As I was making dinner last night, the light was so lovely and the birdsong so beautiful that I grabbed my camera and went outside.
I forget how easily I get lost in taking pictures – when I went back in, I had overcooked my asparagus! Ah well. I enjoyed it anyway.
The grasses popped up over night. Amazing what happens this time of year.
Buds on the limelight hydrangea.
Boxwood.
Buds on the maple.
Hyacinths.
I was going to say this was a hawk, but I think it’s a turkey vulture.
This little bird, way off in the trees, was singing the most beautiful melodies!
Right outside the kitchen window this morning.
Happy Thursday.
Aww, Easter Bunny! How appropriate.
Perfect, right?
Ah…buds! I worked outside yesterday for a couple of hours….that’s about my limit. I took notes on what I want to do this year…I have a vision! It’s supposed to rain for the next several days…so my work will be limited. I was surprised to see all the dandelions that had come up already! ;)
No dandelions in bloom yet, but I see the plants/leaves everywhere!
Wonderful! I love all the birds and critters in your yard. That bunny is so cute. I usually have birds and deer that’s it. My allergies have gone crazy again (our pollen count is off the charts) so I’m trying to rest a bit today between laundry loads, maybe read a bit more. I decided that I had been on my allergy meds too long and they weren’t working so I switched to another one. I hope it helps. I’ve not time to feel icky this time of year. Sending you hugs and wishing you a lovely Thursday!!
Mine are acting up as well. Sending you hugs right back!
Just lovely Claudia! Thank-you!
You are very welcome, Grace!
Thank you for the peek of Spring, Claudia!
You’re welcome, Wendy!
absolutely perfect with the bunny there too!
Just in time to celebrate Easter!
Thanks for letting me enjoy a northern spring again. I do miss it but not enough to put up with the cold cloudy days.
Florida has spring too but it is much more subtle.
I tried living in consistently warm climes – San Diego – and though I loved it for a while, I missed the seasons. I guess I’m just meant to live in the north!
Just lovely… Happy Easter, with love Janice
Happy Easter to you, Janice!
Fun pictures. It really is amazing to walk in the yard this time of year. Each day there is a change! Mother Nature sure knows how to impress!!
Have a great Thursday!
It’s amazing how quickly things start sprouting, then growing. Thank goodness for Spring!
There is such a haze of red over the mountains right now, I know it’s the buds on the trees and I am looking so forward to them leafing out! At this time of year, I cannot wait to get home from work, let the pups out, and go for a stroll through the gardens to see what grew while I was away! Aren’t we so blessed to live in the country?
And it’s amazing how quickly everything starts to grow! We are indeed blessed to live in the country, Debbie!
Pretty pictures…so happy to see everything with buds on them…I believe that is a turkey vulture also…We seem to have sprouted dandelions everywhere overnight!..That’s ok with me…I will enjoy them just like any other wildflower that pops up around here…I happen to like their bright shiny faces smiling up at me…What a beautiful blue sky..no wonder that little bird is singing happy songs for you…I agree with Debbie Mountain Mama above…Aren’t we so blessed to live in the country?
I love dandelions. They have a bad rep, fostered by those who want absolutely pristine lawns. Since I’m not at all concerned about that, I welcome them! We are very blessed to live in the country, Nancy!
You have had a few days of Springtime Heaven, haven’t you?! As always, and I’ve said it a hundred times, your photos are WONDERFUL; you are a talented photog, Claudia. It’s not just the camera; you’ve got the artistic eye. A real bunny in time for Easter; perfect. Thanks for sharing and I hope you’ve had a nice day today.
Our big yard crew IS coming next week after a couple-weeks delay, so I’m getting my list together of everything I want them to do in the yard although weed-clearing and tree-trimming is of course at the top of the list. I’m pretty sure the city has moved mandatory weed abatement to May 1 from June 1, so we’re right there. We also have a tremendous amount of ivy which needs to be cut back (rain has made everything go crazy here in SoCalif!). The biggest work is on our back hillside, so I don’t envy these guys their job (on an ‘angle’/steep) except that it’s timing out right before the much-hotter summer. We always provide snacks and water, shade umbrellas and chairs for a break. And we bring in lunch, whatever they want. Sometimes my husband grills. They’re our friends after helping us between two houses with hillsides for about 11 years. Hugs all around. So grateful for their help. We have to save money for this work for a long time, though. It’s very expensive. This is why many ‘seniors’ ditch this kind of living for a smaller, maintenance-free dwelling/property. It may be in our future as well…but, for now, it’s what we have to do. My husband does the in-between ‘gardening’ and he works hard at it but even he doesn’t have your energy, Claudia! You are one hard worker.
I don’t know what gets in to me, but I bought more succulents at the garden center yesterday. Most of my little ones in the old wheelbarrow have to be replaced but I got some 1-gal and a 5-gal, some form of common ‘lion’s tail’ which I want planted…somewhere (I’m running out of room). I noticed when watering this morning that the tomatoes have really taken off although of course no fruit yet.
My yards front and back aren’t picture-perfect but they are alive with spring color…and color brings ME alive in the morning. Red geraniums; dark pink ones, too. I have them in 13 terra cotta (clay) pots and they’re spilling over; love them. Bright purple verbena blooming and spreading over the ground. I love the garlic ornamental plants with their waving lavender heads. My lemon verbena is coming back after ‘winter’ and it’s as tall as my neck now. Nothing from the agapanthus yet, but they’re SO green and lush. Two towering red bottle-brush trees in major bloom right now (my dad planted them in the 70s), orange and hot-pink iceplant, yellow and purple lantana, yellow daisy; burgundy zinnias; purple sage and California blue lilac (our state’s own version of lilac!), yellow hibiscus, my new orange/coral roses and magenta bougainvillea; Mom’s pink roses, her yellow ones and the white ones we planted; the pale-pink hawthorn…and I still have a gigantic, profusely-flowering, bright red poinsettia which is now blocking the windows and reaching for the roof eaves although we’d cut it down to nothing and shocked it for two years; it’s been there since I was about age 3. I feel so lucky to have a yard after many years of only a balcony or nothing but indoor potted plants.
I saw a glorious stand of those giant sunflowers yesterday, up against a chain-link fence in an industrial area of all things. They must have been 10-feet tall, I’m not kidding. I’ve seen photos of children with the flower in their lap and it’s as big as they are, plus ‘they say’ you can reap a lot of seeds from them. I want to find out more! Have you ever grown any?
I’ve grown sunflowers but only a couple of times. I never saved the seeds. The local nursery just down the road grows them every year, the nursery is in the middle of farmland, and they are gorgeous to behold.
Your yard sounds as if it’s filled with color! How wonderful. I know that since the weather has turned and things are popping out of the ground my mood has made a 180 degree turn. I feel like I’ve come alive again and boy oh boy do I appreciate Spring. Especially with Don gone, it gives me something to do and to appreciate.
I’m strong, but I’ve taken a couple of days off – have to watch my back, for one, and it occurred to me that there’s no rush. I really can’t put anything in the ground until May 1st, so why not take it slow?
Well, there you go; just pace yourself. I think you’re VERY active and I’m glad being outside is lifting your spirits.
It is!
Your photos are just gorgeous – so full of Spring colors. Love the bunny one!
Judy
Thank you, Judy!
That rabbit is adorable. Wishing you and yours a Happy Easter.
Marilyn
The same to you, Marilyn!