Daffodils

 All of the varieties of daffodil are blooming.  We have the traditional all-yellow with a yellow trumpet in the center...

... and the white with the yellow petals instead of a trumpet.

In the backyard under the lilac bush the blue squills are up and blooming.  They were supposed to spread like wildfire when I planted them twenty-five years ago (or so) and they've spread a bit but I don't have the carpet of blue that I was hoping for.

 

I was lucky to catch this Goldfinch that landed on the round feeder for just a few seconds.  It pecked at the seed and then zoomed off.

 

 

 Up on top of the retaining wall the sedum is just starting to sprout.

 

At knitting guild social knitting tonight I finished April Preemie Hat #1.  I was afraid that I'd run out of yarn before I got to the crown but I made it with a little yarn to spare.  Whew.

Today's toss was another fleece jacket that looks like it'd fit on a linebacker.  I never thought that I was that big but I guess I was.  I'm smaller now, thank heavens.

The prompt today said you can spend the day with anyone in the world.  Who would you choose and where would you go?  I've been missing Durwood lately so I chose him.  We'd go to Bonaire, stay in the orange bungalow at Happy Holiday Homes, and go diving.  He'd cook and I'd drive and we'd spend time together talking and laughing.  That's what I would do.

In laptop news, I don't have any viruses that would be causing Word to flicker and they didn't know why.  I'm afraid that it's going to crash and take my writing with it.  I also found out that it would cost $200 for them to fix the space bar that doesn't always work when I press it so I'm getting a new laptop.

--Barbara

Writing Day

It was another beautiful warm day, hot almost.  It got up to 75 degrees again today, partly sunny with a little breeze.  I spent quite a bit of it at my desk working edits into a manuscript and finding places to insert new scenes.  It's very satisfying when ideas occur.

 

The day started with a little thunderstorm without lightning but with about 15 minutes of nice rain.  I liked the line of drops on the edge of the platform feeder.

 

All of the bulbs are showing off.  The daffodils are a-bloom with three different styles of blossoms.  This one is the only one that cooperated by facing the camera.  The others drooped and averted their faces and I was not about to prostrate myself in the damp grass to get a head-on shot.

I think this clump of hyacinths looks like a bouquet.  It smells good too.

Yesterday I noticed that there are leaves emerging on the honeysuckle...

... and the rhubarb is up.  Maybe this year I'll actually bake a pie with it.

Today's toss was a fleece jacket that is waaaay too big.  I don't know why I thought it'd still fit but I slipped it on and, nope, doesn't fit.  Not even close.

The prompt today asked about emotions on a summer day.  Oh, pleasure in the warmth, happy in the sunshine, fragrance of flowers.  The usual.  Ho-hum.

My laptop was acting up when I was writing this afternoon so I went to Office Max for ink and to look at new laptops.  I lucked out and the guy who offered to help me find ink (which I already had in my hands) turned out to be the tech guy.  He said that I should bring my laptop in and he'd give it a look see and tell me whether I need a new one or just service.  I'll do that tomorrow.  I'm so glad that I've had both vaccine shots so my mask and I can confidently go to the store and get this taken care of.  I'd freak out if my computer crashed.  How would I blog?

--Barbara

A Crazy Day

That's what I had, a crazy day.  I had an assistant today for the first time in a year so we went to two parks, played indoors and out, made popcorn, and watched Wild Kratts for the first time.  Old favorite toys were revisited and art was drawn.  Today was step two of getting back toward normal after vaccination.  What a great feeling.

The grape hyacinths have started blooming in the front.  They're hard to see right now but in a few days there'll be a sea of tiny purple flowers.

Today's toss was a bag of very old herbs from gardens past.

There was no time for prompt writing today.  I'll have to catch up tomorrow.

--Barbara

Spring Bouquet

 Oh, I didn't pick any flowers but one clump of bulbs looks like a bouquet.  It's mini hyacinths and squills.  I don't remember planting any of those but I'm happy that they come up together every spring

Another clump of daffodils started to open today too.  It's right in front of the earliest blooming hyacinths in the corner by the porch.

This Robin had a very thorough bath today.  When it and one of the Starlings gets into the birdbath together they can really lower the water level.  Both of them flail around and splash water out left and right.

I didn't do anything special for Easter.  I texted friends and called Aunt B, Lala called me, but mostly I kept working on the Better Than Mom's manuscript and found a few places where I can insert additional scenes.  Hooray!  Just what I was hoping I'd find.

