Spring Play Date!

The wind was horrific, the ground too wet to work, and most of the gardens had been cleaned. What was a grandma to do? Call a granddaughter to see if she could come out and play-that's what! Miss Liv(very soon to be 3) and I headed to a favorite place well armed with a loaf of bread. The place were the 'gooses' swim.

It didn't take long for them to swim our way.

And we even had a few ducks. I thought they might not get as close as the geese, but after seeing there was food involved, here they came, too!

He even brought his mate!

Liv(and I) loved the mallard's iridescent green head. In the sun, it sparkled.

When the bread was gone, and after checking our shoes for goose poop, we needed a snack! Grandma wanted a chocolate sundae, but Liv had strawberries on her mind. Wind-blown and tired, we went home. Liv to play some more and grandma to rest.

Later, walking around the gardens, I found 'Mister Lincoln' leafing out. 'Queen Elizabeth' is showing no signs of life, though. In fact, I am seeing little on several roses. So will give them a while yet, and hope they are just later. We did have a lot of heaving this winter and that can be very hard on tender rose roots.

I think this is called 'bearded tongue' ( my legendary lack of keeping records is showing again!)

What ever it is, it has self seeded in several spots and I always think of those extras as gifts from the birds or maybe the wind.

I did find a few grape hyacinths hiding in the grass at the edge of a couple of beds. These are another of those plants I don't remember planting. I should try to move them to better spots, but usually end up forgetting about them until they surprise me the next spring.

I know, another Daffodil! I just had to show this one-really. It is a new color for me.

I hope everyone has a great spring weekend!

Zick Dough, Starting Seeds and Geese!

It is a beautiful spring day with the sun shinning and the promise of temps near 60. I have concocted a double batch of Zick dough for the birds and am letting it cool before putting it outside. Seeing this dough mentioned on several blogs peaked my curiosity and finally Beth had a link to the recipe. She promises my camera and I will be very busy taking pictures of all the birds coming to dine!
I have all the essentials gathered to start my seeds indoors. I have the Jiffy instant peat pellets, and will admit it's been years since I have tried these. Actually, it's been years since I've attempted to grow my own seedlings. But as there have been many of you posting on the how's, I am feeling fairly confident. I am also using the plastic trays with individual cups that you fill with seed starting soil. Both of these trays have clear tops to keep in the moisture. I even bought a grow light, something I have never used. In past attempts, I placed the newly sown seeds in a west facing window and assumed nature would do her thing! Last, but certainly not least, I have a new pair of gardening gloves. Any gardener, novice or experienced, knows gloves are part of the ensemble. Usually the more tattered and threadbare, the more one is perceived as a 'green thumb' gardener. In my case, I have no such illusions and besides my old ones were last used pulling wild berry briers out of the wisteria.

So the problem now becomes what to plant. I have really let my eyes overload my plate so to speak. My enthusiasm is greater than space or my purse allows, and I will have to give careful consideration to my choices. If, in a few days, I post pictures of tiny seedlings growing, you will know I have had success. If no photos show up... well, let's just hope for a bumper crop.

I did find a new garden marker that pretty well sums up my gardens!While I was is town doing my many but necessary (ugh!) errands, I decided to take a few moments for me. Along one of our newly developed business areas are several water retention ponds. They are populated mostly with Canadian geese who have multiplied by scores in the last few years. And they are almost tame now, with people feeding them year round. They are so funny to watch as they turn en masse on the water and swim toward the new source of food. The braver ones come bounding up the bank as fast as their gated wobble will let them. They hiss and honk, flap their wings, and charge at the more timid ones sneaking in on their booty of bread crumbs. Some are even bold enough to take morsels from your hand. It is pure joy to be among them.

Refreshed, I went back to doing errands!