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elegant clarkia in my yard
April Showers/April Flowers (Part 4)
Back to the hiking pictures. There were 28 stream crossings on this trail. (14 going out and 14 coming back) I got my shoes wet on the first crossing so I didn't have to try to be careful anymore. I just walked through the water. I hate balancing on rocks anyway. I don't trust my legs. The water seemed good for my feet, too. They didn't get sore.
Dachshund/Chow...... OK NO jokes coming from here..... lol!
Kelli the Mockingbirds here are very territorial and wouldn't suffer any others w/in about 100 yards.
They do get loud occasionally but there are far noisier birds.
Our 20 pound cat I had when growing up got attacked by them and Blue Jays every summer.
This was a Warrior Cat.... and he ran in fear.
I used a tennis racket!
Once I started raising pigeons though the killer birds disappeared.
Which is odd as Pigeons are dumber than rocks and easy prey to about anything but earthworms.
Storm rumbled through left little water and no damage...
Ric
A disappointing 0,11" in the rain gauge this morning--about half what had been forecast. This is probably not enough to end the burn ban. It is also a bit cooler this morning (46 instead of 49 degrees yesterday) but feels chillier since it is damp. Our maximum of 83 yesterday is probably the highest it will go for a few days and there may be scattered frosts the next couple of mornings. Next week is the date of the average last killing frost, so we are about on target despite highs in the upper 80s recently.
Flowers are still gorgeous.
37° and colder. We aren't going to get very warm today.
Mau, laughing over Kiska's 40° ''heat wave!'' I usually do make the cakes. The box mix was just for convienience. A rose in April! It's just beautiful!
Celia, your forsythia is pretty! They don't do well in Iowa. If the frost doesn't get them, the sparrows eat the buds, or they have spotty blooms. My neighbor is going to take her's out this year. I have a few artificial wands of it that my Mom had for Spring decor.
Cindylove, Thanks! It went on for a couple of days so you didn't miss it by much, LOL! Ranting is allowed :o) I hear you on fields disappearing. All the trees disappeared down our old railroad tracks. I used to walk down them after I got married. I'd wade thru the white clover after it grew over (when the train quit running,) Then they got the bright idea to make a nature trail connecting the towns. First they tore out all the elms that arched ofer and made almost a tunnel, then, the beginning actually started 3/10 of a mile out of town. Well, now there are 5 cottonwoods left out there and NO ONE uses it except us, occasionally. They ruined it. That's why I love Dyson's picture.
Kiska, that's actually a breath of fresh air to knock my rant out of me :o) I love your picture! Look at all the traffic!
Sunfarm, I wondered what she was. How beautiful! I love lilacs and butterflies!
Dyson, I could eat fried green tomatoes every day and watch the movie almost as often! We are always quoting, ''we are older and have more insurance'' :o)
Pepper, I love the delicately colored daffs!
Marsue, the picture is still adorable!!
Kelli, I really can't identify any other bird in a mockingbird's song. I thought maybe they were migratory songs. It's the difference between them and the brown thrasher who also sings. Beautiful wild rose! I finally tore my state flower out last fall. It wasn't looking nice for a few years and got a rust on it that looked like a Cheeto. It only blooms for a little more than a couple of weeks too. Now it will take a few years to completely kill it before I can replant. Neat landslide! I love the Clarkia! What a beautiful picture. I love streams!
Ric, the tennis racket got me to laughing! The pigeon is an odd coincidence.
We take the boys home today and I wait for it to warm up again. No rain at all for us. It was windy AGAIN yesterday! We played outside, ''Hide and Seek.'' I haven't laid on the ground so much since I was a lot younger :o)
Apple Tree, Famouse, or Snow Apple, as we called it when I was growing up. Makes the best white applesauce and good juice.
I have a Forsythia that bloomed like crazy. I got it along with a whole bunch of shrubs at a garden center bankruptcy auction.
It is in one of my erosion control rows. Out in the sun & wind & doing great.
Work abounds. We got the porch sheet rocked & first coat of mud on yesterday. I was talking to the people & they decided to do their dining room that they have been thinking about for years. It will involve completely gutting bit, putting in a nice bay window & updating electric. Nice job!
Started planting onions yesterday. The case of Bermudas is in the ground. Then started on Candy Apple Reds.
I am going to work on greenhouse or new pond or plant some Iris. Maybe all!
