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| The daffodils I planted last fall are finally poking through the leaves! |
Tag Archives: Lil’s Garden
It Just Wont Go Away…..
Aftermath of winter storm Vulcan…. (Vulcan? did a Trekkie choose this name?)
Yew for Breakfast…..
I had a little surprise Tuesday morning when I looked out my window…
Daisy wasn’t sure what to do. She’s never been this close to a deer before.
Impatiently Waiting
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| Little Leaf Linden ( Tilia cordata) my seed source |
Here it is March 1st and at the time of this post it is 16 degrees and snowing, again.
While it is depressing, there are little signs here and there that Spring is trying return. The sun is staying out longer and is warmer now, melting the snow inch by inch everyday. There is now a little patch of grass in my back yard again. Yea!
My thoughts are also turning towards the garden center, though I keep joking that I may have to include a snow shovel while setting it up this year! Lots of new ideas rolling around my head right now for displays and such. Let’s hope I have a good crew this year!
I will be starting my own crop of organic tomato plants and other veggies very soon too for my own garden and I am also plotting out a new shrub and perennial border and getting excited about beginning as soon as I can. There are even plans for a small pond but I’m not sure exactly where yet.
And I finally decided on where to put my little leaf linden tree (grown from seed from my original linden at my other house- the picture above is that tree- it was a rescue from Walmart and I brought it home in my van over 10 years ago. It is now over 15′ tall).
I have a love/ hate relationship with the linden. They can be a messy tree, with the sooty mold caused from aphids, and the plagues of other insects, including the dreaded Japanese beetles, that devour their leaves in summer~ but the attacks are rare and my love for their deep shade and drooping canopy and the sweet honey suckle smell of the tiny white flowers in May override their faults.
I cannot wait until it gets big.
Happy Spring everybody! I’m keeping my fingers crossed it will be a good year!
Out the Kitchen Window….
Evening Invasion
My herd of deer passed through the corner of my yard last night, browsing for something to eat. They looked so cold (Temps below 0* tonight), I actually felt sorry for them (sorry Sissy!).
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| “You can’t see me when I duck behind this snow bank!” |
Guess what we got more of….
Welcome February 1st. Welcome Winter storm Maximus, welcome 12+ more inches of the white stuff! Lets hope the ground hog doesn’t see his shadow tomorrow!
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| the Wren’s house |
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| snow covered white pines and spruces |
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| my favorite antique ceramic feeder decorated with bat chime |
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| Douglas fir on our corner |
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| Even Morton, our neighbor’s dog, looks unhappy about the extra snow! |
Dear Winter…
Dear winter, you tire me so,
Though lovely and white,
I wish you’d go.
My camera if full of fluffy snow flakes,
How I long to see flowers,
and design my new garden gate.
No worries, the weatherman predicted,
This next little storm is only a clipper,
Just one to three inches of new snow is expected.
Another ten inches and still snowing hard!
That’s it! I’ve had it!
I want my green yard!
L D
Stick Horse Remake
Here is a recreation of a lost horse for a little girl. It’s not one of my patterns but we were trying to replicate it as close to the original as possible, down to the chenille bedspread. It is not for sale.
How Cold is It?
It’s so cold the birds have turned into fluffy little cotton balls!
Temps were around -15 today and that didn’t include the windchill!
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| Did you know the American Tree Sparrow only spends the winter in northern Illinois? source |
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| Goldfinch, winter plumage |
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| goldfinches, winter plumage. See the yellow chin and wing bands? |
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| “Somebody bring back Spring!” |
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| American Tree Sparrow as ‘puffed out’ as he can get while keeping both feet warm |
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| Downy Woodpecker, looking extra downy today… |
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| Blue Jay was more interested in the squirrel’s corn across the yard |
One thing I did notice was that the smaller birds on the ground were all hopping around a little strange. Kind of flopping a bit while they moved from one place to another and using their wings as balance in the snow as they hopped, while propping themselves up.
After watching them for a minute, I realized they were hopping around on one foot, holding the other one up in their feathers to keep warm. They would alternate feet every few hops, then sit down when they found the seed they wanted to eat, keeping both feet warm.
Hang on little guys! Only another 2 months and spring will be here again!
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| Junco keeping one foot warm |
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| same for the American Tree Sparrow |
Lil's Garden Tour 