The roses in my front yard are blooming now, and I cut some recently to bring inside. I’m enjoying them as I proof the final draft of my novel, When Heart Shall Fail. See the stack of pages behind the vase—that’s what I have left to read through. What signs of summer do you have where you live?

Our yard has a lot of big trees and that means a lot of shade. Sometimes, that’s nice. But it also means I have a hard time growing all the plants and flowers I love. Shady spots hide critters like rabbits, and trees house destructive varmints like squirrels. This is the time of year when the shade has its moment in the spotlight. The hostas are leafed out and looking great. The astilbe are about ready to bloom, and this part of the garden takes on a tranquil, soothing feel. I always add a few annuals to give more color.

Continue reading Time for the shade to shine

In terms of maintenance items, fixing a burnt out tail light should be on the “reasonably easy” list. Unfortunately, that was not the case for me this time around. I replaced the bulb, but that did not solve the problem. The entire unit was out – turn signal, reverse light, brake light. Turns out, part of the ground wire was ruined and the pin it connected to had completely burnt off. Some drilling, soldering and sealing resulted in a not-so-terrible hack job that fixed the problem. One less Saturday spent writing. Since I was tearing things apart anyway, I pulled

Continue reading Sometimes fixing a tail light is difficult

Usually Amaryllis bloom at Easter. This year I didn’t get them out of the basement in time. Now they are going full blast. I think they look like little trumpets–as if to shout, “He (Jesus) is risen! He is risen indeed!” What flowers do you have chomping at the bit to be seen?

It’s always fun to watch something I’ve planted grow and thrive. At my house, it’s a struggle. We have many big, beautiful trees, which I love. But those trees house a lot of squirrels and provide a lot of shade–things that often work against me in my quest to grow a few flowers. We’ve got bunnies and chipmunks galore, and we do not have dogs to chase them away–more obstacles to growing things. But, hope springs eternal for gardeners, I guess. Last fall, my husband and I decided to try a new bed in a sunny spot and grow annuals

Continue reading And now the payoff begins

I am very excited because my granddaughter and her parents will be visiting soon. She will be three months old when she arrives. I’ve bought a pack-n-play for her to sleep in. And a few toys. I’ll inquire as to diaper sizes and stock those. What else do I need? (I’m trying not to be too extravagant.)

After years of being disappointed by lilac bushes that produce great, healthy-looking foliage but no flowers, it appears I finally have a variety that blooms every year — at least two in a row. 🙂 I have no idea whether it’s the type of lilac, the quality or the placement or if it’s just a happy plant, but I’m excited to see several flowers blooming this year. I’ve long envied other yards their fragrant, full shrubs. Fingers crossed that this one will live and be fruitful for a very long time! Do you have any gardening/plant challenges in your yard?

So happy to see the yard come to life! The trees and flowers are blooming! I’ve got a great crop of daffodils this year. Some tulips have started, but a few must’ve got nipped at just the wrong time and they’ve shriveled away. I love looking outside and seeing color around the yard. Always puts me in a cheerier mood! What’s blooming where you are?

So, someone dies. You send a small plant to the family. Every wonder what happens to them? These little gems were sent to me when my mother died–20 years ago. In a few years they grew too tall for the house, so I bought the biggest pots I could find and gave them new dirt. I enlisted my husband to haul them the the fellowship hall at church. Now, I water them every Sunday and they keep growing. Thank God for tall ceilings!

Jonquils don’t have good sense. They come up every year before the snow stops flying. Maybe this year we’ll skip the snow so they can bask in warm spring breezes–maybe.