Spring is Here 2014!

Here's a shot of my "freebie" Jack-in-the-Pulpit that is getting bigger each year.  As you may recall, it just appeared in my garden a few years ago and I'm happy it's here!

This is my "back from the dead" bleed hearts plant in the rock garden! I thought I had lost it for good about 3 years ago, but last year a little sprout appeared, and this year it's flowering again!

I lost at least one of my long-standing columbines to the cold winter, so I had to find a replacement. Isn't this one cute? I think it's a double flower because it doesn't have the standard columbine shape.

And last but not least, a first for our neighborhood pond. Baby geese! (See the yellow fuzz balls behind mom and dad?)  We don't see a lot of baby ducks or geese because our pond is a little to "hub-bubby" with lots of kids playing in the water.  But this year we lucked out.  The Geese family has even been walking up to our bird feeder area (about 20 feet from the pond) and scrounging around for leftovers. Fun!

Yellow & Grey baby quilt delivered

Here it is! Colors a bit washed out with the overhead lights at work.

Well, baby Rosa decided to arrive nearly a month early, even before the planned work shower and potluck.  Fortunately we had a zippy quilter (thanks, Margo) and a zippy binder (thanks, Nancy) so we could have our special quilt ready for the cutie pie.

Here's the back, with colors a little closer to real. Mom liked the colors and said it would go with the baby room. Success!

My rock garden is shaping up. I had a treat a couple of days ago while hand watering this garden. A male ruby-throated hummingbird started sipping from the above columbine, and I tried to stay still and watch. Then Mr. Hummer came over to me to inspect my dripping sprayer. What fun!

Self-seedy, sometimes weedy

As with any garden, you have to be willing to yank (or dig) out the plants that no longer suit you or that try to take over.  We spent at least an hour yesterday pulling forget-me-nots that were past their prime. Don't worry...next year's blooming plants are in place and plenty of seeds fell so we'll have lots of little blue blooms in a couple of years, too.

Entrance to our backyard.

Mystery columbine. Showed up a couple years ago next to the fence. I'm leaving it there.

Dames rocket. Was part of a wildflower mix we planted when we first moved in to the house quite a few years ago. It moves itself around (via seed) but I haven't had to pull much of it.

Second bloom on my freebie Jack-in-the-pulpit.

Yes, weedy. The last of the Forget-me-nots in the yard waste cart!

A little unstitching

I did a little switcheroo (top row blue basket traded for the right column blue guy, 4th square down -- I call him Mr. Tippy).  When Mr. Tippy was at the top, it just screamed at me how "off" it was.  The tippy-ness seems less obvious now. (Of course, I shouldn't have squared up my basket blocks in two sessions, late at night. Nothing like asking for inconsistencies!) Next step--quilting.

The columbine looks happy today (I like to assign feelings to my plants).