More Springtime!

You know me, something pretty comes along and I go overboard posting pictures.

Aren't the pinks and purples and blues of spring beautiful? In fact, this is the prettiest spring we've had in a long time.

Wish I could show you the hundreds and hundreds of tiny blue "Quaker Ladies" that are in bloom. The ground is simply covered.

Ever notice how hard it is to get blue flowers to show up blue in a picture? Or is it just me? I seriously need to mow the yard but can't stand the thought of mowing down all the tiny flowers. 

Must say, it is getting a bit snaky looking around. Speaking of snakes, Saturday I walked right up on two. Both were rat snakes but people round these parts call them black snakes. One of the snakes was big, like five feet long maybe. He looked at me then slithered on down to the brush pile. Folks, I stopped dead in my tracks...chills!!! Then I immediately came across another rat snake up near Poppy's shop. This one was smaller and faster and quickly disappeared into the woods. Once I've seen a snake in the yard...every step I take I expect to see another one.

This bright pink Azalea has a pale pink one underneath, not in full bloom yet.

More Quaker Ladies and Ajuga.

and a couple of Dogwoods.

I've just finished outside, closing the chicken house door and the gate to the guinea's pen. There is a storm coming. The thunder is getting closer. Once we get through these storms tonight, we are supposed to have fair weather...sunshine and no rain for the rest of this week. Lows in the 40's and high's in the 70's. Does that sound wonderful! I want to finish planting the teeny tiny garden.

Better get off this computer. Oops! Loud thunder!

Love,
Henny

A pink post, maybe

Sending a quick hello while Poppy is in the woods again. No turkey yet, but he did hear one gobble yesterday. Mostly want to thank you for the nice comments on the "Poppy Post". I love replying to each comment but lately time seems to be passing unbelievably fast. Do you think it's true that time is going by faster?

The pink Azaleas are in full bloom. Out walking Eli this morning, honestly, the shocking pink was, well, shocking...

There are six of these Azaleas in the yard and I meant to get a picture of them all. After this picture the battery died in my camera...as Poppy says, imagine that! I do go through the batteries!

This is a wild Azalea and it is blooming for the first time. This little plant was growing wild here when we bought the property. I brought it from the woods into the yard back in 1989 or 1990. I'm so happy to see it thriving, finally!

This picture was taken a couple days ago before the blooms had fully opened. The guineas don't often sit still for a picture.

Okay, I didn't mean to go on and on. The sun is out and the birds are singing. It almost sounds like they are calling me. I do want to stay outside today. Tomorrow we could get  over an inch of rain. Hope to be back soon. Thank you.

Love,
Henny
Spring,

A Poppy Post

Our teeny tiny farm

Sometimes I read back over a post and realize that my wording has made Poppy sound like a lazy bum. He is not that at all. You see, Poppy still works a full-time job.

Poppy loves hunting so he takes two of his hard earned vacation weeks and does just that. One week in November he deer hunts.

and a week in April he turkey hunts. 

Thanks to Poppy the little red hen and her friends have their own house complete with a fenced-in yard.

The goats enjoy their own teeny tiny barn, all fenced in and what a sweet little gate I open and close throughout the day.

and it was Poppy who measured off  24 x 48' and built my teeny tiny garden with a gate. There is something magical about opening and walking through a garden gate. My very own garden gate...just like my Aunt Berlie's.

I suppose it is because of Aunt Berlie that gates are so special to me.

The gate to the chicken lot.

This gate to the goat lot.

It was on a Saturday morning that Poppy said, let's ride to Raleigh and buy you that greenhouse. Then he worked for two weekends putting it up.

He built the pier in 1996 right before Hurricane Fran hit and overnight filled our newly dug pond with rain water.

and the little red tool shed we ordered from Sears in 1989. Poppy put it together, building a floor inside and adding shingles to the roof and after all these years it still looks good.

then the little foot bridges in the back yard Poppy built so we would not have to jump across the wet weather creek that runs through the property.

Oh, and you may remember my bright idea of adding a Bantam lot onto the back of the chicken house. This project I intended to do this all by myself.

how tickled I was to see Poppy coming to my rescue with his nail apron tied on and bringing a level and his saw and hammer.

Poppy has worn out three chain saws over the years.  There is no telling how many trees he has cut down and cut into firewood. 

It was Poppy who put a cover over our front deck turning it into my favorite little country front porch. Then a couple of years ago he added a tin roof.

However...through all this, all these many years, I have been by his side every step of the way, through every building project...picking up nails and screws, running back and forth to the shop for tools and drop cords. Bringing glasses of tea and lemonade, and a few band-aids along the way. I've made sandwiches and jars of ice water, and packed lunches so we could stay outside. 


