Have A Blessed Easter

May your basket be over flowing

with blessings of this sweet day

 

May you also remember the meaning

Of the One who came back to stay

 

May friends and family gather round you

 

May the day be filled with the best

With happiness and laughter

 

 

And a day that is truly blessed.

(Kathleen)

I am getting to where I love visiting hardware stores

for their unique building supplies..........and

their greenhouse nurseries. There is always something new to find for any garden.

It's funny,............... I used to never care to walk around in one of these stores...............

I am focusing on the flower beds close to the house this year. A few of these beds are mostly shaded during the day. Even if it is spring..........I still love the colors of fall. I was delighted to discover this perennial

named Coral Bells. The top leaves are a silvery, purple,  with a jewel like tone..........

so beautiful!

Underneath, the leaves are vibrant fall red.

They take light sun, mostly shade..........perfect for the shade gardens this year.

Also, I found this beautiful Coleus in fall colors. Another great shade garden addition.

From the building supply section, I have finally given "playing with cement" a try. 

I have entertained the thought of trying to work with cement off and on for years............but have always felt intimidated to do so .         

But I decided to get a bag and just jumped into it..............I love it!

 I have experimented making cement pots............

they look rather plain..............but I love that look.

I also decided to be a little decorative

by adding rocks found during my walks with Sophie.

The plain color allows the colors of the flowers to show off well. The containers fit perfectly in the cement pots and the high Texas wind has not been able to tip them over.

I also made a path to the entrance of my greenhouse, decorating them with pebble flower mosaics.

I plan to use cement containers and paths in the gardens that I am creating out in the woods.

How about you?  Do you have a favorite hardware store that perks your interests?

Have you found something to create with that you never thought you actually would try?

I would love to hear!

 

Once there was a house

that welcomed everyone in by the road side............

it's charm still hanging on as best it can.........

Through this front door, guest would be welcome

to come sit by the fire

and to stay for supper

and later in the afternoon, gather round the piano to sing..........

The old car that once carried the family members,

sleeps in rust out by the old mesquite tree.............

There's not much left to this old house................

or of the family that once lived there...........

 

These photos were taken on a road trip last week as I was out and about.........searching and picking.

I cannot resist, pulling over to an old house that seem to call out.........and to stop by a place of rest

and  read the names of those who have gone on .

How about you?
Do you love to explore abandoned and forgotten places?

I would love to hear!

 



After the heartbreak from last week's coyote visit............

The sun did come out and shine again...............

and the surviving flock is starting to croon and scratch the grounds once more.

 

Sophie is such a comfort..........staying alert and keeping watch.

 

The peacefulness is slowly returning to the grounds

as the Stock flower's fragrance sweetens the air.............

and the Larkspur blooms and sways in the wind.

The Vintrica is showing off its petals in the shade.

and last years Brussels Sprouts, lived through the winter and are starting to produce again!

A sign................to me...............that life prevails and finds a way to go on.

As I was wondering through a flea market, I came upon a vendor who was selling fruits and vegetables. Among his bounty was large green tomatoes!

I could not wait to get home and fry up a batch!

As most of you know, I have a cooking blog. Fried green tomatoes are so easy to fix and so delicious.

If you would like the recipe, just click onto this link

My Country Kitchen

and give them a try for yourself!

Thank you all for your kind words of support and comfort in my last post.

It is always wonderful to hear from you all!

 



Out of all guests that we encounter in our life' s journey.........death is the most unwelcome.

 

 

Death comes to us in many ways,........... unannounced......... uninvited..........and always dreaded. We all know that one day, no matter how many precautions we take, no matter how much we have protected our circle, and no matter how much we prepare ourselves for this unwelcome guest..........death has it's way.

 

Over the years, I have come to know death as it has dropped by on the path of my life. The memory of it's visit comes back to me when there is one less guest at our holiday table,..........

when the phone no longer rings for a chat with a friend,

when I open the small cardboard box that sits on a shelf and feel the warm, soft, worn leather of a collar worn by a cherished pet. No matter when death comes and who it decides to take away with it.............I am never graceful about it.

 

Such is the case for yesterday. While I was out and away , death made it's visit. No announcement, no warning, and not giving me a chance to interfere. Coyotes came to the barnyard, dug a hole underneath the fence and took 16 of my chickens. This has happened before...........and it will more than likely happen again.............and it's what is to be expected when living out in the country. My mind knows it............my heart does not want to agree.

 

If it were my wish to be granted, everyone and every thing would be able to live to a wonderful old age, enjoying the blessings of life around them..........then........... when we know that our plate is well over full...........we could simply close our eyes and stay...........asleep.

 

There is a saying I once heard.............

We cannot tell the wind to stop blowing..............

but we can hold onto the One who created the wind.

That is what I have to hang onto on this pathway of my life, until I can find another path to take to better times.

 

The weather, as I mentioned in the last post,

quickly turned sunny and pleasant.

 

So much in fact that the honey bees are out and about..........buzzing and dipping into  the watering containers along the grounds.

Even a lizard, who was watching me as I worked along the edge of the pond,

came out to warm itself on the sun baked stones.

Out in the woods, the gardens I have been planning and working on, are sprouting tulips in their containers,

I am hoping that they will all bloom before the deer or rabbits find a way to munch on them.

Speaking of rabbits, I am starting to place small statues of such around

the various shrubs and trees in the wooded gardens. I really wish I could find a salvage yard that has old cement fixtures that I could decorate my gardens with. I don't want new, and I try to stay away from "cute". I don't want bathing elephants with a big smile on them, out in the woods.

I am wanting a more,..........vintage............forgotten.........Gothic

look.

 

The pansies I planted early in the fall have just filled out the planter box on the patio. I wish I could keep these cheerful blossoms growing all year long! But soon the Texas climate will claim their doom.

I hope this finds all of you staying warm from the storms that are stretching across in  your area.