April 30th

This old adage was on target this month.

We went from showers to deluges,

but they did bring on the buds!

The Amaryllis out did themselves this year.

This our biggest bulb garden,

but there are 2 more smaller spots in the yard.

The Peppermint Amaryllis

that's potted in this 

cement urn, has bloomed sparsely

in the past, but this year

we had 6 stalks of 4 flowers each. 

Dianthus

White Petunias

Louisiana Iris

I decided to cut the blooms this year.

We had several very windy days

which made the blooms bend over.

I didn't want them to die so soon,

so, I cut them to enjoy inside.

Adding blooms.

Gardenias

And now the Gladiolas are

beginning to bloom.

I added some oregano and yellow

wildflowers to this bouquet.

The Gladiolas and Irises

really are scentless,

but the oregano was heavenly!

**********************

The veggies are starting to bud too!

That's 2 Banana Peppers and

2 "Pear" Tomatoes.

Due to a mix up,

the CEO bought what he thought

was a tomato plant.

Nope.

It's a Tomatillo.

So, now we get to experiment

with these flavors.

Japanese Eggplant

(My favorite)

Green Bell Pepper

Cherry Tomatoes

Blackberries.

The thornless vine is covered

in white blooms.

Blueberries.

We have many Blueberry bushes.

I hope to have enough be able to

make homemade jam this season.

**************************

There are a few projects

going on around the yard,

 some new fence boards,

and a load of mud

to bolster up the lawn.

(Kinda reminds me of Half Dome in Yosemite)

😆

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This is an old recipe that

the CEO came up with.

It's just in time for the

warmer late spring,

early summer

days.

Asian Slaw

1 bag of Cole Slaw mix

1 bunch of green onions

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

2 packages of Teriyaki flavored ramen

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1st, crush the ramen noodles,

cut the green onions into small pieces,

and add the teriyaki flavor packets

into a bowl with a lid.

Then add everything else to the bowl

and mix together well.

Cover and put it in the fridge

to rest for a couple hours.

This goes great with BBQ!

********************

An observation...

Some days I feel so old.

Kinda like I might predate the

Roosevelt administration,

or,

the Dead Sea might have been 

just a little bit sick,

or

 maybe I could have been born 

on the same day God created

dirt,

but..

then I get out in the garden for a bit

and I just feel so much better.

Yeah, the aches and pains are

still there, but the mental

correctness of 

planting and 

helping plants thrive

is indescribable.

(It's nice now but I'll get back to you in August!)

😃

💗💚💙

Thanks for letting me share.

 

The little tortoise shell cat who adopted

us died yesterday.

I have no idea of her origins other than she

was a pet of a neighbor who passed away.

Then the nameless little furball became

a girl of the streets.

We met on a swelteringly hot day in 

August after hurricane Ida, when she

waltzed into my house.

She was a literal bag of bones.

Over the next few days, I fed and

watered her. 

She must have seen something

in me other than free food

because she never left.

Her best buddies, the hens, all passed away

and then she was our last girl.

Her hearing and eyesight failed her

and she slowed way down.

The final straw was a kitty stroke

that robbed her of movement.

Our Vet helped her transition

over the rainbow bridge.

Thank you Minew

for adopting us.

We never knew we needed a cat,

but you, 

my girl, 

were the best!

💔🐈💔

 

April 4Th

The Peppermint Amaryllis started to bloom!

More and more Scarlet Amaryllis are blooming too.

This picture was taken yesterday

when we noticed several blooms

were broken and hanging low

from the wind.

The CEO cut the broken stalks

and brought them inside.

They are so beautiful!

The same thing is happening to the

Louisiana Irises.

Their stalks have either been bent over

or completely broken.

The Dianthus is blooming.

Minew is resting in the grass.

She's incontinent and doesn't eat much,

but she's comfortable, and that's good.

She's such a pretty girl.

Well, this March 1st certainly brought high winds and rain.

So, I guess March did indeed come in like a lion.

But the weather this morning was also "lion-like" with

high winds and heavy rain till noon.

I don't think March was ready to go just yet.

This month was all over the weather spectrum.

Temperature fluctuations with forecasts of rain,

hail and wind damage along with street flooding.

Cancellations of parades since Mardi Gras,

celebrations and fairs too, left its mark this year.

The Vernal Equinox - Spring, on the 20th, didn't

leave the month any slack either. 

It was quite cold then.

The CEO has been preparing veggie beds 

and the herb pots that the snow 

left dead and barren.

The herb garden.

We have: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary,

several different types of Thyme.

(Our homage to Paul Simon 😁)

We have Purple Basil, Thai Basil. and Holy Basil (Batman!).

There's also some Basil coming up from seeds!

We have Italian Oregano, and yellow onions.

The Asparagus pots.

I harvest them, I actually mean, I eat them,

daily as I putter around.

If the Asparagus spear keeps growing,

it'll "bolt", meaning that it goes to seed

and it becomes an Asparagus Fern.

That's not a totally bad thing later on in the

growing cycle, but now, we'd prefer

to eat the succulent spears.

The flowering weeds are blooming too.

This is a Meadow Buttercup. It's different

from the purplish-blue ones on the sides of the roads.

A Mock Strawberry.

It's edible, but it's kinda nasty tasting.

So, that's a big no from us!

But birds eat them.

Oxalis Daisy.

Another weed, but it's so cute that I had

to cut a stem and place in the vase.

The front entrance plants.

There's Purple Coleus, Yellow Green Coleus

and Ruby Begonia with Sedum trying to

grow back after being in the snow.

Black Scallop Ajuga.

I love this little guy!

Those purplish-blue blooms are stunning.

Now the showstoppers!!

These are Peppermint Amaryllis.

There's 4 buds.

The Fleur de Lis bed has the red Amaryllis.

This picture was taken yesterday.

Here they are this morning!!

There are 42 blooms in this bed.

Up close look inside the trumpet.

We decorated for St Patrick's Day.

Spring

And Easter.

 

*******************************

We got visited by some wildlife.

There was an owl that I wasn't able to

grab a picture - sadly.

He was beautiful!

A baby Opossum

A Mockingbird

(Hey everybody, have you heard?)

(Sorry James Taylor  😔)

And Felis catus, or

Minew

She's an elderly lady who

would rather be left alone.

🐈

I found this online...

So, next time you see a bunch of 

birds or ducks, check out what

they are and where they come from.

There's a bunch flying back 

south from the cold.

👍

********************************

Again,

Thanks for reading.

I really appreciate you!

💗💛💙

Another sad passing.

My dear friend's Dad left this world

to join her Mom.

Now they are her Angels in Heaven.

Bless her and her family.

✞