2017-06-01 - Thursday - Flowers and pot

Flowers are popping out all over the yard. I love to watch the spring dance; while it's repetitive, it never gets old.

It was a quiet night at Clayworks and I made a quiet, simple pot. It's amazing how my surroundings influence my pots sometimes.

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2016-09-19 - Monday - Highlands, NC

We went to Highlands, NC for a few days for a company planning retreat. It was beautiful.

The view at breakfast and lunch.

Hydrangeas.

Japanese dogwood.

The view at supper.

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2016-05-25 - Wednesday - Hydrangea

I have gone almost the whole spring season without posting photos of our blue hydrangea which has to be a new record. It's turning out to be a good bloom year for the plant. It's blooming like crazy.

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2015-03-21 - Saturday - Yard, museum, and pots - oh my

Saturday I was all over the place.

I started out in the yard reveling in spring's progress. The daffodil show is over and we're moving into the heart of spring where everything else starts to emerge and the overpowering green of summer gets a foothold.

I used to joke with a friend years ago that during early summer in the Carolinas everything was such a vibrant green that there seemed to be a green haze hanging over the wooded areas. We would laugh, but we still marveled at it. I miss Jim. He's been gone a long time now, but I think of him most in the spring and summer.

I am glad to see the may apples
I transplanted last year are propagating.

The native orchids are looking a bit rough after the winter,
but they're still here.

I think this native plant is called spotted wintergreen,
and it always makes me think of peppermint candies.

The lenten roses I transplanted from a neighbor's yard last year
are happily blooming. Thanks Sheilah!

The hydrangea is peeking out.

The vinca minor in the front yard is filling in nicely.

I love the fiddle heads on ferns.
This one is a holly fern.

Here is another holly fern past the fiddle head stage.

A close-up of the vinca minor flowers.

In the afternoon I went to the Mint Museum to hear Rose B. Simpson speak about her art. I arrived at the last moment and found a small contingent from Clayworks to sit with. Rose was amazing. She is a skateboarder, punk rocker, poetry slammer, multimedia artist from the Santa Clara Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico. She told us about her life and strong connection with her heritage. She amazed us with her artwork and her vision. She even treated us to one of her poetry slam performances. It was fun just to be around that kind of energy for a while.

Lindsay, Cathy, and Jeff.

Rose B. Simpson.

After the talk at the Mint I went to Clayworks to do some more work on my pots from March 11. They waited patiently under plastic for me to return so I decided to alter them a bit. The left one is softly altered, the right one is done with my usual method of adding clay to make the facial features. The middle face was made only by removing clay, so it appears a bit flatter.

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September 29 - Sunday - College and dinner

Sunday we went to Meredith's college and after some shopping took her back to Scott's for dinner with the family.  We ate on the deck and everyone was there.  It's really nice to have these large family dinners (and breakfasts).

I just thought everyone could use a Help button.
This one is in the parking lot by the dorm.

Eva's hydrangea is blooming again in the Fall.
I don't understand it.

More blooms to come if the frost doesn't get them first.

I caught this between Eva's and Scott's houses.
I liked the way the trees framed the sky.

Dinner on the deck.

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April 18 - Saturday - Around and about

Saturday I was out in the yard working on clearing some of the weeds from the neglected garden beds.  Some of that Johnson grass is so well-established it's like trying to pull out a clump of pampas grass.  I ended up cutting what I could with the hand clippers.

While I was manually harvesting the grass in (what was) the path between the beds I found a trail that the rabbits were using.  The under-grass was all hollowed out by rabbit traffic.  My fear was accidentally opening up another nest with infant rabbits as I did several years ago.  Saying I was cautious would be an understatement.  I was watchful with every move I made since I was worried about rabbits, mice, chipmunks and snakes.  When I got about seven feet into the twelve foot path an adult rabbit burst out of the far end of the path and ran around behind the garage.  That was my cue to quit.

I headed out to the front yard to pull weeds.  I weed the front almost daily.  I think they spring up while we're sleeping.  Since expanding the natural area to most of the front yard last Fall, the weeds are trying to have a party.  It's an uphill battle.

In the evening we got together with some friends for dinner at the Landmark Diner.  They have a HUGE menu and a killer dessert case.  I don't believe anyone left the table hungry.

I also tried using the panoramic function on my Android phone that I didn't know I had, until Karen showed it to me.  Being the gadget geek that I usually am, I'm embarrassed I didn't know about it.  Oh well.

I'm hoping chipmunks live in here.

Lady bug nymph (right) and
pupating relative (left) on my oregano.

On to the front yard...

The autumn ferns are doing quite well.

The hostas have exploded.

One of two oak leaf hydrangea.

On to supper...

My choppy panoramic shot.
Karen, Tom, Daniel, Lisa, Christopher, (me), Chip, and Pam.

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Hydrangea break

During all these Spring activities the hydrangea bush out back has been doing spectacular things so I thought I would take a moment to acknowledge them.  Karen gave me the hydrangea when we moved in and I love the large blue flowers it gets every year.  This year it has put on a great show and I have been snapping photos with my phone when I walk out the door.

Nature puts on the best shows.

May 10.

May 10.

May 14.

May 17.

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2010-05-20 Wednesday - Yard

I took a walk around the yard on Wednesday afternoon.  I'm happy to report that things are doing nice Springy things around here.

The hydrangea is blooming.

The elderberry bush.

The tomatoes are taking to their new home.

The elderberry flowers up close.

The mulberry.

The mulberry fruit.

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2009-05-03 Sunday yard stuff

I spent most of the afternoon in the yard on Sunday. I am very late in getting my tomato plants into the garden and thought I would work on the bed before planting. I haven't turned my compost pile in ~2 years so I had some great compost waiting for me in the bottom of it.

I also had some unwelcome visitors --some larvae had burrowed up into my compost. I pulled over one hundred of them out while turning the pile and applying it to the garden. They would probably make great fish bait, but I have no plans on going fishing in the near future so they are currently living in a bucket of dirt in my garage. I will either use them as bait or feed the birds.

Turning the compost pile.

One of the visitors.

Bucket 'o Grubs.

The top-dressed future tomato bed.

The slightly cleaned-up bed with the oregano.

The long walk home.

The hydrangea are budding.

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