Discussing garden plans...

...over coffee and nuts. I had a friend over this morning to help me decide what to do with my garden (weeds)-in-the-making...


He scrambled up beside me to give me his input...


While he nibbled peanuts and I sipped coffee...


We looked out over the garden and talked about all the possibilities... More flowers? If so, what kind? What colors? How about some vegetables? And maybe some herbs?

After much discussion and throwing ideas back and forth, he looked up at me with his big brown eyes and told me...

...that as long as I make sure he has a never-ending supply of peanuts, he doesn't care what I plant in the garden!

Today was magical... Our first Chip joined me on the patio this morning. Unlike other years, where Chips have been abundant, I'm sad to report this year is quite different. We've had a few new neighbors move in, and they are LOVELY and so are their KITTIES. I just wish their kitties lived indoors like ours. After being cooped up all winter I love spending time in our little yard, and one of the things I enjoy most are the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks that visit our feeders and birdbaths. Sadly, I've seen several Chips being stalked and/or carried off by well fed housecats in the past month, so I'm afraid we won't have as many wildlife visitors as we have in past years. I gave Chip a serious talking to this morning and told him to be extra careful while scurrying around for food in the yard...

Hoping you are all enjoying beautiful spring weather like we are in New England!!

COMMENT UPDATE: Thanks to all of you who have offered suggestions. I actually did have a nice chat with one of the neighbors (the one with 3 cats who love to hang out in my yard) and she told me to feel free to squirt them with the hose. We just turned on the water outside this past week, so I've not been able to do any squirting thus far, and to be honest, when the cats see me they usually take off running since whenever I spot them in the yard I clap my hands and "shooo shoooo" them. Of course the same cat(s) are right back an hour later, laying in wait next to the Chip holes, so I'm afraid it's a losing battle. And no, Claudia, I haven't been able to get any cats to drop a Chip once they've caught one. Obviously if I'm in the house and happen to see it through the window there's nothing I can do but rap on the window, which does no good. When I've been out in the yard, the clapping and shooing just causes them to run off with the poor Chip rather than drop them. You would think our fenced-in yard would be a deterrent for cats, but they they easily jump the fence or come in through the holes at ground level, not to mention that our backyard gate pickets are spaced quite far apart. So my Chips and Sammies are just going to have to be very careful this summer, and for those who aren't, my heart is going to break a bit every time I see one of them being carried off, I'm afraid.

Donna

Vintage Mary Garden Statue under the Cherry Tree

While doing some yard work the other day, I took a few minutes to snap photos of my all time favorite thrift store find, purchased two years ago in New Hampshire...


A very old, chippy garden statue of Mary.


Mary watches over all the plants and wildlife that make their homes in our little backyard.


We just recently uncovered her (in her delicate state, she needs to be protected from the harsh New England winters). I didn't even realize she had a spiderweb attached to her until the sun hit it just right.

Mary resides under our cherry tree. I love the contrast of her old, chippy blue paint against the pale, soft pink of the cherry blossoms, which happen to be in bloom right now.

We have had incredibly high winds in our region today with trees down and scattered power outages. I'm so thankful that I took these photos a few days ago....

... because I'm afraid the wind may have made short work of these beautiful blossoms, and when I look out the window tomorrow they'll be gone with the wind!

Please visit Cindy at My Romantic Home for her Show & Tell blog post and a list of all those participating in it!

Donna

Orange and Onion Salad...

I was inspired to make an orange and onion salad after Corey from Tongue in Cheek posted about one on her blog the other day. With summer coming up, I'm always on the lookout for new salad ideas.


First I chopped a large red onion.


Then I had to choose a salad dressing to marinate the onions in...


I decided to combine all three...

I added a bit of pepper, covered the bowl with saran wrap and let it sit on the counter until supper time.

Right before serving I tossed in three roughly chopped navel oranges with the onions and dressing and ...Voila! All done!

