More wild creatures have come to visit the grounds.......

all of them in search of water.  It is starting to get very dry here 

and the bird bath is the hot spot for local wild life to come take a sip.

I have seen wild turkeys in front of our property at times, but this is the first time I have seen one come for a visit so close to the house. 

I think this is a young male turkey as he has red growths along his neck.  I hope he stays around as long as he likes. 

Up the drive, looking like a wild piece of shag rug running along the ground, 

was this beautiful badger. It came for a drink

and left as quickly as it had arrived. 

The rabbits like to come and sit in the tall grass in the late afternoon. 

I think wild cotton tails are so pretty .........

don't you?

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

what kind of interesting creatures are visiting your back yard? 

I would love to hear!

It's not the Easter Bunny that has shown up here on the grounds.............

it's these vibrant and beautiful Yellow- headed Blackbirds. They come to visit every year. These are the males. The females are plain black and smaller and show up two weeks earlier than the males. 

They fill the pine tree above my shop and I can hear their chatter and singing.....

(click on photos for a better view)

bringing much cheer and beauty to the whole area.

Even the bare  mesquite tree at this time of year, 

has a touch of beauty as they sit and chatter away in it's barely budding branches.

The feeder usually looks like this...............

but now looks like this. They are a hungry bunch to feed.

It's just one of those things in life..........that I call "God's present for the day" that makes me grateful and thankful for where I live .

They are so beautiful to watch............

Salem thinks so.............

he is mesmerized by them............

He can't seem to be quick enough to gets his paws on one yet..

So he just lies on the porch..........wishfully thinking about them.

When he naps, his mouth quivers and his tail thumps as he dreams of catching his prize.

How about you?

Along with the Easter Bunny, what has shown up at your bird feeder?

Do you have these kinds of birds in your tree?

What is the common bird of your area?

I would love to hear!

Wishing you a very happy Easter!

 If you would like a wonderful Easter dessert recipe for your holiday meal, 

visit my cooking blog by clicking onto this link

My Country Kitchen

This threatening cloud

wound up bringing much needed rain 

 and a cooling to the already heat blasted area.

When a good rain like this comes along......a few days later, the grounds turn green.........

usually with weeds. But if you look at the green growing in this area of my flower garden, 

you will see that this is a carpet of wild Prairie Aster.

It is growing wonderfully in every area and along side of my walkway.

Along with it is the wild yellow daisy.

Prairie Aster grows thicker and taller and is filled with vibrant purple flowers throughout summer and into October.

This is all flowers. The areas that are just earth........will be planted with zinnia in a few weeks. 

The rain also brings out many creatures. As most of you know by now, I show you a lot of photos of horned toads that grow abundantly here on the grounds............

but I don't think I have shown you the baby ones which are precious and cute!

This one is smaller than a teaspoon.

(click on photo for a better view)

They are so small when they start out and they camouflage well in the area they are in.

How about you?

Is all of your snow gone?

Are you covered  in dust..........or are you getting good rain?

maybe too much rain??

I would love to hear!

Once again, a man at the dump had a treasure in the back of his truck..................

and as most of you know.........the dump is the last place I want to be..........

however, if you remember a couple of years back, 

I got this old chair ........at the dump......from a man who had it in the back of his truck............about to toss it out to it's doom.

When I saw the blank back of the chair..........it said..........

"embroider me"

and I did...........and it is living another life in my embroidery studio.

So around the corner comes another man.........in another truck..........and he tossed this beautiful table out.

I can't believe that no one wanted to keep this beauty!

It is very heavy..........

The bottom is complete heavy ornamental metal all around 

and pretty ornate wood on the top. The only thing wrong with it is that is was missing it's glass top.

Of course when I saw it..............I did not want a glass top for it. No........other plans were forming in my mind. 

Isn't this the prettiest design?

I love the metal leaf corners of this table.........don 't you?

I asked my husband cut a sturdy board for the top of it, making sure to secure it from the bottom of the table, and not covering up the decorative top. Now I had a blank canvas to work with!

I have an assortment of these beautiful slate tiles that I have been wanting to use

and I decided that they would be perfect slate drink coasters .......attached to the top of this table.

The words on this inspiration rock did not show up well for the photo.........but they say.......

"believe in your dreams"

something I have always done.........

So with the slate tile, the inspiration rock.......a lot of other colorful rocks and some twigs.........

and a lot of imagination...........

this blank table top 

now looks like this! 

I love trees and rocks.............

and this was a great way to display them. 

I used an outside adhesive to glue it all down. I wanted the tree to have a look of fall leaves.

I painted the rim of the table in black, but left the decorative part in the brown color because it looks like old metal this way. 

I used red rocks to run along the inside edge.

I sealed it all in a protective coating..............

and now I have a great looking table for the patio!

I still cannot believe that this beautiful table was tossed away.

It  matches the rockers on the patio...........making this space more pretty as we sit out  in the late afternoon   to watch the ending of the day,.

I still do not like to go to the dump.............there are other places I would much rather find pretty things at.............

however, I can't resist the back end of a truck going to the dump...........

sometimes.......

She passed away so many years ago..........

but my memory of her is still fresh and vivid.

While most teenage girls would be out with their boyfriends, 

much of my weekends were spent with my best friend at the home of her grandmother.

We would spend the Saturday there, watching the Grand Old Opry on television with her, and not knowingly  keep her up with our girlish giggling late in the night, till she would finally tap on the wall to tell us to quieten down and go to sleep. 

Sunday morning would find us dressed and going to church with her. 

She and my friend introduced me to the path of a Christian life and  pulled  me into the warmth and love of their family. 

So many wonderful memories I have from the time spent there.

A little while back , my friend visited and brought with her 

this little night case that belonged to her grandmother. Her grandmother had used it while traveling to visit relatives. I feel so honored that she gave it to me! 

 It still has her name on the tag.  I had been keeping it in my home, filled with crocheted items that I have found  along the way.

I have just opened my vintage shop and embroidery studio,  and realized that this little case was the perfect display.

 . 

It sits on an old dresser and is overflowing with vintage crocheted items. 

The crochet is all for sale............but the case will never be. It makes me smile and remember Mrs. Golden when I see it. 

I think she would be thrilled to know that it is being used this way..........

don't you think?

Throughout the shop, there are items, given by friends and family throughout the years, which are also, not for sale. I have them there, because of the connection and the love I feel for all of them.

As the little saying on the heart says:

" old friendships are the dearest and best"

and if I could add my own statement..........

they are also the most missed.