Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Springtime in Bloom

The weather has been just gorgeous at the farm. Warm days, cool nights...perfect. I snapped a lot of pictures the last couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy!

The red clover in the fields and along the roads is just beautiful:


And the irises! Oh my! This is a banner year for them. I counted 20+ either blooming or about to open:

They remind me of my mom  especially this one...she loved irises and blue was her favorite color! 







Same tub a week later...now a different colored iris blooming with the wine colored one!


I love all the different colors! They are such beautiful flowers. :)

I worked on the back flowerbed, cleaning it out and then planting a few new things:


The big metal box is a wood box. Kind of ugly really but convenient.

The front bed got some attention too although for now I'm just adding a few things in and trying to get some of the weeds out. It's going to take a lot more work to get it in shape:


The nice thing about it, it has several deer resistant plants all ready planted. It's just a matter of weeding it and taming the out of control plants. Eventually, I will move my fountain up here. It will look so pretty in this bed.

Bruce also got three good-sized blueberry bushes and planted them in the pasture next to the house. We are trying to figure out a good crop to grow so these are our test bushes. They should do well here:
He set up a drip irrigation for them and put a fence around them to protect them from critters.

Of course, what's a trip to the farm without an inside project or two? I painted all the window trim in the garage. They really needed it! Eventually, I will paint all of it as we intend to close it in for a den.

I also repainted my etagere we bought long time ago on one of our anniversary trips. There were two of them, painted bright purple, but we only bought one.
I repainted it right away but now the paint is looking tired

If you look close, you can see the purple paint there in the corner

I can't tell you how many times I wish we'd gotten both of them, but for some reason only bought the one.  I've used it for potted plants, however, it's been largely collecting dust the last couple of years. Then I realized the size was perfect for the corner of the dining room so hauled it to the farm to repaint it. I used a sample of BM paint and made chalk paint using white grout. Perfect!

I used old fence pickets to make the shelves:


And stuck it in its corner:

I'm not sure what I'll put on it - dog treat container? cookbooks? plates? Who knows but I like it there! For now I put a cream-colored pitcher with sunflowers and a wooden bowl on it.

Lastly, I took my ladder from Canton and placed it in the bathroom to hang towels on:



Much better than the chrome racks on the back of the door.

Of course, relaxing on the back porch is a must. We fill the bird feeders and enjoy the show. We have many cardinals. chickadees, tufted titmice, and jays. Hummingbirds too. Then this guy showed up:

Wow! An Indigo Bunting!


 He's a beauty!

We also had a Painted Bunting visit. Unfortunately, he was a little shyer and I didn't get a picture of him. They are so brightly colored. I just love all the variety we get - it is pure joy to take in God's creation. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

Thanks for putting up with such a long post. There is just so much to share and I'm glad you stopped in!

Buddy and Herbie say "hi"!

Blessings and hugs,
Cecilia

16 comments:

  1. Where to start? First...I love all the flower and bird photos...gorgeous! Second...that wood box looks like a blank canvas for an artist such as yourself...:) Third...that etagere is fabulous...love it....want one like it! Fourth...the ladder shelf looks like it was made for that spot...and love how you styled the little white shelf too! Oh yeah...also love the burlap shower curtain! And last....your doggies are too cute! Their snapshots make me smile...:) Have a blessed Thursday!

    Hugs, Vicky
    And last...

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    1. Ah, thanks Vicky! I'm still kicking myself for only getting one. Bruce tried to talk me into both. Oh well. I love that shelf/etagere! Haha, I knew someone would say something about me painting the darn thing. Ha.
      I love my burlap shower curtain...I had problems with it pulling down the rod until we screwed it into the tile. :)
      Thanks for your sweet comments! Hugs,
      Cecilia

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  2. Oh, Cecilia ! Those irises are gorgeous ! If I had known that you also collected irises, I would have sent a few of mine. I'm still not receiving my blogs which are powered by Google, so I'm signing up with you on Bloglovin. Talk to you later! patty

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    1. Thanks for sticking in there and signing up to follow a different way! And maybe we can exchange irises latter on! :)

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  3. Your flowers are beautiful - I live the irises. I've always wanted to plant blueberries - I hope yours do well! I love your etagere and the ladder in your bathroom, too!

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    1. I love them too, Karen. They remind me of my mom - she had so many and was always trying new ones. I will do updates on the blueberries as they grow. These had berries on them...hope we get to sample them before the birds. :)
      Hope the weather has warmed up for you.

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  4. I love the fields of red clover....the irises are gorgeous...I have noticed that the irises in our neighborhood including mine are doing so well this year too....and love your great finds!!!

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    1. Yes, everyone seems to have beautiful irises this year. Guess the weather and all has been just right for them. Thanks for the visit. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

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  5. Thanks for the sweet comment on my lilac garden. Such charming farm scenes and love the photo of your indigo bunting!

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    1. Thank you for stopping in Diane! Isn't he a beauty? He took my breath away!

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  6. Your iris are beautiful. Mine bloomed for the first time in two /three years. I was told I needed to dig them up and separate them, but never had the time. I think the cold winter made the difference.
    Audrey Z.@ Timeless Treasures

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    1. I think so too that the cold weather made the difference. It does revitalize the old ones to dig them up and separate them - I believe August is the correct time for that.
      Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your visit!

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  7. I just love your flowers, they are full of color! We are still waiting for some color here...sigh. I also love your shower curtain...did you make it? It's gorgeous and now I need to make one just like it! Thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. Hi Kim! Oh no! I don't think I could stand not to have Spring as early as we get it...we don't have much Winter but I get tired of it very quickly!
      Yes, I made my shower curtain from burlap and a remnant of the checkered fabric from a long ago project. It was easy and cheap! Love that about burlap!

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  8. I love Indigo Buntings. We only see them in our Dunes area. They dont hang around where I live. I always look for them though. That is a great shot. I am still waiting for Spring. Well I suppose its here but so far its been very wet. Thats ok needed to wash away the snow. Six months + of winter this year. Spring? that should take all of two weeks to transition from winter to summer.
    Janice

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    1. I know Janice, the buntings are just beautiful! I wish we had some of your rain...the drought just keeps dragging on. Oh well, this too shall pass! Our Springs are usually very short - they start early but don't last very long and then Hello Summer! This year has been very pleasant however. I'm enjoying it while it last. Have a wonderful weekend!

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