Christmas Notebook

With the arrival of spring, I think it’s time to get back to posting. Thanks to those who have asked how I’m feeling and to those who let me know they’ve missed my posts. I appreciate hearing from you!

Here are a few pictures from the yard. Spring…the pics may be the same each year, but the joy spring brings is always new! So refreshing to heart and soul.

The redbuds are in full bloom and look spectacular this year. Everything is blooming later than usual. The redbud trees usually begin blooming the last week of March or the first week of April. That makes them about three weeks late this year.

I love red tulips. They add such a bright splash of color among the daffodils. These tulips are from bulbs I saved from potted tulips DH gave me a few years ago.

The Southern Red Oak in the backyard is in full bloom, as well. The catkins are doing their pollen duties and will soon fall from the tree. From my craft room on the second story, I have a great view of this oak. It’s always fun to watch the progression from swelling buds to catkins to tiny new leaves to full grown, bright green, shiny leaves of summer.

We have five dogwood trees. Two bloom about the same time. A third is usually four or five days later to open. There is also a white one with a pink cast to the center and a pink dogwood that we planted two years ago. This one stands near the kitchen door.

The violet flush is on. Some years I pick a bunch of these during the spring flush and sugar them for decorating cookies and cakes.

Every spring, I am amazed at how quickly the peonies grow! The buds are about half an inch wide. They are my favorite flower and I look forward to their bloom.

Virginia bluebells…such a pretty flower. We dug starts of the bluebells from the woods on DH’s aunt’s farm years ago. They lived with us at our old house and moved to this house with us twenty years ago.

‘Thalia’ daffodils are such a pretty white. Each stem usually has three blossoms, sometimes two. A later blooming daffodil than most. They extend the season when the yellow daffodils are beginning to fade.

Another redbud. This one can be thoroughly enjoyed from the east porch. One year, DH planted a ring of ‘Poets’ daffodils around it and they are in full bloom right now.

I hope the spring flower tour was enjoyable. I know I enjoyed getting outside yesterday to take the pictures!

~~Rhonda