Because the weather was so nice again today I fired up the grill and cooked a few chicken Italian sausages for supper.  Well, one for tonight's supper with three more in reserve.  Maybe next weekend I'll grill some chicken.  It's almost time for more Investment Cooking so maybe I can figure out some grilled meat dishes that I can cook up and freeze.

 

Sunset was pretty tonight and unfortunately smack dab behind a big pine tree.  I tried walking to the side to get a better view but that put me right behind another big pine tree.  Trust me, it was pretty. This is the best I could do.

Today's toss was another freezer burned bag of whole tomatoes that was going to be sauce if I'd ever gotten to it before the tomatoes went bad.

The prompt today was you come home to find someone had broken in and taken everything.  What do you do?  Well, first call the police, then my kids and friends just to whine, then my broker to free up some cash so I could replace some of the things.  The creepy part is I ended up thinking about preparing for the time when I'll need to move to assisted living or a nursing home and gauging what I'd replace from that perspective.  Eesh.  Not in my immediate future.

--Barbara

Yard-age

It was an absolutely gorgeous day today--sunny and 68 degrees--so, after I took a walk, I prowled around the yard to find things that are coming up.  The most enthusiastic are the poppies.  These are on the west side of the house where there are two clumps with a few iris blades on the edges.  So poppies and iris on the way!

Something is sprouting on top of the retaining wall.  A couple somethings but this is the most advanced.  I think this is some kind of lily or maybe it's French iris but whatever it is I'm happy to see it.

I looked up in time to see a Flicker in the backyard.  I was lucky to see it as it's very well camouflaged.  I'm not sure what it was looking for in the grass, maybe bugs, but it stayed for a very short time and then flew off with a flash of the white flick of its tail.

 

For the last few days I've been trying to get a picture of a Chickadee.  Today I managed it.  This little guy was having a dip in the birdbath when I captured this shot.

 

Today's toss was three little spoolies which are tiny dolls made with miniature spools, wooden balls, and scraps of cotton fabric.  Mom made them and I don't know what to do with them.   Maybe someone at Goodwill will adopt them.

The prompt today asked what gives you joy.  I fell back on the trite but true and said my children and grandchildren.  Knowing that they want to spend time with me fills me with joy.

--Barbara

Still Have Crocuses

As long as this clump of crocuses keeps blooming  I'll keep taking its picture and sharing it with you.  The golden yellow is so cheerful I can't help myself.

More of the daffodils are opening or almost opening.  Soon there'll be enough that I can pick a bouquet of them.  I was tempted by a clutch of tulips at the grocery this afternoon but I resisted.  I bought grapes instead.

The Downy Woodpecker was back at the feeder today and I even managed to get a bit of the red swipe at the back of his head.

I didn't have anything to knit tonight at Friday Night Knitting so I went downstairs to find a skein of dishcloth cotton and cast on a double thick washcloth.  I found a goof way at the beginning but since it's for me and it's just a washcloth I'm leaving it.  I'd have to frog it all the way back to the boo boo to fix it and I'm not doing that.

Today's toss was a jar of foreign coins I found in a box downstairs.  I don't think they're worth anything and I imagine some kid will get a kick out of them at Goodwill.

The prompt today asked what gives you joy.  My children and grandchildren give me joy.  I miss them when I don't see them or hear from them and now I understand Mom's wish that we all lived in a compound so that she would have us all around her all the time.  Now I get it.

I spent most of the day doing laundry.  What a thankless chore that is.  You get it all clean and folded and in not too much time you have to do it all over again.  *sigh*

--Barbara

Bulbs & Birds

I spied another little clump of hyacinths just starting to bloom today.  They're kind of hard to see but, trust me, there are flowers in these leaves.

We've had a couple days of temps in the 30s even though the sun shines bright and warm so it makes sense that the Juncos are still here, pecking around in the seed that the Sparrows toss down from the feeder.  LC and I took a walk this morning and nearly froze ourselves.  We cut our walk short because we were shivering in the sharp wind even in our winter coats and hats.

This House Finch posed for me in the bright sunshine but the bright pink of its head and breast got lost in the glare.  Dang it.

This afternoon I made the latest art assignment.  The theme was Constructed Landscape so I got out some supplies and made a fairy door to stick to the garden timber.  The idea is to not have the construct be the focus but a surprise in the picture.  I'm never sure if I'm doing this stuff right but I suspect that there's no real "right" about art.

Today's toss was an old lace doily.  Doilies are so old fashioned.

I didn't do the prompt today.  I'll do two tomorrow.

--Barbara