BACK TO THE GARDEN CENTER - GARDEN NICKNACKS

  I meant to get back to these sooner as our visit to the garden center was on April 20th. 

The foxes told me they wanted me to take them home but I stood my ground. I told them there were enough foxes in our neighborhood but I was sure they would be going home with someone that day.

Ahhh, dragons! 

"Let your creativity soar on dragon's wings across uncharted skies."

~Author Unknown~

The Zen Frog was giving some advice today: "Make a splash, look before you leap, don't jump to conclusions, enjoy a good swim, stretch your legs often, spend time at your pad, and hop to it!" I may have read this on Pinterest and yes, you may have read this before.

I was very taken with the bronze fairy. She is a birdfeeder/birdbath holder. It seemed like she was five feet tall but couldn't be sure as she was displayed on top of a table, and she towered over me. I wasn't surprised at the price on the sticker, so I wistfully put it down and said goodbye to my sweet fairy.

I asked my little buddies here if they decided to give her away to let me know, but they weren't hearing, speaking or seeing me. They knew nothing and I will always respect them for that. Good little bunnies!

So here we are away with the fairies.

I think I mentioned before I am hoping to put together a small fairy garden inside a planter. I enjoyed looking at the ones here.

The fairy house is the last photo from this side of the nicknack shop. Below is the one on the other side of the corridor. I had fun browsing through there also, but I will save that for another time.

Remember, if you are away with the fairies, in my mind that is a good thing. I have said it many times before, we all need to get in touch with our inner child/fairy once in a while. Let it fly!

Thanks for looking and sending you only the very best wishes for a great day! 

AN OLD FAVORITE

 Revisiting an old photo taken at a place called Frying Pan Park, not too far from us. It seems a long time since we went there, and I only remembered it when I found the photo in my archives. It's fun to walk around. It depicts farming life from the 1920s to the 1950s. It has a working farm, live farm animals, a playground, country store, wagon rides and an antique carousel. There is also a visitor center and family concerts are held throughout the year. You can see several photos from our other visits here. It would be nice to go back sometime this year.

GREEN SPRING GARDENS CONTINUED, PLUS A BIT OF THIS AND THAT

I start off with another tree, as you can see. I'm not sure what kind but what I was more interested in was the vine growing up the trunk. I have never noticed it before, probably because it wasn't blooming. No doubt the reason I love coming in all seasons because you just never know what you'll notice that you haven't noticed before.

It is the Trumpet Flower, also known as Crossvine (botanical name Bignonia capreolata) and native to the southeastern United States. A cross section of its stem reveals a marking of the Greek cross, hence its name of Crossvine. I also read at this website the vine is usually a dark, glossy green but in the colder areas of its growing range, the leaves take on a reddish-purple color. 

I will be sharing Green Springs in bits and dabs for a while. I am behind on everything. I thought I would add a bit of a ramble and hopefully it won’t bore you too much, but it is where my head is at. 

Right now I am enjoying having the windows open and listening to the birds. Yesterday (the 27th) we had a tornado warning that lasted several hours. Rare for this area!  We saw a heavy yellow sky in the late afternoon, it was a bit windy but seemed to move away quite quickly. Then it rained hard and there was a thunderstorm. These things are horrendous, so I hope you didn't have any nasty weather in your area. 

It's been cooler today and there has been a lovely breeze blowing into the house. It rained again and it became even cooler. Hearing the birds twittering out there has been a joy and of course watching the antics of these little rascals. 

The Mourning Doves seem to have made this their permanent home. They appear early in the morning and late in the evening. 

I watched one stand its ground with a squirrel which surprised me. The Dove claimed its prize of a recently filled basket of birdseed, and the squirrel departed! Those doves have been very feisty lately.

I have seen Doves, a male and female Cardinal, a Black-capped Chickadee, several Blue Jays, and a Crow.  The Cardinals and the Black-capped Chickadee were hard to take photos of. Added note on 6/1/24: I am very grateful to David who hosts Travel With Birds, who let me know that what I am seeing is a Carolina Chickadee and not a Black-capped Chickadee as I have always believed. You can read what he said in the comment section.  David is very knowledgeable about birds and I always appreciate his expertise.  I am also very grateful to anyone who thinks I may have misidentified anything in my blog. I truly do want to get it right, and I love learning even at this time of my life. Thank you David! If you are curious how you can tell the difference, this website has a very good explanation.