I also made a variation that had fat free feta cheese and chopped walnuts. (Some of my family loves feta, some hate it, so with two versions there was something for everyone). They both got two thumbs up from the whole family, so we'll definitely be having more orange and onion salads this summer! Thanks, Corey!

And I love using my old thrift store glass bowls for dishes like this. I've picked up several in different sizes and styles over the years and they're perfect for serving salads and side dishes!

Donna

Tweeting ...

I don't tweet. Do you? One of my girls Tweets, but thus far I haven't had any desire to delve into this newest form of communication.


I remember when only birds tweeted.


But not these two. They play music rather than tweet. The bluebird plays "It's a Small World" and the robin plays "You Light Up My Life."


But the real birds outside are tweeting very loudly today! I can hear them even through the closed windows (it's a tad on the chilly side today).

I suspect they're trying to attract mates. After all, it's spring and love is in the air!

I don't have much to tweet about today. I did go to Weight Watchers. I've been VERY bad about attending weigh-ins or meetings the past few months, and my lack of commitment has been showing on the scales.

I went to WW last week after a month and a half absence from attending and I was up 1.2 pounds. It was definitely time to recommit to going weekly. Thankfully today's weigh-in was better. Down 2.6 lbs. Still a far cry from where I want to be, but better than a gain.

Wishing you all determination, courage, and stick-to-it-iveness with any challenges you might be battling in your lives!

Donna

My favorite new TV commercial....

Whoever wrote the dialogue for this latest Pedigree commercial has such a way with words... Every time it comes on the TV I just stop what I am doing and get lost in the narration and those eyes.... (I actually love all of Pedigree's commercials!)



A little tribute to the shelter dogs who have enriched our lives....

Ms. Gizmo, adopted at age 8 ... the sweetest troll dog who ever lived. We love and miss you so much, our Gizzy girl.

Mr. O'Malley, adopted at age 7 ... an old soul with the most loving heart. We miss everything about you, our sweet boy.

Sooshi (aka Suchi), adopted at age 2 ... our little man dog who had the sweetest disposition, and who we miss every single day

Casper, adopted at age 2 ... a gentle giant who lived through terrible abuse and neglect before ending up in the shelter, and who taught us so much about trust, forgiveness, and unconditional love. You will always live in our hearts.

Click here to see this touching commercial:

Pedigree Shelter Dog Commercial

If you happen to be searching for a special friend who can tell you many tales with their soulful eyes, please check out the shelter links on my sidebar :)

Donna

Boston ... a trip down memory lane

We were in Boston the other night to celebrate hubby's birthday with the girls, and just being in the city, in the spring, got me to reminiscing... So when we got home, I dug through some old photos taken over the course of a couple of springs/summers in the early nineties...


When the girls were little, we'd try to get into Boston at least once durng the summer to enjoy some leisure time at the Boston Public Garden (Boston's ultra-mini version of New York's Central Park!) Years ago, I snapped this photo of the girls walking along a path in the Garden, and last night converted it to a "watercolor" with my photo software. I like this version so much I might actually frame it!


Here's the actual photo taken oh-so-many years ago! I never imagined back then that both girls would eventually be living in the city with the Boston Public Garden just minutes from where they work or live... It's so much fun to just walk around the park, enjoy the weather, and feed the little critters...


Here are the girls sitting on the bronze "mama duck" from Robert McCloskey's beloved "Make Way for the Ducklings" book. The bronze baby duck statues are all lined up behind her. I may have to get the girls over to the garden and have them re-enact this photo for me! If I do, I'll be sure to share it with you!

And here we are on another visit, feeding the pigeons. The girls loved that the squirrels and pigeons would come right to you for food. They were animal lovers from the get go.

You can just plunk down anywhere to take in the beauty of the Boston Public Garden...

The ducks and swans are only too happy to put on a show for you.

And no trip to the Gardens would be complete without a ride on Boston's famous swan boats, which have been operating since 1877!

