Spring has made her arrival known here on the grounds!

Tiny yellow flowers cover all of the grounds

From a distance, they look like yellow carpet.

This year they have sprouted in every area.......even throughout

the woods.  Their light fragrance fills the air.

They are such a cheery flower! 

My greenhouse is overflowing,  full of different types of cactus,

lemon trees, mums,

and large potted rose bushes.........all healthy

and ready to get out into the spring air.

I collect succulents and cactus that look much like this.

The one in the above photo, I dug  up last year as I was walking

with Sophie here on the grounds.  I also do this to keep them

in large pots, saving them from my husband's mower. 

This one had a crown of red pods last week........

today........it has started blooming.

Such a pretty cactus.

Some cactus I purchase because of their shape, 

and design.

Some are just so pretty, I cannot resist them! 

I have posted about the devil's claw ...or pincushion that

grows here......I collect every one I come upon........some I place in my 

"dry garden "to grow naturally,  some I grow in large containers.

The one on the right in the photo above I have grown for the past 5 years.

It was once as tiny as the one on the left......which I found last year on 

on one of my walks. 

This peanut cactus blooms the most beautiful red blooms.

It is also a favorite of mine.

But out of all of the cactus......I love the devil' s claws the most

Their globe shapes and pretty blooms, captivate me.

I have posted this wonderful fluffy and cheery spring time

cake recipe on my cooking blog.

I make this when I get an abundance of eggs from the hen house.

The recipe is from a 1963 McCall's cookbook and you 

can get the recipe on my blog at this link:

DAFFODIL CAKE

Gentle Spring's around the corner,

      Waiting just to show her face

      And to bring us flowers and sunshine;

      Winter's almost run his race!

Be not, then, my friends, discouraged

      That there's cold and ice and sleet;

      For Springtime soon will be with us,

      And the flowers we will greet:

Daffodils, so bright and yellow,

      Hyacinths of varied hues,

      As they nod their heads, in gladness,

      Telling us they bring good news...

~Gertrude Tooley Buckingham, "Springtime" (1940s)

Wishing you pretty spring weather!

This year, I have decided to do a "smaller version" of gardening............a lot smaller version...........

For the longest time, I have loved looking at the small " fairy or gnome" gardens

that people create...........and I have longed to make one of my own.

however, I am not a big fan of fairies or gnomes and I did not know of a good spot

to place even the smallest of gardens.............

This little bird house is so whimsical and has been sitting on my porch for a few years, 

with nothing more than wasps trying to make a home in it.

I love the rock chimney on it........don't you?

So I decided to make my miniature garden.........starting with this 

I glued a heart shape over the birdhouse hole.

I also had this small figurine of a farmer girl nibbling a carrot......

and the little figurine dog looked like a perfect companion.

I also had plenty tiny chicken, swan, and duck figurines,

to make myself..........not  a fairy garden..............instead, 

I decided to make a "folk garden" with a farmhouse theme!

I glued the small chickens and ducks onto slate tiles that I 

had stored away.  This will keep them from getting buried over the years in

dirt or carried off by rats.

I repainted the bird house ..........(I need to make a tiny wreath for the door)

don't you think?

I like the grey"cottage country" look.

and I chose a spot in my garden that I have been planning

and working on in the backyard.  This one corner had weeds and 

not much wants to grow there. 

So I felt it would be a perfect spot to set up a tiny garden

I made this stone slab a few years ago when I started making 

concrete garden things.  It has the same slate tiles

and broken pieces of my favorite vintage dishware.

Now it is perfect to set the farmhouse on and it  looks like a 

patio garden/yard! 

I made a chicken coop out of another weathered 

birdhouse, by adding a chicken run up to the opening.

I painted a cement dish I had made a while back to 

create a pond for the ducks.

The green plants are wild prairie asters. They look like perfect miniature shrubs at the moment.

I made a tile patio............

will think about making a fireplace and furniture later on.........

and a garden with raised beds............

it needs a scarecrow.........

two little owls look over it all from the old

dead tree stump.

I am planning on adding limbs with other birds and greenery later

There is plenty room to add more, in any direction.    I need to add a chicken yard fence and a

garden fence with arbor entries .

 I will add more landscape and 

 other farmhouse things as I go along. 

Now, I have my small " folk garden".  

I will piddle on it here and there........from time to time.

Changing it with the seasons and adding more things as time goes by.

So tell me..............

Do you have a small fairy garden or something similar that you have created?

I would love to hear!

Too many times I have allowed things into my life that really stress me..........now it is time for me to say

 "NO"

no trying to explain, no excuses..........just " NO"

Every day, the world will grab you by the hand,

yelling  "This is important! And this important! 

You need to worry about this! And this! And this!"

And each day it's up to you 

to yank your hand back, 

put it on your heart and say,

"No. This is what's important."

                                                                                                    Ian Thomas

How about you?
Ever felt this way?

March has come............

usually, by this time of year, we are in full sunshine and

a bit of heat filled days.  This year, it has been chilly,

foggy, with overcast days.  Sometimes very cold........

but not as cold as some of you have been experiencing.

The weather seems to be angry........at everyone.......everywhere .....

this year.  

So many people have suffered through some of the most 

extreme weather conditions.

So I hope this finds you in peaceful and pleasant days.

Dear March - Come in -

How glad I am -

I hoped for you before -

Put down your Hat -

You must have walked -

How out of Breath you are -

Dear March, how are you, and the Rest -

Did you leave Nature well -

Oh March, Come right upstairs with me -

I have so much to tell -

I got your Letter, and the Birds -

The Maples never knew that you were coming -

I declare - how Red their Faces grew -         

But March, forgive me -

And all those Hills you left for me to Hue -

There was no Purple suitable -

You took it all with you -

Emily Dickinson