Anybody have cabin fever, yet? One way to fight that feeling is to get outside, especially with spring making our temperatures warmer. Digging in the dirt is a cure for the inside blues, isn’t it? I feel for those of you stuck in city apartments, or in cold weather, where there are no gardens nearby. We are so fortunate to live on our beautiful mountainside, with forest all around us. So, I hope you enjoy a walk around our place today, with some pictures taken over the past couple of weeks. My bulbs have bloomed beautifully, at least the ones the squirrels and voles haven’t dug up to eat. Still, the hyacinths gave a few lovely, fragrant blooms. This purple one was the largest and longest lasting of the bunch.
The yellow one was sparse, but the color was pure.
Behind the pretty purple was a vibrant magenta color one.
Early one one overcast morning, three does crossed the meadow and then the driveway. It appeared to be the same mom with two little does that I saw last year all spotted, and now more grown up.
Back to the flower bed, the double daffodils were waking up. The pink hyacinth put out three flower spikes this year, each one pretty and fragrant, but not really full of blooms.
Beautiful blooms were on these double daffodils, with white edges and orange centers, with a bit of yellow, too.
Over the course of a few days, several opened up and showed their happy faces.
More shining yellow happy faces are sprinkled down the hill.
On the feeder, hungry birds keep making short work of the full feeder of seeds. They make me laugh as they get out a big seed, then hold it between their toes and beat it with their beaks.
The pair of bluebirds are still here, this is the female on the left. That’s a titmouse on the right.
At the far edge of the meadow, white flowers on the pear tree are coming out. The reddish ones behind this tree are the flowers of the maple tree.
The cherry tree is bursting with pretty pink blooms.
A towhee stopped by for a visit. His mate was nearby.
As we enjoyed a rare warm evening, we cooked out on the grill and enjoyed the song of a house finch in the redbud tree next to the garage. He sang his little heart out, and kept going for quite a while. It was overcast this day so the colors aren’t bright.
Our cardinal pair are still living nearby. Cold and rainy weather mean they come by for the suet cake more often.
I felt sorry for this squirrel, so I gave him some oatmeal bread a few days ago. It didn’t take long for him to learn that if he came up to the door and looked hungry that he might get fed. I chase him off the veranda, though, I don’t want him digging in my pots. But on this day, he was being a good squirrel, sitting at the base of the bird feeder pole on the ground, and looking hopeful. It was about 38 degrees this particular morning, so I made him a squirrel sized peanut butter sandwich. He scarfed it down in no time. My Sweet Babboo thinks I’ve lost my mind. But everybody needs to eat, and this is the time of year that squirrels have the least amount of food as their winter stashes get depleted and the spring food has yet to grow. Of course, a few days later he was back. Last Sunday, he actually came up and knocked on the sliding glass door!! He has learned that a soft touch lives here.
Two turkeys have been hanging around. These boys are not the same ones as before, as they are still a bit skittish. But they have been here before as they didn’t run off when I stepped to the veranda with a bit of bread for them.
They shyly came up, and got a bit more relaxed as the bread bits came to them.
I wanted to show you the final bloom of my amaryllis. It put out four beautiful blooms this year, brilliant velvety red.
All four blooms were open at once, lovely!!
Inside, my plants are doing better this year than ever before, and I am thrilled. These are my tomatoes, several varieties.
Lots of squash, with the most vigorous plants I’ve ever grown from seed. The light has made all the difference.
The basil started late, but it is doing well.
And more tomatoes, along with some flowers. Looks like I’ll have full pots soon.
The best transplant days coming up in April are the first and second, so I got busy readying the larger pots yesterday. I’ll thin the herd here, placing the most robust plants in bigger pots. I am afraid to put them out until after our last frost date of April 15th, but I’ll be hardening them off this coming week. This weekend, My Sweet Babboo and I worked on washing the veranda railing as the temperatures were setting records for warmth. It was a good workout in the fresh air, accompanied by bird song and a gentle breeze. The freshly clean white railing shines behind my overwintered spike dracaena, and blooming geranium. It is starting to look like spring here.
