Viburnum

It is a joy to walk around the house and see what is blooming. We redid our landscape a few years ago and now the plants are maturing and giving us such joy. I picked this bloom and put it in the bird vase that my sister bought me. I love the way it looks. I used my new lens to take this picture.

A ride around the lake

It has been such a warm and lovely weekend that today we wanted to take a ride to enjoy the sunshine and eighty degree weather. About an hour from our house in New York state is a large lake. Don’s mother had a cottage at Chautauqua Lake on a creek that fed the lake and for many, many years we spent weekends there. We have always had a boat and loved the water.

   We began our trip by having lunch at the Olive Garden, one of our favorite places to eat. On our way to Jamestown we pass this little shack called the Swamp. We always get a laugh out of its name since when the lake rises water surrounds it.  But it doesn’t stop people from going in.  I think it’s a bar but I’m not really sure.

 

   

 

After our lunch we continued to the northern part of the lake and on to Barcelona on Lake Erie. This is where Don brought our boat to go walleye fishing. We would keep the catch till the end of summer and have a big fish party and invite all our friends.
There is a lighthouse on the hill.

Don and I sat there for a while enjoying the view.

On the side of the harbor people were swimming. The whole bottom there is covered with flat pieces of slate and the water is very clear.
On the way out of the parking lot I spied a family of geese. Mom and dad were taking care of their babies. Then I noticed a few larger babies and realized that there was another pair close by.

It was such a wonderful day to get outdoors.

On our walk

I am very lucky to have a walking trail only two miles from our house.  It's a paved trail behind the University of Pittsburgh. It winds along a creek and through woods. While walking Sadie yesterday I saw a deer staring at me through the leaves. Sadie didn't even smell it.  Sadie got so hottest I let her cool off in the pond.    

Not missing, just reading.

I've got my nose in a book and have been reading in my spare time. Last night Don and I went to the movies with our friends Jamie and Gary to see Money Monster with Julia Roberts and George Clooney. You can't miss with those two and we enjoyed the movie. After that it was dinner at Applebee's. A great night out. That made two in a row as we had gone to Sprague's with Don's brother and his wife on Friday night. I am not a big fish eater but their fish fry with a buttermilk batter was delicious.

It has been very hot here...eighty six...which is really hot. As we drove to Olean we went through a storm that cooled the temps right down to seventy three. On the way home the weather was nice but as we approached West Branch the rain came down so hard we could hardly see. Don pulled the car into the garage so we could get out. We still got outpr feet wet going into the house. I had to take down my hanging basket and put in a sheltering place because it was being battered by the wind and rain.

We have some pruning to do but it's eighty three and we will wait for a cooler day.

 

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Being a Jack Russelll

 

What is Sadie doing you might ask. Just being true to her heritage. Jack Russells were bred to hunt and since the closest she gets to that is looking out the window or sitting under a tree looking up for hours. She was delighted that we left the garage door opened for her. She is guarding. Once she saw a chipmunk there and figures sooner or later it has to come back. She will sit there indefinitely or until we insist that she come into the house.

 

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Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof…cause I’m happy.

My sister says that sunshine is like a drug to me. I guess she is right because these past few days I’ve been on a cloud. How can you not be happy when the sun shines? Today I had my art lesson. We are working on abstracts at the moment and I did the background for an animal painting. I will be drawing two fighting zebras on the background next week. I am really enjoying these lessons and learning a lot. Adrianna is a great teacher. She is from Mexico and a tremendous artist.

  We really got the heat today. It went up to 86 degrees. That is very hot for us because most of us do not have central air in our houses. We have two window air conditioners but they aren’t in yet.

   Before I went to my lesson I started to plant some of the flowers that I got. I bought Don a huge cherry tomato plant. We are impatient and there are already tomatoes on the plant with millions of yellow flowers. We are getting a harvest early.

   Here are some pictures of the courtyard and breezeway. There is always a breeze on the breezeway but today it was a warm breeze.

MY FAVORITE SPOT

I just didn’t want to come in today. The porch swing was calling…stay, stay, stay.

pineapple sage. I don’t know what it will be used for but it smells divine.

 

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Great girlfriend day!

Nothing is more fun than a girlfriend shopping trip. Today the six of us jumped in the van and rode to Erie which is about an hour and a half away. When we arrived we stopped first at Panera Bread for tea and coffee and some sweets. Then some of us went to Brassiere Dearie, a bra store for a fitting and some new undergarments. Then a quick stop at Claudine's a decor consignment shop then back to the mall. A little shopping then lunch at O'Charlie's. Then I introduced them to a large decor store...At Home. We didn't make any large purchases but had a ton of fun. When we left at four we got caught in gridlocked traffic. We country girls were glad to be out of the big city and get home to our country hills. I got home at six thirty which was a long day. But so much fun. I'll try to post a pic from my phone.

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A close up look

After the rain I took my camera out to try out the new 50 mm lens. It is so nice to see green outside after the long grey winter.

These ferns were planted in pots by the lion fountain. Last year they grew…and grew…and became gangly and not at all full and pretty the way I imagined.  This year I will transplant them into another shady spot.

This  fern had some water droplets on it. AS did the lupine leaves.
While I was taking a picture of the Bachelor Buttons a bumblebee flited from flower to flower not paying me a bit of attention.

 

The thyme in the herb garden has come back. I may divide this and move some to a new location. And the ever faithful chives are full of buds.

I love spring with all its newness.

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke

 

“It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want—oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
― Mark Twain

 

“The sun just touched the morning;
The morning, happy thing,
Supposed that he had come to dwell,
And life would be all spring.”
― Emily Dickinson

Random Sunday

Still wet and rainy outside. It's such a calm and peaceful morning. It's a morning to count your blessings.

 

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look what a new lens will do

I’ve always admired the photos I see on other blogs and aspire to take good…no make that great…photos myself. So I ordered a new lens for my camera. A fixed 50 mm. It takes great pictures with a lot of detail. I’m going to like this one!

Time to get busy

The fountain is bubbling.

So is the lion fountain. The lights are up. The umbrella table is out of storage. The cushions are out and the swing is ready for action. It's time. Nice weather is upon us. Our summers are the best. Pleasant temps without being too hot. We can sit outside at night with no bugs.

Now all I need is my flowers. That comes tomorrow.

There is still a lot of planting to do.

 

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