The other bit of drama was watching the Crow being dive-bombed by the Blue Jays. It happened today and yesterday, but the Crow also stood its ground, leaving when it was good and ready. He was a big one!  Not the one above, I couldn't get a photo of Grandpa Crow. A couple of minutes after he left, each time, the Blue Jays flew in for a feed.

 We even had a chipmunk in the flat tray for a while.

And then several children started playing in the neighbor's yard at the back, and all critters disappeared. It was time for me to get back to my chores.

It has been a quiet afternoon with me going back and forth doing other chores. Very entertaining outside though! I have a ring-side seat of all the activity, which was what I had in mind when putting this feeding area together after saying goodbye to the old deck. 

I haven't done a lot of cooking this week, so nothing too exciting in the way of meals. Throw-together ones more than anything. Today for dinner I roasted four large Portobella mushrooms, spraying avocado oil on a parchment lined sheet pan and sprinkled with salt and pepper, in the oven on 400 deg. F. for 20 minutes. I had leftover (uncooked) cauliflower florets in the fridge, from a cauliflower cheese made the day before, along with (uncooked) strips of sweet bell pepper. I put two roasted portobellas on my plate, three of the cauliflower florets and a few sweet pepper strips, with a spoonful of hummus. I will have the other portobellas tomorrow with a poached egg for breakfast. I know we've got a bit of green in the refrigerator! There are times my dear other half and I fix our own meals. It's called "I don't like yours and you don't like mine, but I fancy this for a change' night! It doesn't happen too often but if we don't have anything planned, we go that route. We are both trying to eat extra healthy these days.

Waffling over with. See you next time!

GREEN SPRING GARDENS

"If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees."

~Hal Borland~

We visit many times during the year. It is more difficult in the hot and humid months, but until then we make the most of our walks.  The large tree is the Sweet Chestnut tree and is a favorite in the garden.

Native to China, did you know that Peonies could live for one 100 years? They have been around since 1000 BC.

The following is Autumn Sage, botanical name Salvia greggii. It is native to Texas Hill Country and Southwest Texas. I was happy to find it at Green Spring Gardens. The name is interesting considering it starts blooming in March, and in fact blooms in spring, summer and fall.

The produce garden is always of interest. I made the collage in the next trio of photos. The Chocolate Mint is on the left, and Black Snakeroot is on the right.

Black Snakeroot whose botanical name is Cimicifuga racemosa, is also called Black Cohosh and is a perennial native to eastern North America. It is found in a variety of woodland settings from Main, south to Georgia and west to Missouri and Arkansas. 

 Chocolate mint is a hybrid variety of mint and is native to Europe and the Middle East. Its botanical name is Mentha x piperita f. citrata 'Chocolate'.

It is a perennial and can grow up to 3' in height. It will even survive deep frosts if well mulched, going dormant over winter.

These are the Mock strawberry, also known as False strawberry, Yellow-flowered strawberry and Indian strawberry. Botanical name Potentilla indica.  Often confused with the strawberries we know well, as they are so similar. While the mock strawberry is edible, it generally lacks flavor compared to the true strawberry. It is native to North America. It was considered good luck by multiple Native American people to have strawberries in their homes.

That's all the name ID's of flowers for today. There will be more soon.  

I found this cute picture on pixabay.com and knew it was coming on here. I also saw a cute little dog with her humans at the garden. Not to speak to this time but I did note that her name was Ellie. Ellie and her humans were looking off into the distance.

We came across the rock cairn as we made our way down to the two ponds. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to build it. I don't think it was any of the staff. With all the children - and dogs - going on their walks, I'm almost certain it will be dismantled. They looked heavy but one bump and they could come down on someone. There is a website at the National Park Service here. They are popping up all over the place. The rules change from park to park, and they are asking that we check the website if we are inclined to build one, to see if it’s permissible. Some are used to mark trails. 

That's all for today. Thank you for visiting and 

as always, have a very enjoyable day.

MEMORIAL DAY

“When you go home,

Tell them of us and say,

For your tomorrow,

We gave our today.”

~John Maxwell Edmonds~

With never ending love and gratitude to all our Veterans who answered their country’s call to keep us all safe, and didn't make it home. We honor you and will never forget.