What is going on in your garden now? Are you digging in the dirt while we are all at home?
From My Carolina Home 
You really captured some beautiful pictures. Those does are worth framing and I think you have made a friend with the squirrel. So cute. Keep us posted.
I think the only people that I will get near for a very long time is my husband and my research team at MD Anderson! LOL The good news is that I have plenty of fabric to keep me busy as my energy level allows! I have 3 family members in the healthcare industry asking me for masks so I am on a mission!
Lovely, yes life goes on….not in the same way for now, that will come!
Love seeing the earth wake up!
Lovely photos, beautiful flowers & wildlife. Every year some of my spring bulbs appear in unique locations, having been relocated by furry underground gardeners. I’ve never thought of making peanut butter sandwiches for the squirrels, but they do knock on the sliding glass door to let us know when the ‘bird’ feeder runs out.
Beautiful photos! I haven’t been out “in the garden” yet, but I need to. Hubby was talking about yard work the other night and then it rained. When it dries up a little I need to attack with determination the weeds and overgrowth before the tulips come up. My daffodils started blooming in February and some are still giving us little peaks of Spring.
What beautiful photos of your lovely walk around your home! No digging in the dirt here; we have rain today, with snow in the forecast. So not quite time to dig, but soon, I hope! We did sneak in a walk on Friday (I think?) before the rain moved in. So we are finding thing to do indoors – reading, cooking/baking, and for me, of course, sewing. Thanks for sharing this beautiful post, Carole!
Love your “awakening spring”. We have moved with family and are missing the mountain spring… wishing comfort for all
Our garden is showing some signs of life…our frost date is near the end of May. There are some primroses in bloom and a few crocuses. Our witch hazel bush is still in it’s full glory. The daffodils are in bud. A few perennials are peeking out as well. It’s encouraging to see your flowers! Thanks for sharing your garden with us.
I enjoy reading your Blog. Here in Massachusetts, in the Berkshires, we are not so far along. I was out yesterday uncovering the day lilies and evening primrose. Then cleaned up one of three raspberry beds. It was warm for us, 54 but grey skies. The rain came in the evening and it is still a soft steady rain this morning
Your pics are absolutely beautiful, Carole!! I love the story of the squirrel!! I can actually see him in my mind coming up and knocking on your door! That is so funny! Our daffodils bloomed in late February, early March and the Bradford pears lining the median of our neighborhood have almost bloomed out. I wish they lasted longer. Of course, the wisteria is blooming, which I love! Hyacinths and daffodils are amongst my very favorite flowers and I love your doubles. I need to find some. It looks as though you will have a hearty garden this year! Thanks for the gorgeous pictures of the animals and flowers. It helped brighten my day a bit. I’ve only been out of the house once in almost three weeks and that, unfortunately, was to go to the urgent care and get my sciatica doctored!
Beautiful..thanks for sharing ♥ I loved the squirrel story! We’ve had some warm days here in Central Florida — walking around the lake has been nice but nothing is blooming!
Beautiful pictures! I’ve already been planting as our weather has been in the high 80’s. A little unusual for March but I’m loving it.
Your beautiful flowers just made my morning! I love how you mix things up in your blog. I never know what subject you are going to post and that makes life fun! Keep it up and in a few months maybe you will post a yummy tomato sandwich on freshly baked bread!❤️
Beautiful color in your garden. Mine is in between. The Daffs have long gone but the wisteria is in full bloom as well as the English Dogwood. I got industrious yesterday and weeded the raised beds,well half of two, so I can plant the potatoes that have decided to grow in the pantry. Haven’t used the beds in several years but things are changing so I thought I better get with the program.We never know what tomorrow holds…especially these days.
Thanks for the breath of spring, Carole. Here we are still waiting for the last of the big snowbanks to melt, and the ground to start drying up before we can get out to start the spring yard clean up.
Happy to see, and hear that some of our birds are returning. Stay well.
