Into the Garden --

Isn't "garden" a wonderful word?  I can just imagine all sorts of gardens and it is a much nicer description than just "back yard".  We haven't done much in the garden this year, yet, since we have both been plagued with allergies -- Hubs more than me.  However, it seems to be doing well on it's own.  The weeding has begun but in short spurts and the pots have been planted.  We only have four large pots.  I tried using many small pots but found the plants don't do so well so we have limited it to four large pots -- two in the front and two in the back.  The dewberry vine which is unfortunate and unwanted is thriving beautifully and I doubt we will ever get rid of it.  The mint that started out as one small plant in a small planter has taken over everything.  I doubt we will ever be able to get rid of it either.  Considering the lack of rain and the lack of constant maintenance, everything is doing very well.

So, let's take as troll through the garden ~

hanging basket of Superbells above the mint bed

the small crabapple tree has doubled in height in just two years

the lantana that comes up every year on its own -- not planted there

a vine coming from the neighbor's yard

mass of skull cap blooming

the mint that has jumped across the yard into another flower bed

pot of purslane

the dreaded dewberry

I just love this crabapple tree

Violets that I planted years ago have now decided to come back

purslane in the front pots

more purslane

dianthus bed -- just love those little round humps

the maple tree by the front door

I can't believe these pear trees have gotten so big

the jungle from the back side of the yard

So, that is the stroll through the garden this Monday morning.  It is cool and very windy out this morning.  We have a cardinal couple in the yard now.  They are so cute, she is so little and feminine and he is the largest cardinal I have ever seen.  I am hoping to get a snap of them later.  They have been stopping by late afternoon so maybe I can catch them.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Happy Monday!

Yes, that is right -- Happy Monday!  I am coming down from a perfectly delightful weekend and, although I will need a little rest from all the excitement, it was such fun.

We had the Bean for the weekend -- well from Saturday to Sunday and she is just such a delight.  We took her to her favorite restaurant -- Jason's Deli -- which she enjoyed immensely.  She says she is going to be a "cooker" when she grows up and have her own Jason's Deli.  Gotta love a gal with a plan!  In fact, she is always wanting to know what the "plan" is. 

Then, when we returned we searched for something to watch on tv.  We were looking for movies and she is quite enamoured with "Davy Crockett" so, as luck would have it, the 1955 version with Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen was on our "on demand" service so we loaded it up and set about watching.  At exactly 12 minutes into the film I stopped it -- who knew there was so much violence in a 1955 Disney movie.  Of course, logic would have it that you couldn't have a non-violent War of 1812 or Battle of the Alamo but it just struck me that I didn't expect it to be so, well, graphic.  So, the search went on.  We finally settled on "Air Bud".  About a half hour into it she said it was taking too long and she needed to go to bed so we turned it off and headed to bed which meant tooth brushing, allergy meds, eczema lotion, and countless drinks of water, a potty break and finally, at 9:30 we were down for the night.  It took a little while for the party gal to decompress and fall out but when she did, she barely moved all night and woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed.  I, however, did not.  My "parenting" style includes staying awake most of the night making sure the child is ok -- even though I was sleeping right next to her.  Brought back fond memories of my own children when I would get up every hour on the hour to "check" on them -- and that was when they were well.  Almost never slept when they were ill. 

So, Sunday came and went, Mom and Dad came home from their anniversary outing and Bean helped Gramps and I cook dinner.  Finally, Mom was melting down and baby was tired and runnng amok so it was time for the good time to end.  Bags packed, toys gathered, good-byes said and they were off.

So what did Gramps and I do then?  We finished watching Davy Crockett, of course!