The daffodils around town are in bloom, but here in the gap things are always a little behind. My first daffodil bloom, but there are lots of buds just waiting to open. When out and about, I saw this magnolia in bloom and had to get photos. A very old tree, just beautiful!! Buds on my Valentine's Day camellia, brown around the edges from that very cold polar express a month ago. Usually in full bloom by Valentine's Day. Today is cold and wet, tomorrow sunny and will be in the 60s. Come on, you can do it!! Swaths of hellebores love this weather and look so bright on gray days. My one and only dark hellebore that I dug up at a Mindy flip house, just about ready to bloom. I sure hope it drops seed this year, I need more of these!!
I was surprised that I had so many winter scene paintings when I started taking photos. A day to be inside in front of a fire, working on a dog transport from Louisiana to Texas, cleaning out computer files, working on Etsy & Ebay, but I did go through my seed catalogs and have my orders ready to be placed! One day inside and I can't wait to be back outside working tomorrow! How did I have a job where I sat for 10 hours a day?
Saturday we took a drive, Bob wanted to go to some bookstores in Spartanburg, I wanted to look for discounted bushes. Good time of year to find azaleas for next to nothing and I have a big area to fill at the farmhouse. An auction was going on at one of the Habitat stores and they were cooking bbq outside, which lured Bob in. Nothing much to write home about, but there was a ziplock bag with some handkerchiefs which I didn't even open because I'm not into buying those, and it's a good thing they are a thing of the past because the whole idea of using a handkerchief is gross! That's what tissues are for, and those can be flushed. We were on our way out, Bob behind me, next thing I know he's back at the books, so to kill time I opened the ziplock to see what was inside. I have to admit they are very pretty, and a lot of work went into them, especially the ones with the tatted edges. Only one with old lace. The Southern Belle caught my eye, they are very popular. This one was very unusual, took me a bit to take it all in. A can-can dancer. You can flip up her skirt and top and see her panties and bra, so risque!! It wasn't until that night when I was looking at them again that I flipped it over and saw the naked can-can girl! I thought maybe someone had used a pen and drew it in, but I got a magnifying glass and those are definitely French knots and stitches. The things you can find! So I did find azalea bushes marked down to $4 and planned on spending Sunday transplanting, but an emergency happened, two puppies in Georgia needed to get to adopters in NC and I had five hours of driving ahead of me. Glad Bob went along and did the driving so I could manage (play) with the puppies on the trip. Chow mixes living in an outdoor pen with no shelter, not soicialized, yet this little girl was sweet and a big kisser. She liked Bob. This little girl was not as social, I named her Geisha since she looked just like my Geisha at that age. I was really worried that they were going to be separated and go to different homes, they were clinging together most of the time. Met Mike who was going to take them to Charlotte. Today he put Geisha on transport to her new home in Ct. This little white girl went to a new home in CT. I got updates that both were doing fantastic. I guess having a little girl and a little boy to carry them around made them feel safe. So today I finally got to transplant and work in the yard. Nice thing about being retired, every day is a gardening day!
Looks like winter is back for a visit for a few days, wouldn't be so bad except for the wind. Sun is shining brightly! So time for a pot of corn chowder. This is an Asian corn chowder with coconut cream and curry and homemade wontons. Recipe calls for lobster wontons, but being a veggie I chose to do vegetables and herbs. Warm and satisfying and makes quite a few meals! While the chowder simmers, I am in my potting shed setting up the trays for seeds with their lights and heat mats. Going to get lettuce and tomatoes started so they will be ready soon as spring officially arrives!
Had a spring-like week, lots of things blooming which was good since I unexpectedly had to take on two dogs for a rescue that had been left in a hotel room in Florida and ended up at the shelter. I was outside a lot with Mario & Luigi, the names their adopters gave them because they are an Italian Family. Their names at the shelter were Teddy & Scruffy. The honeysuckle was in bloom, bees were busy. I was working on the front yard next to the blooming Scotch Broom. Cleaned out the beds along that fence and did a lot of raking while the two little guys played. Mario the chow was only 25 lbs. and Luigi 18, but he was severely underweight. We all thought the shelter made a mistake aging him at three years old. If it looks like a puppy, is the size of a puppy, barks like a puppy, it must be a puppy! Bob and I were in love! We never had a chow that was so little. Problem was, he was bonded to Luigi, a terrier, a very sweet, but needy and annoying breed. Neither were house trained, so I was cleaning up as if they were puppies. Otherwise, they were a fun pair, but I was ready to send them to their new home after a week. Luigi just loves people. Sweetest chow ever. One day a pair of pocket chows is a must! Lifting senior chows that weigh 65 to 98 pounds is a thing of the past! Had to take them to my vet to get a health certificate to travel and cross state lines. Sure enough, my vet affirmed that Mario is 2 to 3 years old. I couldn't believe it. He did gain 1 1/2 lbs. while at my house, I fed them well, raw goat's milk and homemade wet food. Luigi gained 2 lbs. On our way to Charlotte to get them on transport. Both were great in the car. Bob was choking it back having to put him on transport. Thirty six dogs on their way to a new life! At the other end of transport, 22 hours later, they are in New Hampshire with their new mom Jenn who has been keeping me updated on how they're doing. They were thinking of renaming Luigi to Houdini. He got out of his crate and counter surfed and ate a whole bag of treats. I'm sure he didn't share with Mario! LUIGI!!!
Birthday started off great with coffee at our local coffee shop courtesy of my brother! Great gifts! Candles, fancy hand lotion, hiking socks and Bob finds great bear T-shirts working in Asheville. A big surprise was a moose charcoal that I really liked that I saw months ago in a shop, it was still there! Now I have to find a place to hang it. The plan was to hike the Exclamation Trail, but the days before the cold front came in and I thought it might not happen, but by my birthday it was 60 degrees, sunny, and clear enough to be able to get the 75 mile views promised on the trail! The higher we got, the more ice on the rock cliffs. Made it to Devil's Head
Then this!!! I couldn't believe we got this far and they blocked the trail!! I was bummed. All that, and now a long hike down with no views. Fake crying. Down we go. Bob wearing one of his xmas gifts. So now we have to try again, once my calves can handle it. Three hours down on rocks really took a toll on my hiking shows and my legs. I had a good soak, a glass of wine and all in all it was a great birthday. And now the SS checks can start coming in along with my county checks, so I'm not complaining about being 65! New Year's Day we started the morning with coffee and the Mummer's Parade. It was a warm day, perfect to work on the veg garden and get it prepared for spring. It was so warm the lizards came out of hiding. Last year daisies had taken over my veg bed, so I have now transplanted them to the front of the bed so I can get back to planting herbs and vegetables. Tomorrow should be the same where I can finish up, rain is coming which will be perfect for the transplants. Time to order seeds!!
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
