Wooden Sculpture.....

The beauty of a wood contraction can be equaled to a flower form. The cedar boards are all in place now making it look like a work of art.

Fourteen steps of cedar are beautiful with only the risers being made of green treated pine. After the cedar has dried out through the summer I will treat the boards with a wood sealer.

Monday’s Blooms....

We are still cold and they blooms are slow to open.  We had a hail storm of one inch size hail. It was a noisy sound of hail landing on our new deck. I don’t know if there was damage but I am sure some of the flowers were effected.

Sunday’s Lily.....

Going Down....or Up.

The patterns of the risers for the future stairs makes an unusual sight.  Having cut risers for projects that I have done in my past, these were remarkable. He had two wide boards and was able to get four of them from them. I am anxious to see what it will look like with the steps put into place.

Bluebells.....

We call them New England Bluebells.  We had them on the farm when I was a kid.  I think that they did come from the wild as we do have them in our  prairies. The bell flowers will all be opened soon.

Tulip in Disguise.....

This variety of tulip puts out a bloom that is more like a rose or a peony than being a tulip.  The colors are more like a rose.

They are a more fragile bloom than a standard one so it won’t last for very long.  They will get some rain this afternoon.

Rembrandt Tulips.......

The tulip has been called a Rembrandt tulip for many years.  I remember it as a kid not knowing who the painter Rembrandt was. I planted them in a long flower bed knowing now that I should have planted them in a clump. If they do not multiply then I will have 34 spikes of tulip heads scattered all up and down my peony bed.

Spring Bloom....

The bleeding heart is going strong putting out its rows of blooms. We are back to cold weather this morning but it is going to warm up. I have a mass of New England bluebells that are about to open also.

Deck, Be Gone....

This view was greeting me this morning as I walked out on the deck. It was warm out there as Iowa has turned the corner on the cold weather.  This will be one of my last deck photos for a while as workmen are coming today to remove the deck. A new sunroom is going to replace this deck and a new deck will be built south of the new room. We are getting excited about our new addition. Within a two week period we will have to tolerate the no deck situation.

Looking the opposite direction there is a prettier sight.  The big tree is getting its leaves and is looking green now.

Easter...

The resurrected King.....is resurrecting me.

Seeking.....

The dove was prancing around trying to find loose seed on the boards. They really do like the same pair that I had last year.  They spook easily so I have to move slowly to get the photo.

Daffodils....

The one finally opened with the grape hyacinths at its feet. This is the one kind of daffodil that I like best.  I would like to buy the ones that have orange centers.

Cold Pink....

I had to wear my winter coat this morning to go out and take this shot.  We dropped temps throughout the night but it didn’t snow. These tulips are not pink but they are closed tight right now reacting to the cold.

Spring Shot.....

I retook the photo of the grape hyacinth to show it in full bloom. I promise that more things will be in bloom and I will have more things to share in the future to give me new and divers subject matter.

Mighty Moon Shot.......

It looked hazy even though I don’t think that it was. I guess it is the back side where the light is less that is coming from the sun.  Taken in the afternoon when I was not expecting it to be there.

Monday’s Colors........

My neighbor’s tulip continue to bloom.  They are getting a little rugged but they do have good color.  My tulips are budded now but I have no flowers from the tulips nor the daffodils.

Morning Display......

The glow of the sunrise is on the horizon. The clouds in the foreground are making great patterns with two values of light and dark.  The three strands of clouds project out of the top.  It is a wonderful Sunday morning sky.

Straw Rabbit......

I was buying a gift for my wife and the clear rang this up and put it in my sack. I questioned her and she said it was a gift, it was free. We have a lot of ceramic rabbits but this is our first straw covered one.  It is too cold to go out to take shots for the blog so this seemed to be a timely thing to share.

Puffy Clouds.......

While the snow was flying north of us yesterday we had clouds like this. A good blue sky is in the background and the wind was blowing around very cold air.

While looking south it would appear we were having a warm spring day.  It was not warm and the wind blew around anything that was not tied down.

A Black Bird......

I think it is a blackbird.  I did hear a call that reminded me of a red winged blackbird.  Judging by its size it is not a crow. The blue glow reminds me of how people put spray colors in their hair.

First Blooms.......

This is an abstract compositing of daffodils.  The weather was cold and they looked like they were not going to open.  Today they have opened and photos will follow on one of my blogs later.

Take the Stairs......

Going down is easier and the stepping stones lead you away from the deck. Former owner liked stepping stones and has created two lines of them to go to his vegetable garden.  I am thinking about rearranging them but don’t know what I will do to create the change.  He was an avid gardener and I assume he was trampling down the grass has he worked out there a lot.

One Big Tree.........

Two houses over is one original tree that was on the farm before the land was developed 13 years ago. It is getting green leaves.  The photo shows that the two neighbors must have in on their property lines. I give that tree credit for some the birds that I get at the feeder. Woodpeckers can be heard working on the tree.

A Cloudy Past.....

This is the sun setting in the afternoon, showing all the different things going on in the sky. We were warm and there was a breeze causing things above to make different  shapes. The spotted shapes of clouds at the top of the photo are always a mystery to me as to what is going on there.

Chipmunk on Stage.....

He isn’t a movie star.  He doesn’t like to pose for me when I take his photo.  They are nearsighted and most times he doesn’t know i am taking his picture. Usually when I first see him in the feeder I think he is a rat but I am so glad that he is not.

He is doing a great job of cleaning up the fallen seed on the concrete patio below the deck. I really have never seen them in the wild, so to speak, and usually saw them at rest areas where they were being fed by the travelers.  If I would buy him some peanuts in the shell, he would be harassing me at the window. Someday I will get a great picture of him but for now he just scurries and runs all of the time.

Along the Wall......

Some years these things have to push through ice and snow. We are far from that now and they are looking healthy and strong this spring. The wall really isn’t want but it is a three or four level stone surround to help separate two flower garden areas.

Spring Blooms......

Twist it out.......

The cardinal was flipping his head around to get the seed to move down his throat. It isn’t a pose of him that I have ever seen before now.

Daffodil... Small.

The small daffodil is half the size of a normal one. They make great little blooms but don’t last as long as the normal sized one.  I did not plant these but I do have some elsewhere  that will bloom.

When I zoom in on it you would not know that is a miniature flower. I do see that there are more buds ready to open.

Buds......

The pussy willow doesn't seem to be so budded this year.  Usually the line the length of the branches.  I don’t know if the polar vortex was involved but it just is not the same from last year.

I did not get them picked as soon as I should have as some of the buds are almost gone.