As If By Magic

How could I resist a fast post announcing that it is 90 degrees here today? We lost power at the shop this afternoon so we were all out the door by 3:45.

Took a stroll around the garden and was totally confused. Are the hostas and painted ferns supposed to be up already? The sweet woodruff is about to burst and the camillas and columbine are in competition with the hellebores. The first blossom opened on the peach tree last week and now its leaves are out.

And I had to take another pic of our ornamental plum, don't know how long the flowers will hang around in August, I mean April.

Just waiting for early evening so I can give a drink to the new plants. Probably be able to pick our first tomato!

( and if the second photo looks a little crooked, it probably is, there's a 5ft.incline on that side of the house)

Just Another Day In Paradise

Two beautiful days to work in the garden. Yesterday we weeded and planted a few new spring things. Today, the lawn is being mowed for the first time in 2010.It smells delicious.

But even more delicious is the viburnum carlesii, Korean spice bush, the whole back yard is heavily scented. And in the front the Carolina jasmine is blooming. I'm intoxicated.

Here's a snap of one of my favorite corners, it holds soon to be blooming iris, catmint, a clump of sparkle grass ,sedums and succulents and a Japanese maple given to us as a seedling, plus a random bulb plant or two ( given to us by the friendly neighborhood squirrels).

Our county will deliver our leaf mulch on April 15th. Gotta love them, all year they pick up piles of leaves, christmas trees, tree branches, turn them into mulch and then give it back. Gardening, the gift that keeps on giving.

Happy Easter!

So there we were, as we like to say in the design room "locked and loaded".
Centerpieces: check
Baskets of blooming plants: check
Buffet arrangements: check
Various vase arrangements: check.

Oh, wait, no driver. He called in exhausted??!! After sharing my inner Tourettes (again) with my coworkers, we made a few phone calls and by noon had replacements in play. By 6:30 we were out the door tired but satisfied.

My Saturday flowers are again decorating the sink. This time they didn't make into a pitcher, but are sitting in an empty yogurt container.

Wishing everyone sweet dreams and a very Happy Easter. And a big hug to my buddy Gwen who not only makes beautiful arrangements but also makes me laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Blue On Blue

Spring, right? I walked 15 minutes from the bus stop to the shop this morning and my ears were frozen. One of my coworkers picked me up and saved me the last 5 minutes of wind. I got a proper dressing down for not dressing properly. But who can tell what clothes to wear these days? Wellies, sneakers, flip flops or ballet flats? A coat or a little jacket? Wool or cotton? Well, in my khaki jacket, cotton sweater, t-shirt and ballet flats I got it all wrong. And I heard about it in English and Spanish.

But when I came home from work the wind was gentle, the skies were so blue, and the garden was haphaphappy. The first blossoms on the ornamental plum are open, the brunnera is flowering the muscari at the base of the crepe myrtle are up and starting to open. I should have fallen to my knees rejoicing and weeding, but after a garden tour, I pulled a chair into the sun and read my book. Ahhhh. Last day of March!

It Was All I Hope It Would Be

I had the nicest Sunday, minus the sun itself, but still.

We walked the Lab in the rain. She doesn't mind the weather, just trots on ahead and smiles.

We grocery shopped, good will hunted and scored these two pieces of stoneware. The little brown dish from West Germany maybe 70's? And this vase which finally encouraged me to get the flowers off the kitchen counter.

Then delicious housemade brautwurst sandwiches from The German Store covered in sauerkraut and mustard on chibatta rolls. I should have taken a picture, but my appetite got in the way of my camera.

There was a nap and reading and German girl made Pad Thai with beef for dinner.

We went to sleep with the windows open a crack and the sound of a gentle rain. I wish I could do it all over again.

Where The Wild Things Are

13 hours after arriving home the flowers, still tied with raffia, are sitting in a pitcher by the sink. While the rest of the house is rather bare, washing dishes seems like less of a chore. Happy Sunday.

An Orange Umbrella And Purple Lilacs

What was today's highlight? Was it when I decided to change my clothes at the last minute this morning and missed the bus? Or the 25 minutes I stood under my orange umbrella talking to myself and waiting for the next one to come?

Was it when my friend and coworker Betty said " I always say, Jane used to be funnier"? When I replied that I had never heard her say that so she said " I guess I say it to myself all the time". Who knew? So I fired her. Apparently that was funny.

So we laughed through the cold, wet day. Outside the fruit trees are blooming, inside we had lilacs and jasmine and dogwood from California. Pollen is running high and so were our spirits. It's spring.

And as the Lab is my witness, I'll try to be funnier. Jeesh.