SPRING ... glorious spring

Doesn't it make you feel "alive" when Spring is in full bloom????? For those of you who live in areas that don't witness a change in seasons, you may not know what I'm talking about, but here in NE Ohio, U.S.A. after a long, white, cold, drab winter ... the colors and smells of Spring are WONDERFUL!!

I would like to share a few photos with you today of the lovely tulips that are in bloom around the property as well as a peek at how gloriously green the surrounding yard/picnic area have become ... I just love springtime ... it makes me feel rejuvenated!! Oh yea, I have a little story to tell you about a ride I recently gave a little Mama Chickadee.

The spring flowers have done so well this year with the nice rains we've had & those suprise 80 degree days we had a few weeks ago. I have various colors of tulips sprinkled around the property but the purples are my favorites. As you will see through the year when I share photos with you of my outside flowers ... most are in shades of purple & pink. Of course I did have red, yellow and white tulips but they have already shed their petals for this year.

My father (who had a wonderful GREEN thumb) taught me years ago to plant flowers together that bloom at different times of the year and that way you'll have color from when the snow ends until the snow begins again. Perennials are wonderful becuase you know they'll always be back from year to year but of course you can sprinkle annuals here and there to give an additional splash of color while the perennials are doing their thing.

For instance, in my flower boxes on the back deck and in the huge pots on the front porch, I always pot various shades of pink & purple petunnias in early May and as long as I remember to FEED them once and week and water them often during the really hot summer days, they will spread and last throughout the summer. I love it when they start to drape down the sides and fill out ... and the smell is is sweet!

Now for my little STORY ...

The other day I was finally able to get outside and start some of the much needed cleanup. Since I live at the end of a cul-de-sac, the wind blows all kinds of debree up and into my area ... leaves, papers ... you get the idea. Well, the wind had also put quite a "lean" on the little wren birdhouse I have nestled into the viburnum bush at the corner of the deck. [This lovely little birdhouse was made for me by a friend/neighbor back in Pittsburgh several years ago. He had it all decorated with flowers painted around the sides and even a window box with flowers painted above the "door" (entrance hole) in the front. Over time and with all my moving around, the weather has washed away a lot of the floral decorations but I still make sure it gets placed somewhere in the garden for springtime occupancy.] BACK TO THE STORY ... In my hussle-bussle of clean-up, I reached over and pulled the birdhouse back into an upright position WHEN ... out popped the head of a little mama chickadee. Not knowing it was "occupied", I don't know who scared who the most!!! LOL She just popped her head out to see "what was going on" since I'm sure she went for quite a ride with my hasty movement ... sorry little mama!! Needless to say, I gently moved over to the other side of the deck and did clean up so as not to disturb her nesting any more than I already had. I watched her fly in & out of her new little home several times so I'm confident things have been restored to normal and I will be hearing the sound of new little baby chicadees before long. (click on any photo for a larger view)

ISN'T MOTHER NATURE WONDERFUL .....