In My Backyard...

This guy lives in my backyard and waits every evening for dinner. Sometimes he watches from the power line over the barn...


And sometimes he sits on the eagle on top of our flagpole.


I've never seen him catch his prey (don't know that I really want to) but he is a beautiful creature! :)

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Here Comes The Sun...And The Rain...And The Sun...

It has been hot and steamy here in Missouri - oh yeah!

And the small storms that have come through for the past few days have only added to the humidity and the frizz on top of my curly head! :)

Sunny one minute, raining the next - that, my friends, is Missouri!

And so is this...


We've had some beautiful sunsets lighting up the storm clouds...


Just breathtaking!

Have a wonderful week! :)

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Cheerful Can Be Cheap!

I love the look of lots of colorful potted plants on decks and patios in the summer!

A couple of years ago, I bought this colorful coffee cup planter at Wal-Mart for about $9.00. It is just so cheerful and when I put my little Aloe Vera plant in it well, as you can see...

It went crazy!!!

I was hoping to find some more colorful coffee cups for my outdoor potted plants this year but they didn't have any coffee cups, they only had teapots. I really liked two of them - the colors were great!

But, when I looked at the price...

YIKES!!!

$20.00 each!

I really want to have a lot of pots outdoors this summer so I decided to improvise and get the cheerful colors I want at a price that won't make me cringe if I want to replace them every year.

Walking around Wal-Mart, I found all kinds of containers I could use but I fell in love with these colorful bowls!

And they are pretty big, too! I think they would hold about 5 quarts.

And they are only.... $1.00 each!!!

They come in all kinds of colors and they have matching plates in packs of 4 for only $1.00 a pack! You could mix and match the plates and bowls for a cheery look!

I'm using a bunch of cheery striped square plates that I bought at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago for almost nothing. Who knew they would match perfectly? :)

I drilled 4 holes in the bottom of the bowls for drainage, added some sand in the bottoms to weigh them down so they won't blow away in the next storm and then added potting soil and some little marigolds.

Cheerful doesn't have to break the bank!

And I'm planning on having LOTS of CHEER this year! :)

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Into Each Life...

Fed up with the rain? I know I sure am. I love the sunshine and this gloomy rain is not something I would have ordered up.

But the rains bring some really wonderful things to life...

Yep, it's fungus!!! :)

Who knew fungus could be beautiful????

Thanks to my friend who taught me to see rather than ignore! :)

"Behind the clouds is the sun still shining..."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

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And Now... For No Apparent Reason...

I think he's cute! :)

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Yesterday....

The sun was shining...


The wild roses were blooming...

But that was yesterday...

I think I'll work inside today! :)

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Chucky???

You never know what you'll find when you're hiking around.

Usually, you'll come across beautiful little spots that would be perfect to just sit and enjoy.

But sometimes you come across things that are just downright creepy!

Honestly, this one creeped me out!

:)

Knockouts, indeed!

Usually, a rose bush would have a better chance of survival if you left it at the nursery, doused it with gasoline, and lit it on fire rather than letting it go home with me!

But not anymore!

I bought 4 Double Knockout Pink Roses this year to use in my foundation bed two weeks ago and they are already blooming their little heads off!

They are less than 2 feet tall, have had almost no sun for two weeks, and have been pelted with rain and hail. But these little babies are covered with buds and blooms!

I tried to get a pic of the entire plant but the sun was reflecting off of the stone wall behind them and washing out my pics so I'll get one for you at a different time of day. :)

If you thought you couldn't grow roses, try these Double Pink Knockout Roses!

I think I'm in love!

:)

How To Feed A Creek!

It takes a lot of water to feed a creek and keep it clean.

And the waterfalls in our creek do a great job...

...of renewing and refreshing...

...and keeping our creek alive...

:)

It's a FIRST! WoooHooo!

I tore out all of the old foundation plants this month and replaced them with Russian Sage, Sweet Lavender, Pink Double Knockout Roses, Heuchera, and Stella D' Oro Daylilies.

And even though the roses are covered with buds, the Stella wins the prize!

It's my first blossom of my brand new bed! :)

:)

After The Rain...

One of the greatest things about Missouri is that after the rain, everything comes alive. The trees are greener, the flowers are more vibrant, the air becomes so crisp and clean it tingles your nose - and the creeks rise up.

The sight and the sounds of the rising, rushing creek in my backyard is a water feature you won’t find at even the most expensive home on earth.


And yet here it is in my little corner of the universe.


God put it here for me to enjoy.


And I am so very thankful!

:)

Patience and Perseverance

I am not always the most patient person and things don't always happen as quickly as I would like them to happen.


So, this little guy sliding along my patio this morning helps me to remember...





He paid no attention to me as he slid along his way...



He didn't seem to mind that I stopped to take a closer look...

He just purposefully and methodically continued on his journey.

"By perseverance the snail reached the Ark."

~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon ~

:)

Take a Hike!

Ok, I know I've been a bad blogger lately...

I decided to start this blog at the same time I decided to tear out all of the nasty old foundation plants around my home and replace them with new and improved versions. So I have been digging and tilling and planting and watering for the past few days.

But today I decided to take a hike!

One of the main reasons I love living in the country is that it is like being on vacation all of the time.

There is beauty all around me!

Come on, I'll show you...


There are lots of little critters here. This little guy seems to like yellow. :)



This sweet little butterfly was skimming every purple flower on the bank of my creek.

She was so busy, she didn't notice I was sharing the bank with her.

I love the spring wildflowers! These purple ones are just gorgeous!

And here are some little yellow gems! :)

Well, I need to get busy and put together some Soap Samplins' for my Etsy shop!

Hope you enjoyed our hike!