The Morning After! :)

 I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day! Ours was wonderful! :)
To make matters even better, we woke to glorious sunshine streaming over the horizon! :)

 We haven't seen a lot of sun lately, so it really lifts the heart! :)

 This morning there's happy traces of yesterday on our dining table! :)

 There's the gorgeous begonia plant I couldn't resist buying and bringing home! :)

 There are the red roses my Honey brought home to me for Valentine's Day! :)

 I'd never seen them coupled with variegated leaves before, and love the affect! :)

 There are what's left of the juicy, sweet oranges! :)

 Tip: These are Heirloom Navel Oranges, and they are the Best oranges!! :)

                                

Not the least of all, is the last remaining chocolate drizzled strawberry, which I promptly ate this morning! What a great way to start 'the morning after'! :)

I'm Not The Only One Who's Been Pruning! :)

 I'm not the only one who's been busy pruning around here! :)

 My Honey did his annual sheering of our hedges, Saturday! :) It's a huge job! :)
 As you can see, the deer sneak in and do some pruning of their own, in the cover of night! Too bad, because the hedges would be beautiful, otherwise. :)
People who think it's a crime to hunt the pretty deer, have never lived in the country where hunting is the only thing that halfway keeps their run-away population in check, and all one's expensive plant purchases, and hard work, are under constant attack! :)

Even so, it's always a great feeling when pruning tasks are accomplished for another year! :)

I've Only Just Begun! :)

 It's only the first week of February but I'm already behind schedule with the pruning, as I've only just begun! It's seems that every time the weather is right, my schedule is full!

 Finally the weather and my schedule came together for one day over the weekend, and I finally got out the pruners! :)

 As you can see, I had a lot of helpers! :)

 They like to be involved in the yard work! :)

 I only had time to prune the outer edges of our King Apple Tree, but at least it's a start! :)

 It's the fruit tree that requires the most work each year, so I like to tackle it first! :) I have to admit that I love this time of year when the days are getting longer and the yard calls to me again! :)

 I have a long way to go, as all the fruit trees, and grapes, need to be tended to!

The flower beds are begging for me to get them cleaned, as well, and like the fruit tree area, I've only just begun! :)

You Can't Read Just One! :)

 I've discovered an author who I just love! Her name is Carla Kelly! :) The first book I read was My Loving Vigil Keeping. It was a book that I found almost impossible to put down! :)

 

 Then I read Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand, followed by Borrowed Light! :)

 Borrowed Light was a two part, continued in Enduring Light! :)

 All were page turners, that I lost myself in! They were the kind of characters that one identifies with and misses when the last page is read. :)

 Authors this good deserve to be acknowledged, ... and shared! :)

Lucky for me, she's written several books so I have many more to look forward to reading, and I believe she's still living and writing! :)
If you enjoy getting lost in a good book, I highly recommend reading one by Carla Kelly! :) One word of caution, ... her books are like potato chips, ... you can't read just one! :)

It's As Fun To Plan As It Is To Plant! :)

 I finally sat down with all my seed catalogs and thoroughly enjoyed studying every page, giving each company their due! :)

 This year I decided on purchasing from a local nursery and these two seed catalogs, (Territorial and Johnny's)! They've become my tried-and-true and carry my "got-to-have" seed selections! :)

 Before placing an order I sort through all my seeds to see what I have still. :)

 Then I choose what I most want to grow this year, scratch out a quick map of the garden space, and plan out this year's garden, being sure that all crops have been rotated! :)

My first order has been made, and is due to arrive in a few days! I've made my seed choices and will be filling out the forms and mailing the other two seed orders this week! :)
You most likely are looking out your window and seeing rain or snow, and feeling like garden season is a long way off yet! :) It's really just around the corner and the thought makes me almost feel giddy!
If you haven't already, get out those seed catalogs and start planning! It's just as much fun to Plan as it is to Plant! :)

Will The Stray Stay? ... continued. :)

Some of you may remember a post I did titled "Will The Stray Stay? :)". It was about our stray cat, Cali, who came and had her kittens in our garage, and found herself a home with us. :)
She, and her four babies, worked their way into my heart, to the point that I didn't want to part with any of them, so my loving husband let me go ahead and keep them! :)
As you know, when they were old enough I took them all to the vet' and had them fixed and vaccinated, and this has been their home ever since! :)
This winter we decided to move them from the open garage to the enclosed shop where they can hunt mice and be safe from the elements and night predators. They're free to roam the property during the day but I close them in at night.
After some time, Cali had begun to object about being confined at night, and then she disappeared. After being gone a whole week I thought the worst. We have owls, coyotes, and other critters around so I was amazed when she showed up one morning by the shop, waiting to go in and join the others! :)
I kept giving her affection, as she ate, amazed to see her calm and healthy! :) Wherever she'd been, she didn't look like she'd suffered in the least! When she lost interest in the food, I picked her up and pressed my nose into that sweet spot behind her ear, and kissed her repeatedly, breathing in her natural fragrance! :)
She remained for that day, that night, and half the following day, and then disappeared again!
This time I'm not fearing the worst, but rather thinking she's found another home that suits her better.
She waited until her four babies were grown before leaving us, and I'm grateful for that.
I've called our country neighbors, on either side of us, but she hasn't taken up with either of them, so her where-about remains a mystery, for now.
I won't deny that I miss her. She and I developed a real bond of trust, and she was my little buddy. I still keep my eyes open for her, even though she's been gone for a couple months now. One never knows when a stray may decide to return, longing for home. ...
For now, though, she's decided to go elsewhere. ...
So I guess the answer to that once asked question, is ... "No. The stray won't stay, but she will leave her babies for me to go on loving, and many, many tender memories that will continue to warm my heart and bring a smile to my lips when I least expect it! :) ...

Colors Of Winter, & Signs Of Spring! :)

 Winter has been showing her true colors lately! Lots of lavenders, pinks, and reds! :)

 When things haven't been white with ice, they've been white with snow! :)

 Mick has been making the rounds with me, looking for, and finding, signs of spring! :) The potted tulips are starting to emerge, showing shoots of green! :)

 The dainty little violets are blooming purple! :)

 There's even streaks of red and orange on the tulip tips! :)

 Vinca Minor's adding a spot of soft lavender! :)

 Hardy violets continue to show color, blooming all winter long! :)

 Red berries mixed with continual white blooms grace a spot in the yard! :)

 Soft greenish-yellow jewelry dangle from a twisted shrub ...

 that Mick highly approves of! :)

 Amid the colors of Winter, ...

We're finding signs of Spring! :)