My lilacs are blooming like crazy.
It’s been chilly and breezy, but they’re out there being as beautiful. As they do.
I went out to cut some.
Even though we’ve been in construction chaos, I wanted to see and smell them in the house.
It was absolutely worth it.
Dang, I wish y’all could smell this!
I woke to fairly heavy rain Sunday morning. And that means these herbs sitting on the porch for nearly two weeks waiting to be planted will simply have to wait another day. We were at the garden center the day before YBW’s mom went into hospital. Our shift in focus was unexpected but necessary, and I’ve been watering the herbs each day in hopes of keeping them happy until they can move to the big containers.
These plants are lemony scented geraniums, lemon balm, lemon grass, basil, lavender, rosemary, and lemon thyme. Used together, they’re meant to deter mosquitoes.
Now if only there was something to scare off the pollen…
Thing G told me he saw on the news we’re having the worst pollen season in several years.
Y’all, I believe it. I’ve not had allergy symptoms this severe since I moved from Virginia to South Carolina twelve years ago. Even though all the furniture and rugs are set up on the porch, it’s nearly unbearable to go out there for all the oak pollen. So while I’m eager to engage in a little porch life, looks like that will wait a bit longer.
I’m hopeful the rain will take care of that today, and I’ll be able to get out there later on this week to do a little planting.
But not tomorrow, because International Week of the Birthday continues with going to see The Kills at The Lincoln Theatre.
Yesterday on my actual birthday, I had breakfast at my favorite little dump diner.
When we returned home, I put on my tiara.
Spent the day watching baseball, and drinking obscene amounts of champagne with YBW, and Meredith and Beau’s Mommy and Daddy. We ate greek food and angel food cake with berries and homemade whipped cream.
I was truly celebrated!
This Mother’s Day I’ve spoken to Thing 1 and received texts and social media posts from Thing 2. I suspect she’ll call at the end of the day like she did yesterday.
YBW and I were planning to go see Infinity War again, but it turns out I napped and woke hungry. So now, I’m going to find him and make a dinner plan.
This late spring pollen won’t be around forever, and soon I’ll get those herbs planted and be ready to porch life my ass off!
I can hardly wait!
Starting at 9:00 this morning sleet began falling from the sky. About half an hour later there was lightning and thunder then the sleet changed to snow.
This is what our back porch looked like right after the switch.
There is such controversy regarding “climate change”, but this little redhaired girl has to wonder what record cold temps and sleet and snow on April 9 has to say about that controversy.
Happy Spring, y’all!
(I’m just glad I don’t have tickets for the Nats game today. I love baseball, but not enough to sit out in this ridiculousness.)
The Nats are in Atlanta for opening day!
The line up looks like this:
CF Ben Revere
3B Anthony Rendon
RF Bryce Harper
1B Ryan Zimmerman
2B Daniel Murphy
LF Jayson Werth
C Wilson Ramos
SS Danny Espinosa
P Max Scherzer
Dusty Baker is leading this team so beautifully and we’ve just left Spring Training! I have great hopes for our team this year!
Opening Day is one of my all time favorite days of the year!
Thing C and I are camped out in front of the telly waiting for the first pitch!
N-A-T-S! Nats! Nats! Nats! WOO!
Bows are one of my specialties. I learned how to make them from one of the old girl scout moms when I was a teenager. I’ve been making them ever since. I mostly make them to go on wreaths.
(like this new one)
I love choosing ribbon for bows!
Sundance and I went shopping for ribbon Wednesday and I made two sets of bows for her.
The first is burlap with tiny navy anchors. (Her husband is a retired Senior Chief.)
I don’t even like anchors and I freaking LOVE this ribbon!
The second is the most adorable green gingham!
I absolutely adore gingham!
I’m making a new wreath for the front door to usher in spring. I asked YBW to choose between two different ribbons because I couldn’t decide. Much to my joy, he chose the polka dots!
I removed the bow from one of the wreaths I used for the church doors when we got married. Spray painted a wooden letter yellow, hot glued it on and attached the bow.
Volia!
I’m finished with cold winter weather!
Nats pitchers and catchers reported to Viera, FL for spring training this morning. That’s a sure sign spring is on it’s way!
March first (start of meteorological spring) cannot come soon enough, I’m ready to hang this new wreath on the front door!
Guess what I saw Friday afternoon!?!
Robin birds in my front yard!!
I was so excited I could hardly stand myself!
