Mystery Bird

I think this might be an Indigo Bunting . . .

He was on my feeder today and I got several shots before he flew away - almost all blue, except for the bit of black/grey on his wings. I have never seen anything like this on my feeders before!

Earlier this week, I identified a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak on my other feeder, but he flew before I could get the camera. Been waiting for him to return!

Also, the hummingbirds have come back to the feeder - it only took them a day to discover it this year. All-in-all, not a bad day in the back yard!

Spring Brings New Hope

After his latest visit to the hospital, my dad is back in rehab and seems to be doing very well. I've had my hands full threatening all kinds of people. Since his fall in late February, we've walked out of the emergency room (after a two-hour wait with nobody even checking on us), almost walked out of a doctor's office (after being stuck in an exam room for an hour and being ignored), and have left one nursing home in disgust for another. Unbelievable the amount of misinformation and stupid people you find in the health industry! So, I've been waging war on the powers that be to get Grandpa decent treatment that actually helps him instead of causing him to take two or three GIANT steps backwards.

But - there is other stuff being done around my own house! Yes - I hope what I accomplished this afternoon will survive!!!

I planted three hostas, a bunch of Cosmos, Batchelor Buttons, Black-eyed Susans, Poppies, Sweet William, some Pinks, Blue Salvia, Forget-Me-Nots, Sparklers, etc. - all from seeds except the pinks and hostas. I planted in pots, half wine barrels, a cement planter, and the ground . . .

In past years, once the little plants dare poke their first baby leaves out of the ground, the backyard bunnies devour the tender shoots. Makes me want to do some shooting of my own!! At least when I planted the tulip bulbs in December, they were quickly buried under a pile of ice and snow. Typically, the squirrels find those, dig them up and eat them like candy. Between them and the bunnies, I think they've dubbed this yard "Blu's Buffet." But not THIS YEAR!! I had about 100 bulbs I'd gotten from in front of my office building last spring and planted those and they bloomed beautifully! Now if I can be only so lucky with the seeds!

I did manage to get one beautiful hanging pot full of New Zealand Impatiens - kind of pink and white stripes - that I put in the big pot on my front porch. They always seem to do so well there, why mess with perfection?

And, to cap off a glorious afternoon in the yard, I barbequed cubed pork cutlets, fixed some pasta al fredo, some corn, and had a wonderful piece of bread pudding from a well-known place here - Annie Gunn's. Bought it Friday at lunch, brought it home, stuck it in a pan, poured the rum sauce over it, and baked it for 20 minutes - absolutely devine!!

So, with the good thoughts of whoever still reads my blog . . . keep your fingers crossed . . . and I will be able to post pictures of lovely flowers this summer - instead of ugly, brown patches of dirt!

End of the Squirrels

New Bird Feeders:	$55.00
New Double Shepherd's Crook:	$25.00
Bird Feed:	$31.00
Hummingbird Feeder:	$20.00
Two Squirrel Baffles:	$40.00
Actually Feeding Bird Seed to the Birds:	Priceless

Backyard Additions

My dad had a relapse and is back in the hospital - but doing pretty good now. So, while he's been laid up, I've been doing some things in the backyard. Finally gave in and got a squirrel baffle that seems to work really well at keeping "Stinky" off the feeders, so got a new shepherd's crook and two new nice feeders.

And, the result of all this? Is is worth it?

I think so. This is a goldfinch sitting and eating thistle (Nyger) seeds. I'm thrilled. The feeders have only been back up a day or so, and already I've seen these, little red house finchs, cardinals, blackbirds, bluejays, sparrows and chickadees, and a wren. The bluejay was the biggest surprise. They used to be everywhere but lately have suffered some sort of setback.

I'll be putting the hummingbird feeders back up in the next few days, and hope to have those little friends back soon, as well!

Another Hummer

I couldn't resist trying to catch a picture of a hummingbird in flight. Must stay I'm thrilled. Either he was posing, or his little wings came out not as a blur, but perfect little wings. Isn't that amazing?

Note to self: They REALLY hate the flash!

Hummers!

The little guys are back! Yippee!! Saw one male hummingbird last week sitting on my phone wire, and he seemed to be wondering where the feeder was. So I filled it and hung it back up. And, as promised, they descended!

Ouch!!!

After my last pathetic post, decided today was a day for change - for getting something done - making some kind of progress! Things I thought about doing included knitting (so, ok, I did some of that), baking a pie (nope - not gonna happen today), making cookies (also not happening today). I felt in the mood to kill something and vent frustration. Even though the thermometer read 90 degrees, figured it is supposed to rain today, how bad can it be? (Pretty darned bad!)

