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!)

Spring is Finally Here

Even though there was frost on the ground this morning, and it has been cool and rainy for the last few days, I have thoroughly enjoyed the few warm days we have had so far! The tulips and daffodils are blooming! We had some threatening weather with an expectation of hail and damaging winds. I couldn't bear the thought of my tulips being ripped to shreds by hail so I went out, in the rain, and cut a bouquet to enjoy inside.



I set up a little photography "studio" and played with my camera. It had been a long time since I had done that. It was kind of difficult to take pictures of anything this past winter except snow and birds. Unfortunately my blogging has suffered for several reasons.



My computer is almost five years old and for some reason it had become vulnerable to vicious trojan and malware viruses. Several times we have had to completely reformat the computer and each time I had to reload my software and programs on the computer. I still don't have everything I need back on, (like the printer). It has been quite a hassle and has kept me from blogging. The thought of finding and organizing all of my pictures and loading the editing software again was quite daunting and honestly not a priority.



In the past, I would have just purchased a new computer, but these days that isn't possible.This one is still under the extended warranty for a few more months and I am hoping it will crash before that time is up. I have never had a computer to last this long! Knowing how things have been going for us this past year, this one will last five years and one day!




It is so hard to believe that we are nearing the end of our homeschooling experience. For the last fifteen years we have homeschooled our two children. Only one month before graduation and that chapter of our life is finished. It has been such a blessing for our family and if I had it to do all over again, I would do it without a second thought!



My husband is beginning a new endeavor to start his own business. After being laid off several times due to corporate layoffs, he is taking his future in his own hands. It is frightening but exciting at the same time.



I have been so blessed to be able to stay at home with my children for the last twenty-three years. They have been my primary focus. Now that they are both grown with full-time jobs, I am at the cross-roads in my own life. I need to find a new purpose and way to be productive. I am babysitting part-time and I love the children, but it is a temporary situation.



I would really love to do something photography related and am contemplating the possibilities.



Thank you all for sticking with me through the tumultuous year and the sporadic posts. I hope things will settle down after graduation and I really hope the computer issues have been resolved now.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

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!

Spring Pictures

It was so nice to have the day off today. I got up bright and early and headed outside to take pictures of my spring blooms. It was quite windy so the pictures weren't crisp and clear but I had fun playing with them tonight anyway. The pink rose picture is from my new Knock Out rose, I desaturated the color and framed it.

This picture of the tulips was blurry so I used the Adobe watercolor effect on it. I don't usually use these features and was just playing around and trying something different.

The tulips were beautiful this morning adorned with rain drops.

Another flowering crabapple in full bloom today.



By the time I finished my errands and got around to gardening today, the weather was not the greatest. It was in the forties with wind gust of around 30-35 m.p.h. It was cold, but I was desperate to get some things planted and just to be outside near all of these gorgeous blooms. The pansies that I planted in the fall are really starting to bounce back now. I love this blue one.

I planted several of the impatiens that were grown from seed in the front flower beds, and I planted the calibrachoa in the front porch containers with some trailing vinca vines.



All but one of the lantana plants are now in containers. I didn't find the pink multi-colored one I really wanted, but the gold one performed well last year and the butterflies like it just as well.


I also planted the pink Knock Out rose, the red salvia and did a bit of weeding.
I don't have to go in to work again until later in the week, I hope the weather will be nice so I can get the rest of the stuff planted and do a considerable amount of weeding and edging.


The 'Karen' azalea is just beginning to bloom. I really miss the azaleas in Alabama during spring and was thrilled to find this one last year. It survived the winter and has lots of buds! Now, it really feels like spring to this southern gal!

A chipping sparrow gathering nesting material this morning. I haven't seen the bluebirds in several days so they must have chosen another place to nest.

A New Job!

The weather forecast last night predicted a light freeze. I covered as much as I could with blankets, sheets, boxes, and plastic containers. There was frost on the ground this morning and as far as I can tell nothing in the flower gardens were damaged.

I've been very blessed to have been able to stay at home while my children were growing up. Now that they are 20 and almost 16, I decided to get a part-time job and I started it today.

I wasn't actually expecting to start a job this soon; I have so much to plant now that we have hopefully had our last frost. I'm hoping I won't be quite so tired when I get home tomorrow and can at least get the impatiens in the front flower bed.

The tulips look so pretty right now, but rain is in the forecast and that probably will finish them off.

This is my first year for lilacs and they do indeed smell wonderful!

The phlox is beautiful this year and loaded with blooms.

I'm usually able to stay up late and enjoy computer time, but tonight I'm exhausted and I have another early, full day of work tomorrow. So, off to bed I go.

Tulips...Finally!

These are the purple tulips I planted in the fall, at least they were supposed to be purple. I know I'm not the only one this happened to, Sherry, from Sherry's Zoo and Gardens had red tulips instead of pink coming up in her garden. At least these are in the backyard garden and it really doesn't matter there.

I took this picture just a couple of hours after the first one. I couldn't believe how quickly they opened.

Thankfully, this cluster of tulips all turned out to be purple.

I'm having a few new visitors here at Robin's Nesting Place; the Common Grackle is enjoying the peanuts and the birdbath.

The brown-headed cowbird also stopped by for a visit and a bath.

I was sitting out on the patio, in the swing, watching Libby attack the chair leg. She loves this game and I love watching her play it.

The weather has been gorgeous the last few days, but I've not been out working because I've had other projects going on. Now that I've pretty much finished those, we have rain in the forecast for several days. Bummer! I've got quite a few of my seedlings outside hardening off. Now I just need to get outside and get them planted.

After the Rain

Johnny Jump-ups

The front porch flower bed.

I am partial to hosta and have always planted quite a few of these wherever I live.

The three coleus that I grew from seed are doing well outside, even with the cooler evening temperatures and all the rain. It should now be safe to begin hardening off the rest.

This is my favorite color of impatiens. I try to get a flat of these every year. Last year I planted them too early. Some were damaged by the cold, but when I went back to get more I couldn't find them. They obviously sell out quickly. I am waiting a few more days to plant these.

Lovely tulip.

Things waiting to be planted. Should be warming up in the next day or two and be in the 80's by Monday. Crazy weather.

Dianthus

Speedwell Veronica was recently planted to help attract hummingbirds and butterflies to my garden.

I love the tulips next to this white railing.

I am ready for the weather to clear so that I can finish my new bed on the side of the house. I have quite a few packets of seed, mostly zinnias and cosmos and am thinking of creating a cut flower bed. I have already spent quite a bit on containers, trees, shrubs and perennials and I think this would be a great place to use the seed I already have.