 Spring is here and it's my least favorite season. Dead grasses behind a pile of rocks show up. The garden begins to appear. It looks just pitiful.  Just more of the same - EVERYWHERE! If we could just skip this happening and had green all around. Buds begin to appear with bare branches all over the place!  The winter freeze chipped off spots on the big flower pots. A painting job is in order. The great part about this whole scene is the green grass.  Off to Home Depot getting hopefully the same color to paint over those spots. We'll see how that works out. Just part of getting summer ready to appear.
2 Comments
 I love flower buying every spring. We try to pick out different ones year after year, but some we insist on repeating.  Moose Crossing has the most beautiful flowers... that it became very hard to choose what our flower gardens would like this year. As you notice I tend to choose the RED ones!  I never noticed this kind of plant before. A Black-eyed Susan? I wonder what that would add to our plantings.  I loved browsing through the planters, pots and decorative garden pieces. I had so many ideas on where to put those summer decorative flower holders.  Which plant is mine and which is Leon's?
We're off to another nursery to check things out!  "As a child, Phoebe Manigault developed the gift of premonition after she was struck by lightning in the creeks near her Charleston home. Plagued throughout her life by mysterious dreams, and always living in the shadow of her beautiful sister, Addie, Phoebe eventually moves to the West Coast, as far from her family as possible. Now, years later, she is summoned back to South Carolina, to help Addie care for their ailing mother. As Phoebe’s return lures her back into deep-rooted tensions and conflicts, she is drawn toward Celeste, whose granddaughter went missing years ago. Their connection, woven through shared losses and hope, brings comfort to Phoebe, while Celeste’s adult grandson Liam resurrects complicated emotions tied to Phoebe’s past. But the longer Phoebe spends in her childhood home, the more her recurring nightmares intensify—bringing her closer to the shocking truth that will irrevocably change everything. Unfolding against the lush backdrop of the South Carolina Lowcountry, That Last Carolina Summer is an unforgettable family drama and mystery about the unbreakable bonds of family and the gift of second chances". I must write one my favorite paragraphs: "The scratches and whirs of the marsh night's busy orchestra drifted through the screen along with the pungent scent of of the plum mud, taking me back to time before the nightmares started..." (Simply beautiful!) This was a great read with each chapter providing interesting facts about birds and how they relate to human behavior. The story has many themes throughout: mystery, family secrets, reconciling the past and the gift of second chances. This author, Karen White, has a real writing talent. This certainly was a story that takes in the gift of the written word. I highly recommend this read!
 Spencer is lying on the guest bed cover every morning looking out the window. He's not seeing many summer flowers right now.  This is a picture of that garden he sees from those windows in July...  and here is how it looks today! We haven't even been to the nurseries because the flowers right now are just little bits of growing color. It's 42 degrees and the vases are lying flat with rocks showing all over the place. The turquoise table is waiting for the flower pot to appear.  We have had a cold spring and have not been outside working much. One of the pots is chipped and we must find some paint to put on it. Those flower holders were purchased 20 years ago at a Dallas greenhouse and used year after year. You see the bare branches on the birch trees.  As soon as it warms up a bit the planting begins. We've thrown some more wild flowers in the meadow and don't know what it will happen. It's never the same. One thing I like about spring is planning a different looking flower garden...always something new!
 Before we begin our day in the art studio, orange juice and a little smiling helped us get started.  While I looked over some new paints and just played around testing them out...  Leon got busy and produced some pretty fabulous paintings. I love the characters he found and began to practice while testing some new paints and using a lot of creativity on these 12 x 12 acrylic copies.  This one reminds him of a walk on the London sidewalks which we have visited many times. The umbrellas pop out and the stroll continues.  This is the one he is working on right now. A month in the art studio and he's painting away. Just getting better and better at it.
 It's time for me to get back in the kitchen. This time I am making a baked potato SUPREME! The ingredients sat waiting to be turned into one enticing meal. Tyson's chicken sat stripped of the coating in a fry pan covering covered with spices. The large potatoes were microwaved with butter added. Then the chicken was place on top of it. All goes well except I need to turn that knife over putting sharp side down!  After cheese is placed over the chicken, then add the bacon bits and more cheese. Mine, placed into the microwave for 20 seconds to reheat it (I prefer it HOT), was then pulled out and Ranch dressing landed on top of the finished meal. Oh, my gosh! Its scrumptious taste was simply spectacular! Might be dinner for tomorrow night since we have all the ingredients needed. I CAN DO THIS!
  Our first Rockport Garden Club met with rabbits on the table and friends appearing to help me out!  Our speaker, David Saltonstall from ScrapDogs Community Compost, provided information "with goal of minimizing waste sent to landfill and closing the loop of production and consumption in Midcoast Maine". We learned "how they are collecting our food and yard waste and processing this waste with nutrient rich compost available for our use".  Here's how it all works!  Some Compost FAQs were also provided. Delicious tastings were offered and simply scrumptious.  Kay decorated the tables with lovely eggs, each providing a tale of their existence. A divine addition to the food and centerpiece.  It happened to be one great day complete with a very successful
Rockport Garden Club meeting. Way to go! Now isn't this a wonderfully delicious meal to serve? It tasted just fabulous!  Linda, the birthday girl, enjoyed sharing day with friends circling the table.  The table setting happen to be quite lovely.  I painted a card for her from a piece that sits in our flower garden outside.  She also received a creative card that I really like. That friend should hold classes to share her talents.  Another wonderful gift were flowers so perfectly sitting in a vase and singing Happy Birthday! It happened to be a great way to spend lunch with a birthday friend who so happily enjoyed the whole meal.
 The Easter bunnies arrived on our dinner table for a feast with friends.  Paintings and rabbits also made an appearance!  Leon made this fabulous hors d'oeuvre that Michelle brought over one night. It all got eaten as a treat so there was nothing left...cream cheese, chopped pistachios and honey. Tasted the best ever.  Megan's best tasting dessert complete with carrot cake (my favorite) and pecans, coconut and carrots added. How does she do it?  These smiling faces are there for a reason. First, Leon is doing just fine. Second, the dinner was delightful. Third, dear friends arrived to share a meal. Couldn't get much better than that!
 It's been a week since we have seen this part of the hospital. I'm so happy we saw it when Leon was in great need. We have many, many people to thank for all the calls, the visits, the help, the emails, the written notes we received this past week. Tears were shed for many days. I wish you were all here so I could give you hugs. Much love to all of you!
|
