much as I love her, it is hard to remember that there was a time that I really disliked cats. She has definitely won me over to the cat side.

Odd Hummingbird

I thought is was amusing to watch the goldfinch preening himself on the hummingbird feeder. I only wish the window blinds had been up. I haven't seen any real hummingbirds yet.

Yesterday, after church we stopped by the nursing home to visit with Nell, (my m-i-l). I saw the squirrel on the bird feeder right outside the dining room window and as usual I had my camera in my purse. I had to get a few pictures, since I don't have squirrels around my house, (thankfully). I'm sure the squirrel is entertaining to the residents while they eat their meals.

Lilly hates the camera and will usually not let me get too many pictures of her. She was distracted this time, probably watching for the ducks, which are still coming every day.

Doggy at the Window and a Lovely Bloom

Two of the impatiens bloomed today and a few others have buds forming. I'm excited to see blooms, but it's really too early. I can't put them outside for a while yet. I definitely won't start them so early next year.

My tomatoes are up and growing well, as is the cilantro. The dill isn't looking too great though, I may have to sow a few more seeds and try again.

We thought Lilly looked so cute looking out the window. She may have been watching for the ducks. Unfortunately we didn't see them again today, or the bluebird either. I don't think my new nesting box was selected. Bummer!

This is a busy week for me since Hubby is on vacation. We are trying to get a few things done around the house. Hopefully, I can get the inside cleaned up and organized during this rainy week and then I can be free to play outside as soon as it warms up.

Well Behaved Kitty and Seedlings Galore

I couldn't ask for a more well behaved kitty. She really is a sweetheart. Not once has she attempted to play in the dirt or nibble on my plants. Even though I have a few gnats swarming around the plants and she is fascinated with them, she just watches from a close but safe distance.

Honest, mom, I was just looking.

Four of the five gerbera daisies are blooming right now. This yellow one has three blooms.

As you can see from my pictures I'm kind of desperate for containers. Thankfully I eat a lot of yogurt and had saved some of the containers. (Dannon All Natural Vanilla is my absolute favorite yogurt.)

In the grouping above I have pansies, foxglove, bee balm, balloon flowers and three kinds of grass that have germinated and seem to be doing well.

I bought a package of lilies the other day that had already started growing. There were six in the package, 2 Stargazer, 2 Le Reve, and 2 Mona Lisa all three types are differing shades of pink. I've never grown them before and hope they will do well until they can be planted outside. The large plastic yogurt containers are a great size for planting bulbs. I punched holes, with an ice pick, in the bottom and lower sides to aid in drainage.






The impatiens are still doing great. They were growing so fast that the dreaded task of pinching back was much easier for me to do this time. They are filling out quite nicely.










All but three or four of the 43 Purple Wave petunia seeds have germinated.
The Scabiosa, Blue flax, and rudbeckia 'Irish Eyes' have also germinated in large quantities.

The Blanketflower seeds, that were guaranteed to grow, are growing. Beside the blanketflower is liatris. I don't know if the corms are viable or not, but there were 12 corms in a package at Aldis for under $3.00, (I think it was $2.49, maybe $2.99), anyway, I thought it was worth a shot. I also bought a package with two 'Bright-eyes' phlox for the same price. They already had a little bit of growth, so I know at least they were alive.



Here is another picture of the Bee Balm.

















I don't know what I'm going to do with all of these seedlings. I guess I had better be finding more containers for transplanting, which will need to be done soon. I still have so much more that I want to plant, but I'm quickly running out of space.