Miscellaneous

Good evening Fellow Bloggers. Between sick computers, messed up cookies, re-learning to find things on XP, trying to find camera software to load onto XP & Laptop, I have been MIA. Not doing any cards either. (But THINKING about doing some!Does that count? It's called planning). I did get out on one of our very pretty days and take some pictures. Mainly to make sure I had something in the camera to download, once I found the software cd, got it loaded, remembered how to work it! My Win7 pc has a card reader ?port?, so for several years all I do is pop out the tiny disk from the camera, slide into the card reader, and Wham, there are the pictures to import. I had to do some relarnin'. And folks, lemme tell you, it warn't easy! So here's the pictures of some things bloomin' around our yard.

The purple Iris is/?are? a clump of very old bulbs that came from my aunt's yard in another state. The original bulbs were likely planted sometime in the mid-50's, when she moved into her house. I got these when a relative dug up a large clump about 10 yrs ago, just before my aunt passed away. These are the most blooms we've had to date.

The lilac bush is another oldie. It was growing on the property next door to us. The house was being remodeled, and an old rusty, derelict tin shed was to be torn down (thankfully...it was an eyesore!). I asked the workmen if I could have the bush, and they said "Oh Yeah". So after dragging the protesting DH out, the little bush got dug up, and replanted on our side of the property. Everyone told me it would probably die. We figured it would too, as neither of us are known for having green thumbs. My local family plant experts told me to trim it back one half, and leave it alone over the winter. Well, I only did 1/3 and the first spring, it had a couple of blooms. I pruned it back some more during the summer & fall, and the next year, we had lilac blooms. It doesn't have a long blooming period, and the fragrance is lovely. However, you have to poke your nose up close to the blossoms to really smell the scent. It doesn't perfume the surrounding air as those up in the New England states do. And if I cut some blossoms to bring inside, that doesn't work well either. They seem to lose the scent if I cut them. But when I'm at my kitchen sink, I look out the window and enjoy the pretty lilac. No telling how old the plant is.

The little Japanese maple was a cutting from seeds that sprang up from my brother's tree down the street. It was a tiny scrawny sapling when planted 10 yrs ago. It's got beautiful reddish black leaves and at least we haven't killed it!

The pink flowers on the retaining walls by our driveway are called "Thrift" by us locals, but I think the proper term is creeping phlox. When it is really at peak, it cascades over those walls, and smells divine. In the 2nd picture you can see an overturned pot that will get 'something' planted in it later...if I get industrious. There is an old rusty wheelbarrow sitting in the corner that hopefully will get some pots of something bright planted too.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour around our yard! Hope to have a card ready to post soon.

Just got an email from my pc guru, and my Win7 is ready for pickup. Maybe it will be back at home tomorrow evening! Thanks for visiting tonight, and have a wonderful weekend. Hugs.