It Will Have To Wait

 I've lost track, but I THINK this is day three of rain.  Constant rain.  A light constant rain.

 I cancelled today's dental cleaning since driving to my dentist entails an hour on Interstate 81, and even on dry roads I am wary of the drive.  So it's cancelled and re-scheduled for early June.  

The pansies are in heaven with this cool 47 degree morning weather and the unstoppable moisture.

 The rain is knocking the pink petals off the azalea bush. but the phlox seems to be taking the weather in stride this week.

 So it's time for other things to put a a bit of color into our landscape.

 Cedar mulch was ordered and arrived that same day.

We love the quality of any soil or mulch they deliver to us.

High quality stuff.

 My husband is such a hands on guy and can never just sit and watch.

He swings the back of the dump truck open, and would probably hop in the cab and do the dumping of the mulch if they would let him.  LOL 

 And of course there is always extra help waiting to help and make the job go faster.

 We planted this Elsie Lee azalea two years ago.... it's not growing as quickly as a few of the other bushes, but it's healthy and within a couple more years should be the height of another just like it that we have.  This is more of an upright azalea bush... it gets four to five feet high when maturity is reached.

 Soft petals that almost remind me of a hibiscus or possibly a carnation.

Enjoy the day, Ladies, and...

 don't let all this rain

 get you down.

My New Year

 It's been a 'winterless' winter here in the mountains of southwestern Virginia.

 I can't speak for other areas of our state, but WE have had only four inches of snow, if that, in the early part of the season, but you can hardly call that winter now can you?

 The daffodils began their blooming quite early, as did most of the flowering trees,

and it makes me wonder if summer too will come early with it's warm temperatures, high humidity and worst of all, bugs, snakes, and all that slithers about.

 The blossoms of springtime lift my heart and hopes.

This is my New Year rather than party hats and horns of the last night of December.

These buds are the promise of what a new year is all about.

Shining A Light

 It's been a few days, so I owe you a post here.

It's just that well... HEY.... it's springtime and I have been enjoying the sunshine a tad which takes me away from my keyboard.  Have to enjoy these lovely days before summer arrives which will cause me to complain a lot.

The garden has sprouted the asparagus which unfortunately we cannot cut for another year or two... first it needs to establish some solid roots.  But it's nice to see that it's come up this year!

 Strawberries were planted a year ago, and then we thought the had all died, but lookie lookie cookie wookie!  There are blossoms this year!

 Rhubarb is growing nicely too!  Oh my.... rhubarb pie.... I see it in our future!

My husband raked the garden and gathered up the weeds and volunteer plants and is mulching it for later use.  He doesn't waste a thing.

Me, just before leaving for town one day earlier this week.  My new glasses needed an adjustment in the lenses, so this was me standing in the small office off the kitchen.  That's a new scarf and shirt purchased from Steinmart.  Love that store and wish it was on our end of town instead of way over yonder....

 So, this is the small office, but this time of year it also serves as the area where my husband starts his tomato and green pepper seeds.  It has southern exposure light coming in the window.

It's sort of a catch all, multi purpose little room where his secondary computer sits where he does his scanning of old slides, and we stash extra platters and holiday plates, extra batteries, some screw drivers... just things that would otherwise end up in a kitchen junk drawer.  Every home should have one room like this.

 He took an old table lamp, placed on a block of wood, and he installed grow lights in it.

My engineer husband always finds a way.  LOL

 All seedlings labeled nicely.

Hope this post shines a light on what we have been up to...

More to come!

One Perk Of Living Here

 Another round of cold temperatures will be striking again tonight, so for dinner we picked the lettuce that is growing in the bowl on the deck and then moved the bowl into the covered porch.

 This afternoon we spent time in the warmth of the sunshine on the front porch.  It was 75 degrees and to be honest.... we got hot!  The pups lolled around in the green grass of the front yard,

 and the daffodils were in full bloom.

 Well, who can resist cutting a few and bringing some of that yellow sunshine indoors for heaven sakes.

 Although the ones left outside will do fine in the cold temperatures tonight, or I would have cut more, 

they will however look a wee bit limp tomorrow.  Such hardy blooms they are!

 When we lived in the city in the southwestern U.S., I didn't have flowers that I could bring indoors to enjoy... we had three rose bushes, but they always struggled to look healthy.

One of the perks of living in Virginia.....

flowers for the soul in springtime.

It All Comes Alive

 If you've never seen Virginia in the springtime when all is blossoming and Mother Nature dons her skirt of green, then you've missed out. You should probably make it a priority to visit here before your knees and hips give out.

 I grew up in the Midwest, in a northern county in Iowa where FLAT is the norm and you can't see around the corner of the next cornfield.  Growing up I didn't see much beauty in those scenes.  I imagine that the people who still live there see a kind of gorgeous-ness in it, but after living where there are mountains to tease my eyeballs..... well, I just doubt I could live without the views here.

 These are some of my views as I drive to and from grocery shopping, auto maintenance appointments, doctor visits or just heading to town to blow a few bucks.

 There is a lot for sale on this property.

Better hurry before it's gone.

 Seriously.... how would you like to wake up to this outside your bedroom window?

 It won't be too many weeks and this house will disappear behind leaf filled trees, reappearing in late fall when they are orange and gold and fall back to the ground. Sometimes I forget there is even a house there!  

 Hope you're enjoying seeing our area of the country as it all comes alive this spring.

Making Up For Last Year

 Last year's VERY harsh winter left us with no blossoms on our Bradford Pear trees in the front yard, but this year things are a bit different as Mother Nature apologizes for 2015 by giving us an overload of beauty this year. Although the past few days have been much colder than we would ever ask for, we still have the blossoms to remind us that this is indeed springtime in the mountains of Virginia.

 It's very cold, but the rain has gone now. I did manage to snap a few photos between the rain showers over the week-end.    Please enjoy these lovely blossoms since they will soon be gone giving into the light green leaves that will dress these trees in April.

 Thanks for stopping by today!

XOX