Irises and Garden Shoes

It has been another warm week in Central Virginia. The leaves and the grasses look like mid-summer. Farmers already have their first cutting of hay down.

These are closes ups of my irises. Isn't the veining lovely?


I love the way you can look inside the flower!



These are gardening shoes I bought in early spring. I wore them to Connecticut and learned they are also good in the snow. They are rubber like and waterproof. The inside is felt and they may be too hot to wear in the heat. I like how easy they are to slip on compared to having to lace up sneakers.



Be sure and visit "Tootsie Time" and Flaunt Your Flowers Friday. You'll love seeing what she has in the greenhouse!

I'm also joining Cluadia at "Dipity Road" for Finding Beauty Friday. Her photos are amazing!

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Pansies and ----- rocks?

I can't resist picking up a bag of rocks from the beach when I am in Nova Scotia. Each one is soooooo nice! The rocks had been sitting untidly in a heap on my boardwalk. When I planted my pots of pansies there were some empty spots so I decided to fill them with the rocks.

I was happy with the results. Doesn't this look nice with the rocks on the edge?


Here is the same pot after the flowers have grown a little.

Alea at "Premeditated Leftovers "(one of my favorite blogs) told me about Flaunt Your Flowers. So for the first time I am joining Tootsie at Flaunt Your Flowers Friday. She has a lovely blog and I look forward to more "Flower Fridays." And thanks Alea for the hint!

I'm also joining Shana at "Blaze 'n Crochet" for a blog hop called Friday Follow.

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A Front Door and a Porch!

I was on a nature walk today and focusing on tiny flowers on the ground. Then I happened to look up and saw this. Can't you imagine this as the front door to some bird's or animal's house and there is even a porch! Lovely!


So remember - look up too. You might be rewarded by seeing something unusual.

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Spring in Gordonsville, VA

Mr. B had a dentist appointment and I went along for moral support. My support did not extend to going inside! Instead I spent the time taking pictures. The early heat has really rushed the blooms, including the trees.

The two pictures on the right are of the Presbyterian Church. All the photos were taken on Main Street.

I'm joining Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

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Valentine Rose

This lovely miniature rose bush was our gift to each other on Valentines Day. Mr. B and I found it at Lowes on the half price rack and "splurged." And who says romance is gone after forty-four years of marriage? Ha! It brought some much needed color to our sunny window sill in the midst of a very snowy winter in Virginia.

It bloomed and thrived, but all too soon the blooms were finished.

It continued to live on that windowsill until warm weather.

Now, minus its red paper wrapper, it is basking in the heat and sunshine on the back deck. It has put on new growth and seems very happy. I'm hoping it will bloom again.

Has anyone had luck with getting a rose like this to live and continue to bloom? Any chance it will be blooming next Valentines day?

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We aren't the only ones who live here!

I often hear the screeching cry (kee-ahh) of a hawk in my yard. One spring a pair had nested in our back yard very close to the house but I never saw more than a head poking above the nest. So one morning recently while I was enjoying my hammock and a good book, I heard the familiar cry (actually I am hearing it as I type this). I looked into the trees to find the source - and I found it! I excitedly ran to get my camera and here is the result.

After studying the pictures and the bird book, I think this is a Red Shouldered Hawk. Notice the striped tail and wings and the reddish color on the breast. He is one of the larger hawks.

He (or she?) very obligingly sat for about fifteen minutes. We had just had three days and nights of heavy rain and I wonder if he was drying himself in the sun. He kept holding his wings out and spreading his tail. These pictures were made from my front porch at a distance of 200 yards using my optical zoom.

I often hear and see him fly across my front yard and I hear him in the woods. Sometimes I hear him in the trees but just can't spot him. Seeing him that morning was really special! It reminded me that Mr. B and I aren't the only ones who live on this spot!

See what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has to say about the Red Shouldered Hawk. Be sure to listen to the cry.

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Ever feel like your house is too small?

The world's smallest house is for sale in Toronto, Canada. Measuring just a little over 7 feet wide and 47 feet long, this very cute house is literally squeezed in between its neighbors.

Boasting 312 square feet, there is a living room, a kitchen, a full sized bath, a bedroom and a back yard. It is selling for 110,000 pounds.

