Greener grass...

 If you hadn't noticed, I'm a bit behind on my blog. As you can imagine, I haven't had any desire whatsoever to be sitting in front of the computer.  The last few weeks have been far too nice for that. However, this sudden burst of 90 degree temps might bring me in the house more as I'm not entirely thrilled by really hot weather.  I'm hoping that we return to the 70's soon... ...preferably before our yard is a barren wasteland for the entire summer! We've been spending lots of time outdoors enjoying what was lush green spring weather. This was what our yard looked like just a few short days ago:  

 (Although you probably wouldn't believe me if you came to our house today.) It always bums me out to have a dead yard already in early June... Oh well, it was very nice while it lasted. I have a confession to make... I took this picture a couple weeks ago: 

 I had meat on the grill and I couldn't help but notice our property line. Is it wrong to be just slightly delighted to see your neighbor's yard overgrown with dandelions?  :-) Don't get me wrong.  We have plenty of our own.  But for years, it seemed like the most perfect yards in the neighborhood just happened to be right next door to us.  Mike mows over an acre and has never felt inclined to aspire to a perfect yard.  But I couldn't help but be just a little bit pleased to look out over our kingdom that night and see that the grass was just a little greener on our side of the property line...   

  The moon was amazing tonight. It was so crisp and clear. I thought I'd share it with you.  ;-)
 

"When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,

what is man that You are mindful of Him,

and the son of man that You care for him?"

Psalm 8:3-4

More miracles of spring...

 One of my favorite miracles of spring is when "our birds" make the long journey back to their summer home.   Today, there was a hummingbird that zipped past the nectar pole looking for a treat... Must have been one of last year's hummers because he knew right where to look. I hurried to get the nectar because I hate to disappoint our birds... I love birds. I love how they sing the praises of their Creator in spite of the fact that most of them live in constant fear of being eaten!  I wish I could do the same... They work tirelessly to build their nests, and when tragedy strikes, they start over and do it again just as diligently as the first time--and they don't complain.  I wish I could do that, too... When we built our home, I so badly wanted to have a yard with trees and singing birds. But we didn't have trees...so we didn't have many birds either. After many years of planting/growing trees, with each passing year, our yard is more filled with birds. This morning I was laying in the living room near an open window just listening to the birds sing.   I sat down in the school room this afternoon and noticed our cardinal pair in the feeder. It's so sweet... When cardinals are "courting", the male feeds the female seeds, and I've been hoping to get a picture. We rushed and got the camera, and sure enough, I was able to snap a quick shot:  

Not a great picture--but at least I got one. Mike set up the summer birdbath that has a dripper with fresh water continually, and the birds can't resist it. A robin stopped by for a splash: 

 

He was having so much fun that just a minute later, our male bluebird decided he might like to have a splash, too:

The lady bluebird thought it looked tempting... 

but she was too nervous to get in just yet.

A red wing blackbird stopped in for a few seeds...

A rose-breasted grosbeak has also been trying to figure out the cage feeder:

 

And the Oriole arrived in the lilac bush looking for his jelly...



We hurried up and put out an orange, but I'm going to have to pick up some jelly tonight...

...cause like I said, I really don't like to disappoint our birds.  

I love this time of year!

Spring in slow motion...

 Blooms of spring continue to emerge in our yard...very...slowly... The heavy rains of this morning combined with forecast temperatures in the mid-80's for tomorrow should speed up the process.  The hyacinths are starting to bloom: 

It's been such a crazy spring that all of our flowers seem to be really stubby...  I don't know if that's typical during a cold spring?  Or it could just be ours...  I'm amazed when anything grows in our soil...

The tulips are very close to blooming...

 They're also really short.  They seem healthy and they're very close to opening, but they're only 4-6 inches tall! Hey...we'll take what we can get! Our magnolia on the other hand never disappoints. This picture was one of the first blooms... 

