Friday, April 23, 2021

Chilly morning in April -

 ........but the sun is shining and there is so much to be thankful for.











A busy day ahead once it warms up. Last night was the second night in a row with close to freezing temperatures - so unexpected this late in April and following that mini heatwave we experienced recently.  I pulled the new pots of hydrangeas awaiting planting, the hanging Boston ferns etc. onto the front porch and covered all with sheets - couldn't do anything with the large growing shrubs so they were left to fend off the chill best they could.  
A quick walk around this morning and all looks saved rather than frost-bitten thankfully. The garden is full of life with many squirrels, Chippy the chipmunk is stuffing his cheeks, Northern flicker showing his long tongue at the suet cake, a  sparrow rests on the snowball bush, and an ever-sweet Mourning dove is enjoying a sunny morning drink. The Spanish bluebells are fading but still standing sturdy and proud. The new plants have been moved out into the sunshine..........tomorrow heavy rain is expected so no watering needed today. Most of my seeds are planted - lots of vining Moonflowers and Morning glories in pots, along with summertime cooking herbs. I may be moving them to the porch tonight so they won't be drowned tomorrow!



13 comments:

  1. Oh Mary - please send some of that promised rain over to the UK if you can spare it. We have had none for so long and the plants are parched. It is easy enough to water pots but the garden is best left. But everything is thirsty.

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  2. Spring is looking lovely at your home. Hope the freezing temps go away!

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  3. You have the most peaceful, wonderful blog, I wouldn't miss it.

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  4. Still cool here (50's) but a warm-up coming next week. It's been a dry April for us, which is unusual. I see lots of rain in our extended forecast, so we put down grass seed today and hopefully it will take off. Since we don't use any chemicals on our lawn, it is quite weedy. We also have some big bare batches where some work was done last year. Our lawn isn't aesthetically pretty, but oh well.

    Have a good weekend!

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  5. Everything is looking lovely. I always enjoy photos of squirrels and chipmunks. They're cute and cheeky. What's not to love? :)

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  6. What wonderful clear morning light in your photos, Mary. I'm glad you saved your plants from the unseasonal frost. We've had a mini heat-wave here that is ending tonight and some much-needed rain is in the forecast. Yes, there is much to be thankful for, even in the midst of these crazy days. Have a wonderful weekend Mary and Bob!

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  7. Dearest Mary,
    Yes, two very chilly nights we had, even for us here some six hours south of you! We had a Rotary Club's Social and I wore my buttery soft short leather jacket since the wind was mean too. This was an outdoor social...
    Looks like we're now in serious business with true spring temperatures. Thunderstorms for Saturday... we'll see. It was very, very dry here this week, due to the wind.
    Your garden critters make for an entertaining bunch and your garden is not that deep and all within earshot and eye-sight! We no doubt have many residents that are not visible... unless you get out and walk and stalk them.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  8. We've been having odd weather too, with bright days and chilly nights - both the result of cloudless skies, so it's unsurprising that we've had no rain either. Squirrels are a gift to the photographer - a hundred poses every minute!

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  9. Darling Mary,

    What a marvellous photograph album you present us with here. Your garden is truly springing into new life and there is a great sense of wonderful promise that awaits in the seasons ahead. Time indeed to be thankful and to count blessings.

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  10. Delightful.
    So what type of Woodpecker is that? I ask because our house is actually called ‘Woodpeckers’.
    We have the Great Spotted Woodpecker in the garden, daily, and the Green Woodpecker is a frequent visitor. We don’t get the Lesser Spotted as it’s not really a garden visitor.

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    1. Love the name of your house Sal. This is one of the largest birds we have - a pair who have come to our suet feeders for several years - one year I managed to catch the dad training a youngster how to search for food in the back garden - they're the only ground foraging woodpecker around this area of the US.

      Northern Flicker : Colaptes auratus
      A 12" brown and black woodpecker with black necklace and red spot
      on nape of neck. Male distinguished by a black mustache also.

      We just read about the huge pub fire - did you see it?

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  11. Oh Mary, I can never get over your beautiful photographs and the variety of wildlife you get in your garden..... and, hydrangeas in full bloom ..... ours are only just showing a few green leaves !!! We are very lucky to have gardens ....I do feel for those who haven't in this pandemic ..... and I am so grateful that I really enjoy gardening .... I think it has kept me sane during this past year !!!! XXXX

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  12. Your pictures from nature and your yard are always soooooo beautiful.
    The two bunnies in your bird bath reminded me of the two wild bunnies we had in our garden just yesterday.
    Weather can be so unpredictable this time of year. Hoping it warms up for your plants soon. I also had to take some back to the greenhouse for awhile just this weekend as the nights were getting cold again. Still dreaming of coming your way one of these days.

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