Bernie
34*F~above freezing at 6am; that's twice this week and will really put an end to winter. The deep snow is thinning out on the sloping part of the yard and now with the driveway plowed for the last time, it's snow-free for the first time since October.
Yesterday's high was 39*- today's high is supposed to be in mid-40's.
Last night at 10pm, if I'd wanted to go outdoors, it was light enough that a flashlight was not needed.
CG~you do have quite a list of projects-the pond sure sounds great.
bp~I love the photo and looks so inviting and serene.
sunfarm~what a beauty-
ric~wonderful descriptive post:))
Oh Dyson! hahaha.. yes I have tried fried green tomatoes & they weren't bad!
Kelli.. I have only seen a few m-birds here, which is unusual.. but it could still be early. I'll know it's summer when I see a scissor tailed fly catcher... they are only here for the summer & that's too bad as they are beautiful birds. I only hope with the new roads that it hasn't taken away all it's "habitat" as we only get ONE flycatcher!!!!! (probably two, it's mate!). lol
Sunfarm, I LOVE the lilac & especially the butterfly. I was supposed to go on a butterfly field trip today but it got cancelled as we are getting rain.. off & on.. throughout the day.. figures! We are actually in a flood watch as it's going to rain all weekend.. but so far I haven't had too much. I was able to get out to do some gardening, just dead heading.. & there was nothing! Just the humidity! hahahaha Temps are in the 60's for now & tomorrow it's only going to be in the high 50's!!
Marsue.. I love your dog Friday!! I don't care for "Peke's" as they are the "snobs" of the dog world! hahahahaha Friday is so cute! I am posting a picture of my two girls, Sally & Lucy.
Adinamiti, I have been concerned for you since hearing of the volcano erupting in Iceland... stay indoors as much as you can, I hear that volcano dust is dangerous even the tiny particles!
Hi everyone! Finally got a break, TGFW!!
Love the pics everyone!
I love mockingbirds! When I lived in Modesto, CA I had all 3 types of birds, plus sparrows. My grandfather planted a Golden Delicious Apple Tree in the back yard and every year the blue jays would peck holes in the apples, so he bought a big blow up snake to put in the tree to scare the birds off, well the birds pecked holes in the snake too!
Our weather here is about to change. We've been having highs of 85* all week long, today a cold front is coming down from the north and tomorrow's high is 62*! YIKES!!
HEY Crissyr!!! Welcome back!! it's so good to hear from you!! I have to laugh at your story! That would be so funny to see!! We have a few Blue Jays here & I used to dislike them back home in Canada..but here they are quite pleasant to see as they are pretty.. as I've always thought.. I only disliked them because they were "attack" birds! As Mockingbirds can be.
I also don't care too much for Canada Geese..dirty birds! But.. I don't like them for another reason...one day I saw a "family" of them coming out of a pond, which I thought was adorable..but then.. there was a commotion when another CG came over the rise honking.. the "family" that had just left started honking back.. then all of a sudden one of the adults pecked one of the "babies"..to death!!!! OH I was so upset.. I know it was nature but I didn't know why... until later.. I guessed that the baby goose had been a part of the other "family" & got caught up with this other family, thinking it was it's family, & when the adult realized it wasn't "his" then he killed it! How cruel huh?? ( I hope I've made sense!).
At least it thinned the blasted things out.
20 years ago they were rare. Then the brilliant DNR thought we needed more. Now the beaches on lakes can not be used. DNR is paying crop damage to farmers. Special hunting seasons to try & thin them out. That don't work.
Planted some of my trees this morning,oh my aching back!
Got out the camera & found these today.
Red tulips.
Purple Tulips not quite open.
Mixed colors in one of the cottage gardens.
Some tulips & daffs in the pond garden. Front of picture will be the new pond.
Iris bed awaiting bloom.
This was Iris from a Bleek co-op in fall of 2008. I bought 2 of every one offered. Also a bunch from plant swap at Southern MN Round Up 2008. I posted a picture somewhere last fall when they were dried up & someone thought they had a disease. Look pretty healthy to me! Bare part is where I took out an old rose bush. I will put more Iris there after Iowa Round Up. (Hope to get some nice ones!)
Back to planting trees.
Bernie
Bernie, you sound busy. Can you show us the Forsythia?
Sally, what a beautiful apple tree! I can almost see you on the ground, hiding!LOL
Kelli, thanks for starting a new thread. Your pics are beautiful as always. Love that stream!
Ric, that was funny!LOL Poor cat!
