Why....Hello There...

 After a very busy last couple of days....what 
a lovely surprise to spy these this morning,
beside my computer....     :o)


I hadn't even noticed that SHE was close

to flowering....forgive me sweet VIOLET...


I will enjoy your glory for many weeks 
to come....perhaps I will even spoil you
with a few drops of fertilizer...tee hee hee...



I wonder what COLOR the flowers will be...
I have added a few possible suggestions...
I am keeping my eye on you...   :o)

Or this deeper MAUVE...

Happy Growing!!.... 

Or perhaps this SPARKLY LAVENDER variegated tone....

Hope you all have a lovely day...

Perhaps there are some Violets in
your life....

Or.....another snappy pair of summer
shoes!!   ha ha ha....tee hee hee

Cheers          :o) 

It's For The Birds....

Last weekend, the cottage, was FULL of birds...well, not really IN the cottage, but you know what I mean...  :o)

We always put birdhouses everywhere,
as you never know who will set
up shop inside..


We get a lot of chickadees and wrens building in these decorative houses....so sweet...


Have you ever heard the tiny wrens sing...it is out of this world...they have a HUGE voice, and yet are so teeny weeny tiny...

 My daughter Erika gave me this "refrigerator" birdhouse a few years ago...seems the barn swallows LOVE it...they nested here last year, and are back again...see him/her sitting on the pipe?

I purchased these 2 FANCY houses this winter....supposed to resemble gourds.....hoping they would like them....will wait and see if anybody moves in....

The GOLDFINCHES are plentiful...and I love their song as well...the way they flit down from the branches....wonderful...  :o)

This RED HEADED WOODPECKER was playing shy...turned away, just as I tried to capture his picture...

The never-ending supply of MOURNING DOVES, never ceases to amaze me...these 2 were down by the water...taking in the view...

One of the big chores that my boyfriend and I got done....is to raise the PURPLE MARTIN HOUSE...it is an annual job...well, really semi-annual...raise and lower...paint...clean out all the nests etc. etc......but well worth the effort...

Within a few minutes of putting it up...screwing in the pins...making sure it is stable....and VOILA...the MARTINS appear....we added an "aerial" this year....as a perch...they land....walk around....look inside....'HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS ONE?    THIS ONE HAS A BIG TV.....I LIKE TO HAVE A WATER VIEW.....IS THIS THE WINDY SIDE?

Martins eat, mate, and drink....while in flight....they build muddy nests....lay eggs....catch tons of mosquitoes...and unfortunately dragonflies  :o(....it is quite humorous when the babies stick their heads out the holes to get fed....usually the fatter ones are nearer to the hole...we have found several that didn't make it....we give them a decent funeral!!!

As the clouds began to thicken late on Friday, we could rest easy....knowing all was well with the MARTIN HOUSE....      :o)

At least we didn't get any snow that "stuck"..

Just kinda flew around....

But pretty darn cold and windy...

Hope those little "Admiral Butterflies" make it...  [thanks for the info crafty gardener]....

I will close with a White Lily from last
summer.....won't be long now....fingers and toes crossed....


Hope you all have a great day....

Cheers!

                                     :o)   

Just For Me...Just Because....

On our way to the cottage last week, we stopped at the grocery store in Vineland to pick up a
few things. It is really a great little store....used to be an IGA, then they changed it to 
 FOODLAND...same footprint, only better. They always have great little tropical plants, herbs, succulents, gerberas, and my VERY favorite... [which you should all know by now] the African Violet. So....I treated myself to 3....white, deep royal blue, and a deep pink and white ruffly one. I always buy new Violets for the cottage every year..... and at $1.99 each....I couldn't resist....I put them in one dish, on the table in front of the big window. At least there, I know they will get plenty of sun, for the time being. They will eventually move out to the sun porch....if the weather ever warms up again....Now that the weather has turned chilly, I hope it isn't too cold for them. They DO NOT like the cold.....

Hopefully, next time I go.........they will still be bloomin' beautiful....  Have a great day!!!

                                       Cheers!                                 :o)

Thursday Thru Saturday At The Cottage...

Did anybody else notice all of
these "BUTTERFLIES"  last week?
They were everywhere at home..
and lo and behold...
at the cottage as well...


Anybody know why, where, or
who they are??? Thought at first
they were MONARCHS....but the timing is ALL WRONG...
hmmmmm....

BAMBOO taller....

FERNS unfurling nicely by the "shunda" [that is what we affectionately call our garden shed...polish for shed!]

These CHERRY RED TULIPS sprang up in the oddest spot....right in the middle of "the nothing"!!

Perennial THUMBERGIA just up....lovely BLUE flowers a bit later...kind of a ground cover or vine...grows kinda funny...hard to keep in check...

This Hollyhock came up beautifully in some stones, down by the deck. Unfortunately "somebody" sprayed it with weed killer [they all look the same to me ]...so I will have to keep my eye on her....hopefully she will pull through....'CAUSE THE WEEDS ALWAYS DO!!!!

Beautiful white daffodils......

This is a different bunch....much more YELLOW in the centre...

Good old standards...these have lasted a LONG time...

Lunaria flower...almost looks like a PURPLE trillium...

Soft furry buds on one of the chestnut trees....they all grew from squirrels planting the chestnuts, from a neighbour up the road...suits me just fine!

PINK Fleece flower just up...

Old wheelbarrow with hostas and woodland geraniums...just add ANNUALS and you are good to go...

These 2 photos are of my composter and what I like to call "the holding bed"...as you can see there are plenty of things coming up...top photo has TONS of creeping jenny, daylilies, geraniums,  daffodils......when I need something, I just dig it up, and plant where needed...

You can see in here....there are sedums, hostas, hollyhocks, lunaria, garlic....I usually throw seed heads in here....then I get a big surprise in the Spring      :o)

The LILY OF THE VALLEY  are just poking up...mixed in with daylilies... I really like these...very delicate, and they make for GREAT photo-ops...

HEALTHY HOSTAS....this one is HUGE...I believe he is called "BIG DADDY"...and for good reason....[tee hee hee]

These PINK PHLOX grow EVERYWHERE....even on the beach!!!

 

Saturday morning when we got up....the temp had dropped from 25 to 5!!!!!    It had rained overnite, and I took a few shots as we were getting ready to head home...  :o(     lots of violets yet to bloom under this bed of daffodils...  :o)

The LAKE was calm......

And then the DUCKS flew in......ahhhhhhh...

 

 

 

 

         We got quite a few more "chores" done on the weekend....I will organize my photos, and

         get back to you with those.......will leave you with this photo of JULY DAY LILIES   :o)




                                            Cheers!         :o)