I slipped on my rubber sandals and headed for the garage. Have meant to pull weeds forever, and decided today was it. (Nope - today WASN'T it!) Got to the yard and immediately started hacking down trash trees along the fence, behind the lilac bushes, the lillies, and all the good stuff that's out there dying because I refuse to pay so much for water. Pulled down mulberry trees and honeysuckle and some kind of vine with thousands - no, billions - of tiny little thorns! Once I had established a nice pile of this utter chaos, went about hacking it up with my clippers - mainly because I'm exceedingly cheap and the refuse bags they force me to use cost 50 cents apiece.

With only one "break" and, so far, only one blister, the fence is much cleaner and you can actually tell which plants are supposed to be there. Next - I will paint them with Roundup and hopefully kill the freaking pests!

What a Difference a New Camera Makes!

Oh! What a difference a new camera makes! My son and his wife gave me a very nice camera for Mother's Day - a bit early! And so I was testing it outside today. Below are pictures of my clematis, pinks, After Dark Iris, daiseys, rhododendron, peony, and Batik Iris. You have to admit, these pictures are a vast improvement!

Amazing Iris

This is a taste of what this iris bed looks like when it is in its full glory!

So Much More, So SOON!

Wow! I came home to some beautiful new stuff! Was amazed after the weekend that so much more is in bloom so soon . . .

For example, the iris . . . .

The red and purple azaleas . . .



The wonderfully fragrant French lilac . . .











The double lavender azalea. (Note the white and purple ones in the background) . . .









This totally GIANT peony - think it is at least 6" across!! and there are more just like it on the same plant!




And the biggest surprise, a whole bunch of pinks. Last year I bought 6 little plants, thought they were about dead, but they came back triple what they were last year . . . stunning!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

It was a busy, busy day in the back yard! Took my little camera out to see what was "up," so to speak.

Found the following: Narcissis; wild violets that grow in the yard and are purple, white, and everything in between; some orange/yellow tulips; a red tulip; perriwinkle; pink tulips; bleeding heart (which I adore!); and a bush full of flowering quince! Not bad for one day, plus a few daffodils that are still hanging on. I was so thrilled, I planted some new Oriental lilies. Can't wait for the blooms (hope the darned squirrels don't devour those!).

And speaking of squirrels, has anybody else bought one of those extravagent "squirrel proof" bird feeders? I got one a couple weeks ago. It took the squirrels a couple days to find it, and one to dismantle it. Somehow, they slip the spring that blocks the food from them. Of course, once they do that, the birds can't eat it either. I figured out how to re-hook the spring, and have done it as a daily ritual ever since. I may have to resort to something lethal . . . even tho it is not like me at all. Sigh.

Some Thrilling Announcements!

I am positively thrilled to announce that my Mandevilla vine survived the long winter months of absolute neglect in my home office and is back outside in the sunshine. The entire stem from last year died, but it sent up 4 new shoots that are green and growing. Pictures will follow IF we get some blooms this year. Actually, I'm hoping for more than last year, since the main stem is a year older.

Also, my Montmorency cherry tree - a Mother's Day gift that was installed last spring - survived the winter, is starting to put out some lovely bright green leaves, and is positively LOADED with flower buds!! I will put up pictures of that once they are out. I can hardly wait. Last year, when it came here, there were already 3 little green cherries. Of course, they ripened, and were devoured by either the squirrels or birds. All I know is one day they were there, the next day they were gone!

Also will soon be planting some new oriental lilies to go with the Stargazers. My tulips are doing great, and the peonies are showing signs of buds already. Soon the azaleas will be blooming which, of course, means prettier pictures for my blog!

Happy spring!

When Bad Things Happen to Nice Flowers

As a kind of follow up to my post last week, thought I'd share with you the first full day of spring in St. Louis : Below are a few pictures I took in the backyard this evening, when the sun actually took a quick peek out from behind some clouds. My forsythia, as you can see, was well on its way to being quite beautiful . . . as were the daffodils.

For some strange reason, I find these things still quite beautiful - the way the snow is balanced on the branches, the sun glinting off the frozen flowers. Just call me crazy . . .

Daffodils - and SNOW!

Isn't this about the cutest thing you ever saw???

Yes, that's a quarter laying next to it. Tiny, tiny! Too tiny to leave outside tonight in St. Louis. For those of you who never venture away from the computer screen to view the larger, TV, screen, the Midwest is being pounded by our first snow of the winter - I mean, spring. UGH! All those nice, early forsythia and daffodils I took pictures of on the 11th of March will soon be shriveled globs of yellow crud. Too sad.

So, tonight, after a wonderful, belated corned beef and cabbage dinner at my dad's (he does a great job of that!), I rescued my five precious miniature daffodils. They're too little to fend for themselves in this. So far, in the last four hours and 19 minutes, we've had rain, sleet, ice pellets, and now snow. From what they're saying, we could get "thunder snow" tonight. Won't that be fun??? Anyway, here's a picture of all five of the little beauties in their very own medicine bottle. Believe it or not, I dug that up when I was turning over the garden a couple years ago. Knew it'd be good for something! Hope the rest of the bulbs survive!