Marylyn your roses are gorgeous!
Mau, what an elegant fur cut for Friday! Beautiful rose! The ash cloud doesn't seem to bad here. I haven't heard anything about it on the news, just that the volcano is stil erupting and more clouds are coming towards us.
Pepper, your tulps are so beautiful!
Sun, lovely lilac and great photo of your DD's dog! What's his name?
Celia, love your Forsythia! The sunset is so beautiful!
Jackie, another snow? I hope Spring comes soon at your place. I'm always afraid of the Spring snows...we got one even in May one year!
It's been a lovely day, sunny, but windy. Foggy in the morning.
Adina
It's done blooming.
Bernie, great blooms! That's too bad, they are so pretty and cheerful!
Cindy, thanks for caring! It seems the cloud will cross over the northern part of our country and I'm in the south. Still, I've also heard the volcano dust is dangerous. Cute doggies!
Crissy, LOL!
Jackie, what a beautiful view!
I've seen a butterfly too!
Bernie, you put me to shame. Here I sit, and look at you! All this work ahead planned.
Kiska, you can join in on the spring pictures soon!! I love how the sky echoes the river peeking thru.
Cindylove, I hope you don't lose your birds either. Beautiful dogs and nice names too :o) We've had the 60's yesterday and today, with wind. Just enough to be annoying.
Crissy, ROTFL over the snake!!
Cindylove, that is a sad story. You are probably right about him being in the wrong family.
Bernie, I'm partial to the deep purple tulip. My aunt Bess gave me bulbs many many years ago. They've never been big multipliers and I try to baby them along. I'd hate to lose them. I love your island beds! Just beautiful! I can't wait to see the iris bloom! Take care of your back!!!
Adina, LOL! I made sure there was enough of me sticking out for a 5 year old to see! I'm glad the ash isn't a problem for you. I've barely been able to keep up with my own life, but DH hollers out the news to me, so I get some of it. Wow, foggy sunrise! Oohhh, how nice that he picked a pretty white bloom!
Well, we took them home and the only noise is the dishwasher :o)
It's almost impossible to get a good picture of them. DH took three, and this was the best one, LOL! Their headbands are what goes around the foam pads they sleep on.
Here in Belgium wer'e also affected by the volcanic eruption. Yesterday evening and this morning the whole garden and house was smelling like sulfur. I never thought that I would ever see something like that happening in my country. Also a sky without airplanes is weird, because we live near a very busy air traffic hub with allways more than 15 planes at the same moment in the sky.
The sky colored completely white by ash clouds yesterday, but sometimes it looks nice too like this one:
Bernie.... you are funny! don't get me wrong, I am not laughing at your sore back.. no way.. I have chronic back problems so I can really relate. I am not a tulip lover really.. I guess it's because they don't last long. I love iris' but don't get me started!!!! I only have two in my garden.. I won't go on... argh!! ( hee hee)
Ania.. glad to hear that you are safe..but Cumulous... whoah.. that is scary alright. We too live near an airport (Dallas) & I would be able to relate to all quietness.
Thank you for the complimets on our dogs.. they are our babies of course, as we don't have children. Of course they have us wrapped around their paws!!!! hahahaha
Billy... cute kids... I do work our church daycare ( when I return from sick leave that is)..so there are all ages to look after & it has it's moments... good & bad of course.. but it is always nice to have them go home too! hahahahaha
Planes are few and far between here, too. Sat. is usually a busy flight day. Lots of flights go to Europe from here.
A beautiful, sunny day here. High clouds moving in but still quite warm. Back to the yard!
SOON!!!
Trees are planted. I put 6 Chokecherry in a row that I planted 2 years ago. That finished that row.
I have a knob hill on the end of the garden that don't grow things very well. I used the trees to finish off a wildlife planting.
19 Chokecherry & 25 Honeysuckle in three rows. It's also very rocky up there, so I picked up lots of loose stones at the same time. I had a good load by the time I finished. The smaller ones will be in the bottom of my stream.
I really have a very good back. It was just a little sore above my hip from the digging. All better now.
Going to dig up a few plants that are in the way for the pond.
Adina, the dog in the plum petals is Loretta. It was TieDye napping in the violets. I shall eventually have pictures of Libbie Jean, Sweetie, Pup and Candy, as we have plenty of dogs here since my DD is a vet and is always having animals dropped at her clinic and owners who really don't want them.
