Today’s rows come from my garden center where I work.
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| we are setting up for the season now |
Visit Pat for her fun things in a row! Don’t forget to check out the other links at the end of her post!
All posts by Lillian Davis
Gardening Supervisor
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| Daisy Lou |
Making sure I’m planting those seeds right!
Granny’s Furry Friends
My Grandmother loved animals and made sure any visitors to her yard were well taken care of.
This consisted of numerous birds, red squirrels (the fattest I’ve ever seen) a little gray squirrel and three cats. While staying at her house in Oregon, we got to meet a few of them.
The three cats weren’t her cats but they weren’t strays either, at least two of them anyway. The third one, who was camera shy, was a rough looking tom cat. He might of been a stray. But these two, looked well cared for. They showed up everyday, morning, noon and evening, for a meal of cat food on a paper plate on the patio. We think they belonged to someone and was coming to Granny for their 2nd meals.
When we looked out the patio doors every morning, this is what we saw…
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| Lilac Kitty and Calico patiently waiting for breakfast. |
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| Okay, maybe not so patiently |
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| finally! |
Granny kept their cat food and paper plates on a little table by the door. There was also a jar of shelled almonds. These were for the squirrels. We threw out a handful and they wasted no time coming to get them.
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| one of the red squirrels |
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| little grey squirrel |
I would almost bet they would come inside to get their almonds if we left the door open.
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| this is where they sit and beg for their almonds. The tree box is outside the dining room window. |
Very spoiled squirrels. No wonder. Most squirrels just get peanuts!
They even got along with the cats. Lilac Kitty just sat there and watched the squirrel eat his almonds and the squirrel paid him no mind!
Even the Stellars Jays came for breakfast! They must have been waiting because as soon as We threw out the almonds, they swooped down and gobbled up as many as they could swallow. I had to throw out several more handfuls before they let the squirrels eat.
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| They were quick and I only caught one on camera. |
There was a lot of love in my Grandmother’s garden. Not only could you see it, you could feel it too!
She will be missed.
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| Close up of Lilac kitty (as close as she would allow). |
for those who couldn’t find the kitty in the picture on my earlier post, I pointed her out for you below. She was hard to see….
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| Lilac Kitty had had enough of my picture taking! |
Cherry Blossoms
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| North Star Cherry in Flower |
Nappy Time
My latest pencil sketch~ a sleepy fat school pony taking a break.
No model or picture to go by. I just start sketching, letting the drawing take it’s own shape.
you can see a few more drawings at Flying Appys Studio
Granny’s Garden
My grandmother has the most beautiful shade garden. This was early March, so not every thing was in full swing yet. She lived in North West Oregon, Near Portland. I got the opportunity to visit it one last time.
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| Azalea |
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| can you spot the kitty in the background? |
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| The trees are soooo tall here |
The Theme is moss here, actually it was everywhere, even on the street curbs.
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| there is rock hiding under all this moss |
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| For all my Midwestern friends, THIS is what a Rhododendron is supposed to look like! |
Thursday’s, Things in a Row
This weeks row comes all the way from Oregon, where moss grows on Everything!
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| moss covered landscaping bricks from my Grandmother’s garden |
Visit Pats Blog for more things in a row!
Green Babies
We’re getting there Sissy!
The unusual warm spell hitting the Midwest right now has everybody itching to get out and start working in the garden, but should we plant our tomatoes and peppers now? We could, but then we all know here in Chicagoland, it will get cold again (you’ve heard the saying “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes, it’ll change”? It’s true here. Especially in Spring).
Our last frost date is roughly around May 5th and we would have to keep a diligent eye on the thermometer and the Weather Channel so we can run out and throw buckets, plastic and the spare bed sheets over our tender little plants to protect them from frost. But that’s a lot of work and worry if you ask me. I used to do all that, planting my tomatoes as early as possible, closely watching the weather on TV every afternoon, then running out in the evening and covering everything up (yes, I’ve done the bed sheet thing many times) and then back out in the morning to uncover before the sun came up an cooked everything. But I had more energy then, and time. Now, older, lazier and a fuller schedule, I just wait until late April and early May to plant my tomatoes and peppers.
As for my little Organic Babies here, they won’t be planting out size until around then anyway. This early warm spell has caught most of us growers with our proverbial pants down. As I mentioned above, people are wanting to plant their gardens now, but unless you started your own tomato and pepper transplants early, most greenhouses and nurseries here aren’t quite ready (but we’ve all kicked into high gear now!).
I would though, start planting my lettuce, peas, onions and potatoes now, while the weather is nice and the soil is dry, for soon, this weekend actually, it will be back to more normal March temps (I peeked at the weather just now~ 60’s are forecasted for the weekend for us).
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| transplanting Kellog’s Breakfast tomatoes |
Happy Spring and Happy Gardening
from Lil’s Garden!
Get out and enjoy your day if you can!
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| pepper seeds |
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| organic tomato seedlings |
Lady Bugs Like Raspberry Jelly Too!
This little gal woke up from hibernation in my kitchen today,
so I served her breakfast on a yogurt lid and set her outside on my back porch table.
She was really hungry.
By the way, this is the best way to catch lady bugs in your house…
Happy Spring!
Heaven and Earth
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| Coming Home from Oregon |
Parting
Death gathers up thick clouds of gloom,
And wounds the soul with anguish deep;
Gaunt sorrow sits upon the tomb,
And round the grave dense shadows creep.
But Faith beams down from God’s fair skies
And bids the clouds and shades be gone.
We gaze with brightened, tear-dried eyes,
And lo! there stands the Holy One!
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(An excerpt, from Poems, Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1950. Written for the funeral of Brigham Young, Sept. 2, 1877.)
Lil's Garden Tour 