Back to Blogging

I know I have been MIA since the middle of November and I am sorry about that. I just felt like I was on overload and needed to take a break from something that wouldn't have serious consequences if I didn't do it. Unfortunately, that was also something I really enjoy doing! But, the winter is over...at least the flowers tell me so...and the days are longer, the sun is brighter and I have a lot more energy! Yay! So we'll take one day at a time and see if I can keep up!

Today I was walking around in our yard, garden/orchard and took some pictures of the flowers. I love the tulips above. They are coming up to replace the fading daffodils.

Then there are the pear blossoms! Gorgeous! I am looking forward to eating those luscious pears in late summer.

I think the picture above is of the cherry blossoms. The birds have eaten our cherries for the last several years but we are always hopeful to get a few. These flowers are on the Van cherry tree; the Rainier and Bing trees haven't blossomed yet.

This is our last peach tree to ripen each year, O'Henry. Aren't those blossoms a beauti ful shade of pink! 

Spring is filled with lots of work getting the yard and garden in shape...fortunately that is hubby's job! I love seeing all the beautiful flowers, hearing the birds, enjoying the sunshine and a few showers, shedding winter like a heavy coat!

I will not be participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge this year but I have some fun posts planned for you anyway! I will be back tomorrow to participate in Sandra's Happy Homemaker Monday over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Thank you to everyone who emailed me with concerns about why I wasn't blogging and for those who encouraged me to take it up again. 

Kat

Spring has Sprung!

Let me first apologize to my friends and readers in the northern US and Canada who are still experiencing all manner of nastiness in the weather category! I don't mean to boast but hopefully my pictures of Spring will give you hope:)

It was gloriously warm for most of yesterday but late in the afternoon it turned off chilly and rainy. It toyed with raining all day and still isn't really serious about doing it's business. We do need the moisture so rain on! Currently it is 46 degrees (F), cloudy with small patches of blue peeking through and WINDY! So, doesn't feel very Springy today but the signs are still all around:)

As I walked through my yard, camera in hand, this is what I saw...

See the little Periwinkle blossoms. They are hiding at the moment but soon the whole plant will be covered with the beautiful purple blooms.

The apricot trees are in bloom so we don't want a frost right now!!! Can you tell it was windy and raining when I took this picture?

We haven't even cleaned out the flower beds from winter yet but I found a purple Hyacinth hiding under the debris!

And beautiful white Hyacinth!

Lilac buds swollen and ready to burst forth with blossoms--lots of blossoms this year:) Last year I got exactly two clusters--one on each bush!

And last but not least, the beautiful, sunny yellow daffodils! Don't they just scream Spring?!!!

Have a great Spring day...even if it's just in your heart and mind:)

Kat

The Look of Spring

I love this time of year when the weather is warming up and things are starting to bloom and grow! One of my favorites, although short-lived, are the peonies. We have three varieties--this dark pink one being my favorite!

The raspberry bushes are loaded! Hubby ate three yesterday! Can't wait to have enough for Raspberry Lemonade!

Calendula makes a bright spot in the flower bed! 

Yummy figs are coming on; ready to ripen:)

And my lavender plants are doing oh, so well! I would like to plant a couple of other varieties of lavender this year. 

With Spring also comes allergies which aren't so much fun. Yesterday and today I had a bad sinus headache even after taking allergy medicine. Oh well, this too shall pass!

Later, I will be back with a card or two! See you then!

Kat

More Signs of Spring

Saturday I took my little camera out and was snapping more pictures of Spring:) The lilacs are starting to bloom out. They are sooo pretty. I have to enjoy them outside though because I am allergic to the scent:( One time at church I had to ask that a beautiful bouquet of lilacs be removed from the sanctuary because I was quickly becoming stuffed up and nauseous! I love them just can't be indoors with them.

How about these little cuties?!!! Narcissus, I believe! My husband's cousin came one weekend and planted a bunch of plants she brought from her house and I think these are a product of that visit. They are so dainty and cute. I hope our little Rocky doesn't decide they are edible! He is already enjoying the daffodils and tulips. We had to put an electric wire around the garden to keep him out of the asparagus and onions!

Aren't these Grape Hyacinths adorable? We only have a few of them and I love to watch them. I think these came from hubby's cousin as well. Interesting how they have so many leaves and just a few dark purple flowers.


The last picture is of how much my raspberries have leafed out in just the last week.

See the cute little berry buds in the center of the gorgeous bunch of leaves. Those are going to be delicious raspberries!!! I can hardly wait.


I hope you are enjoying Spring as much as I am! I just wish it would get a little warmer and stay that way...but then it wouldn't be Spring, would it?! At least not Spring in Oregon!


Have a wonderful Tuesday and enjoy your week! My husband will be at the Solarize White Salmon Seminar & Open House in White Salmon, WA today from 4:00-8:00. If you're in the area, drop in and say Kat sent you! For more information on the seminar check out the Hire Electric Solar Division blog. Kat

Spring is Here!!!

I love Spring! And Summer! And Fall! Not Winter so much as I don't like to be cold. It appears that Spring has finally sprung in our neck of the woods and I couldn't be happier.

Today I am showing you a few signs of Spring in my yard--no, not me tanning!!! This is a closeup of the buds on my lilac bush getting ready to open up with beautiful blossoms! My lilac bushes are special because they were given to me by a special friend who died about a year and a half after giving them to me. Every year when they bloom I am reminded of what a wonderful friend he was. He left behind a sweet wife who is just as wonderful as he was.

This next picture is of our Kirk's Blue Plum tree. Raintree Nursery's description of this delectable delight is "Introduced by Joseph Kirke of London in 1830 and still the finest flavored of all plums. The large round dark blue freestone fruit has yellow drippingly juicy flesh with a fantastic flavor." I am not a plum lover because of the tart skin but the Kirk's Blue doesn't have a tart skin so is sweet and juicy all the way through! This tree only bares heavy every other year and this is the year!!!

My strawberry patch is feelin' the heat--leafing out and flowering! I can hardly wait to taste those fresh, sweet, succulent berries! Last year they struggled a little but this year they look like they are going to be good strong plants. Any of you who read my blog last year know that picking berries is one of my favorite things to do--It's like a treasure hunt!  My husband had them covered over with straw for the winter but has pushed the straw back so they can soak up some rays! The straw is nice when the berries are on to keep the berries out of the dirt so they don't get wet. When they sit on the wet ground they tend to rot and we don't want that now, do we?

The raspberries are just starting to leaf out and I do LOVE raspberries! Soon you won't be able to see through the fence because of all the raspberry leaves. It will soon be time to make Raspberry Lemonade again! Last year we found it was even better than Strawberry Lemonade!! It is so much fun seeing the plants budding and blooming and getting ready to produce wonderful fruit through the summer.


My husband is an avid gardener. He actually gets excited about working in the soil and planting food and flowers! I didn't get that bug but do enjoy watching the things he plants grow.

This last picture is of destruction and despair! We have a lovely asparagus patch and have been looking forward to being able to eat freely from it for the first time this year. Well, our sweet little Rocky has decided that he really likes vegetables. A few weeks ago he ate a whole row of kale and just recently we found him munching down in the asparagus patch. You can see in the picture where he munched off and broke off the asparagus. However, we did have a nice mess of asparagus this weekend and it was DELICIOUS!!!


I hope you are having a great day and are enjoying all the signs of Spring! Tomorrow I will be back with a card from our Happy Stampers club meeting from last week. Happy Spring! Kat