Watchful eyes...

Have you ever had that feeling you are being watched? This pine tree is in the garden and mama tree swallow watched every move while I was out weeding yesterday. I thought it would make a cute shot so went in to get the camera. By the time I got back it was the more blueish male swallow on guard at the nest box.

As I was taking his photo, mama flew back in - she took me by such surprise that I didn't have time to focus the camera but it still is a cool enough shot to share in a smaller format.

Wishing all the dad's out there a peaceful and relaxing evening to this Father's Day!

One year ago today....

I had the wild idea to start this garden of life blog...With my very first "morning has broken" post I showed you an early June morning view of the cabin and I tried to take the very same shot this morning.
I look around and see a lot of black dirt and not much color but then I look back at 6/18/06 and I guess it was the same scenario. I guess I am just an "inpatient gardener" waiting for peak July color :-)

How fitting the "Morning has broken" lyrics were again today as I sat outside in the early sunshine after last night's "sweet the rain's new fall" listening to the birds and marveling at God's recreation of another new day!

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day (Cat Stevens..)

Three weeks until the wedding celebrations begin and then I hope to have lots more time on my hands to get back to taking a few more quality garden photos.

In the pink again...

I caught a nasty bug and was down and out for awhile but an early morning walk through the garden to visit the "doctor", Dr. Ruppel Clematis that is...and I was feeling back in the pink again...well almost :-)

The raspberry blast supertunia was definitely feeling the "pink" too!

Blowin' in the wind...

How does Alexis get her pigtails to point straight forward?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

It is very windy here today but Alexis wanted to go out and feed the fish. The food went flying and she thought she had to lean forward into the wind to walk along the paths.

We picked some blooms with scents to experience the smells...
Which she had to share with the fish...

and Ruger!

I so enjoy my days with her visiting :-)

Blue Delphinium

Last night as we were eating dinner on the patio the sun was setting and the blue delphiniums were gorgeously backlit. They looked almost neon so I ran to grab the camera and take a few shots before going back to dinner. Later, I noticed the white stripped sphinx month on them so took some more shots to share. What an enchanted evening...a wonderful welcome after being gone a few days.

Harbor rainbow...

If I could catch a rainbow I would do it just for you.

And share with you it's beauty on the days you're feeling blue.

If I could build a mountain you could call your very own.

A place to find serenity a place to be alone.

If I could take your troubles I would toss them in the sea.

But all these things I'm finding are impossible for me,

I cannot build a mountain or catch a rainbow fair

But let me be...what I know best, a friend that's always there.

(Khahlil Gibran)

I just got back from a few days in Duluth helping Jayme with wedding stuff and packing for her move in a couple of weeks. Last night was a stormy one and we were blessed with seeing a double rainbow over the harbor after the rain was done. Of course by the time I could get the car off the highway and to a photographic vantage point one rainbow was gone and the other was quickly diminishing but I still thought the shot was worth posting.

Back to the garden tomorrow...

The tortoise and the hare or is it...

The turtle and the "hairy" Dog? We have had a large painted turtle on the yard for the last 2 days which is unusual out here in farm country. He is slowly making his way across the property having only made it about 100 yds from Monday to Tuesday. Of course progress is much smaller when you have to "contain" yourself everytime one of the dogs comes to check you out :-)

The turtle can't go out to play,

Or sell his house or rent it;

For when he moves,

His house moves too

And nothing can prevent it.

Plant a Rose...

She who stoops to plant a rose

whose fragrance wafts toward the sky.

Plants splendor not for self alone,

but shares with strangers passing by.

She who plants a rose plants friends,

unknowingly though it may be.

The language of the blossoms weaves

a mystic spell of harmony.

For those who pause beside the bush

are strangely somehow richly blessed.

By language only flowers know...

and roses seem to speak it best!

(Helen Phelps)

The climbing roses are blooming and they are beautiful. I often have a "visitor" on them as this is one of her favorite perches. Did you see her in the 2nd photo before I zoomed in for the third?

Good Times...

Thank you for the good times,

The day you filled with pleasure.