(Comments are off for today)

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

 

Remembering all those who didn't make it home. This is a photo I took on June 6th, 2014, in Normandy. 

"Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it."

~Author Unknown~

Read recently: "French caretakers take the sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy and scrub it into the letters on each headstone to give them the brown/gold coloring.  They do this for all 9,386 soldiers who died. France also gave us this land as American soil."

Wishing you all a Peaceful and Blessed Sunday with your families.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - RUFUS COMES HOME

I beg your pardon?

He's feeling a bit foggy, but Big Bunny knows where your umbrella is. It's behind Froggies3. We think the bandits were back again last night. Kissing Bunnies were knocked over and Camera Lady decided to put them on the deck this time. No table for them, even the bottom part. On the ground from now on, with space between them. A new tactic!

The umbrella was found and is back to where it should be, attached much tighter this time. The rain stopped and the sun is shining. Everyone welcomed Rufus the Red-bellied woodpecker back into the fold, and everyone was happy.

And so it goes on a Saturday Morning at the Birdfeeder.

Thanks for welcoming Rufus back and I hope your birds are singing sweet songs in your neighborhood.

A SHORT CHILDREN'S STORY FROM DENISE

Grandfather came to visit today, a dear and kind man with a sweet smile. After an hour her Daddy left them in the garden so that they could get to know each other a little more. Grandfather lived very far away, and she had been a baby when he visited last. They sat on a blanket placed on the grass and shared a pot of tea and shortbread. 

Grandfather was curious about her garden friends Rabbit and Hedgehog. He wanted to know how long had she been able to understand them? She told him since she was a little girl. He chuckled and said that must have been a very long time ago. “I have known them forever” she said. 

Grandfather told her how much she reminded him of her Grandmother, Daddy’s Mother. She had the same smile, and the color of her hair and eyes were similar, that she had also understood her animals when she was a child. 

He asked if Rabbit and Hedgehog had names, and she told him no, they hadn’t chosen ones for themselves yet, and were content to be called Rabbit and Hedgehog. They listened to everything she had to say and she listened to them. She knew one day they would leave, but for now the three of them kept each other company, and they had wonderful conversations. “They are my family as Daddy is, and as you are Grandfather."

Her Daddy had given Darling Little Girl several rabbits for pets during her life, from the time she was a baby. She had learned how to take care of them and keep them safe. However, she didn’t like to keep them locked up. 

Daddy had built them homes and lined them with the softest hay. These homes were like mini mansions, small to us but not to them.  They were very comfortable and didn’t let in the cold during the winter, even on the coldest day. He always made sure they were snug and cozy. One morning, however, she decided it was time to open their doors and set them free. She didn’t just consider them as pets, they were her family, and you don’t lock your family up in cages she told her Grandfather. He agreed with her wholeheartedly.  

Her rabbits didn’t all leave, Rabbit stayed. After a day of exploration, he said to himself, "Okay, that's enough." He returned to the garden, jumped up on her lap and had been with her ever since. Hedgehog arrived soon after. Each day at teatime you will find them in this spot chatting away and telling each other the day’s happenings.

Grandfather asked Darling Little Girl what she thought if he were to move here, to live with her and Daddy. She did not hesitate, gave him a big hug and told him he had made her heart very happy. His smile matched her own. Between them they could have lit up the sun. Rabbit and Hedgehog could see their joy and they were happy also.

Sensing what they were about to tell her, Darling Little Girl turned to her furry family and they told her it was time. She was not sad she told them, as she knew other little girls and boys needed them as much as she had. She was happy that they would be taking care of those who needed them the most.

They did not say goodbye. Rabbit and Hedgehog knew that one day they would be back for tea and shortbread, to listen to the stories of another Darling Little Girl. She would look very much like her Grandmother, with the same smile, and similar color of hair and eyes. She would also be able to understand them as her Grandmother had, and her Grandmother before her.

As Grandfather and Darling Little Girl went into the house to be with Daddy, they closed the door behind them and laughter was heard. Rabbit looked at Hedgehog, and Hedgehog looked at Rabbit. They smiled and were content. It was time to hop through the gate, knowing that one day after having many adventures with other darling children, they would return.

The End, or perhaps The Beginning?

Thanks so much for reading my whimsical tale, and

I hope your day is a great one.