Van Nuys, California (Airport)
Updated: 2:51 PM PDT on April 17, 2010
78 °F
Scattered Clouds
Humidity: 32%
Dew Point: 46 °F
Wind: 10 mph from the SSE
fiesta flower
For the fans of ferns, here is western bracken fern. These get tall.
This area is about as idyllic as it gets, but it is also the poison oak capitol of the universe.
Sally, this one's for you, since no one hikes like I do.
Nice pic Kelli.. I planted some cinnamon fern in containers & hope they will grow.. I wanted something for shade & read that ferns love shade.... actually it's dappled shade, under the tree.
Sunfarm... I/we love dogs.. wish we could have more but it's not convienent.
my hiking days are LONG gone! hahahahahahahaha
Cindy, that sounds like a good place for ferns. We have some ferns that came with the house and I was surprised that they would survive in a hot, dry inland place like this. I have to water them, of course, but no more than anything else.
Video of a main street near where I live. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tFDUldB2Jk It's kind of long, so you might want to skip to time 4:30 to see the blooming locust trees, which I think are the highlight. It's mostly residential, so there are colorful flowers 'n' stuff.
I will have to look at that video Kelli.. my mom used to have ferns when I was growing up..they too came with the house & spread all over across the back of the yard.. they were neglected of course but they were pretty.. just plain is all I can say as I don't know my ferns! hahahaha
Coolish with a hgih in the high 60s. Light breeze for a change and not a cloud in the sky today!!
Hockey pic.
Frost warnings tonight... errrrrr! But expected this time of year.
Bernie the flowers look GREAT!
Kelli we grow Eastern Bracken Fern,
Tough buggers and smaller than yours but there's no such thing as a bad looking fern! lol!
Robyn collects them and we probably have 2 dozen varieties.
6 different Japanese Painted Ferns.
For those of you w/ a bit of shade try Dixie Wood Fern - dryopteris x australis.
A tall fern that will put you in mind of the Ostrich Fern..... but doesn't burn out in the late Summer.
Evergreen here.
Ric
We have a few Japanese painted ferns... I love them and want to get more! I just finished taking a shower after planting 5 HUGE Japanese holly ferns that I got from another DGer. They look great in front of our house - and I'm so excited to finally find something that will fill that bed and look nice! Yayy! We also have some Boston ferns that another friend gave me a few years ago. Those things are stinkers here... Anyone want some? I don't think they would be a problem in a place that freezes, or they would make great houseplants! - but they spread VERY quickly here when they are in the ground! I bring multiple clumps to every RU in the hopes of spreading the proble- I mean the special-ness. (ahem) At the end of this past RU I had to bring my Boston ferns home again! Can you imagine? I think someone must have warned everyone away. ("Uh-oh... here come Marylyn. Do you see those ferns? STAY away from them!! Really... they'll eat your yard. Take the monkey grass or the ruellia, but STAY AWAY FROM THE FERNS!") (I didn't actually bring any ruellia. LOL)
Cindy, I love cinnamon ferns, too. :-)
It was a beautiful day today! Partly cloudy, breezy, and in the mid 70s. There's a 70% chance of rain tomorrow - I hope it really does! We need it.
Observation for Houston, TX (KSGR) as of 8:53pm CDT (31 min ago)
Temperature 67 °F 19 °C
Dew Point 61 °F 16 °C
Humidity 81%
Pressure 29.94 in 1013.9 mb
Wind Speed 7 MPH 6 kts
Wind Dir SSE 150°
Ceiling Unlimited Unlimited
Visibility - -
Current Conditions Clear
6 hour min temperature ending 6:53pm CDT : 72.0°F / 22.2°C
Tonight Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
I'm going to have to stop spending so much time in my flowerbeds--I get waaaayyy behind here when I don't check in every day. I have read all the posts but I won't comment on everything--just a comment here and there about what I remember without scrolling back up to read them again.
Bernie: lovely flowers and does that piece of farm land across the road belong to you? congrats on the dining room job!
Kelli: love the clarkia and the photo of you in the stream--your feet look cool! LOL The locust trees in the video are pretty in bloom.
Cindy: Sally and Lucy are precious with their grinning faces!
Sally: The DGS's are sooooo cute! It does get quiet when the "grands" go home, doesn't it?
Adina: the butterfly must have been getting a drink from the raindrops because it was on the wrong side of the flower to find nectar! LOL I'm glad the ash isn't all that bad where you live.
