Home Sweet Home

I arrived home yesterday after a sleepless night in a hotel and getting up at 4:30 am and catching a 5:30 am shuttle to the Cincinnati Airport.  I flew 2 1/2 hours to Denver, had a 2 1/2 hour layover and flew another 2.5 hour flight to Portland and landed around 2 pm.  I loved seeing my daughter and family - but I was ready to be back in my own bed and my own easy chair! :-)  Dayle had had trouble sleeping the whole time I was gone - so we both headed to bed at 9 pm.  He finally slept well and I got caught up on my lack of sleep too.  I'm feeling halfway normal! :-)  I went out to see how our garden had changed since I left and found my Bleeding Heart in early bloom!  I love these so much!

The fish are happy and the koi are getting so big!

This plant is called Mahonia in most places, but those in Oregon who thought they were quite clever re-named it "Oregon Grape" and it's our state flower.  :-)  Ours is in full bloom!

I was quite worried that my lilacs would bloom while I was gone.. but they waited.  This is my white lilac, next to the white azalea.

Here are the blooms on the Silver Dollar or Honesty plant.  Have you seen the pretty silver dollars that come from these plants?

This is one of the first Rhododendrons to bloom.. the buds are pretty pink but it opens to a pale pale yellow white bloom.  I was shocked to see the normally glossy dark green leaves all spotty - our blizzard and subsequent ice storm played havoc with our garden.

The flower below is called a "Double Flowered Japanese Rose - Kerria Japonica Pleniflora" - I didn't know what this was for years.  Good old Google.  They are small, about the size of a silver dollar!

When I left 2 weeks ago, nothing had bloomed - here is a wild cherry tree next to the weeping Birch all covered with tiny new leaves.

Is there anything as lovely as looking up into a tree full of fragrant cherry blossoms on a cloudless sunny day with the sky the color of blue like this one?

Oh pretty!  The birds love all the wild cherries on these trees.. we have a lot of them on the farm here.  All bird planted.

Spring on the farm in the Oregon countryside.  This is our lower field filled with dandelions, we also have an upper pasture and our little forest to the left of the house.

I then walked across the horseshoe driveway and snapped a shot of my red azalea as it begins to open up.

One of the last blooms on the Star Magnolia.  

These are wild bleeding hearts that live under the star magnolia.

Things are greening up in the garden!  See the new red leaves coming on the Japanese Maple?  The blue fountain bamboo has some work to do to shed it's yellowed leaves and sprout fresh new green ones.  The fish are happy that it's warming up!

Then I took off the old tablecloth, scrubbed the table, laid the Easter tablecloth and then went hunting for me Easter decor.  It was kind of funny, Kristi looked, Dayle looked (in my "creative space") and then I looked and after looking EVERYWHERE I finally found it near the door in a bag.  I had the little china bunnies on, they were in the china cabinet.  And of course my Maggie Maria, my bunny I made from Alicia Paulson's designs - speaking of which, Alicia is working on some new designs, she has the Mouse on her blog today.  I think I want the FOX!  I need a boy for my girl bunny.  Click HERE to visit Alicia's blog.

Here is my basket of hand crocheted Easter eggs, on top is the cute little yellow egg my blog friend from England made and sent to me.  Here name is Lucy.  She doesn't blog much anymore and I miss her fun sense of humor.

In fact, I sent Lucy 2 glass egg cups just like these.  I found a set of 4 of these and kept two and sent her two.  

My adored Maggie Maria.  I knitted her dress.  I want to make her a pearl necklace and crochet a tiny magenta flower for her dress waistline.

It was a gorgeous day so I opened the front and back doors and the kitchen window.  

The hens gave us some eggs.  My Cuckoo Maran - "Hershey" is laying well!  She gives us the chocolate colored eggs.

Well, I must bid you adieu as we're taking 6 year old Hayden out to dinner with us while our son and his wife take 5 year old Caleb to sign him up for kindergarten.  I hope your week is going well!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)