Backyards

Come Visit Our Backyard Oasis!

June 17, 2019


A few years ago, my husband became interested in gardening. Since then, he’s spent hours every weekend working/playing in our yard, turning it into an oasis. He plants mostly perennials, growing most things from cuttings neighbors have shared with him, or that he’s taken himself. Two winters ago, we had several hard freezes, and I wondered what that would do to the yard. As you will soon see, it came back better than ever.

Today, I thought I’d share some photos of his handiwork (click on the photo to enlarge it):


One of my favorite simple pleasures, when it’s not too hot, is to sit in one of our Adirondack chairs and watch the butterflies and birds. 



I also love to take pictures of the flowers.




Coral bush

Coral bush flower 


Angel wing begonia



This is just one small way my husband makes my life beautiful—and I’m grateful to him for it, and many other things.

Have a beautiful Monday!

Backyards

Feathered Friday--Birds at the Backyard Feeder

March 09, 2018

“I don’t ask for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning. There they are, and they are beautiful.”
—Pete Hamill

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the backyard with you-know-who lately. While I supervise playtime (she eats, or at least chews, everything and we’ve already been to the vet once because she ate something she shouldn’t have), I have the chance to slow down, be quiet, and observe. Our yard is full of birds, some of which I’ve never noticed before. The simple pleasure of observing the birds coming and going has made my backyard jaunts happier. Today I thought I’d share a few of our pretty feathered visitors:


Rufous-sided towhee 


Red-bellied woodpecker

Catbird

Mr. Cardinal

Ruby-throated hummingbird

Bonus Butterfly:

Zebra longwing
What’s making you happy today?

Backyards

Right in My Own Backyard

June 06, 2014

Some unusual things have been happening in my own back yard. This plant/tree is blooming:



Anyone know what it is? A neighbor gave us a piece trimmed from her tree (it looked like a three-pronged stick), and it’s growing leaves and blossoming. It smells nice, too.

The ginger is blooming:


So is the geranium:


And the angel wing begonia:



One of our sago palms has produced this:


A mature male Sago produces this cone every second or third year. (Though technically, this is in my front yard.)

On the downside, our dog, who is 15 years old, cut her leg badly enough to need stitches and a trip to the emergency vet. Then two days later, she came in from the backyard with a punctured foot—the vet says either a bite or an entrapment injury. She’s now on lockdown—can’t go out in the backyard without supervision—which doesn’t please her, but oh, well. She’s pretty much back to normal, and I’m taking her to have the stitches removed this morning. (I have pictures of those, too, but I’ll spare you!)

Even though I love to go exploring, it’s clear that there are plenty of everyday adventures to be had right in my own backyard.

What’s been happening in your backyard lately?

Backyards

Backyard Odyssey

May 04, 2010

After reading a number of Meredith’s posts, and seeing her beautiful photos, I decided to take a little tour of my own backyard. We have a big yard, and I usually only visit a small portion of it—enough to water some plants, or see what the dog is barking at. I took only about 20-30 minutes to stroll through and take pictures of the cool things all around me. Here are some of the shots:

Walking iris

No one comes back here except the dog on squirrel patrol.

New crop of cherry tomatoes
The rare and endangered Offspringus basketballus

I wish I had taken video, not for the images but for the sounds. Birds sang and all manner of little creatures rustled through the palmettos. A breeze whispered through the leaves, shaking them gently, often just as I tried to take a picture. Every now and then I could hear a child shout or laugh somewhere in the neighborhood.


I found several small magnolia trees

This little episode reminded me that there is so much beauty and so many interesting things around me all the time. I am simply too preoccupied to see them. I'm really so grateful for where I live, even though I frequently complain (loudly) about the humidity and heat. 

Pink hydrangea--still alive!
Take your own backyard odyssey—and let me know what you find!