I love Sunday Mornings

I love this time of year.  The sun is up by 5 am and the birds are especially tuneful. 
The neighborhood is quiet (everyone sleeping in, I suppose) and my garden  beckons me. 

Grab a coat this time, it has turned cold this week.  I mean fah-reezing. 
Literally, 32 degrees.   I can prove it. 

One of my San Romano tomatoes just curled up her edges and will now need a bit of a trimming. 



Poor thing.  The other, not three feet away looks fine, but my Basil just completely gave up the ghost and I will have to replant.

I have extra Basil tucked away in the greenhouse, just in case of such an occurrence.  We are in the mountains and cold can strike even in June, and I gotta have my basil come Fall.

 I make the best Pesto. 

 It is my taste of summer throughout the winter months. 

Do you have your coffee or tea?  Wrap your hands around the warm mug to keep your hands warm and we will see what has bloomed.

Can you smell the faint hint of wood smoke in the air?  The campers up at Big Trees State Park must be enjoying a cozy camp fire on a chilly morning. 

Beverly Sills.  This is my only Pink iris.  I think I need to add more pink. 

 

This guy below is not as flashy as some but the colors are subtle and interesting.



I honestly used to know all the names of my Iris and I had a map drawn of where everything was.

 I kept it  in my desk drawer to refer to when I forgot plant names but when we moved for a year and then moved back I just tossed my beloved plants, bulbs and corms in the ground without rhyme or reason.
 
I was in a hurry.

Dutch Iris in blue, I had some called Tigers Eye that was striking but it has not come back.  



A friend gave me this one, it is smaller than the Bearded Iris but quite lovely. 
 


I call this one Lemon Chiffon.

Not because of its color, but because of its scent, it smells faintly of Lemon Chiffon pie.

I came in the ‘scented’ collection I bought from Schreiners.



Icy Blue



Elise’



There is an iris just to the left of this one, it is called Starship Enterprise.  It is my favorite one of all, it is just starting to open so be sure to come back to see it.  I am sure it will be ready to photograph tomorrow morning. 



I must not forget Josephine..one of my clematis, she has been putting on a show herself.  She is close in coloration to Nelly Moser but just slightly a darker hue of pink.



My cup is empty, time to get a refill. 

I am going to sit in the garden and just enjoy the quiet of the morning, sip my coffee and dream of where I want to move what plant, what I would like to add or take away. 

Half the fun of a garden is changing it around. 

The other half is being surprised in Spring by what comes up because through the long winter months, buried beneath all the snow, you forget what you have done.
  
Enjoy this long, fun weekend.  I know I am. 

Come on back, I will be sure to share Starship. 

An old shovel and more flowers!

We had a lovely weekend despite the constant rain showers.  We attended a fine dinner party for a friend who recently remarried and took a day to just recharge.  I have been working on a more in depth about me page to share but it is not ready just yet. 

My husband and I have made Mondays our dig in and spring clean 2 rooms of the house day.  We have managed to stick to that plan for two weeks now and what a difference it makes.  We have been organizing, tossing and cleaning like a couple of Tasmanian devils but the result is well worth the effort. 

I have quite a few painting books I need to get rid of and am debating between listing them on eBay or just putting them on a page of my website.  Either way it is a tedious task though it will get more clutter removed from this house and if we have to move in the next few months it will make for less stuff to pack up and move. 

I have a fun little project to share today, I transformed a rusty old shovel head with a bit of painting.  I did not photo a step by step as I was just in the mood to paint and did just that..but if you want to try something like this I would highly recommend any of the painting books by Debbie Toews.  That is where I got this pattern and she gives the easiest instructions so that you are well pleased with the result first time out of the box. 

I love the rustiness of the shovel with the graphic of the outhouse and quilt.  I am not sure where I will display this, maybe I will hang it on my potting bench I plan to build.  Now with that project I will do a step by step for you.  I am still waiting for sunny weather to tackle that project and according the the weatherman we are in for 7 days of clear skies and mild temps so just maybe this week I can get it done.

I also promised more photos of our little jaunt to Ironstone.  They have more than just tulips planted in their numerous barrels.  I do love Dutch Iris’, you can see the raindrops still clinging to the petals..

Some fluffy ranunculus’

They have loads of azaleas planted in the grounds, there were only a few blooming but I am sure they will be a blaze of color very soon. 

These are by the front door of the tasting room.

They include some old mining equipment in their display..

Still a few daffodils left, must be late bloomers..

Even in smaller pots mass planting of tulips is eye-catching.

I hope to get back to Ironstone and find those lilacs and maybe the wisteria will be in full bloom as well. 

Until we meet again..ta ta

My website

I am still here…

I promise I have not fallen off the face of the earth.  I have just had my head buried in book keeping.  I am so weary of staring at numbers on a computer screen it feels like my eyeballs are going to fall out. 
It is my own doing…I have neglected to keep my Backwoods Cottage account up to date and now that it is tax time I have to catch up and get all the entries done for the IRS.   A few weeks ago it was for the Corporation accounts, that was a dilly too. 
I would much rather enjoy being outdoors, walking among the flowers planted in abundance at Ironstone Winery.

Barrels and barrels filled with every imaginable spring bulb, flower and rhizome..

I love Dutch Iris’, they make such a statement planted in mass. 
They have tulips in every color..



some are multi-colored


the hyacinths perfume the air


more tulips


Begonias                                          Azaleas

Another of dutch iris and some pansies too

This little show is just a smattering of what you can see walking among the grounds.
I am awaiting the lilacs to begin, there is a trail to walk between a row of numerous varieties, and it is heaven to walk thru and just breathe!
I will, of course, take my camera.  I am too tired to do this justice but I just wanted to pipe in here.  Tomorrow we go to the valley and enjoy the near 80 degree temps, it will feel like summer to me, though it was nice today in the mid-60’s here, melting the snow at a record pace. 
Until we meet again..