Ok, this is just plain crazy.
Today it was 47 with 25 mph winds and raining. It was the kind of day that makes you want to stay inside and curl up with a good book.
Ok, I cannot remember whose blog it was on (I have a terrible memory – please forgive me — and tell me who it was!), but a few weeks ago I commented on a post about Valentine Garden Geeks. And while I didn’t fit the bill there, I do now!
I celebrated my birthday this week and I wanted to share with you some of my lovely garden-related gifts. You might guess that my five-year-old daughter — the girliest of girls imaginable — picked out the fluorescent pink bird feeder for me (with her Dad’s help.)
They both picked out these terrific little snippers – perfect for deadheading and small plant pruning. I can’t wait to try them out!
And my DH, who always uses knee pads, got me these to ease the bending.
My Mom and Dad got me this little garden fella — he’s a hand carved bird feeder. A tad heavy for the branches we have to hang him on, so he either needs a special mount or we may just leave him leaning against the tree on the ground. He’s kinda cute there!
And here is my “big” birthday gift. Many of you have already met Artemis, who now graces the front of a fedgling new garden bed. Mom and Dad also gave me a huge ferm to put in her head, but she has a tiny little head and it didn’t fit. So, the coral/salmon geraniums will stay there for now. They brighten up that end of the path, anyway, don’t you think?
I’d say this plethora of garden goodies makes me a Garden Geek…don’t you agree?!
Winter gray in Austin. Stark and cold, yet somehow, still intriguing. And foggy — it’s rather erie. I was psyched for another warm day, but it appears today will be warmer, but I’m not sure yet about the Sun’s appearance later. I’ll cross my fingers and hope the sun comes out.
I’m always fascinating by the creatures who weather the winter — outdoors — with no heater, no gas fireplace or blankets or fuzzy slippers. We pile on and peel off as the weather dictates, but the wildlife around us simply endures.
My husband’s family raises Belgian Draft Horses in Indiana and while I do believe that they are a hearty bunch, it still seems really cold up there for them for a very long time!
And even here, where it’s more temperate, I think about our wild birds. Scrawny shrubs and ruffled feathers don’t seem to me to have much capacity to warm them up, but they’re here, chirping and flitting about, minding their business, seemingly impervious to the elements on most days.
So, we feed and water them, and I admit, I talk to them and worry about them. And I wonder about the chitting and chirping between the two male cardinals who seem to be fighting for our yard and woods territory. Wish I knew more about their behavior — one of them has been our neighbor for 4 years. And then, there’s our newest neighbor, a squawky scrub jay that is tough as nails. No one messes with him — least of all me!
I admire them all, and hope that this Spring, our resident cardinal couple, Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal, have some babies we can watch for a while.
I know we have HUNDREDs of days of sunshine each year here in Central Texas and I know how lucky we are. Yet it never ceases to amaze me how much I truly appreciate another beautiful day here in Austin. The sun and the dew on the evergreen plants in the yard
I got an email today from my cousin and her husband in Germany and they have a beautiful yellow crocus in full bloom in Weilerswist. Even where the winters can be bitter, the determination of our plants to bring us happiness is strong!
So, today I tore out all the dead tomato plants and put away the amazing folding, square tomato cages in preparation for the new garden project. I’m making the call tomorrow to get a fence put up and another vegetable bed created. I planted a globe artichoke and some lettuce today, and am just about to plant a multitude of seeds in seed pots to start indoors before it really warms up outside. I’m just planting one tray of seeds, to keep it manageable, and will have an assortment of veggies and perennials or annuals.
Pretty Penta
Barely there Bougainvilla
Alyssum
Meager Moss Rose
Oxalis
Shasta DaisyA few little friends were still hanging in there in the dead of what we call winter here in Austin today on January Bloom Day!
Hard to imagine how much of the rest of the country is covered in snow. Yesterday morning was sunny and bright. Today, it’s overcast and gray and we are expecting some rain. But, we need it, so that’s ok.
While I’ve enjoyed my break, I have to say, I’m getting the gardening bug again! I read the article in the Austin American Statesman this weekend about starting veggie seeds inside in pots and I’m plotting to do that in a week or so! And I have a plan for major changes to the vegetable garden — see my sidebar for those developments!
And, you know you’re ready to get your hands dirty again when pruning makes you happy again! Yes — it’s true! I pruned the giant gingers in the back and some of the lantana and esperanza and other perennials for a few hours this weekend and enjoyed it. I think of it as therapy — it’s cathartic for me.