We're Singin' in the Rain, Just Singin' In the Rain

Spring most definitely is my favorite time of the year. We are seeing plenty of signs this week.

When we remodeled the kitchen, we had the guys put an egress window in the basement so we could fix a bedroom for some boys down there. Unfortunately we can't find a cover that fits it and J has never gotten around to making one. So there is always some type of critter falling in it, which makes for interesting conversations. The big thing for the guys is shooting the field rats that fall in with the BB gun. Last night D came upstairs to inform his dad that a rat had fallen in the hole and they would have to shoot it in the morning. As it turned out, it wasn't a rat, but a baby rabbit. G brought it inside this morning to show me. (it looks enough like a rat to me) It started to wiggle and G promptly dropped it on my kitchen floor then just stood there lookin at it. I was hollering at him to pick it up before we had to chase it all over the house. Rabbits squeak. . . loudly. It was a little unnerving to me as he carried it back outside, hope he found his way back home!
Have had a nice gentle rain this afternoon. We had about 6 tenths over Easter weekend, which was wonderful. Were able to get the grass planted right before that rain--still waiting for it to surface. We've (I've) been busy planting all my stuff, which has been sitting around in pots and windows since right before the blizzard).

The new bed for my arid Russian garden

Got the bed finished for the Russian garden last week and all those plants in the ground late last week. They are doing great. Just need to lay down some newspaper and mulch it in. I plan to use the small river rocks that we are taking out of the path that will soon be cement sidewalk. Hope to have time this weekend to finish that.

Here's my little box of plants for the Russian garden. There are actually 19 plants in there if you can believe it. There is Russian sage, 2 types of hummingbird mint, Texas red yucca, some blue avena grass, gold yarrow, Arizona sun gaillardia, and some sundancer daisies

Can't wait to post a picture in August if anything lives :-)

Finally, Tuesday, between hair appointment for me and dentist appointment for T (and naptime for C) I got the honeysuckle shrubs (they are shrubs, not vines--with the fragrance that I love) planted in this new spot. I was going to blog about this last week and title it He loves me, he loves me NOT!! Just didn't get to that! There is J moving dirt around to work that stupid sloping yard around. Now it is a bit terraced.

I have those shrubs in the top as well as larkspur, double cosmos and some funky four o'clocks seeds that I spread out and then planted little butterfly weed and florist carnation plants that I had started in the basement on the terraced part. Today they still look alive. Right to the backside of that tractor I planted my living wall of red twigged dogwoods mixed with some goldenrod. Those are mulched in partially and hope to finish this weekend as I got some more mulch today. So hopefully in 5 years my yard will be looking good!! I have some of the dogwood now and it seems to be doing well, so I added a few more to improve my view (this will hopefully block the view of the dead cars you can see behind the tractor.) I read on the internet that red twigged dogwood is the preferred nesting site of the Amercian Goldfinch!

So now I am down to my big ole' Roma tomatos and several kinds of pepper plants down in the basement--will give those a couple more weeks before planting. I'm not nearly as enthusiatic about the veggies as I am the flowers and shrubs. G wants to be the gardener guy this summer, so he will care for the veggies--watering, weeding etc as his summer work.

I'm hoping for a quiet weekend at work, as we finally got our wood for the aidarondack chairs and are excited to start those too. Shawn, I thought you were bringing the drinks--where have you been?? Have a great weekend everybody!