New Paint....

Seems I haven't been keeping up with this blog

very well lately.

I didn't have much to talk about.

Now that will make some of you who know me best laugh...

me...with nothing to talk about?

But, there hasn't been much happening around here.

Oh...there's been some pruning going on.

I think I have everything cut back that needs it.

With temps going from 20s and 30s for lows, 

to 70s and 80s for highs, the plants are as

confused as we are.

Just hope we don't have anymore freezes.

There's a lot of new growth out there...

just like last year.  Things putting out way early.

I hope we don't get that late freeze, just like last year.

It was not a good thing.

So, just the same old, same old.

Then it dawned on me I didn't tell you we got the house painted.

It really needed it.

It was a light, minty green....all over.

Except for the front porch.  That was white.

This photo was a couple years ago...but, you get the idea.

Now it's still green....only different.

The main part of the house is Peppergrass...

under the porches are a lighter green...Muted Sage.

The porch ceilings are my version of "Haint Blue".

I think it called Streetwise.

"Haint Blue" is a color people in the South like to paint porch ceilings.

The legend is the color blue keeps away "Haints"...or Haunts...

ghosts.

But, mostly it's to confuse wasps into not making nests on the ceilings...

they're supposed to think it's sky.

We'll see....

Oh...and, we had the painters take out those old front porch posts,

and replace them with peeled cedar posts.

Looks good, huh?

We had them paint the doors with a cedar color. 

It all ends up looking a bit "cottage-y",

but that's ok.

The back porch is the same...the lighter green under the ceiling,

with the darker color as trim.

I can't get the colors to look right.

This lighter color is less minty than it looks.

We had them paint the posts that cedar color of the doors.

It does make it quite colorful.

The kitchen window was trimmed with the lighter color....

We're pleased with it.  

It looks fresh and clean.

What do you think?

We spend a lot of time on the porch.  We've been sitting out the 

last few evenings, listening to the frogs in the creek.

Now, I just hope this isn't another false Spring.

Hope things are good where you are.

'Til next time...

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Frosty Mornings...

Maybe it's because I just never noticed.

Or, maybe it was because the grasses in the Deer Grove

were all pushed over or washed away,

in the Halloween Flood.

Or, maybe I was looking out the window,

at just the right time.

But, I got to see the Frostweed, when it was doing its thing.

I was looking out the kitchen window,

and I could see something white in the Grove.

It was 24 degrees.

Yes...not bad, considering the blizzard going on 

in the Northeast.

So, I grabbed my camera and went out to investigate.

Sure enough...it was the Frostweed.

Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) stores water in its stems.

When the temperature gets really low,

the stems burst open, and the water comes out and freezes.

I didn't touch it. But, it looks like shaving cream.

When I went out a couple hours later, 

the foam was gone....as if it never was there.

Isn't Nature interesting?

I searched my files, and couldn't find one photo of this

plant in summer.

So, I borrowed one from the Wildflower site.

www.wildflower.org

It's a nice looking plant, although unremarkable until it blooms.

The white bloom clusters are nice.

It blooms in early fall.

In the Grove, it lives without much water....none at all in most summers.

And, the deer don't touch it.

Maybe I need to move one up to the house.  

Not sure how well it might transplant.

*****************

We haven't had any real rain in a while.

Less than a tenth of an inch, over a week ago.

We're supposed to be getting more rain than usual,

because of El Nino.

We'll have to water soon, if nothing happens.

*****************

I hope you're safe a warm where you are.

'Til next time...

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

The Light in Winter...

We've had an interesting winter, so far.

A few days warm, then a few days cold.

But, whatever the temperature, the winter light is wonderful....

especially the morning light.

This last Sunday was cold...a heavy frost.

But, the light sparkled.

Streaming across the fairway...

On the front side of the yard...

And streaming in the front windows.

It's a completely different angle, from the rest of the year.

I like it....

*****************

Speaking of things I like...

Tomorrow is this guy's birthday.

We've spent quite a few of these together.

And, it's been a pretty fun ride.

Happy Birthday, Mr. P....

Hoping for many more.

'Til next time...

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

That's Pretty Seedy...

We've been busy around here,

taking down the holidays, and getting back to normal...

or what we call normal.

One busy chore we've had is seeds.

Millions and millions of seeds.

You see, we live under a lot of Cedar Elms.

Usually, I'm whining about all the leaves.  Usually, the fall brings TONS of

LEAVES.

We sweep them up and pile them in the beds as mulch and in the compost bin...

which is really a 'leaf rotting' bin.  

The deer don't leave green stuff in there long enough to compost. 

Yeah, I know...we could wire it off...but....

Anyway...the trees also have seeds. Those seeds usually fall in October.

Not this year.

This year they started falling in late November.

And, we have a bumper crop.

They can't be put in the beds or compost.

All of those seeds will turn into little Cedar Elms.

Millions and millions of Cedar Elms.

We'll have enough that will have to be dug up, 

just from the ones that fall into the beds.

So, we sweep them up and carry them to the Deer Grove.

The deer like them, and so do the squirrels.

Those in these photos fell in one day.

That's the porch and deck.

Didn't get a photo of the driveway...

But, it's almost over.

We'll have a short leaf break, and then the Live Oaks will start

doing their thing.

I still love the trees...

*****************

By the way...

Can you believe January is almost half over?

Me either...

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~