{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ May 26, 2013

We got lots done in the garden yesterday, which is excellent because today it's damp and chilly!

{Pretty}

When Elizabeth was still too young to pick flowers, I bought a vase like this one at a yard sale.  I thought that at three inches high it would be perfect for the bouquets of clover and dandelion that I knew I would one day be presented with.  Over the years my little bunny vase has held many flowers picked by chubby hands.  It still sits on my kitchen windowsill.

Long before my first grandchild was on her way but after Lizzie and Justin had gotten married, I saw an identical vase at a thrift shop for 59 cents.  I snatched it up right away!  I thought Lizzie would enjoy carrying on the tradition of the bunny vase.  I tucked it away until needed, and last spring I sent it to her as part of her baby shower gift.  Last week while visiting and helping with their move, I took Arane outside and together we picked wild daisies from the yard for her mother.  At first they went into an empty jar, but as soon as the bunny vase was uncovered from its packing box, the daisies were moved to their new home.  Isn't it sweet?

{Happy}

 

 

We have doubled the size of our gardens.  Last year the viney things~squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, gourds~quickly outgrew their allotted space, so here is Dave working with the tiller to make new beds for them.  He looks happy as a lark with his pipe and the sunshine, but he was sore afterward!

 

Bonus picture of the baby thrown in just for the adorableness of it

 

 

 

{Funny}

 

 

The Prince and the Pea

 

This is Benny asleep on two enormous cushions in Lizzie and Justin's new house.  Cats have an instinct for finding the softest, cushiest places for their beds.  It reminded me of the story of the princess and the pea!

 

 

{Real}

 

This year we grew a few radishes at Hannah's request.  She wanted to try them.  They are crazy easy to grow!  But alas and alack, Hannah has decided she doesn't like them after all.  Oh, well, we only planted a few.  We have about this many still in the garden, and I'm sure we can find someone who wants them.  At least now we know not to save space for them in future gardens.

 

 

 

 

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{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ May 19, 2013

Happy Pentecost, everyone!  I'm joining Like Mother, Like Daughter today.

In the middle of all the garden work, I took a nine-day trip to Appalachia to help Lizzie and Justin move into a new house.  Not the most propitious time for me, but that's the way it worked out, and the garden work will all get done.  Yes, it will.

{Pretty}

I arrived before the actual moving day and so was able to help pack.  But the unpacking is so much more fun, don't you think?  Here is the kitchen a day a half after our arrival.  We are amazing to have made so much progress in such a short time, are we not?

 

 

Though you can't tell from the pictures, the walls are a slightly subdued lime green, which is cheerful and bright and goes fantastically with the Fiestaware!  (This room has no windows and my camera is old by digital standards, so the colors are not quite right.)

The door leads to the converted garage, which is now housing boxes yet to be unpacked.


This baby is so incredibly pretty that I'll probably just sprinkle pictures of her throughout this post.

{Happy}

Hannah and I planted allium bulbs last fall, which was something new for us.  They were open when I got home, and wow! I love them!  They make me smile every time I see them!

 

 

They are between four and six inches in diameter and very tall.  They seem to hover over the garden.  This is my view from the kitchen window, and it makes me happy.  We have two other plantings of allium also.

 

 

 



These two people make me happy!

This is what they look like before they are open.  Photo courtesy of Man of the House.

{Funny}

 

Dads play with their kids in ways that mothers just don't, don't you think?  Arane's daddy is full of crazy antics, but she loves it!

 

 

{Apparently Blogger is going crazy right now and wants everything to be a caption.  It's thinks the whole second half is a picture and I don't know why.  I've tried and tried to get it to stop, but it is still being contrary.  Sorry!}

 

{Real}

 

Imagine that your train is supposed to leave the station at 9:45pm and is to arrive at your destination at 7:33am.  Imagine that when you get there, the Amtrak employee tells you that the train is going to be two hours late.  Granted, it wasn't their fault, but still.  Then imagine that because the train started two hours late, it now has to sit at a standstill for long periods of time not once but twice and wait for the tracks to be clear so it can go.  Imagine further that because the crew has been working for twelve hours due to the previous delays and that is the legal limit for train employees that you now have to wait forty minutes for the new crew, which has been called in on an emergency basis.  Also imagine that when you finally get to Indianapolis and there is just one stop between you and your much longed-for destination that the signal for the track is broken and you have to wait an hour and ten minutes for it to be fixed.  Imagine that during all this your husband is waiting for you and missing appointments.  Imagine that you've had to cancel an online class because you weren't going to make it home in time to teach it.  Imagine that your train eventually arrives six hours late!  And to top it all off, imagine getting a parking ticket for parking longer than 20 minutes in the Amtrak lot.  Talk about salt in the wound . . .

 

The thing is, I don't have to imagine it because it happened to me last week.  To be fair, the Amtrak employees really were trying and did their best to ease the situation.  They had to deal with a lot of hungry, tired, and cranky passengers who were missing connections.  But alas, the stars in their courses were fighting against us.  (Not really; I don't believe in astrology, but the sentiment fits here.)  I don't think I've ever been so glad to get home!

 





 



 



 

 

 



{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ May 5, 2013

Joining Like Mother, Like Daughter again!


Lately I've only shown {pretty} and {happy}, but that's because it's spring!  So many things are so very {pretty} right now, and that makes me extremely {happy}!

{Pretty}

This little patch of ground is drab during the winter, but when the hostas and other vegetation come back to life, it's quite pretty.  Only one tulip bloomed this spring, though, so in the fall I'll need to plant a few more. 

Speaking of tulips, I love the color of these!

 

 

 

 

Some of my pansies.  Pansies are a necessity in the spring!

 

 

 

 

 

{Happy}

 

 

Remember when I showed you the picture of our strawberries after we uncovered them earlier this spring?  They were pretty pathetic and we wondered if they'd survive.  Well, lookee at this!

 

 

Just a few weeks after we uncovered them

 

 

Not only did they survive, they have blossoms!  We are looking forward to our first crop of homegrown strawberries.  Yum!



 

 



The rest of the garden is underway too, but there isn't much to show for it yet.  Peas, turnips, and radishes are up, but we are still waiting on carrots.  There's more to come, but it's a little early yet.  I'll keep you posted. :)

 

Thanks for visiting!