WATER IRISES & CEDAR WAXWINGS...SPRING IS HERE!

This is such a nice time of year.  The water irises in my fish pond are beginning to bloom and they're always so beautiful.  The only problem, they just don't last very long.

And, I rarely see migrating birds in the spring because they're in such a hurry to get back home for nesting.  But, the bad weather up north has kept lots of them here and I see one or two a day.

The American Goldfinches have been here all winter and are just now coloring out, getting ready to head back home for nesting, too.  All winter, they were a soft dull yellow and now, they're turning so beautifully bright yellow, just before they head back home. 

The cedar waxwings are here and they're always in a large flock.  They visit my yard for a short time in the fall, but I don't usually see them in the spring.  Because of the bad weather up north, they're hanging out here and, as beautiful as they are, I'm wishing they would go on home.  They leave black droppings all over my rock walks and I'm having to clean them every day.  They come in a flock of 50 to 75 at a time.  They really are beautiful birds!  If you Google them, you'll see all of the different colors they have on their bodies and tails.

TUES:ASouthernDaydreamer,

HOPING FOR NESTING OWLS IN MY TREE

The little owl that hoots at night outside my bedroom window was hoo hoo hooing early dawn, this morning. I hope that means they're nesting in that tree. It would be so neat to see some baby owls. I'm going to look for a nest, today.

Feb 9
In the dark early dawn, Mr. Cardinal is singing loudly, reassuring his mate sitting on her nest. I love this time of year!

SAVING SOW THISTLE FOR THE LESSER GOLDFINCHES

Sow thistle is a relative of the dandelion and every winter, I get them in my yard.  One year I noticed that several lesser goldfinches were on the plant, eating something.  I looked closer and found that, at the base of the puffy white ball there were tons of thistle seeds.  So, every winter when I see them coming up, I let them survive to feed the lesser goldfinches that come to my yard.  I doubt that there are too many thistle seeds left for the sow thistle to take over my yard.  I do like seeing the finches eating on the plant.  I feed them thistle seed from the feed store, but here they are getting the real thing.

I found this photo on Google.  See the tiny thistle seeds at the base of the puffy ball.

That is what the goldfinches were eating.

Makes me think of me digging in and eating an artichoke.  Sometimes, I get a bit of stringy fibers in my mouth!!

ROSES & KEY LIME BUDS IN THE COLD OF WINTER

It's been so cold and we've had a few light freezes, but my Martha Gonzales antique rose bush just keeps on blooming.  A lot of roses don't bloom during the hot summer, but Martha Gonzales does.  It's such a pretty red rose and new plants start from the roots.  The roses on the right side of this photo are on a new rose bush that grew from the roots.  They hang over my fish pond.

When the weather started getting really cold, I moved my key lime tree under the eaves of my roof, close to my kitchen window.  This is my first winter with this little tree and am surprised and happy to see that it keeps on blooming, even in the winter.  Those are little white blooms dotted all over the tree.  There are lots of baby key limes all over it, too.  I love this little tree.

My friend gave me a Christmas gift to my favorite nursery, Shades of Green.  I love variegated privet and got these two and planted them in the same hole.  They will get very large and wispy/bushy and are good shelter for the birds.

Also, I got this evergreen sumac.  I can hardly wait to get it in the ground.  It will be very good shelter for the birds and it will have red berries that the birds love to eat.

Today is going to be in the 70's, so I'm going to plant it in, just the right spot.  

I get to work in the yard and that is always a good day to me!

Yesterday, I prepared a bed and planted larkspur.  I love larkspur and am getting it started really late, but I think the seeds will come up.

I can hardly wait for spring!!

"raindrops on roses"...IT'S RAINING!!

                                                             

                                           "raindrops on roses" and wet "whiskers on kittens",

                                   I really do love "bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens".

                                                 These are a few of my very favorite things!

IT'S RAINING!!

(Thank you!!  Thank you!!)

NO, THANK YOU!!

I received this in the mail today.

I LOVE MY HOME

I was in the front yard watering and a lady in a bright yellow mustang with a black convertible top stopped and told me she loved my house and she drives by all the time, just to look at it.  That was so nice of her and especially to stop to tell me.  I know of a couple of other people who drive by, when they're in the neighborhood, just to look at my house.  That is very special to me and makes me wish I would do a lot more trimming and deadheading.  Oh, and I LOVED her car!

In this photo, you can't see it, but in that big space between the windows, I painted a pink crepe myrtle tree and a little bird flying to it. (I'll show it, later.)

This is my garage door and I painted my cat, Mr. Smith and a pot of blue plumbago.  On the left, there is a kitty door in the middle of the pot plant.

I LOVE MY HOME!