Thank you for fond memories,

And for feelings we will always treasure.
(Karl Fuchs)

I had a busy weekend of fun and family so haven't posted for a few days. On Saturday, Jayme's wonderful aunts and cousins hosted a beautiful bridal shower for her and mom thoroughly enjoyed it too! We can't thank you enough for all the time and effort put into the day...it was perfect.

The garden is still very wet so I am working on keeping all my newly purchased plants alive while I wait for perfect planting conditions. Looks like I get a couple more days to be in "wedding planning mode" :-)

Decisions, Decisions...

What's a girl to do?

I went plant shopping yesterday on a search for all my favorite annuals. I kind of felt like a starving person at a buffet - so many choices and I wanted them all.

I found my favorites like lisanthus, kent beauty oregano and lantana but picked up some new (to me) ones like poppies and stocks. Of course, the car was filled to the brim and I look forward to getting them in the ground and showing you a whole summer of blooms in future posts.

I took a quick walk outside this morning to see if the ground was dry enough to plant (sadly it's not) and though I do not have much blooming right now I found much to admire.

These current blooms all led me to think about Heidi and my request for prayers on Monday. I want to say a huge Thank You for the responses via email and comments. Just as the allium is made up of 100's of small star shaped flowers to make up one beautiful globe and it takes many petals to make a beautiful bloom all of us together will make a beautiful prayer network for her.

I love my family...

As you can see I've been slack in my "life in the garden" postings and I will get back to them tomorrow. But the "Garden of Life" is taking a priority over everything for me these days. I don't have grandchildren of my own but Alexis and Benjamin feel like they are mine. Postings of them always bring the most comments to me personally from the people I know. Two of my favorite postings are little Alexis in the garden and the two of them wishing Grandpa Steve a Happy Birthday last fall.

I love their parents like my own children and am asking all my faithful readers to say a prayer for this young family. Heidi was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma last November and just a few days before her 12th and final chemo treatment she found out it is back. She has begun a more intense chemotherapy treatment and will be facing a stem cell transplant in July. Pray for complete healing for her and strength for the whole family as they go through this tough period in their lives. I believe in the power of prayer and the more lifted on their behalf the better.

Indigo blues...

I love the indigo buntings...one of the shyest birds in the garden but lucky for me they like to take a bath like everyone else.

I did a little reading on them and they are the bluest of all our blue birds and they are known for their sweet songs.

Edward Howe Forbush, a famous New England ornithologist in the early twentieth century, effused: "The male seems to delight in singing during the hottest part of the summer days, when other birds are resting in the shade. He will sing his way from the bottom of a tree to the top, going up branch by branch until he has reached the topmost spire, and there, fully exposed to the blazing sun, he will sing and sing and sing."

Indeed! A male indigo bunting will utter as many as 680 songs an hour if he's looking for a mate. That's one amazing fact!

Love is in the air...part 2

Love is in the air, Everywhere I look around
Love is in the air, Every sight and every sound...

Love was in the air last August when Ashley & Cory got engaged and again this weekend when we attended their wonderful wedding!

I wish them a lifetime filled with love & happiness!

Natural beauties...

"The beauty in
nature is God's
greeting card."
(posted on sign outside of a local church)

I'm continuing to enjoy the emerging spring garden though I do not have much "color" right now except in the bird population and these 2 are brights spots of color in today's garden.

Wings...

"Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings."
Victor Hugo


a smile for today...

Flowers...

"Flowers are love's
truest language."
P. Benjamin


The last of the tulips opened up so I am slightly disappointed that I only had 2 1/2 weeks of bloom time this year. We had unusual May temps in the 90's the last several days which brought new blooms on many other plants so I still have lots to enjoy. The lilacs are scenting the whole yard and I am enjoying their short bloom time as well as the fern peonies and bleeding hearts.

East, West, North, South...

Such a busy weekend...I don't know what direction I'm heading in today but took time to post a few photos for my Monday morning viewers :-)

It's bathtime...

Mr. Robin takes a bath...

and he does lots of splashing...




















Do you think I got under my wings clean enough?