Need a weekend place in town? I have been to Toronto and found it to be a very nice place.

Think how large your house would seem when you get home!

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Spring Sunset

I made this picture from my backyard yesterday. The trees look like winter in the picture but actually the maples are blooming and there are hints of color on the other trees.



And as I snapped the picture I could hear the peepers in the low spot. Check out the link to see and hear the peepers for yourself!

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Change of Seasons

On a cold gray day that felt like winter I took my camera and went out to see if there were signs of spring. Other than the daffodils, you have to look closely to see tiny flowers and buds. I needed obvious proof that spring is here so I planted pansies. But just in case, I left the snow shovel out!

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Sorrow and Joy

Claudia at Dipity Road has it exactly right in her Friday - Finding Beauty post. Along with joy comes sorrow. Our house inspection went well and we are waiting to hear from the seller about the repairs that need to be done. So I am thinking about what I will be leaving behind here at the lake and our woods. I have enjoyed watching the ducks and geese.

I will miss looking out and seeing the lake.

I will miss the stream that flows into the lake and taking pictures of the waterfall.

I'm trying to focus on the positive aspects of the move, but I will be roaming the neighborhood and saying goodbye to my favorite trees, stumps, and views.

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Spring IS Coming!

I took a walk with my camera on a gray rainy day thinking there were no signs of spring. To my amazement I found this flowering quince ready to burst into bloom. It certainly made my day!

I am joining The Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. Check out all the lovely mosaics!

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House Hunting Success!

Success! A whirlwind trip of house hunting and this is the result. Mr. B and I are buying the house with our daughter and son-in-law whom we refer to as son #4. This is the house I was off to see in the last post about our house search. Actually, our daughter and husband had viewed the house a year ago then it went off the market. While I was in Connecticut the house appeared and we jumped at the chance. After all, it has 4,200 sq ft and 2 and a quarter acres.

This is the back of the house. It was built in the sixties and I feel there is a definite Frank Lloyd Wright influence. There is lots of glass, large rooms, a marble wall with fireplace and a brick wall with fireplace. The living room is huge and has a cathedral ceiling. And there is hardwood flooring under the carpet. There will definitely be space for a craft room, a closed off TV room (for my sanity) and a guest room!

The road that loops by the house is quiet and will be good for walking and riding a bike. Down the hill behind the house is a river.

The house inspection is this week. Keep your fingers crossed! More pictures later.

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Purple Berries

I'm joining Claudia at Dipity Road for "Friday - Finding Beauty."

This photo was made last fall on a trip to Connecticut. Beautiful foliage was all around me, but these beautiful purple berries caught my eye.

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House Love!

Here I am in Connecticut house hunting. This is a house I saw on my last trip and I have not been able to get it out of my mind. 8 East Street, Stafford Springs, CT. $329,900 with 6 bedrooms and 3 full baths, 5120 sq ft on a lot of 1.67 acres. ALL THAT LOVELY SPACE! It was love at first sight for me!

My daughter also loves this house. We keep trying to convince our mates that it doesn't really need so much work! But we all saw the movie, "The Money Pit" and our arguments are not going anywhere. But I love the space and the period details!

This the foyer looking into the living room and into the sunroom. The foyer is as large as a living room in most houses. Yes, it really is as large as it seems in the picture!

The dining room with that lovely built in is huge! I can picture my family here at Christmas. With the high ceilings we could have a big, tall tree. The third floor was the servants quarters and has a bedroom and bathroom.

The second floor landing is about 12 feet wide and five bedrooms open onto it. The phone system for talking to the servants is in place in the dining room, the entry and the 3rd floor. And in the middle of the dining room floor is the outlet for plugging in the buzzer to summon the servants! Cool! We could take turns being the servant each night.


I know I could make this house perfect but I'm not even guessing on what it would cost. It has some new windows and a good roof but needs a new kitchen. Probably needs new wiring and plumbing work. And how much insulation it has is a guess. Heating bills would be an issue as is the amount of taxes.

So finally, I have moved on. Am scheduled to view a ranch with a Frank Lloyd Wright influence this afternoon. It has a daylight basement which makes it more like a two story house. I've just come from the town office to check zoning for poultry and small livestock and we can have our animals. And the best part? It has 4,200 sq ft! Surely there will be space for a craft room.

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