Swim buddies. . . . . . . .

An unusual pair at the swimming hole - the Brown Thrasher and the Eastern Bluebird.

Neither one appeared bothered by the other - don't you love it when people, animals

 and even birds get along together, sharing the same space, attending to their personal

needs, even singing a song whilst doing it.

This is a male bluebird but as the male and female thrashers are identical, 

I'm not sure if this is mixed bathing, or two of the boys getting squeaky clean to

 pursue their respective mates. 

It's that time of year again, the birds are definitely feeling romantic and are

 in nest-building mode.

Bob and I will soon be off on the water ourselves. 

The Mediterranean calls and we're looking forward to the trip

around Sicily and Malta.

My neighbors and family members who stop by will hopefully keep the

 bird baths topped up - with all that splashing the water level soon

drops and bathing becomes difficult for the larger birds.

Green thumb . . . . . . . . . .

Somehow I missed celebrating Earth Day yesterday, so today I'm sharing the

view from the front porch this morning looking out across our little quarter acre.

My feeling is that every day this amazing planet Earth should be celebrated,

 whether you have beautiful sprawling country acreage, or just a small plot

 outside the city.

Yesterday morning we sat out here in brilliant sunshine with our coffee, and by

 late morning is was hot. Today cooler weather has returned with a vengeance

 and it will stay a couple of days with the possibility of heavy rains. . . . . . there's a

 light rain just starting now.   

Personally I am embracing this cool Sunday morning. I don't enjoy heat - especially

 when the air conditioning system is on the blink which ours is at present! 

With rain dampening down the pollen - enabling me to throw open the 

windows - and refreshing all the shades of green, I took these few photos early

 today to show you how green it is around the cottage.

The small oak tree, snuggling up to the fig, I've mentioned often.

This is 'Bob's Oak', growing from an acorn that sprouted here several years ago.

"Leave it" Bob would say when I showed up with the weeding tools.

 "Let's just see what it does". Well here it is, already a substantial tree 

with a pleasing shape which seems to be growing about a foot annually.

The birds love it, using it as a perching place for the feeder and bath.

These three trees were all started by us - the red maple, Celeste fig, and

 of course the some day 'mighty oak' perhaps to be enjoyed by generations to come!

New Boston ferns are now hanging on the porch - always a favorite here in

 Summer months. In Winter they become nighttime roosts for our family of 

Carolina wrens who snuggle in the pots, making small 'bedrooms' when the

 plants are brown and ugly. . . . . . .but I don't have the heart to take them

 down until I replace with new ones come April. I must admit, any birds 

trying to nest here in Spring - usually finches who adore hanging baskets but

 are so messy - get shooed away because the ferns can't be watered if they move in!

"Dr. Ruppel" has arrived. . . . . . . . . .

April is bringing back the always welcomed clematis. 

Skinny vines winding and twirling, bright green leaves fresh and veined,

bursting buds dusted lightly with pollen.

Several plants have yet to wake from winter sleep and share blooms, 

however "Dr. Ruppel", is actively climbing the birdhouse and, as always,

 is the first clematis to show its magnificent striped magenta flowers.

Glories of the garden.

April shapes and shadows. . . . . .

On Sunday I had to do some garden work. That said, I must add that I never thought

 I'd get to this point in my garden chores where I describe it this way.  "Had" to, 

"chores", even "work".

Well a garden is always work. . . . . . remember that quote I've shared previously ~

 A garden is a thing of  beauty. . . . . . . and a job forever.  So true!

Fifteen years ago I could work out here for 8 hours straight. Everything was 

immaculate, aches and pains had yet to start, I had stamina. Now I can only work
 for short periods of time but that's OK, as long as I can keep gardening for an hour
 here, maybe a couple of hours there on a good day, I'll do it. I have been 
blessed with a small piece of land and I like it to look lovely from my windows. . . . . . 
. . . . . . . . . .and be a haven for wildlife.

So, on that perfect Sunday afternoon, I took a late lunch break under the umbrella

 on the back deck. I made a simple blender smoothie - blueberry kefir (I'm addicted to
 healthy kefir), tossed in fresh raspberries, a couple of ice cubes, a sprinkle of Chia seeds. 
No mosquitoes around yet, just a light pollen dusting.
 I was in heaven, enjoying the new greens bursting forth overhead - Spring
 sending me a joyful message from the trees and blooming shrubs.

Are you enjoying bloom time yet?
Will you have pretty gardens for Easter next weekend?

Gardening with pink and green. . . . . .

What a crazy Spring we are having here. Everything started blooming during an

 unusually mild February, then three unexpected below freezing nights devastated

 so many trees, shrubs and plants.

 New growth is showing on many things, but the azaleas, hydrangeas,

 jasmines and fig trees certainly took a beating and are struggling.

Sharing a few photos of what we are seeing right now this somewhat

wild April day.

The day started out dark and damp. Threatened by possible severe storms 

which have been forecast, we're hoping "possible tornado activity" will miss our area.

 As of now, early afternoon, the sun is in and out but the winds are gusting and strong.

Some azaleas have not done as well as usual due to the cold, however we still

 have some lovely ones dotted about the garden. In the back right the wisteria

 on the arbor (not very visible) lost its first leaves however new ones are now

 peeping out, hooray!