First Signs of Spring

While opening windows to let in the beautiful 70 degree temperatures and breezes we had here today, I noticed a ball of yellow. On investigation, I discovered:
















The first spring flowers are popping out all over the back yard. There were a couple crocus earlier, but nothing like finding a whole pile of daffodils to make you feel like cleaning the house - NOT. But anyway, just had to share the joy of the new life settling in on St. Louis!

February 2006

Geesh - almost an entire month has flown by with barely a peep out of me here! Bad blogger!

Everything has been a whirlwind for me this month. My birthday, still working and still loving it, busy with a broken computer (hard drive crash), trying to keep up with my son and his constant back-and-forths to work in Kansas City, spring's here - no it isn't - yes it is - no it isn't. If you've visited my knitting and needlework blog, you'll see I've been busy there knitting a shawl and making curtains for my office/guest room. Have also been getting things situated to begin a huge stained glass project - a fireplace screen that will be covered with irises. Beautiful. So, it's not like I've been sitting on my thumbs all month . . . .

Oh - and my niece is leaving St. Louis and moving to Kansas City (actually, Overland Park, KS) for a new job with her old firm. A nice promotion, but an upheaval here at home. I'm sure she will flourish there just as she always has, but it will be difficult for those of us staying here.

Anyway, hopefully, spring really will be here soon. My bulbs and azaleas think it's time and the robins are back. With the weather going from 70s one day to about 25 a couple days later with snow, I wouldn't be surprised to find frozen robins stuck to tree limbs one day! Would love to remove my fake squirrel's hat sometime soon. Perhaps he will get that new muffler next year.

It's about time to get back out in the yard and see if I can find plants other than hostas that thrive with no sun. Am also eagerly anticipating the blooming of the cherry tree I planted last spring, and seeing if I actually get some cherries this year (will have to beat the birds and squirrels to them!)

I really will try and be a better blogger.

Just in Time for the Holidays . . .

Yes, the yard man came by yesterday and worked on my leaf problem. The front is gorgeous, and the back is mid-rake, as you can see from these pictures of the back yard.

THIS is what happens when you have a couple trees over 80 feet tall that have large-size leaves . . . what a mess! But I know next year it will be beautiful out there.

Summer 2005's Last Hurrah

Yes - the Mandevilla Vine is putting on one last show!

Not Much Blogging - Not Much News

Not too much going on in my little world. I am once again gainfully employed, but once again as a "temp." Wonder if I will ever have a real job I can call my own for the "duration" again. Has been a couple years now. Perhaps I should try my best, and actually consider myself "semi-retired." At least this particular one is with a good company and will allow me to meet my financial obligations for a change instead of just scraping by. That's something to be thankful for!

Otherwise, if you've visited my knitting blog, you will notice that everywhere in my life is my "waiting room" and much of my time waiting for the phone to ring has been filled with knitting. Gotten lots of little stuff done.

With the Great Drought of 2005 officially over, the devestation in my yard and garden is almost complete. I have one surviving tomato plant which is currently graced with 3 tiny green tomatoes - the first of my season. Surely the fall leaves can't be too far behind. Figures! The begonias in front have managed to hang on and are only a couple months stunted. When they are finally killed off by the frost, they should look pretty good! And the Montmorency cherry tree survived! Now if it can make it through the winter, perhaps we will see more than one cherry next year. I can hardly wait! Although I have decided to give up the official vegetable garden and will pursue this in pots on the patio next year in hopes of a better harvest - or just a harvest of something!

At least during this little break I have kept busy and completed quite a few of the things I can do that were listed on my Monster Chore list. Thank goodness! Several of the remaining things require either a man or enough money or both . . . so they will wait a bit longer, as right now neither of those are on my horizons. One day, I vow, the car will be able park in the garage again!! Garbage will get ground up in my disposal again!! And laundry will spend an hour in a magical box and come out fluffy and dry instead of hanging in the basement on a clothesline for a couple days and ending up like boards. You heard it here first!

So, tomorrow I take the required drug test for the job, and hopefully will start within a week or so. Yippee! Keep your fingers crossed!

Sad Day on the Patio . . .

Today was eviction day . . . I finally evicted the wren's nest from my barbeque pit! They must have been toting twigs, grass, moss and junk forever! The thing was woven from the top half-grill all the way to the bottom of the grill. Seems like it was everywhere!! But when you opened up the top, there was this wonderous thing with a tiny little hole for her to stick her head out while the eggs incubated! And . . . she had a nice batch of fresh air from the back vent and a roof to keep everything nice and dry. It was wonderful fun to watch this summer! Hopefully, by next year I'll have a birdhouse and she can build there instead of the grill!