April showers bring May flowers.

This Ivy stayed out all year and has never looked healthier. I usually would bring it in and keep it in the solarium for the winter months but, it was on the deck, under the eves and well protected from frost. It seems to like this corner as well.

" April showers brings May's flowers, " or so it is said. Our yard has started to become more colorful with the addition of the flowers.

This flower box has been very busy these past weeks and there is more to come.

The Wedding Tree ( Weeping Cherry Tree ) has already bloomed and once that happens, the leaves come next. Under neath the blue bells are making their appearance.

They're really beautiful this year.

The Blooming Magnolia Tree

One day, they were buds and in a blink of the eye, they came into bloom.
Our Magnolia tree bloomed a few weeks early this year.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

1 ) - This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles. (Kelly, age 6)

2) - Oysters' balls are called pearls. (Jerry, age 6)

3) - If you are surrounded by ocean, you are an island. If you don't have ocean all round you, you are incontinent. (Alex, age 7)

4) - Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson. She's not my friend any more. (Kylie, age 6)

5) - A dolphin breaths through an asshole on the top of its head.. (Billy, age 8)

6) - My uncle goes out in his boat with 2 other men and a woman and pots and comes back with crabs. (Millie, age 6)

7) - When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes when the wind didn't blow the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother said they would have been better off eating beans. (William, age 7)

8) - Mermaids live in the ocean. I like mermaids. They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails, but how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? Like, really? (Helen, age 6)

9) - I'm not going to write about the ocean. My baby brother is always crying, my Dad keeps yelling at my Mom, and my big sister just got pregnant, so I can't think what to write. (Amy, age 6)

10) - Some fish are dangerous. Jelly fish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers. (Christopher, age 7)

11) - When you go swimming in the ocean, it is very cold, and it makes my willy small. (Kevin, age 6)

12) - Divers have to be safe when they go under the water. Divers can't go down alone, so they have to go down on each other. (Becky, age 8)

13) - On vacation my Mom went water skiing. She fell off when she was going very fast.. She says she won't do it again because water fired right up her big fat ass. (Julie, age 7)

14) - The ocean is made up of water and fish. Why the fish don't drown I don't know. (Bobby, age 6)

15) - My dad was a sailor on the ocean. He knows all about the ocean.. What he doesn't know is why he quit being a sailor and married my mom. (James, age 7)

The Wedding Tree - March 2010

This is the "Wedding Tree" that we planted in 2004. It has been blooming for three days so, I waited until more of the blooms had opened before taking the picture. It is called a "Weeping Cherry" tree. I think we are a few weeks early for the flowers and some of the plants to be bloomng this soon. We've had some warm weather, which hastened along the growing cycle.

A February Surprise

There have been some plants in the back yard fooled into thinking it must be Spring.

Yesterday, I looked out my kitchen window and saw a few hints of yellow in these plants.


Today, when I glanced out the window again, there were blooming flowers. What a surprise, I thought it would have taken another few days before they blossomed. These are our first flowering plants of the year. Hopefully, they are a sign of warmer days to come.

Minnesota Clydesdale

This wonderful beast was abandoned by its mother as a calf and this Minnesota farmer raised it to adulthood among his work horses. The moose is tame and has learned to pull lumber along with the working horses. This farmer says it actually pulls the logs better than the horse teams and seems to enjoy doing its job. The farmer mentioned that the moose takes off for a few weeks during mating season and comes back faithfully every year.

I never realized just how large these animals were until this picture of the farmer hitching the moose up to his next pulling job.

Recycling Tires and making Art

This takes recycling tires to a new dimension.

What a pleasant surprise to fine these pictures in my email box this week so, I thought I would share them.

Enjoy!