My tulips are almost over but have been pretty as only tulips can be - always a favorite 

around here.

Dogwoods are blooming everywhere now, apparently not damaged by that freeze thankfully.

Birds are busy in the search for a mate!

Chinese snowball bush starting to bloom.

Hostas and Solomon's Seal pushing up fast and furious - love how they add such

 a bright green punch to the waiting to be raked and tidied up dead leaves in the beds.

Just a teeny hint to the resident gardener!

What's growing in your garden this week?

Blooming April in the southeast. . . . . .

Steaming coffee mug in hand, still in my robe (dressing gown for my Brit readers),

 hair like a bird's nest from a rather restless night, I 'walked the bounds' of my little

 secret garden after the sun came up on this beautiful Sunday morning.

So many of the azalea buds were zapped in the three nights of below freezing 

temperatures a couple of weeks ago, especially the big loose flowers of my

favorite, George Tabor - the lovely pink one in the center of the collage.

They budded so early in February - an unusually warm month this year -

 and along with my hydrangeas, jasmines and the two fig trees, really took

 a beating. The deeper pink double blooming azaleas are fine, and red and

 white ones are just starting to show color so are in good shape and will look

 pretty in another week or so, perhaps in full bloom for Easter.

Other pretty shrubs and plants in the collage are doing well -

they include variegated Solomon's Seal, Spanish bluebells, hosta,

vining akebia, tulips (dark Queen of the Night and Pink Diamond), and

 pansies and violas in pots along the front walkway.

Shortly we are heading into the garden to work for a while. It's a comfortable 52F

 and Bob has to mow again as the grass is growing like crazy.  I will deadhead

 the daffodils, fertilize some perennials, pull a few weeds. . . . . . . and pick a small

bunch of bluebells for the kitchen windowsill.

I do believe Spring is really here at last.

Hope your day is beautiful.

May Day. . . . . . . . . . .

Here it is, May already!

April visits to the garden centers were, as always, fun.

 At this time of year they have to be the most colorful

 places in town. . . . . in our city anyway.

A wonderful surprise tucked in between all the plants. . . . . . the koi pond.

This year I am not planting any annuals this early because,

as I shared in my last post, we will be off across the pond again 

very soon. I have however pruned, fertilized, mulched and prepared 

our garden for what Summer will bring later. On our return in early

 June there will still be time to plant colorful petunias and pick up 

some geraniums for my empty pots.

Hopefully the garden centers will save some of their lovelies

for me!

Today we have wet, stormy weather, definitely not a gardening day around here!

Empty Nesters. . . . . . . .

I had a feeling that today would be the day!

Yesterday evening we relaxed with a glass of wine on the front porch, 
admiring our gardening efforts, and watching the parent chickadees

 feeding their offspring above our heads. 

As mentioned before, Carolina chickadees are such amazing tiny

birds who are extremely attentive parents. Not knowing how many 

babies were there, but thinking there had to be several keeping them

working on non-stop food distribution, we just hoped we'd see the 

excitement of the fledging young, but realized it would be a hit or miss 

occasion.

Today, waking just before 7AM to brilliant sunshine, and birdsong, I dashed

 to the dining room windows, camera at the ready, to check the nest box. 

At first thought this bird was a parent bringing breakfast, then I realized it
 was a baby chickadee probably thinking about moving out and leaving home!

After watching it pop in and out for about 5 minutes. . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . little claws appeared, first one . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . then the other, and in one whoosh it flew right out of the box at lightning

 speed toward a tree in the side garden.

And there I was, for the past week, worrying and wondering how in the

 world those tiny birds would get out of the box and, when they did, would

 they fall down onto to spiky hydrangea bushes and be injured! Who knew

they fly so well immediately. 

Hearing more excited chirping from the box, I knew there were siblings, so woke

Bob and he joined me on the porch. . . . . . . and for next 45 minutes we sipped 

our wake-up coffees, and me poised with the camera until my shoulders ached. 

I took 89 pix of birds sticking their heads out the hole etc!!!

In between fledging babies, one of the parents came back and forth with small

 bits of suet from our feeder, offered a quick taste then flew off with some still

 in its beak - must have been tempting the baby to follow. The other parent was

 probably waiting somewhere in the trees where the babies seemed to be headed. 

I noted that the first bird to leave took the longest to make up its

 mind - "should I stay or should I go?"

The next THREE, oh yes there were FOUR total stuffed in what must have

 become a very crowded and hot box by yesterday (the temperature outside

 reached the mid-80's here), made their moves quickly. Two more headed 

to the trees, but the last one flew up on our roof, bobbed all the way up the

shingles to the crest, and then flew to the trees to join the others.

This has really been a busy week in our garden for birds. We've also had 

four baby Carolina wrens appear - don't know where the parents put their

 nest this year, but they were teaching the cutest babies to look for

food and fly from branch to branch on the fig tree (wrens apparently hop

 about for a while before really flying any distance). The only birds remaining

 close to the cottage we're hoping to see fledge, are the nuthatch family in

 our large birdhouse, and with this very warm weather I'm sure they will be

 moving out any day also.

We do feel blessed to be sharing our garden with so many beautiful birds. . . . 

and now a new generation will be arriving at our feeders.