Sedum, Succulents and More

Good Morning World!

Meet Red Lion. When I first brought him home, his mane was completely born of burgundy, very deep burgundy. Now that he has rested in the full sun awhile, tho his mane is growing, he is getting a glint of green throughout. I wonder if he would keep his deep colors longer if planted in the shade, even tho he is a sun lover? Does Anyone have the answer?

Before I show you the rest of my early start at growing sedum and succulents, I want to show you my son's ' new to him, ' 20" cut, lawn mower. I remember pushing one of these around an acre of lawn at the farm when I was a kid. His lawn is about three swaths wide, barely enough to break a sweat. Lucky for him, but I would much rather take my lawn which takes 3 hrs. to mow with a 42" cut rider.

One good thing about this model is, no gas, no emissions, no noise.

What would you rather have?

We also are trying a different kind of bird seed. Normally, I feed small oil sunflower seed, thistle (niger) seed and safflower seed. This has all of those within the mix, plus a lot of unfamiliar to me, stuff. We will see if the birds clean it up or if I am planting a new wild flower garden under the feeders. What kind of seed do you feed?

OK, here we go with the Sedum/Succulent stroll. The first is

Snow on the Mountain with an unknown pink-edged sedum. Does anyone know the name of this one?

Click on any of the photos for an up-close view.

Sedum Fulda Glow about to flower

Sedum Ellacambium also about to bloom

Purple Emperor Stonecrop recommended by my niece Staci. Thanks young lady, for the tip. She said that the more sun it gets, the darker it gets. Staci belongs to a garden club, so she aughta know. Hmm. It's at the south side of the garage in full all day sun.

Elizabeth. Her delicate ways remind me of my GrandLove down south.

I love this gal.

Delasperma Nubiganum, phew, what a 'handle,' with it's tiny beads.

Coral Carpet is lightly scented with it's tiny white stars.

Averil or Pacific Teddy

This fella has fur all over it so I am hoping I am right on the Pacific Teddy, furry like a teddy bear. It did not have an ID tag. Time will tell.

Last, but not the last that I have, is Angel Wings. Another favorite as she spreads her wings and grows and grows baby angels.

Do you have any sedum or succulents? I would love to see them and learn more about growing these. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. So far, I have only lost one to the elements, our bitter cold winters.

I have a couple of hillsides I would love to tier with succulents, that is, if I can keep dear Bill and his tractor and bucket off of them. He seems to have grander plans, green grass. I have tried to convince him that it would mean more mowing. He would have to get his own ' reel push mower, ' too. I need all you guys to convince him that a hillside of colorful ground cover would be a much wiser way to go, and pretty

' handsome, ' too! It would also mean, no more erosion!

For some reason, if the suggestion comes out of a man's mouth, usually, it becomes his own idea and a good one. Help!

No offense taken, I hope. We gals know you fellas mean well.

Love you all.

Thanks for stopping and

BlessYourHeart

A Birthday Surprise

All these years together, and rarely did I get an actual Birthday Present from dear Willy...well, I think he made up for it this year. It must be a retirement thing to gather your new toys together. The only thing is~~~

too bad this 20 ft. beauty is just resting its floats within our extended yard. My niece needed a place to temporarily store their new toy. They did, however, promise to take us out, sometime!!!

I did have a wonderful birthday with greeting galore by personal visits, phone calls, so very many wishes. Thank you all for your kindnesses.

Paula asked, if we were dressed alike as twins. I do not recall many times, but by photo reminders. Our folks said that sometimes, raising twins with two older sisters, all of us born within 3 years, was like pulling teeth. Here's a bit of ironic truth.

A string was tied to a tooth and the other end to the door. The rest is history. Ouch! Click on the picture to enlarge it. You can see the string that is tied to my tooth. So nice of Doug to hold a mirror for me while he slams the door.

More often, Paula, you would more likely to see

my baby sister and I dressed alike. The funny thing was, it was never, ever planned. We would walk out of different bedrooms with the same thing on. This time, it was at her home in TX., the day Bill, son Andy and I were about to head back up north. When this happened, it gave Andy the chills. Just, what's the chance of this happening! We even say the same thing at the same time.

Not only with our clothes, but while shopping or looking at plants, reading a greeting card off the shelf, we would so often, pick up the very same thing to show to one another. It happens not only with Colleen, but also with Mel and Cher. It has to be because we are all so close-hearted. Our interests are so alike. Actually, what could be more fun. Growing up and old together has been such a pleasure.

One thing, however, even tho our guys are quite similar in interests, thank God they are so different. That would just be too creepy, if they all started shopping alike. I can see it now. ROFLMAO

Thanks for hopping over for a sec of your time.

BlessYourHearts

Life is Full

Feast your eyes on these beauties I found while,

Digging in the dirt and thinning my radishes. Some sweet, some savory!

There is nothing more sweet than the scent of a lovely rose as white as the snow., I call this one Snow White because I do not know her real name.

The Salvia hugging the wattle fence is putting on it's first show. Another will follow in the fall.

I regret to say that I have long forgotten the names of my few iris that have beat the elements of weather and rodents. I do love this surprise.

