A Walk in the park...

Just when the weather was getting to be somewhat decent, WHAM! Snow and more snow predicted for this weekend...Oh the joys of the Northeast!

This pretty and plump Robin greeted me a few mornings ago. She actually listened when I politely pleaded "don't move, let me get my camera!" Don't we love that?!

Yesterday's snowfall didn't amount to much, but I knew I'd find some pretty scenes at my favorite spot.

The same dock as in the last post...just not so warm and fuzzy.


I had to trek down a hill to get this shot. Imagine how startled I was when a park ranger yelled "Excuse me, Ms. you need to get back to the main road!"...lol! Was he worried I might slip and roll into the water...?! Didn't love that!

No ants...no picnics!

Some of my favorite finds were these sweet gum drops,

Clinton's Red Mill, and...

....a bear! Oh my!

It turned out to be a pocketful-day of sunshine and one of my happiest yet of 2010! :)
And as I pulled into the driveway, this sunset was torching the sky.

At the same time, a full moon...on the rise. Gotta love THAT!


Have a wonderful day, my FRIENDS!

A Sunshine Day....

Who remembers this Brady Bunch episode?
One of my favs...major crush on that Greg!

A beautiful sunrise captured last week at a nearby reservoir...

The stillness of the water was deafening...my kind of noise :)


I know this family will have a Sunshiney Day!

Don't hate me if this song stays with you all day...so just give in and sing along!

In Slow Mo...

...that's how I feel when I walk through my garden lately! All growth is at a standstill, and with it, my desire to blog :(
Surely, you can relate...Spring can't come soon enough!
I miss visiting the local nurseries (hi Leslie!) where I can spend hours upon hours just browsing.

Hard to believe it was just a month ago that these pansies were looking soo good. They'll probably be the first plants to sprout come April...So, April, please come!!

And you know that I truly and deeply miss my daylilies!


I miss the sound of laughter and activity of kids in the garden...




...and insect life.


I know it's just barely the end of January, but anyone else sick and tired of Winter as I am?! I long for colorful views out my window...even at dusk.


And bright of day.


Em here enjoying the fruits of my labor...okay, technically, Zepherine Drouhin Rose ;) A favorite climber because it's thornless! And a fragrance that can make you drunk...don't we love that in a rose!


The only colors I'm capturing lately requires one to look up...


So what will it take for me to get my a** in gear and get into the mood to blog again? How about the upcoming flower and garden events that will surely fill up my February/March calendar. Friends, if you are planning on attending the Philadelphia Flower Show (scheduled for February 28 thru March 7th), please let me know. I would love to 'meet-up' with any and all of you! Overnight guests welcomed!

Off now for a 3-day stay in VT, where it's even colder! But it's a girl's dream SPA weekend, so I won't complain!
Have a great day, y'all :)

A Beautiful Winters Day...

Waking up with flurries somehow makes my heart a little heavy, but, luckily, no accumulations lately and sun-shiny skies arrive by noon. The frigid temps, on the other hand, we can do without!


These cuties were chirping away early one morning...I'm not a birder so ID help, pretty please?

A nearby pond alive with Canadian Geese! And boy were they noisy! You just know I'm sneaking on private property, don't you?! As soon as they heard movement in the bushes..off they took!



Driving home a few days ago...I literally followed this sunset! Can you blame me? It was beautiful!







What's blooming in my garden right now? Nada! But these freeze-dried peppers still have color!


As do these beauty berries...

And even though I woke up with that icky feeling of coming down with something, accompanied by sniffles and body aches, I already feel better knowing we'll have a 'heat-wave' of 50 degrees today! !YAY! Let's go to the beach! No takers? Well, at least bop those shoulders and boogie down with me to Mr. Blue Sky! ;)

Daylily Dreaming....

This post is dedicated to you, George!

Daylilies?! In January?! Wishful thinking, I know....
But hey, a girl can dream, right?



especially with snow flurries out my window...






So, Rene, how many more days 'til Summer??

Dating myself but this is one of my favorite songs...enjoy!

The Final Hours....

This is it! The last day of the calendar year as we know it. Last chance to pen your thoughts and date it 2009, for tomorrow is the start of a new year. A better year!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Poor Bandit here putting up with our silliness! We had a beautiful white Christmas here in NJ but non-stop evening rain left no trace of it the following day.

This is my view this morning...big, fluffy snowflakes falling as I blog away....makes me want to go out and catch it, taste it. Like most of you, I'll start 2010 with newly determined resolutions...be more patient, kind, helpful, productive. And, the old adage...exercise more, eat healthier, lose that extra ten pounds...you know the drill! But, most importantly, make time for 'myself ' and appreciate the little things in life. Say 'I love you' more often, or better yet, show it(!) and create more laugh lines...those are wrinkles I won't mind living with ;)

So hang up your new calendar...of course you know mine has photos of beautiful gardens...flip to that first page and fill in those boxes with fun activities and special dates (I hope there will be LOTS!) and start your New Year smiling. I even have Spring Fling (Buffalo, NY) penciled in for June ;)

A party with neighbors is on my calendar tonight. Our tradition of a late dinner, champagne when the Big Ball drops followed by decadent desserts...uh-oh, already one resolution gone to the wayside...diet starts tomorrow! And every year, I'm teased for falling asleep on the couch so better make time for a nap later...

Let the countdown begin...tick-tock, tick-tock...

Hope your evening plans include a little sparkle and glitter!

...and in the wise words of Prince...party like it's 1999 ;)

Happy New Year, Friends!! See you on the flip side!!

Merry Christmas!

I love this version of Winter Wonderland...have a listen and enjoy!

It's here! It's Christmas Eve...can you believe it?!! Another special Holiday for us to pause and give thanks for our incredible blessings of richness in love, family, friends, and good health. And remind ourselves that the true meaning of this celebration lies right here in this word~CHRISTmas...

Our tree is up but it has been a challenge to keep it looking nice! Lacey and Bandit are having a good ol' time knocking off ornaments and even ripping up packages! I bought a Poinsettia Rose for the first time. Amazing what hybridizing can do...remember when they were so silly looking with one stem and one bloom per pot? This 8" pot contains a dozen blooms!

I snapped this just as a gust of wind blew through the branches

Who knew there are over 100 varieties of poinsettias? You're either gonna love or hate my unusual choice here. I always go for the soft pink/cream marbled variety but this year, it's all about the red, Baby! Thanks to Mr. Subjunctive, I recently learned that poinsettias are actually from the Euphorbiaceae family since they produce that milky sap. And what most people consider to be the flowers are actually bracts (modified leaves)... ... it's these tiny clusters in the center that's the flowers! Wrapping will be my main project today, along with a last minute grocery run but raise your hand if you're still heading out to buy presents! Gift cards were the way to go this year (teens are soo picky!) but I'm still hunting for stocking stuffers....

With roads safe for travelling and temps in the 30's to prevent too quick a melt, looks like we'll have a White Christmas after all....

Wishing all you GOOD PEOPLE a blessed and beautiful Christmas. Find peace and joy among your loved ones and spend the long weekend relaxing, chilling, vegging, sleepin' in, eating, drinking, laughing, loving and just plain be merry...that's an order! :)