Saturday, April 30, 2011

Shiny blue.......


This is a new twist for me showing an antique car rather than a flower. I saw this car in a parking lot where we were doing an art show and I couldn't grab onto my camera fast enough.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Thursday's image.........


The garden shed awaits it's spring cleaning as the windows reflect a cold sky.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Just a pretty picture.......


The tulip saga continues. Will he ever stop shooting the reds?  Where are the yellows?  More to come on this blog.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

New England Bluebells......


They seem small for now but as the weather warms up they will really be beautiful.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Sunny with shade.......


These three hyacinths are newer bulbs planted two years ago. They were  from the funeral of Della's father.  I planted them from their basket arrangement after they were spent. The three didn't do well last year.  One pink and two lavender ones and they smell wonderful.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Tulips.......


Southern Iowa,  an hour south of where I live,  has a warmer climate and the spring blooms are all out and showing full color.  I brought some blooms home to enjoy.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Spring green.........


The barberry is giving out a good color of spring.  Rain today and a little bit warmer weather which gives me hope that the cold winter winds are going to leave.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Decaying beauty.......



The amaryllis has put on it's show and now it is fading into it's next phase.  It seems to be more of a sculptural form now with textures and streaks of color.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

My River Birch........


Sometimes when you buy plants and trees from a discount place, things just don't work out.  I don't buy their roses anymore and I stay away from some of the shrubs.  This river birch is another story.

I bought this five or six years ago and another tree for the neighbor lady.  They were inexpensive at the end of the year.  I am sure I read the tag, but I thought I was buying clump birch.  Thanks to a blogger friend, Connie, I had it properly identified and I am really glad that I bought it.  My neighbor lady isn't so sure she likes her tree, but it is thinner and taller than mine with the same textured bark. Mine looks like a disheveled mess all the time as it puts out this wonderful sloughing bark.

Monday, April 18, 2011

A lonely beauty.........


It seems to be the only one of this variety that will be blooming this spring.  The lighting is great on this but I bet you can't tell that it is a very cold afternoon light.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Birch bark tree.......


I take so many photos of this one lone birch tree but I like it.  I have always been fascinated with the bark color and texture and the line design made by the limbs against the sky are interesting. You can see that the sun was actually shining at the time too.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Tulip study......


A bargain tulip which is always the first to bloom.  Note the peonies are pushing up in the background. I am really tired of strong easterly winds and cold wet rain.  Horizontal rain is the rage around here.

Blossom time.....


Cherry blossoms on my bush cherry shrub.  The cherries as so small and mostly seed, so they get juiced and made into jelly.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Spring blooms............


Spring beauties that prevailed through the winter and display their striped pink colors.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Five gallons.....



I have a few of these old crockery jugs. I actually have more that I take note of as I sort of lost interest in collecting them. I wouldn't let anyone throw them away so I would tote them home.  I know of another small one that I don't display.  I remember that I had to clean creosote from it and that was a lot of work. It had a corn cob in it for a cork and came from John and Iva Horton.  It was in the garage on a shelf next to their 1957 Ford Fairlane.  The Fairlane was pinkish tan in color and was a hardtop. It was a very classy looking car for old people to drive on their trips out west.

Five gallons is the message that the five is depicting.  Vinegar, water, homemade corn liquor and molasses would be just a few things that could have been stored in them.

This one jug was a gift to my dad from one of his distant cousins Galen and his wife June.  They brought it to him on his birthday as a gag gift.  It was really a nice gag gift as far as I was concerned.
That is a seam you are seeing and it is not a crack  on the side of the jug.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Daffodils in the wind...........


The temperatures rise and fall and the wind keeps on blowing.  Tornadoes hit northern Iowa last night but now it is just wind and shifting temperatures. The  house was hot and now I have opened up the  doors to bring in the cool air.  Spring has sprung and I have daffodils.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Senior composite........


It has been an ongoing process for us to get the composite created of the seniors of last year's graduation class.  Because the world is as it is,  I can't post this photo in clarity as you would be able to read the names.  My blogger friends wouldn't think of it but I am sure someone out there would love to have the names.  What you see is an artistic texture of rough pastel that I placed on it to give a special, blurred effect.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Hyacinths to feed thy soul.......



If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,

And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,

Sell one, and with the dole

Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.


by Moslih Eddin


Hyacinths really do not bloon very well being raised outside in Iowa weather. We don't have big beautiful blooms as it doesn't get warm enough to nurture them. I planted them anyway and maybe just one year out of many I will get great hyacinths.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Spring is a possibility..........


I was too busy today to rake or pick up sticks but I did go out and see a promise of blooms.

Blurry Blue Cup Day.....

 It is Monday and I am a little blurry eyed today. It is fitting then my blue cup is blurred a little because it is in low light. I was too ...