Happy Memorial Day!

I had a serious scare this week when Heidi ate fertilizer that I put around my hollies.  I won't go into unpleasant details but she was ill and spent a day at the vet's office.  Heidi will eat anything, a natural corgi trait, I'm afraid.  Please be careful if you are working in your yard this weekend and are using chemicals. This pic was taken today and she is fully recovered, I hope.

Now for some pictures I took in my yard this morning.  It is a beautiful day in central Virginia!

There is a party going on in my gnome garden on the front porch...

Miss Lilly, my garden lady

This is a gnome garden I made for my daughter in a mini wagon.

And last, but not least, is this beautiful feather I found in the front yard when I was taking pictures.  I think it is from an owl who lives in the wooded area behind my house.

Have a safe and fun holiday!

Happy 11th Birthday to Miss Hanna

                         

There's no way to put into the words the joy that my beautiful Hanna has brought me in her short life.  She was 11 weeks old when I brought her home and was all ears.  I was working ten-hour days as a school registrar that summer and the school principal let me keep her in my office (in her crate, of course).  Her job was to calm the nerves of new students when they came to register for the next year.  I don't have to tell you that she charmed them all!

That fall I enrolled her in obedience classes so she could join a therapy group. The instructor was very stern and Hanna was mischievous so she got in trouble a few times.  I have some cute memories from those classes.   She loved visiting the children's hospital and retirement homes.  Since she has developed arthritis in her spine, we no longer do therapy work.  Her job now is to take her baby aspirin every morning and spend as much of the day as she wants on the front porch taking naps with her sister, Heidi.   I run out to check on them often and sometimes we all have a nap, weather permitting.

Garden Tips

 

I read these garden tips on Mom4Real blog this morning and thought they were so interesting and easy.  I am definitely going to try putting coffee grounds on my ivy that I want to give a jump start

 

1.  To get seeds to germinate quickly, simply snip the end of each seed with a pair of nail clippers and soak in water over night! Then plant and watch them germinate in a few days!

2.  Add crushed eggshells to your soil…the eggshells add calcium to the soil and keep unwanted critters away.

3.  Clean out your hairbrush and lay human hair around your plants to keep rabbits away.  I know it sounds kind of icky, and rabbits are cute, but they will eat your flower and plants.

4.  When there is a cold snap coming and temps are going to dive down into freezing, cover outdoor plants with painter’s plastic.  It works like a greenhouse does and keeps frost from killing your plants.

5.  Add an aluminum pan filled with beer to your garden to deter slugs from getting to your plants.  Slugs love beer 

6.  To stop mosquitoes and other insect larvae from breeding in birdbaths or rainwater barrels, put a few drops of vegetable oil on top of the water.  It spreads to form a film over the surface of the water so the larvae cannot lay eggs, but won’t bother the birds!

7.  Hang an aluminum pan in your fruit trees to keep birds from eating the fruit!  The birds do not like the reflection of the sun in the pans.

8.  Spray cabbage and other vegetables targeted by caterpillars with onion juice! Simply grate an onion and mix it with water, then spray down your veggies!

9.  Add coffee grounds to plants to flowers that won’t bloom and ivy that is not spreading very quickly.  It will help the flowers bloom and really get your ivy growing!

10.  Use aspirin and water to repel aphids and other sucking insects as well as promote strong plant growth.  Simply mix an aspirin and water in a spray bottle and spray down plants.

Redoing My Fairy Garden

Spring is finally here and I know you are as happy about it as I am! I've had so much fun this week working on my fairy garden. I planted it in an old red wagon several years ago and this year it needed to be completely redone.  After filling it with all new potting soil, I added two new fairy girls.   I wanted the scene to tell a story of one cute fairy running down the path with her corgi and two fairy friends anxiously waiting at the end of the path.

I lost my tiny owl when I was dumping out the old rocks and soil and was so lucky to find him.  He's about an inch tall.  The tree is a cedar seedling that I found in my flower bed.  

My garden will be finished after I find a few new plants.  I'm looking for just the right container to make a second garden for a gift.

Buttons!

Last weekend I met an elderly gentleman at the flea market who has been collecting buttons for many years.  I fell in love with a tray of rhinestone buttons and was able  to negotiate a price that I felt was reasonable for both of us. 

If any one has suggestions for a good resource to learn more about my new collection or a way to display them, please comment.

Lucas

Last week I mentioned that I'd be introducing a new friend soon. I am a member of a Facebook group called Pem Pals and have met some wonderful corgi lovers all over the world.  One of these friends lives in Pennsylvania.  I've been following this sweet story for a couple weeks and have been so touched by Jenifer's love for this little guy.  I think you will be too!

Lucas

The following was written by his new mom, Jenifer:

Our first corgi, Cowboy, went to the bridge in January. I wanted to wait to get another dog, but my husband wanted to get one sooner rather than later. My friend  was having an online auction for Horizon Animal Heroes, the rescue that had Lucas, and that is where I saw a picture of him. At first I didn't even consider trying to adopt him because I wasn't sure I was ready and he was in Oklahoma. Then I thought, why not, people have dogs transported all the time, we can give him a great home and even though I wanted to wait I was really lonely being at home by myself all day long. I emailed the rescue and they said they would do an out of state adoption and before I knew it I was trying to figure out how to get Lucas to us. I filled out an application with one transport company and it was accepted, but then it was a waiting game to see if and when anyone would be available to take him. In the mean time I happened to see a "sponsored" post on FB for a transport company. I called them up on Sunday night and the following Thursday Lucas was on his long 1200+ mile journey home! I was nervous about getting a dog that I had never met, but there is an 8 year old boy, Michael, who helps out at the rescue and he had played with Lucas so I knew he would be okay with my two girls. Lucas was found as a stray with a leg that had been broken and it was not able to be fixed so he had to have it amputated. 

Lucas with his beautiful new sisters!

He arrived last Sunday and  looks so happy with his new family. What a sweet boy!  If you would like to follow his progress, he has his own Facebook page (search for Lucas).

Here's what is on my mind these days...

I'm counting the days until spring!   We only have about three and a half weeks left.  Yesterday when I was working in my yard, I noticed some of my daffodils have buds on them.  Snow showers are expected this week but daffodils seem able to withstand severe weather.

Over the weekend I made this arrangement for my front door.  I saw the idea online last year and loved it.  The clear umbrella was purchased online. I stuffed three bouquets of tulips and some silk ivy inside and added a plaid bow.  It was  quick and easy and not expensive if you get the flowers on sale.

I think I heard the high-pitched call of the spring peepers behind my house tonight.  I love that sound.  It seems early for them and I hope they can tolerate the cold weather we're going to have in the next few weeks.

 

spring peeper

Next week I want to introduce you to a new friend!  Be sure and stop by  the first of the week.