The difference in the two of us now is that Poppy wants to maintain...I want to keep building and adding and changing, making the place prettier and prettier. Whew! Wasn't that a load to get off my chest! I'm wondering if any of you are still reading. : )  Thank you!

Love,
Henny 

Spring!!!

The snowball bush and azaleas are beginning to bloom...as Lynn would say, "be still my heart"!

Is the pollen bad where you are? It is simply awful here! In fact, I don't remember it ever being any worse! The hazy yellow look here is pollen in the air...

I'm not complaining...spring is here and I could not be happier! We've got warm sunshine and flowers and it's time to plant the garden...

It was about 9:30 yesterday morning when I opened the gate to the teeny tiny garden and entered in with my teeny tiny work basket...

Not even once did the time of day enter my mind even though as the day wore on I began to feel, well, like I might not be able to load everything in the wheelbarrow and walk back to the house. It was along about then that Poppy yelled from the front porch, are you coming in anytime soon? It's 6:30! No it's not, I yelled back!!! Poppy laughed, he was kidding...it was actually 5:20 p.m.! Good grief! Supper had to be cooked!

The garden looks like nothing but leaves right now, but I've planted kale, beans, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, dill, and a few zinnias and sunflowers. Today I picked up a few orange and green bell paper plants. It's a teeny tiny garden so I plant small in quantity. There is so much I want to try growing.

Sorry about all the pictures. It's spring!

Walmart has all their leftover Easter candy reduced to 75% off. I picked up a pack of Peeps bunnies for Poppy. Had to laugh when he sat down to, as he put it, eat a row of peeps...

Better get off this computer. Does time fly or what! Thank you for stopping by. I'm behind again!

Love,
Henny

No more turkey tails (or tales) needed

My side of the room is prettier...

Keep your fingers crossed for the turkeys today, and all next week. It's turkey season! Poppy is in the woods, as we speak, nothing showing but the whites of his eyes...turkey hunting.

We do not need another turkey tail on the wall...

Our living room, dining room, and kitchen are all one room. I simply have to have a feminine touch here and there.

Seriously, living in a 'hunting lodge' these many years has been fun, but again I say thank goodness for the teeny tiny sewing room...

and the teeny tiny dining area...

Getting back to work now. Thank you for stopping by. I will let you know how the big hunt goes. Have not heard a gun shot anywhere yet. Big sigh of relief!

Love,
Henny

Tickled over spring

Spring is really here with the Dogwood trees, the Red Bud trees, the Spirea, all coming into bloom. I shouldn't post these pictures now cause in another week these will all be in full bloom and I'll be thinking, why didn't I wait. I'll take more pictures then!  : )

Looks like the pink Dogwood will have lots of blooms. Like Poppy said, it's about time! I bought this Dogwood at Logan Trading Company in Raleigh a few years before I retired in 1999...

The Chocolate vine is simply covered in tiny very sweet smelling blossoms. Honestly, you can smell these flowers when you walk out the front door...

Also remember the Chocolate vine in front that bore the large hanging fruits late last summer. This vine is not as healthy looking as the vine near the goat lot and we all expected it to die after bearing the fruit. It survived. The blooms on this Chocolate vine are purple, not white...

Close up of the blooms..

My little walk through the yard today. I'm so happy to welcome spring...

One more thing. Remember the lecture I got from Poppy about keeping another kitten? How we do not need another cat and then, well, you can keep him but he will have to be an outside cat...

That thunderstorm last night went just west of us and it was a bad one. Wind and large hail stones that damaged homes and cars. It caused three car accidents and put one man in the hospital that was caught outside and injured by the large falling hail. 

I should get busy. Poppy will be home soon. Glad you stopped by. Hope to visit again soon.

Love,
Henny

My bronze kitty, and Poppy

Popping in to say hello. I may not be on the computer very long...we have a thunderstorm coming. Not one of favorite things, as you all know. Thank goodness, Poppy is home.

My rare and unusual little Smokey. I just love this kitty cat and so glad he found us...

He looks almost like a bronze sculpture of a cat, don't you think?

On a funnier note...Yesterday, before our company arrived, I was busy in the kitchen. Poppy was sitting at the bar talking to me. Here's how he looked when I turned from the stove to look at him...

He said, you know, I can see really good looking far away wearing your glasses, and really good close up wearing my glasses. Why can't I just wear both pairs until I can get my bifocals? Good grief! You're more than welcome to borrow my glasses. Keep them as long as you need to. : )

It sounds like the storm may miss us. Anyway, I'm getting off the computer for now. We're fixing to settle down with a bowl of ice cream...one of my favorite things. : )

Thank you for visiting. Hope to be back soon.

Love,
Henny