PANSIES SMILING

Already on February 10, I took these photos of our SMILING PANSIES

Due to my bronchitis I took a lot of rest...

 

After lots of freezing nights and also rain, the pansies that Pieter planted early at the end of November.

They hardly showed, nor could lift their faces up...

So I waited for better days to capture them—February 10.

The entire length of Fiberglass Window Boxes along the driveway's retainer wall.

Also captured our 'ever flowering' Rosemary.

We started with several new trailing Rosemary plants as they are evergreen and always blooming.

A paradise for bees—year round!

Another view, now the other direction towards the house.

Now walking around and showing you our Fiberglass Window Boxes at the kitchen bay window and veranda.

And on February 10, our Japanese Magnolia started budding.

Hoping there will be no more frost...

Our kitchen bay window, where the middle Fiberglass Window Box is showing the BEST progress yet.

Also you see the blooming orchids...

These orchids were a gift from a friend's daughter and her husband, given to us on June 17.

They bloomed a 2nd time and flowers were so HUGE that one stem is kind of broken... not fully severed though. 

Yes, IF the sun is out, we enjoy our breakfast in the sunshine. 

SMILING PANSIES also on this side of our home!

We opted for this color to match our Golden Mist home.

We also have blooming Rosemary as patio pot plants to keep our bees happy!

Are you also enjoying some spring flowers?

Related link:

Our Golden Mist Home and Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold | Previous post by me

Our Golden Mist Home and Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold

 It is the BEST time of the year for our Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold...

Saturday morning April 15 with full sunshine! 

Benjamin Moore Golden Mist paint for our home with the Interlock Metal Roofing in aged copper slate and Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold to the right of our home.

Yep, the golden oak had a lot to do with the paint color... 😉

Lots of pot plants on our patio.

Here you can see the entire Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold

Sure it will even be more golden in the next week or so, see links below for the 'perfect' view.

Yes, our Eastern Phoebe is residing once again on the very same nest (we left it there as I'd read they return to their previous nest!) and has babies.

Last year's nest and you can see their beaks up—ready for Mom or Dad to bring them food.

They love their romantic surroundings by Vintage Woodworks...

This morning I captured the babies and we are not quite sure if there are 3 or 4 in the nest...

Pieter did purchase this beauty for becoming a potplant for our patio.

White Dipladenia it is called.

Dipladenia is in the Mandevilla family but it is a bushier plant whose stems grow down and hang.

This photo I made this morning to give a view of the bay window area and even you see the gazebo on the left.

There are lots of leaves blown off the Southern Magnolia tree...

Yes, on Friday, around 1:00 PM we had torrential rain + wind!

With our Benjamin Moore Golden Mist paint color, we of course had to have yellow pansies...

The same planter on the left is filling in as those got planted somewhat later.

A detail with some rain drops from yesterday...

Related links:

{Our Home with Aluminum Interlock Roofing and Benjamin Moore Golden Mist Exterior} | previous post by me

Our Home Freshly Painted | previous post by me

{# 1111 - Our Golden Live Oak 'Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold' changing color} | previous post by me

Eastern Phoebe Reside in Front Porch with Babies | previous post by me

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.

Kitties we LOVE and GRIEF for...

 A dear Blogger Friend lost her precious Derry boy.

Musings on a Small Life ←click link.

LOVE this photo of sweet Derry!

Kitties and or Puppies can really look inside our soul...

Their faces can convey so much and they truly are such loyal companions.

May Derry R.I.P. and may his Mom find the strength for moving on without this cuddle bear near her...

~

November 22, 2022 our Spunky girl claimed my European pillow, the one below the regular sized one.

Hah, my water bottles on the night table to the right...

This made in Germany flannel set with yellow roses, I'd enlarged its duvet cover so it would now fit the 'larger' Caribbean light down comforter.

It was quite a task for taking it apart on one side with the seam ripper but it was so worth it!

Our kitties LOVE it as much as we do... 😼

Spooky nestled close to his Papi while reading on his Samsung tablet...

Speckie only claims her tiny spot next to her Papi's pillow... arms crossed.

Spooky next to me on the love seat. He sure LOVES his blanket and with one eye he follows what I'm typing here on my MacBook—for you to read...

Yes, our kitties are all seniors and they show more and more gray hair in their fur.

Speckie is 13 since November 10 and her four siblings by adoption are turning 16 on March 30.

