Nesting

Will I ever post about the cruise? I should have done it right away. Now the memories fade into a warm fuzz of walking, sleeping, snuggling, good food, sunshine, trashy books and umbrella drinks. The best part was not getting off the ship (but once) while everyone else got off. Peace and quiet with a slight rocking motion. I will do the Chaccoben ruin photos at the least.

But today I show off springtime in the south. I waited so long that it is starting to fade to summer (can you imagine? in March!). First up, the weeping cherry in the backyard next to the pauciflora (the yellow bush) followed by the shooting bamboo. I waxed eloquent the other week about the beauty of the magnolias, cherries, redbuds, etc. The weekend's addition to the bouquet was the wisteria which has burst into bloom dripping from every old stand of pines and pecans. No photos of it as I STILL don't have one and didn't have a camera when we were on the road to the nursery on Saturday. You'll just have to take my word for it--it's stunning.

Ever since we moved to Atlanta there have been many things higher in the queue than potting annuals and setting up little family areas in the yard. The yard work--when it happened--was done in broad brush stroke: plant bamboo, lay turf, plant trees, put up the little house and paint it. It was a huge empty space that had to be lightly and evenly filled.

Now I'm at a point where I can focus on improving small areas. the "nesting" process one does to make a house or yard a home. One of those areas is the children's play area in the front. J had a friend over last week and they had hot dogs for dinner at the picnic table and played in the front yard. Last evening while I was finishing up putting the tropical plants around the pond, J rocked in her glider.

Last weekend I not only bought a bunch of flats of annuals, pots and potting soil, I also planted them all and set up the pots on the front steps. I had a lot of help from J who wore her rain boots to keep out the dirt and a Braves cap to keep off the sun. A new southern Belle. She lined up the pots to fill with soil and she watered everything as it got planted. Now it's her job to water all the pots daily. She gets to use the hose and doesn't have to rely on a small watering can--though that would keep her occupied for an hour or so everyday after school...

Previously on the steps was Halloween pumpkin that never got carved and sat all winter till it rotted away. Dave finally scraped it up and threw it out, but there were a few seeds left. Jessie put them in one of the pots of annuals (white petunias) and now we anticipate pumpkin vines spreading across the front yard.

Yesterday I took the day off and moved the little round pond from the back deck to the screened in front porch. There is a still a fountain on the back deck to provide water for the dogs and the squirrels, but I am tired of having to clean the leaves out of the little pond and unclog the filter. The goldfish in the pond are also likely to be happier now that there are no predators who will try to fish for them at night. A few ferns, palms and other tropicals from Home Depot added the finishing touches. Someday we might get real outdoor furniture, but for now the rocker we don't have room for in the house fits just fine.

I close with the view down our street this morning. You can see the understory of redbuds, cherries, dogwoods and other flowering trees peeking through the pecans and pines. This weekend (maybe even this week) I begin the design and planning process for the real pond that will go in the backyard. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that this time putting in a pond doesn't mean we will move in the next year. I want to stay to enjoy this yard for awhile.