I came upon a deal at a garage sale over the weekend. This cute little feeder just had to come home with me for 50 cents., complete with a cut glass cardinal.

A breakfast taste of my first Staci Strawberry of the season. I hope I get to it before the bluebird.

Unbelievable! I counted 92 buds on this Peony along. Imagine the scents of summer when the entire row of them open. And to think these were in the trash. What a rescue.

Another of my memory slips, is the name of this fine peony, which is a medium pink. I've yet to get a light pink and the white ones that my mother has. Someday!

Hanging from the lower branch of the spruce tree by my feeders and cedar swing, hangs this gorgeous coral colored Begonia with blooms that resemble little tulips. Don't ask the name., once again, I do not know. I just love it.

Aha! I do know the name of this little gem. It is a common Blue Flag, found in wet ditches and fields. This one has been by the birdbaths for nearly 20 yrs. It was a gift from my youngest son on my birthday when he was 8. It struggles but insists on hanging on. I still can see Andy beaming with pride while he planted it for me., all part of the surprise. Thanks again, Andy.

Today, that same young man and his son's came to the garden while I was hoeing, smiles wide on their faces, holding a beautiful bouquet that they had cut of flowers from around the yard. That would be the first picture of this entry. Thanks boys. I love you!

It doesn't take much to make my day. Good food from God's good earth, beauty all around me, and family.

I pray your days are filled with simple, sweet joy.

BlessYourHearts

Jammin' the Sweet Way

It's Country Jam! No, not the one in EauClaire, WI. this weekend but the one going on in my kitchen.

Do you remember these beauties from the Farmer's Market?

These delectable strawberries have been~

washed, hulled, slightly smashed, brought to a boil with sugar, lemon juice, raspberries or rhubarb, and pectin. The steady, gentle stirring was touched with my cannin'-jammin' spoon, always returning fond memories of cousin, Roger Dodger, smiling down on me. He gave me this spoon before he moved years ago to a 'better place.'

Oh, it's almost ready, and I still cannot wait to taste the foam that gets spooned off the top of the finished jam before jarring.

I remember waiting impatiently, many times, at Mom's counter, as she spooned jelly or jam foam right onto a slice of homemade bread. It was a miracle how there was always enough for each of our slices for my 8 brothers and sisters, too. We sure were a hungry, wiggly bunch.

It's a pretty sights~homemade jam!

Waiting to cool completely, before washing the jars one last time before placing them in the pantry, sometimes can take weeks, just because I love to sit back and look at them. Flavors this time are Strawberry Raspberry and Strawberry Rhubarb. Yummm ~Yummm!

Last, do you remember this odd large mosquito-like insect? It has been identified finally, thanks to bugguide.com. Tom, from Mass. identified her for me. She is a Crane Fly, ( Ctenophora Dorsalis). They have a very short life span and sometimes do not even eat during it. They do not bite, nor do they sting.

Just thought you'd want to know not to fear them, should you see one hanging out on your screens.

Thanks for stopping by once again. Have a great weekend with your loved ones or a loved book, bench in the park or stroll in the dark with the fireflies, (lightning bugs), as we called them as kids. Now, Sy and I have some garage sales to scour through. See Ya'll!

BlessYourHearts

More Important Things To Do

There were more important things to do than identifying insects,

Like tasting the sweet and savory goodies from the Farmers Market.

The box WAS full of these awesome, fresh picked juicy strawberries. A pint were eaten before we got home. And that spinach, oh my!

Now, we really can't wait for our garden to flourish!

Product testing is fun, and this one, the Honey Silk Moisturizer, won me over. The best part? It's made just over the hills and dales from here, in Hayward, WI. at B's Flambeau Acres. I love this stuff.

Of course, there is no better way to while away some time, than to spend it at Great Grandma O's house,

checking out the cattle at her neighbors,

counting the healthy calves,

following the Gander Goose just after a down-pour,

doing a balancing act on the fence like his

Dad and I and countless kids of all ages, used to do.

There was 'trust' to gain,

with new-found friends like a red squirrel, Nuthatch and chipmunk.

Come on, I'm your friend.

O.K., even little brothers aren't all bad. Sorry! Just kidding!

Let it rain. Grandma said that as long as it was just rain and no lightening or thunder, we could run in the puddles and play with the umbrellas...YES!!!! Thanks, Grandma!

But then there is still time for more serious stuff, like discipline of another kind while learning Tae Kwon Do....this really is serious stuff.

What a busy day.

We're all tired.

Good thing we slept well and are ready for another day.

There is jam to make and butterflies to catch.

It's still too cold to go in the pool...

Maybe in July.

Thanks for coming by.

Find something positively great about the day, and

BlessYourHeart

What the Heck is IT?

We had a visitor on the screen, trying to get back outside.

Does anyone have a clue as to what this is? Click on any of the pictures for a much closer look at this unusual specimen. Is it a sawfly of some kind? I have been searching but coming up empty.

side

front

legs

head

singular wings

tail? (cannot see it on these pictures, but the very end is v-split)

length on standard school ruler

wing span

I'm totally stumped on this one. Any help out there would sure be appreciated. I want to know if I have to worry about getting stung by this creepy thing. This fella died during research while being housed in a child's bug case. BlessYourHelpfulHearts