Flashback Friday

Today we return to the thrilling days of this week in 2013!

The Cardinals were enjoying the rebuilt feeder.  I love the one in flight!  The double baffle really did (and still does) baffle the squirrels.  I saw one try again yesterday.

I had quite a large flock of them sometimes...  And these are just the males.  The females were in branches waiting to take their turn feeding.

The Mews all got along well at the time (sometimes it was "iffy" with Ayla and Iza, but the the bed was sort of neutral territory).   And of course Marley was between them.

Iza and Marley often went mousie-hunting together.

Iza loved rolling around in the leaf debris.  She would come in covered with stuff and I had to brush it off her (just by hand) so that I wouldn't find the bed covered with leaf-grit.

I had beds of Hyacinths then.  That was before the voles infested the yard and found them.  Now there are just individual survivors.  I need to get after the moles again.  The moles make the tunnels the voles use to search for roots to eat

And Ayla was enjoying "walking the fence"...

Garden Tour Thursday

IZA:  Thank you for coming along on this weeks Garden Tour.  I was a bit surprised that Marley did one on the sly, but there is some new stuff and bedises, I show ya differnt angles of the flowers annyway...

We will start with the view from the deck.  Some of the daffodils are fading, but some of the tulips are blooming better now.

Lets go down an get a closer look at the tulips.  We like the yellow/orange ones a lot.

But I gotta admit these purple ones are really nice!

And these lighter ones are  pretty and subtle.  

The daffodils edging the regular flowerbed are unusual-looking.   We dont have anny others with white trumpets.

The hostas are emerging suddenly.  I like the cream and green ones...

But solid ones are good too.  They help show off the fancier ones.

We have some TBT dug up last year when the vishus deer ate the leaves off.  Im glad ta see they survived.  TBT and I will discuss where to plant them in the back yard where they will be safe from the vishus deer.

Another tub of recovering hostas.  They sure are pretty!

Here are some of the tulips...

And I notice that one bulb was in the wrong bag when they got planted.  Sometimes the nurseries make a slight mistake.

And there are a few hyacinths still blooming.  They dont seem to do very well here.

More...

More...

And a few over by the fence.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour!  Now let's sit up on the deck.  It warms up nicely in the sun...

TBT and Ayla chose our snacks and drinks today.  TBT cooked a pork roast a few days ago, and as usual with meats, he cuts off a portion and cooks it without his weird herbs and spices just for us.  So we he minced pork with gravy.  It is "inneresting".  And in case you dont like it, Ayla has brought out some canned rabbit.  And crunchies!  We seem to have a new drink...  Chickie broth and cream smoothies?  Hmm.  Ah, with Nip...

Thanks again for coming along on this weeks Garden Tour!

Garden Tour

IZA:  We are a bit late today, so I will be conducting the Garden Tour today AND tomorrow.  All the flowers will look the same both days after all, and it is really our first big flower day of the year.

We are at the last of the Crocuses, but they are some of the fanciest ones and we love them...

The front yard box has suddenly sprung (Springed?) into flower.  This is the 1st wave of 2 varieties.  Having an early variety AND a late one makes things look colorful almost a month longer.

These first ones are REALLY colorful (the late ones are white, but fragrant).

There are some Hyacinths blooming.   There used to be a LOT more, but the voles find the bulbs eventually.  We are planning to plant more next Fall in wire cages.  It amuses me to think of the voles trying desperately to get at them in cages.  With anny luck, some of the voles will some to the surface to complain and I can grab a couple, MOL

And a nother few...

The oldest Daffodils in The Big Circle are getting ready to  bloom.  I can't wait to be photographed among the pretty flowers.  Nothing like really good flowers to make a woncancat look great!

Here are some other Crocuses.  These are the last of the early kind.  TBT says that is because they must have been planted deeper so it took longer than usual to SPRING from the dirt.

And old Daffodil planting survived the leveling of the old ivy-covered ridge.  Sometimes it is wunnerful to see the oldest ones return.

The 1st early Tulip is up.  I was suprised.  There are more emerging...

And of course I have to show off the emerging Nip!  There are at least a paws-worth of places, but this is the best so far.

Now lets see what Marley has chosen for our snacks up on the warm deck...  Minced Poached Chickie Breast and Cream.  Good start to the Season, Marley!  We have Good Basics to enjoy...

Thank you all SO MUCH for coming along on our Garden Tour this 1st Big Week!

IZA - I'm gonna take a nap now through the night though...

Garden Tour Thursday

MARLEY:  Welcome to our First Garden Tour Of The Season!  Im dfoing it today cuz Iza has been "hoggin the bloggin" lately...  Im tiptoing through the tulips  here, but let me join you up on the deck to start the tour.

Here is the view from the deck.  You can see the Spring Bulb Bed really good from up here.  Those are 2 kinds of Daffodils toward the back, Tulips around the front, and Hyacinths on the left.  The Daffodils are fading now, the Hyacinths are gone and the Tulips are just starting.

 Now lets see them up close.  The Tulips are very pretty.  There are 4 kinds and these are the earliest.

There are a few Daffodils still blooming nicely where it was shadiest and they started later than the others.  This one has multiple flowers on a single stem.  I dint know Daffodils did that.

This one has a pretty yellow and peach center.

I like this one a lot.  It is very colorful.

This one is colorful too and the center is very big!

Now lets go back up on the deck and have some snacks.  I hope the Sisfurs have come up with something special fer our first tour of the year. 

Wow, Sardines!  I dont think we have ever had those on the tour bedore.  And lets see...  Chickie broth and and fresh Nip leafs (first of the year)...  And some chicken bits fer those who dont like fishies!

Thanks so much fer comin on our Garden Tour!

Garden Tour Thursday and Friday

IZA:  Well, I have the first garden stuff ta show ya fer the year. 

First is a complete surprise.   Last Fall, just before some old azaleas were torn out as part of the ridge removal project, TBT took 3 dozen cuttings and rooted them in a flat.  Well, not only did almost evry single one root, several are blooming!  Little-bitty 2" azaleas are blooming! 

TBT figures that anny little 2" plant that sends out 3 flowers at once has GOT to be a champion bloomer!  There are also some white ones and some purple ones but they werent as impressive.

Second, TBT is finished planting bulbs in the circle nearest the deck.  All the little white spots are styrofoam plates to mark the names and places where there are tulip and hyacinth bulbs planted in home-made wire cages (9 bulbs per cage).  The  cages are to protect the bulbs from Evil Skwerls and Voracious Voles.

The top right 1/4 has 125 daffodil bulbs (2 kinds) that TBT planted today.  They are toxic to varmints, so they dont need cages.  He was able to just drill 12" deep holes with a 3" wide "auger", dump some compost in the holes, shove in a bulb, and push dirt back over (about 10 holes at a time).  That sure went faster than the cages...

 The area in the center will get butterfly bushes, and the outer edge will get some annual flowers.  Come Spring, he will spread wildflower seeds all over so there is color and butterflies all Summer.

Thanks fer comin along on the tour.  We will start with snacks and stuff outdoors when the weather warms in Spring...