Pre-Occupation.

Wow. I was just looking back over the posts from the last few days. About 80% of them prominently feature children...adorable children, I must add. I can't get enough of my little nieces. ElfGirl has gone to stay with her Nana today because James and I were scheduled to go to a conference in Mobile (Get Motivated) but this awful cold has left me wanting to do nothing more than soak in a tub of hot water all day. So, I am home with no little girl (I do have the vehicle--which is a novelty!) thinking of the things I should be doing. I must admit, thinking comes kind of hard when I am doing the thinking over the incessant buzzing in my poor plugged ear.

We have been engaged in gardening activities. We all went to dig antique bricks on Saturday and I am impatiently awaiting soil that is warm enough to receive my cotton, broomcorn and basil seeds. Soon. Soon. Last night's low was about 37 degrees, which came as a slight surprise after the 80 degree weather of the weekend. So, for now, I will be content with pruning, rearranging and gazing with delight on the gorgeous spring colors of our native azaleas and dogwood trees. Here's hoping your spring is moving along on schedule...

Still Life

The azaleas are amazing this year. They provide almost a screen of hot-pink privacy...



We hosted our first Easter egg hunt yesterday. I had a blast! Hope everyone else who was here had fun as well. Today, I am suffering with a stopped ear so any and all prayers along with remedy tips are much appreciated.

The kids hunted for eggs by flashlight, so we don't have any photos. However, we set up the tripod during the beautiful day and took some group shots. Here's a sampling of what we got. The ElfGirl and James are such photogenic subjects that I could barely control my shutter finger...

Has Spring Really Sprung?

Our new Anna apple tree in blossom already!

If you live along the Gulf Coast, you probably think it has. The past couple of weeks have been a flurry of transplanting, seeding and pruning. I just put in a big order today to Simmon's Plant Farm. They have been in business for over 60 years and have unbelievable prices. I was also able to call and speak to someone who answered all my silly ordering questions. I'm hoping to have the shipment by the end of the week, so I'll be able to give you all a good update on plant quality and speed of shipping. In the meantime, take a look at some of what we've been doing!

Repainting Henry the Gnome...

Going to the chapel. Sundays are usually chock-full because we work in the Kids' Ministry at Harvest Pensacola.Just being with this precious girl. We are so blessed to be able to have her around...

Antique roses and...

other heirloom southern plants.

I admit, I'm a sucker for an antique garden. My eyes glaze over when I walk into a well-loved garden. I hope and pray the gardener will say: "You like that plant? Let me give you some of it..." I'll take pruned plants, thrown-away plants, cheap plants, free plants. You don't want it, I'll take it...usually. Here are some photos of some plants we were given this winter.

Dr. Hobbs was a well-loved educator in our part of the country. After his death, his widow could no longer care for his extensive greenhouses and nursery inventory. We were blessed with a 7X10 greenhouse and many, many lovely plants. Here are some photos:

Chinquapin or Chestnut Rose in full bloom...this rose was discovered in China in 1824 and brought to the United States. It does very well here in the south.


Chestnut Rose Bud...covered in thorns. The rosehips will be orange and covered with thorns in this same way.

Oak Leaf Hydrangea in bloom. I've wanted one of these for a while. Now, I have three. They are still young, ranging in size from about 5ft to 3ft.

The Secret Garden--by...my DH!

It has long been a dream of mine to have a secret garden. When the little girl (whose name I can't remember) enters the old, abandoned garden, something in my heart stirs.

It's magical.

Here are some pictures of my garden:


Looking into the garden


From the garden bench


Hanging vase to give it a living space feel


Unidentified vine/bush at left hand

It's March...do you know where your seeds are?

I hope everyone is getting their gardens in gear for this new season that is Springing upon us! If you haven't yet ordered, I would like to take this opportunity to suggest those seed sites listed on my sidebar. Bountiful gardens is probably the best seed site from which I have ever ordered. Fast and friendly service with generous amounts of seed that ALWAYS come up! Seed packets start at 50 cents/package for a fun mix for the kids with low shipping rates. Mulberry Creek Herb Farm has just restarted their shipping service. I need to check them out again soon. They do lots of miniature plants for fairy gardens. Super friendly! I called them up last fall looking for a special plant. The owner graciously gave me leads for searching for the plant. You can bet I'll give them business. Nothing I like better than a business that's not afraid to refer me to someone else.

In the meantime, we gardeners need some breakfast...feeling a wee bit lightheaded!