Spooky's paw—looking like a blackberry...

But YES they forever leave a footprint on our hearts—and they are so loved!

On January 8, 2023 this neighborhood kitty (male) is on our patio in one of the pot plants and staring at our kitties in the windowsill of the bay window area...

Ours stay inside when it's cold and those 'friend–kitties' come to our home looking for some affection... SAD!

That's why it is a tremendous solace when we lose one of our beloved kitties—knowing they lived a sheltered life with good medical care, good food and lots of LOVE and cuddles!

There are so many others that never get such human love... This kitty also limps and that for over half a year. 

Those eyes speak volumes!

Frost and our Patio Pots

 It has been quite some years since we had such frost as this winter.

Maximum was –10°C or 14°F.

Our tropical exotics like this Clematis Armandii we long have lost to bitter winters...

You can see it here → (click link) {Our Clematis Armandii - Fragrant Blooms on Evergreen Vine}

In above picture was against our balcony on April 14, 1995.

That one died from frost...

Pieter had managed to save two starters. 

{My Green Sewing Creation} ←click for seeing more photos with its tropical blooms.

Those were the top years for our garden!

But the trees have grown bigger and our other shrubs and plants must compete...

Also we both aged and we opted more for Pot Plants on our Patio.

Also the more hardy ones so not every fall and spring they ought to be hauled in and out of our greenhouse.

On our patio, one pot plant is this Croton Yellow Mammy.

Croton

Croton plants have beautiful patterned leaves.

Crotons are pretty!

Some other pot plants on our patio.

Soon we will see what will be left from our patio pot plants...

Looking out of the bay window we see a lot of dead plants in the garden!

Hate that dreary look but in two months things will start anew.

Our Autumn Garden Blooms & HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 The 2022 Autumn has been very brief...

On October 9, our Hydrangea paniculata, Limelight still blooming like it would not end!

More in detail with perfect sunlight.

This was already blooming on September 8—the longest lasting blooms we've ever seen!

Check post below about 'Our Garden Blooms in Summer

On October 21, Pieter did bring in a giant red Hibiscus bloom.

Placed it in our Repoussé Silver Rose vase...

Showing here its proportion a little better...

On October 30 when we left for North Carolina and Tennessee it was very dark and drizzling so I could not capture our Sugar Maple.

Photo got taken on November 4, day after our return and as you see—most leaves are already down and not even turned completely golden yet.

Pieter's open hand gives you a good idea about the size of yet another red Hibiscus bloom on November 7.

Love this red Hibiscus with its very special center.

A detail of its fabulous center—too bad our hummingbirds are already gone to the Caribbean.

Not the best photo taken on November 13—that late into the season.

But what I wanted to show here is that these petunias, the Blanket® Double Chardonnay in our Fiberglass Window Boxes remained like miniature plants...

Very disappointing!

Blanket® Double Chardonnay Petunia Plant ←click link

GrowJoy claims that one plant grows to mature size of 10–inches tall x 24–inches wide or 

25 cm x 60 cm.

Our plants sure did NOT do that, they remained very miniature as you can see by my hand as comparison.

In post below you can see them also

On November 19, our Hydrangea paniculata Limelight had turned pinkish from some near frost nights...

There were more buds but they did not turn out the way the first two did!

On our patio the summer blooming azalea still performs well as a pot plant!

Another great performer on the patio as a pot plant is the Rosemary—they bloom year round!

On Sunday, November 20 I captured our regal Camellia Japonica Debutante.

You can clearly see the now raised wooden walkway that Pieter finished in June while I was in Europe solo...

Holding one regal Camellia Japonica Debutante in my hand...

Mariette's Back to Basics wishes you and your loved ones a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING

And all those that reside outside of the USA, THANKS for your VISITS over the years!

Black Friday is always on with FREE SHIPPING at Spectrenoir on line ←click link.

Related link:

{Our Fiberglass Window Boxes & Double Cascade Pink Petunias} | previous post by me

Our Garden Blooms in Summer | previous post by me

{Camellia Debutante & Chocolate} | previous post by me

{Let It Be A Happy New Year} | previous post by me

{Our Camellia Japonica Debutante} | previous post by me

Espresso with French Macarons | previous post by me

Our Camellia Japonica Debutante in Winter | previous post by me

Pieter Captured our Estate + Progress for me to View While in Limburg | previous post with Petunias