I wrote long ago of my love of Spring and the importance of seeing the first robin of Spring in Spring is springing!.
Spring isn’t quite sprung around here, we’re expecting more snow this week.
But these birdies don’t seem to care! They were frolicking all over the yard Friday afternoon!
I went out to get the mail and this is the only bird that didn’t fly away when I opened the front door!
I woke yesterday morning to the sound of their singing: Cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up.
Even with more snow on the way, these robins are here. And with them, the promise of spring!
I am one happy Robynbird!
I ordered furniture for the porch from Overstock.com. I was really surprised at how quickly it shipped! I ordered it Sunday last week and YBW told me it was in the driveway when he got home Friday afternoon!
I was one smiley Robynbird!
We put it together early Saturday morning. The sun was hot, but we were undaunted. Everything was wrapped in the teeniest bubble wrap I’ve ever seen. No matter how you touched it, it would pop. (I gotta admit that was kind of cool. I love bubble wrap!)
The pile of cushions amused me so much more than it probably should have.
Here is is all finished! We sat out here together Sunday morning, reading the Post. YBW with his coffee, me with my Diet DP. It was a bit breezy, we needed sweatshirts over our jammies, but it was absolutely beautiful!
I also ordered a fountain to replace the one that sprung a leak that just can’t be fixed. I’m sad because it was a mother’s day gift from Thing 1 and Thing 2 when they were little. But, I’ve had ten years and have loved every moment of it.
This one makes beautiful sounds and we added river rocks to the base level to cover the drain screen. Makes even better water sounds now!
We ordered an umbrella yesterday and we’re still looking for an outdoor dining set. YBW expressed his pleasure at me putting in the time and effort to make the deck inviting. He’s lived in this house for fifteen years and has never really used it to it’s advantage. I’m happy to help make that a reality. It’s big enough to be it’s own outdoor room and I intend to use it as such. Bring on the gorgeous weather! You’ll find me out on the deck!
YBW and I went out to Naked Mountain yesterday. The weather was gorgeous, more like later on in May than the end of April. The winery was jumpin’ with folks on blankets and adirondack chairs on the big hill.
Wine club members are still picking up their orders and we got a bottle of wine and a charcuterie plate just for showing up. We sat on the small deck for a while before going about the business of purchase.
On the way we stopped off at the church where we’re getting hitched.
The church is honestly one of the most precious places I’ve ever seen! I love the church building and the graveyard. I can’t wait for the photos to be taken in the fall. I think it will be even more gorgeous than it is now!
There is a bell in the side yard of the church. I was so excited to ring it yesterday and have visions of the most perfect photos of us ringing it on the say of our wedding.
We’re closing in on six months…I say, “Bring it!”
Spring is here! The redbuds are blooming!
I stopped on the way home to take photos. It’s gray here today, which made the light harsh. I find that a bit disappointing.
If I could be reincarnated as anything I would choose to be a redbud tree.
I dragged YBW out to my dad’s house Sunday to dig up tons of plants and bring them home to our yard. Forsythia, mock orange, lilac, weigela, sweet shrub, and a deep garnet red peony came home in two vehicles. The forsythia and lilac originally came from my yard when I lived here long ago, the sweet shrub from Grandaddy’s where I grew up, the weigela from yard at Great Grandma’s house. So in addition to having all these new wonderful plants for our yard, there are special and important family connections.
I’m so excited to get these into the ground here, this home I share with YBW is his, was his home with the Things’ mother, though I’ve been welcomed into it, and things have and are changing to make it YBW and Robynbird’s home it will be wonderful to feel as though I’m connected to the plant life here.
We walked a goodly amount of the three acres in the warm sunshine with three big Boxers following us wherever we went, stopping to dig when we found what we were looking for. I’m quite gifted with a shovel and together we able to gather up just the right amount of plant and root to give them the best chance transplanting at this time of year.
After all was said and done and we had the back of my car and my dad’s pick up loaded, YBW and I were walking back up to the house so we could gather our things to go home and I hugged him and said, “you didn’t know what you were getting into, did you?”
To which he replied, “Baby, when I decided to marry you, I knew what I was getting into.”
I giggled and kept walking…I believe him, you know? I believe he is absolutely prepared for whatever life with me brings.
What it brought this weekend was an enormous load of plant life waiting in our back yard to be put into the ground in its new home.
What it brings in the future…well, we’ll just have to see about that.
I know we’re both ready.
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When I was young my dad would always say, "Crystal, you can choose your attitude." One day I chose to believe him.
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