Marylyn: I just got a Japanese Painted Fern from Charlotte. I really like the looks of it. Becky is supposed to bring me a cinnamon fern in May at the RU in LA.
It was a lovely day for working in the flowerbeds yesterday. I spent all day outside and now my body is telling me that I am getting too old for this! LOL The weeds have been terrible this season, in spite of the colder winter we had. I've got to come up with another solution other than pulling them by hand. There is about 6 inches of mulch in the front flower beds but the weed seeds float in on the air and take root in the mulch. The house next door was empty for a year until last July and the realtor didn't take care of the yard. The weeds took over and now they have spread to my yard and to my flowerbeds. :o(( Okay, time for me to stop complaining!
We haven't had any rain here but maybe it will rain today--sure hope so--we need it. Y'all have a good day!
42° -
Planted four new lily plants for the wife yesterday (got them at home depot) Have two raspberry bushes and some onions to go in today - and five more lilies (just bulbs that I have no experience with).
Details for Sunday, April 18
Mostly sunny. High near 65F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Evening: Mostly clear. Low 39F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Let me pour a cup of coffee and get started (the raspberries will not take long nor the bulbs which I will just bury and hope, but the onions will take awhile),
Care to all.
37° and no frost!
Cumulus, wow, I can't even imagine what it would be like to live anywhere near a volcano. It must be pretty scary at times. The sky without planes is nice. We live between two small airports, but the sky is always full of jet trails. Only once has it been totally empty, except for the president and his two accompanying planes. I love the mares tails!
Thanks Cindylove, kids can be trying and I get used to the quiet around here. The three year old has picked up the annoying ''why?'' I get to where I just repeat the answer because it's the right answer and there are no more answers! LOL!
Celia, gorgeous unopened blooms. You have an eye for photos and your camera is a very good one. I love your close-ups! I'm glad spring is really coming!
Bernie, what exactly is a knob hill? I've heard the word. The birds will sure appreciate the area. It's going to be beautiful when all blooms. Isn't it great to have natural resources! I have little stones and they get set aside to just ring little plantings. I'm glad you have a good back.
Sunfarm, how wonderful to be able to give the dogs a home and yayyy for your vet daughter!! Can't wait to see the rest of the ''family!"
Kelli, love Fiesta Flower! It's a beautiful color! I grew up with the mediocre midsized ferns. I also have them, but I like them. I absolutely love that picture and I would end up covered in poison oak before I knew it!
Oh Kelli ~ ~ ~ ~ back!! I love it!!! Wet shoes and all! LOL! I've got a big smile now! With my new speed, I can finally watch you- tube. I loved the video! Your area is beautiful and the trees are eyecatching gorgeous!
Pepper, there's a tense excitement in that picture!
Ric, I hope you woke up to no frost. We had an advisory and now that it's light, I don't see anything droopy out there. I'd love to see the Japanese varieties! I have yet to get the tallest fern. Not a good place for them yet.
Marylyn, pictures! They sound wonderful! Giggling over the special ferns :o) ROTFL now!! I hope rain is coming your way. We look dry for another while.
Marsue, laughing, see answer to Cindylove above! Well, that's how I end up with all the dandelions, plus the country weeds I can't identify. Each year it's something new. Your work has paid off, it's a lovely bed and the color so far is nice!
Dyson, you must be feeling pretty good. I'm glad you can get out and play in the dirt! I hope some of the lilys bloom this summer. Now that you found the camera you can take pictures!
It should be a pretty nice day. The wind usually dies down and Sunday just seem to be a whole 'nother day of the week.
There is a hump in the birdbath for smaller birds. A little finch was just splashing away!
Knob hill: Right where we are is rolling hills because of a creek going through. The glaciers formed it years ago. On top of these small hills, the top soil is basically sand/gravel. Also heavy clay subsoil, very close to the surface. Not much for growing crops. Farmers fields have poor crops on tops of the hills. The hilltops dry out fast.
Our little hill was a stop over for Indians many moons ago. We find rocks that are made for grinding or like shovels. Very interesting!
Not our field. That farmer has 480 acres of this rolling hill land. The farm site we bought is off of a 160 farm. Same kind of land. The people the farm this farm, look for about 70% of a crop compared to the best farmland in this area. Still means big yields.
Dug out some plants last evening, so got to go get them in pots this morning. Some Iris I am going to plant in the Iris bed.
Later we are off to pick up siding for DD house & get trim for the job we are working on.
Bernie