Another of my photos that I converted to a watercolor... If you ever get to Boston, I encourage you to spend some leisure time strolling around the Gardens! The swan boats started running last week and will be operating until September 19th... Enjoy!!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Donna

little Bunny Foo Foo

Our little back yard has been blessed with a new visitor and we couldn't be more excited!



You have to look REALLY close to see him. Talk about camouflage!


Oh, good - he came a bit closer so I was able to get a better picture! We've lived in this same house, which is smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood, for almost 30 years and this is only the second time we've had a bunny visitor. We're all very excited and hoping he sticks around a while!! (Wow, can you tell we don't rake beyond the stone wall?)

The weather has been phenomenal lately. We're truly enjoying a spring season. So many years we seem to jump right from a frigid winter into a humid summer with hardly a hint of spring in between. But not this year!

My little SOS sugar bowl is working out quite nicely! I was asked what I use in the kitchen and I use dish cloths rather than sponges for just about everything. The SOS pads, of course, are for my pots and pans, and how I love my magic erasers for cleaning the stovetop! Now if I only had a window in there so I could watch little Bunny Foo Foo!

Donna

Now you see it ...... Now you don't

The ugly SOS pad ....


Now tucked away in this cute little sugar bowl/planter found at the thrift store...


Mm hmm... This will look much better sitting next to the sink.

Spring continues to bloom in New England (sigh.... I am in love with the weather right now)

Donna

Waking after a long winter's nap...

The first signs of spring are blossoming all over our little yard. And after the long, cold New England winter we just went through, they are a very welcome sight!


A lone Daffodil has blossomed in the Iris patch (which has yet to blossom).


One of our Maple trees is sprouting new crimson growth...


... while another Maple tree is sending forth spring green growth.

The Clematis vine made it through the long winter and is sprouting new growth non-stop.

And these little blue flowers by the garden gate are in full bloom.

I planted these so many years ago that I don't even remember what they are! As you can see, we've had some windy days leaves everywhere...

The Rhododendrum bushes are covered with buds! It will be so beautiful when everything is blossoming! I am so grateful that spring has finally arrived!

And last but not least, my psychedelic girls in an Easter photo taken on their Apple/MAC laptop... They kind of match the eggs we dyed that day - so bright and colorful!!

Wishing you all a gorgeous spring day!

Donna

Happy Easter...

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I wish you a joyous Easter Sunday...


Our handiwork this morning... messy but fun!

Donna

'Tis the season... for yard sales!

Two weekends ago it was actually in the SEVENTIES here in New England!! Those gorgeous temps got me to thinking about yard sales so I checked on-line to see if there were any scheduled for the following weekend. Sure enough, I found one for the next Saturday, and not too far from where I live!

Unfortunately when Saturday arrived, it was in the mid-TWENTIES at 9 a.m. when I showed up at the yard sale. I was the only one there other than the poor homeowner and his sweet little daughter. The week before, when temps hit the 70's, a yard sale had seemed like a good idea. Not so much that morning...


But, oh, what a BARGAIN I found! I got this cool little pot for only $5. Now I'm not a cook, so if there's a name for a piece like this, I have no idea what it is. I'm guessing it's some type of kettle because of the unique handle and the little pouring spout...


I LOVE this piece! I made tomato soup in it last night to go with our grilled cheese sandwiches, and it was so easy to pour the soup into our mugs! I'm going to use it as a tea kettle on the stove top since I don't have one.


But what REALLY made this a bargain was that for my $5, I not only got that cool little "spout kettle," I got the ENTIRE set of matching cookware!!! I am in L-O-V-E with this set! I may actually end up enjoying cooking!

The set is by SILAMPOS, Made in Portugal. It seems to be a very nice quality set of cookware, although I can honestly say I know nothing about this brand... But what I do know is that I got one heck of a deal at my first yard sale of the season!!!

Wishing you all sunny spring days! Here in New England we have been DELUGED with rain for weeks on end it seems, but today the sun is shining - what a WELCOME sight!!!

Donna