Every once in a while, I have a day...
you know the kind.
I've been having some of those lately.
My remedy?
My garden, of course, among other things.
I took some photos to share...
you know the kind.
I've been having some of those lately.
My remedy?
My garden, of course, among other things.
I took some photos to share...
After a trying time, I know I can walk outside
and find something to cheer me.
First, the bright colors of blooms are always a good pick-me-up.
and find something to cheer me.
First, the bright colors of blooms are always a good pick-me-up.
Yellow Snap Dragons
Orange Marigolds
Lady Margaret Passion Vine
Aloe Vera Blooms
Aloe Vera Bloom up close
Fire Bush
The Fire Bush will be the perfect compliment
for a fence row near a visible corner of our property.
We're nearly finished clearing the space.
Side Note: clearing overgrown fence rows is
the perfect job to release frustration and aggression.
A gander by the new vegetable garden really raises spirits too.
My husband constructed the raised bed
and my daughter and I did the rest
during the last weekend of February.
We planted peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash,
cabbage, cilantro, watermelon, basil, and chives.
Just a few weeks later, the veggies look fantastic!
A couple of closeups bring a smile to my face...
A pepper bloom
A bright and cheerful cucumber bloom
This tomato bloom is a pretty little star, isn't it?
WAIT!!! What's THAT?!?!?!
This is NOT cheerful...
white mold on my squash.
I'll need to find a remedy for that.
And check out this Chinese Cabbage leaf...
vibrant colors and full of life!
Next to the vegetable garden
is my Lady Margaret Passion Vine.
Looks like we have dinner guests...
That's OK...these "pests"
are one of the reasons I keep passion vines,
a host plant to this caterpillar...
this is phase 1 for the lovely Gulf Fritillary butterfly,
or the Florida Monarch as many call it.
As I leave the sunny edible garden,
I move into the shaded portion of my property.
The mature trees provide a lovely canopy
that my previous paradise lacked.
I spot a fern frond unfurling....
try to say that 5 times as fast as you can!
These singular fern leaves pop out from the sable palm trunks.
I love them!
Another view of the same tillandsia.
I love this one...
bulbous at the base with long curling leaves
...so graceful!
Here's a first for me...
seed pods from a cardinal tillandsia...
at least I think it's a cardinal.
These are protected so I let them fly
where the wind would take them...
hopefully more in my yard!
A resident among the trees,
this Corn Snake is aggressive but not venomous.
He was tussled out of his tree top home
while my husband cut old dead branches down.
His colors and patterns are gorgeous!
But I'll have to watch out for him
when my sweet little pullets start laying eggs
...he'll enjoy them for dinner!
Cameron, the natural leader of the three girls,
might give an intruder a run for their money.
We don't have a rooster so her leadership qualities are not stifled.
Henny Penny is the sweetest of the three...
very docile and kind...shes curious, too,
as you can see in this photo...
always checking to see what's going on.
Penny is the largest of the girls,
although Cameron often appears larger
due to her ego-fluffed plumage.
Gina's speed makes it really difficult
to capture a good photo of her.
She's the smallest of the three...
her colors are coming out and are absolutely lovely!
It's hard not to smile around the girls...
they're so sweet, fun and lively.
Another girl who loves to play and tops this club
is none other than the lovely LOLA!!!
What a beautiful girl!!
We take some time out to play.
She's not biting me...
she likes to swing upside down and back and forth.
She uses her beak for balance sometimes.
See? The shot is a little blurry because she is moving...
she swings her head back and forth
in order to gain momentum,
similar to a child on a swing set.
She squeals with delight during this activity!!
Lola was having such a great time,
I couldn't help but record a video of her...
she gets pretty wild
when my son plays his 'screamo' music right next to her!!!
Just proving that Lola was Screamo
before Screamo was cool!!!!
Maybe if you're having "one of those days",
Lola can cheer you up too!!
17 comments:
I can understand why these things make you happy. Most of them would make me smile also except for the snake. I was raised to hate snakes that I almost killed a dormmate's pet when it crawled into my room. :)
Your post made me smile! What lovely photos, and I can see how much you treasure it all. I am one of the few who loves snakes and appreciate that you did not kill it. They are such good hunters to control some of the garden pests we battle with on a daily basis.
My garden and the birds always bring me peace.Especially after a trying day.
And there's nothing like clearing brush or digging in the dirt to release frustrations with ....(fill in the blank).
I have the same problem with squash.I gave up trying to grow it.
Cream Cheez does the same upside down trick. They are comical. Many nice photos Kimberly.
You have a bunch of happy photos! They have to come from a happy garden. Thanks for sharing...
Wow - sun, shade, veggies, chickens...you've got it all! Oh yeah, you have a pond too, right? Your really are in paradise. That Lola cracks me up.
Lovely Lola, she has a fan here! You have lots to smile about - I reckon most gardeners don't need therapists - we just need to step outside and all our worries fall away! For the powdery mildew - try spraying the leaves with a mixture of 20% skim milk / 80% water. also remove any yellowing leaves to allow air to circulate.
This post was going pretty good until the snake popped up. I hate snakes and find nothing pretty about them...You will soon learn to ignore my snake comments like everyone else that knows me. Sometimes I wonder how I garden at all.
You have a lot to make you happy, including that very fine looking corn snake.
You have so many beautiful flowers to cheer you up, but that snake...yikes! It's always been my fear that a snake would drop down on top of me from the trees. Talk about having a heartattack. My blood pressure is rising just thinking about it. Hope you're in a cheerier mood! :-)
hello there,
what a lovely collection of flora and scary snakes.
come and link this on the hot meme today :)
You found so many things to cheer you up that I would be ecstatic. I love that passion flower like our native Maypop.
The passion flower is beautiful and rare. The snake is a stunner!
You're so fortunate to be able to grow vegetables this time of year. Jealous! Very fun post! I know what you mean about the garden being good therapy. :)
There is so much happening in your garden right now. I wish I can keep chickens in my yard but it is against the rules. I think Lola is funny and nice.
Your veggies look great. We won't plant our garden till May. We still have snow. No lizards this time? But you got snakes for cryn out loud. jim
Haha! I love that Lola isn't going to be upstaged by a mere chicken ;) That said, your girls!!! Wow, I've raised chickens, but I'm always amazed how fast they transform from fluffballs, to actual feathery birds. They're looking wonderful!
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