. Monday, April 23, 2012 .
Newest clematis

She's A Bloomin'

. .
We celebrated Earth Day by having a little family project out in the backyard.
We have been trying for 6 years to get our backyard to look like something.  We are making progress but it still needs a lot of TLC is some places.  Under and behind the burning bushes is just once of those places.

Rocks, we love a good pile of rocks.  We usually don't pay for them but Mark made the exception for this bed.  Guess he really didn't want to go get them off the road somewhere in KY.  We found out that it is illegal to gather rocks in the state OH but go across the river to KY is is perfectly legal.

Everyone did their share.  While we worked outside, Emmy cooked dinner.  Yummo!

He was a pretty good dumper.  But he didn't last too long.

This is the nonexistent bed before we got our hands into it.

By mistake we made some compost tea.  That is what happens when you forget to dump some compost you were moving and it rains and then it sits there just percolating until you find it..  It was left outback behind the fence oh, for about a month or more.  The water is great for the plants...compost tea.  I got out five, five gallon buckets and then all the compost mud went into the new raised bed under the burning bushes.

We planted eight Rainforest Sunrise hosta plants.


Happy Earth Day

. .
I was watering last night and found these three beauties.




Last Nights Finds

. Friday, April 20, 2012 .
There's always lots going on...never, never, a dull moment. There are always weeds growing and that means they have to be weeded out. We have a really nice crop of dandelions...maybe we could turn it into some money making venture...dandelion tea maybe?

Finally after this bed being full of hosta and a big dead cedar tree when we moved in seven summers ago, to a squash patch, to a flower bed....now, finally, we are going to grow grass.  And someone will thank me when they are mowing the grass or having to dive the pick-up back to the way back to load weeds or unload gravel.  I can hardly wait.  I dream about it!  Sad I know!

I finally got the Coke sign hung and the Iowa license plate.  And the replacement clematis is blooming.





Some recycling from FreeCycle going on with the three fence posts.  That rose bush inside the chicken wire was given to me by the youth group at Mt Washington Baptist Church when we moved to WI over 12 years ago.  We move, we cut it back, and we replant.

Mark worked one entire day cleaning out from behind the barn.  It really looks nice...now what to do with it?




We call these Ms Renee's clematis.  They are on the fence between our driveways.  She bought them and I think I planted them.  We all take care of water and weeding them.


Got a big surprise when I found these blooming.  And them smell out of this world!


Lots Going On

. Tuesday, April 10, 2012 .
The pink dogwood is probably the most beautiful bloomer we have right now.  Stunning!

Mark brought these poor, sad, old blanket flowers home two days ago.  I have given them water every day along with as much sun as I can find.  And the are popping out all over.  Don't look to shabby now.

Our Only Dogwood

. Monday, April 9, 2012 .
Clematis on the fence starting to bloom.

Mark trimmed this last fall and I just about went to divorce court over it.  But she is picking up steam this year and getting green and starting to bloom.  The one he trimmed was dark purple.

The poor little sad bunch of peas are starting to come up.  I can't stand peas out of a can but Ellis and I could eat them straight from the pod every day!

Mark planted potatoes and last night something had a late night snack...he thinks the coons got into them.

Feels and Looks Like Spring