Lady Bug in Hiding

This lady bug is tucked into a tight spot around the sliding door. I was surprised to see her over the weekend. I guess warmer weather brought her out of winter hiding.

Pine Cone Escapee

Recent winds picked this pine cone up and out of a hanging basket and moved it onto the front sidewalk.

Flower Cake

A clever flower arrangement delivered to me yesterday for my birthday. A reminder of all the fun ways to play with flowers...and I'm looking forward to the growing season.

Robin Feast

The crab apple tree is big business for birds this week. The fruit must be just right. Robins were the most popular customers Sunday.

A Sun-Snow-Show This Morning

Fun weather this morning. Sun-clouds-snow all mixed together.

More Green Coming to Life

More plant life coming to life. This is oregano - which I use as a foundation shrub.

Daffodils Coming to Life

Wow, spring really is headed our way! Lots of daffodils poking through the ground this week.

Shades of Purple Bark

Can you see the shades of amethyst on this river birch trunk? As the tree ages, the lower reaches of the trunks stop peeling.

Valentine Roses

A close up of some the delicious red roses my dad sent me for Valentine's Day. Three dozen of them!

Cedar Waxwing

A cedar waxwing perched in the river birch. Flocks of 8-10 of these birds visit the front yard every day to snack on the crab apple tree.

Paper Roses

Dried roses turned to mush in the wet weather.

Household Pets

An indoor garden shot today. Meet Apple, or it might be sibling Orange, or Cherry. There are two froggies that Santa brought my daughter and I can't remember which one is which. To complicate things, she also "named" the bamboo after a fruit. These are African dwarf frogs. They're about 1 1/2 inches long and already full grown. And this one's kinda cute...for a frog. (Remember that line from the first Muppet Show ever broadcast?)

Creeping Jenny Turns Green

A little bit of green in the creeping Jenny in a front planter. This is the time of year I start searching for color again in the yard.

Twisty Snow

Another snapshot of the sticky snow from Sunday. It's long gone, now. This vine is a wisteria.

Wet and Sticky Snow

Lots of heavy, wet snow early yesterday morning. Most of it had melted by the afternoon. This reddish-pink glass ball was a hummingbird feeder that didn't work very well. It drip, drip, dripped and attracted more ants than birds. I left it up for architectural interest in the garden bed ;)