Hello, old friend....

There are certain relationships that, no matter how much time has passed since you've seen each other, you pick up right where you left off...

And so it is for Chip and I.

 After all, when you work from home you tend to take your breaks and lunches with the backyard critters

(at least during the spring and summer months!)...

... so Chip and I go way back.

But today was the first time this season that we've actually had the time to sit down and chat.

As we do every year, Chip and I looked out over the back yard and I shared some of my upcoming "garden-in-the-making" plans with him. 

And as always, Chip is very supportive of my vision and plans...

(So long as peanuts regularly appear on the lunch menu!)

Our lunch break flew by and then it was time for me to get back to work. Chip took one last peanut for the road and we made plans to get together again in a few days.

Wishing all of you warm spring breezes and good times with old friends....

I'm linking to A Favorite Thing at Claudia's Mockingbird Hill Cottage and

 Cindy's Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home this week.

Donna

Our pink flowering hoppa crab trees are in full bloom!

Glorious spring has arrived in New England!

 I look forward to this view outside our living room window each May...

 ... because that's when our gorgeous pink flowering hoppa crab trees start blooming.

It's hard to believe that when we planted these back in the early 80's, we brought both of them home from the garden center in the back seat of my VW bug convertible with the top down... That's how SMALL they were!

 Here's the second hoppa crab, on the other side of the driveway. (And it won't be long before the clematis on the light post will be in bloom as well! Another thing to look forward to!)

The Adirondack chairs are in place...

The birdbaths have been filled...

...and placed in a variety of spots around the yard...

... and the birdhouses are move-in ready.

The view from the family room sliders in the back yard is equally beautiful right now as our flowering cherry tree is also in bloom! As you can see from the pots in the foreground, we made a quick trip to the garden center today to pick up a few Major Wheeler Honeysuckle vines to plant at the front posts of the swingset deck. Oh, gosh, I'm so looking forward to a spring and summer full of blooms in our little yard this year!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Donna

Whitewashing the birdhouse...

 Our poor old birdhouse really needed some freshening up.

 It was inexpensive to start with, and has fallen apart over the years, but I love the shape of it and am willing to glue, screw, and repaint to keep it going for many more years!

This is what it looked like last spring after a very rough winter where high winds had blown it off its post. Hubby spent a lot of time putting the pieces back together again.

Hubby built a new, strong base for it so it wouldn't blow off anymore. But, boy oh boy, did it need a new paint job.

To be honest, I actually like the rustic, weathered look.

But I also want the wood to last a l-o-n-g time...

... so I got out my white paint and gave it a fresh coat of paint..

Hopefully that will keep the wood from rotting any more than it already has. Don't you just love all our landscape fabric? We desperately need more plants and more bark mulch back here. Hopefully soon.

These photos were taken just last Thursday.

Look at the difference in our flowering cherry tree, just 7 days later!

It won't be long before the salvia at the base of the birdhouse is blooming and the vinca vines are once again cascading out the birdhouse windows. I can't wait!

And take look at the difference in our honeysuckle vine. Again, the photo on the left was taken one week ago, and the photo on the right was taken today. It is getting soooo green and there are buds galore. I've decided to plant two more honeysuckle vines to climb the front posts of the swingset.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We're looking forward to more beautiful weather. We're on a roll here in New England!

Donna

Spring has sprung...

 Finally! Spring has arrived in New England and the yard is rejoicing after a long, hard winter.

 This is our lone daffodil among an iris patch. I've posted photos of it in past years, usually blooming in the early part of April as opposed to now! (Everything is running late this year.) As you can see, the Adirondack chairs have have also been unearthed and set outside.

The maple tree leaves are bursting forth...

...and the hoppa crab trees are COVERED with blossoms this year.

We never know, from year to year, how bountiful the apple blossoms will be. This year looks like it will be spectacular.

The hostas around the mailbox are just starting to poke their little heads through the soil.

And the rhododendron bush is covered with buds.

The clematis on the light post is coming back to life...

...and pretty soon these buds will be gorgeous blue flowers.

And speaking of blue flowers, these little guys are the first to bloom every spring. I planted them so long ago I have no recollection of what they are.

But there is no mistaking the bleeding heart bush. Once its stems start poking through...

...it blooms in record speed.

On the wildlife front, I was very excited to see the first chipmunk in our yard today. They're such a huge part of our summer enjoyment out on the patio.

I hope you are all enjoying beautiful spring weather wherever you are...

Donna 

A potpourri post...

 In other words, a bit of this, that, and the other...

After receiving an email from a local friend last night that she had spotted her first hummingbird, I made sure to get my feeders out this morning. Lord knows there's not a single blooming flower in our yard for them to visit!

The past few days have been spectacular. It's been wonderful being able to dry clothes outside without worrying about them freezing.

Our handsome boy continues to make remarkable progress after his emergency surgery (spleen and right eye removal). He is, however, in desperate need of grooming (both bathing and a haircut).

He has an appointment with his vet tomorrow to get the "all clear" for a visit to the groomers. Stitches and staples were removed weeks ago and incisions are healing beautifully, so I think he'll get the green light.

Back in November I shared this silly compilation of two owl prints I was working on...

Yesterday the UPS truck pulled up with the actual prints from my publisher.

As always, they did an amazing job with the printing.

And speaking of art prints...

This "God Bless Our Home" print, as well as three others in my Etsy art shop have been tagged as Boston Fundraiser prints. I'm donating the purchase price of these prints to The One Fund in Boston, whose monies will be donated to those who were so horrifically affected by the bombing at the Marathon. If you're interested, here's a link to the four fundraiser prints:

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/folkartbydonna/search?search_query=boston&order=date_desc&view_type=gallery&ref=shop_search

 

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone.

Donna

Heartbroken...

After a very cold and bitter winter, yesterday promised to be a spectacular day here in Massachusetts with sunshine and mild temps. And, of course, Patriot's Day is always an exciting day for the city of Boston with the running of the Marathon.

(past photos of Boston I've shared on my blog)

I had just pulled into the driveway from grocery shopping yesterday afternoon when I received a text. Without reading it, I gathered up my groceries and headed into the house.

By the time I reached the kitchen and put my bags down, two more texts had arrived in rapid succession.

Text 1: Have you seen the news?

Text 2: Someone set off a bomb at the finish line

Text 3: Some are dead

Just as I will never forget where I was or how I heard about September 11th or JFK being shot, I will never forget where and how I heard this news.

How bittersweet those texts were because they came from my daughter who lives in Boston, and who I knew was at the Marathon with friends, cheering on all the dedicated runners.  Unlike a few years ago when she watched the Marathon, this time she was nowhere near the finish line.

I called her immediately and we cried on the phone together. I only remember saying, "Oh, my God," over and over, while she spoke. My prayers of thanks that she was okay were mingled with prayers and tears for those who are not, and for their loved ones. 

We are heartbroken and our thoughts and prayers go out to everybody affected by yesterday's events.

Donna