My Pieter Captured Spring 2024

 On March 25, Pieter made his rounds for capturing spring 2024

Our azaleas behind gazebo

Azaleas in the South East can put on quite a show!

Carolina Jasmine

Hyacinthoides Hispanica Excelsior - Spanish Blue Bell or Wood Hyacinth

Detail

Again Azaleas

Native Georgia Azaleas

Closeup

Our Somei Yoshino Cherry 

Azalea detail

Azalea detail

Azalea detail

Spiraea Cantoniensis

Always loved shrubs with golden green leaves...

SPRING in Our Garden — Post Accident

 This year's beautiful spring happens without me being IN it...

Can't walk, cannot go outside so Pieter captured it for me on my iPhone.

Hard to imagine what a driver without LOOKING can cause to another human being's life!

Our entire household is affected.

An elderly husband becomes the care taker...

Our kitties are unsettled...

Needing assistance with laundry and making the bed and on and on.

A very painful and also costly thing.

Needing a private driver to go to places where I used to drive.

On and on.

For missing the spring flowers, dear friend sent these on February 23, for enjoying indoors...

From my bed, I could see through the balcony door our Red bud Cercis Canadensis blooming on February 25.

Sending Pieter with my iPhone to capture them for me...

BUT my Pieter does NOT see the pink flowers due to being color blind!

This photo shows the wood trail below, that Pieter did newly built while I was in Limburg, The Netherlands one final time...

In front of our garage is this stunning Azalea pot plant, also on February 25.

Heavenly Azaleas...

Those stamens are so pretty!

Also on February 25th a sweet bouquet delivered by some kids from our Church and one street down from us.

You also see our pansies in our fiberglass window boxes happily blooming and more pot plants on the patio that bloom.

At least for me SOME spring flowers that I can enjoy without being outdoors...

My ugly rash and itch has subsided, a nasty side affect from the Medrol Dosepak, to reduce the swelling.

The swelling has gone down and cuts are healing with scabs formed.

My left leg hurts most around knee and ankle, where it is so severely cut and bruised aside from the Proxima fibula being fractured.

My calf is extremely tender and painful to the touch—hard to get any decent sleep with it and my right leg with the knee fracture and knee immobilizer.

BUT my nasty night sweats are also gone it seems—making progress!

Short legged and chunky Speckie girl on February 27, 2022...

Yesterday, our youngest senior kitty of 13, Speckie came home from the Animal Clinic after 3 nights, where Pieter brought her on Friday morning.

She was very sick.

Turned out after some blood work that her kidneys are not shutting down but in bad shape — just like mine. She also had a bacterial infection and got antibiotics and fluids.

Let's hope her Chronic Kidney Disease does not progress too fast...

Thanks for all your comments and prayers.

SPRING ARRIVED

 Each year it is quite a joy to see the Spring Blossoms!

Here I stand next to the azaleas that grow behind our gazebo.

Wearing my wool with rayon shorts from Escada's Apriori line with matching top.

Booties and belt I've found elsewhere and also my brown slouch socks.

These azaleas were in full bloom on March 9.

Hard to keep up with everything!

While working in the office, finally processing the long scanned photos from Pieter's family and adding names and info as Pieter recalls, Pieter brought me this fragrant nosegay of Bluebells...

March 21... WISH I could share the heavenly fragrance!

These pansies were putting on a show on March 23, looking so happy on our retainer wall alongside the driveway.

Our Somei Yoshino Cherry in bloom behind the pond.

Our Bletilla Striata Alba Orchid in bloom in a pot.

It is native to Japan and China, see post below.

Are you enjoying Spring Flowers?

Related links:

{Hyacinthoides Hispanica Excelsior - Spanish Blue Bell or Wood Hyacinth} | previous post by me

{Our Gazebo and Azaleas} | previous post by me

{Our Somei Yoshino Cherry in Bloom} | previous post by me

{Our Bletilla Striata Alba Orchid native to Japan and China} | previous post by me

{Castanopsis Cuspidata (Japanese Chinquapin) Japanese Shii}

Around mid-April our very special tree, the evergreen Castanopsis cuspidata (Japanese Chinquapin) Japanese shii, started blooming.

You can click the pink hyperlink for information...

This photo is actually from April 26, where it is already in full bloom!

As for its name Japanese Shii, it is related to the famous Shii-take mushrooms

'Shii' is the name of the tree that usually hosts the mushroom. The tree belongs to the Birch family. 'Take' means the mushroom fruit...

Screenshot is taken from: Medical Mushrooms.net just click it.

The above information you can find: Castanopsis cuspidata (Japanese Chinquapin; Japanese shii by clicking on the hyperlink.

There is very limited information about this very special tree.

You can find more here: Castanopsis cuspidata

These are the flowers (catkins?) about mid April as they start opening up.

The tree seems to be related to beech and oak!

Looking somewhat hairy but very special!

This is on April 26, the Japanese Chinquapin is partly seen to the right of the tall 'Magnolia Namnetensis Flore Pleno', so you have an idea where it is.

Now I'm stepping back, across the road for an overview. 
Our Golden Live Oak 'Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold is partly seen next to the big Magnolia.

Walking back to the Japanese Chinquapin...

Again, these photos are from April 26 and the flowers start already looking dark.

Except for areas with less direct sunlight.

It is a very unusual and exotic looking tree!

Have you ever seen, or heard of this Castanopsis cuspidata, Japanese Chinquapin or Japanese shii?

Hope you enjoyed this introduction!

Thank you for your visit and time.

Related link:

{RARE Icicles in Our Garden} | showing you this Japanese Chinquapin with icicles on!
Castanopsis cuspidata (Thunb.) Schottky | Common names: Japanese tanbark oak; ita-shii (Japanese) and its Pharmaceutical interest

{Trimming up Dogwood Lets Light Back into Bay Window Area}

On November 12, Pieter did start Trimming up our huge Dogwood tree, that almost touched the house.

It really had darkened our entire Bay Window Area!

Twenty five years of growth is a LOT.

After breakfast, those long branches got sawn off...
Done with the hand saw, while standing on a ladder!

From the bay window area it still looks kind of dark...
With our white vinyl picket fence in the back.

One can tell that those branches almost reached the house, while up there...

Those two limbs have to be sawn off completely...

Up on the ladder and with the use of the electrical chain saw...

A better view of the action...

Down it came, with already big buds for the dogwood flowers meant for next spring...

SORRY!

It kind of hurts to murder something living...

Husband Pieter did have constant help from cat-man Spooky.

He walks back and forth when all the branches got hauled off, after they got cut up into pieces.

Hard work and now we got a LOT more light into our Bay Window Area!

Wishing all my U.S. readers a very Happy Thanksgiving.