...but it's now in full glory.  It's still not fully mature--it's probably around 6 feet tall.  But it's covered in what must be hundreds of these beautiful white blooms.  I love how the blooms come right out of the bare twigs. The magnolia has always been my most treasured shrub.  A couple years ago, I didn't even know what a magnolia was...  But we came across them at Sargent's (our favorite local garden center) and we had to have one. A few days ago, we were Mother's day shopping there, and we saw that they had gotten in a new kind of Magnolia... It was called a "Butterflies Magnolia".  It gets larger than the one we have and the blossoms are yellow.  

 Hmm...  I liked it.  A lot. But...for some reason...Mike couldn't seem to get past the fact that we had spent $3000 last week on car repairs and orthodontist expenses.  Typical man.  ;-) I knew he was right...but it sure was beautiful. Then I remembered...  I had birthday money! Thank you Dave and Norma!!  

 I now have a butterflies magnolia waiting to be planted in the front yard where the cherry bushes got devoured last winter.  Mike has some ideas for landscaping the front corner of our yard, and the magnolia should fit into his plans perfectly! Here is a picture of the largest yellow bud: 

 I'm hoping it will still blossom well after it's transplanted... If it does, you'll see pictures later... 

New beginnings...

There are signs of spring emerging all over the yard now... Spring is a time for fresh beginnings. One of my favorite parts about spring is walking around the yard and seeing new growth emerge from day to day... The signs of spring are everywhere, and it's almost like a treasure hunt as our eager eyes search the mulch for new growth--however small it may be:  

  It's thrilling to be the first to spot a tiny sprout peeking through. I must admit...when it comes to gardening...I'm terribly ignorant.  We plant bulbs around the yard and honestly, I wouldn't be able to tell you what most of them are if you asked.  I think that's possibly why it delights me so much to see new life return from year to year. I know what this one is--it's one of my many daylilies.  These are impossible to harm and so I have collected a variety of colors in various corners of the yard:  

The lilac buds are swelling:

 

 And one of my favorites, the magnolia buds are plumping-out with promises of early spring blossoms... 

The sun was trying to peek out through the clouds: 

While I was snapping pictures of spring, a pair of chickadees stopped by to say hello:

 And, here is a half-nibbled suet cake that Elizabeth made with her Grandma: 

 I'm sure you've also been exploring your yard for the first signs of spring.  Isn't it just amazing--the small miracles that are taking place in our back yards every day?  I love this time of year...  I love that my God is the giver of all life--and brings new life out of what is dead and lifeless.  And I love that He is a God of new beginnings...in back yards...and in the lives of those He loves.  

Signs of spring...

I've been intently watching... for Spring to arrive. It's not coming any too quickly this year. I love getting out in the yard and looking for those first signs of spring, don't you? So far, there haven't been many to report.  Of course, not all things that emerge from under the snow are good. We recently found that EVERY...SINGLE...ONE of our cherry bushes was devoured!  

 

Isn't that awful?  We weren't pleased... Hubby looks forward to harvesting the cherries each year.  It would appear that we shall have to start over with these.  'Tis a bummer, but they were overgrown and a bit of an eyesore anyway, so I'm thinking we'll be able to find a better location next time around.  It's been a really wet spring.  There's been a lot more standing water in the outlot behind our house this year.   This is the area that we've affectionately named "The Stormy Woods": 

You might think a swampy area behind the house is a bad thing, but to us, it's an adventure.  It's fun to explore and we enjoy the sound of the frogs at night. 

Speaking of frogs, this guy came around for a visit last year:

I'm thinking this year it should be especially fun to study the water under the microscope as we're doing a session on microscopic exploration in school.

We'll enjoy the water in the spring, and then when it dries out and the grasses grow tall in the summer, Mike usually mows a walking trail.  Last year, they named it "Cattail Trail" and even posted a sign.

And you know it's a sure sign that spring is around the corner when you see Pa's golf car come out of the shed.

Last weekend, Mike and Beth (and Gretchen) took it out to make sure it's ready for him when golfing seasion arrives. 

Yep, it works good, Pa!

  So, we'll keep you updated if any more signs of spring arrive in our yard.   We can all use a little spring, can't we?