A squirrel sized pbj?!! You have a friend for life now! Love the amaryllis, just spectacular, and I enjoyed all your blooms. Your tomatoes are really happy! We have a bunch of stuff under lights now, DH made a frame to hang 3 big lights, and we have peas growing downstairs in buckets, along with starts of the usual. The tomatoes just came up, so I think they will be just about the right size come mid May when they can go out.
Your flowers and other nature photos are beautiful and uplifting in this time of isolation. Thanks for keeping our spirits energized.
Thank you for sharing your spring garden with us:) 🙂
I agree that being outside has helped with cabin fever….I transplanted all my spider plants…giving them fresh soil and larger pots to breathe. 🙂 🙂 We too did some spring cleaning and set up our outside patio…still too cold to sit out in the evenings….but soon I’m sure. Sending smiles your way. 🙂
Woke up to bright sunny skies this morning and then viewed your wonderful collection of photos displaying the renewal of spring. Much appreciation to you.
Next year’s s renewal may arrive to a different world. Please take care and stay safe at home. Thanks for the distraction from our present stage of isolation.
Your garden is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing your spring flowers, as we are expecting another winter storm this coming week. I’m a bit tired of long underwear, hats, scarves, gloves and jackets when I take the dogs out!
The virtual stroll through your lovely yard is so welcome on this chilly, rainy New England morning! And the PBJ for the squirrel could be the start of a delightful children’s story! And I love the bird pix and the bulbs blooming….and….and…all of it! Just love your blog with all the topics and gorgeous photos.
Walking through your garden, seeing the bushy tail as he gets a treat ( and why not) is a delight to me, as NZ recorded the first death from Covid 19 yesterday. A lady in her 70’s, and well known to the hospital, ( maybe many visits over the years) with underlying health problems, probably for some time. The West Coast is a tightly knit group of resilient and kindly people, but as gathering sizes are limited, I so feel for her family,. Spring up North, I have grape hyacinth bulbs shooting, the last hollyhock continues to bloom, and the darker mornings tell me winter is coming.
Thank you for the garden tour. We recently moved to a condo with a solarium and I brought as many plants as I could in pots from the large yard at the house. I have them in our outside barbecue area. The roses are healthy; one even has a bud?. The little forsythia is ready to bloom and the tiny daffodils are still blooming after almost a month. We have elevated planters and the shallots are up as well as the radishes. I’ll be thinning those in a few days when I plant the lettuce and kohlrabi. I’m sure glad I was eager to experiment as I managed to get my planters, dirt and seeds all before most stores closed. If I can’t get tomato and pepper plants that will be okay as there should be enough greenery to keep me relatively happy.
And there is quilting and cross stitch as well as baking to keep me amused inside.
Enjoy your paradise and its creatures.
Hello Carole, Your post today is beautifully filled with the wonders of nature. I enjoyed every single photo and description that you wrote. There are so many of your flower bulbs that I have been wanting to add to my flower beds, but when I am able to buy them the stores are so picked over. I was especially delighted with the bit about the squirrel. I adore watching squirrels and for the past two years, we have not had any. Like you, living on a mountain with such a huge variety of places for the squirrels to live, I understand but it sure is disappointing. When our cold and rain do decide to stop for awhile, I will gladly get outside and begin all of the flower gardening. Thank you for sharing this fantastic post filled with delight. Have a wonderful day!
HAPPY SPRING Your flowers are beautiful. The mother doe and her babies are so sweet. Love seeing the turkeys. Thank You for sharing.
Marion
Oh, my what a beautiful array of God’s handywork (and yours). I don’t know when I have seen such an array of colour! Where do you live? We have not had any gardening weather yet. We woke up to rain today, but I notice the sun is trying to shine through now. Fortunately, I am a quilter and am able to catch up these days of quarantine! Be blessed as you work in your garden!
The dirt in my garden is still frozen with tiny bits of Snowmen. This week has been rainy, windy, cold and so I REALLY enjoy seeing your flowers and birds. Looks like a catalog. The Boy Scouts sell plants and baskets but don’t even deliver till after Mother’s Day and still they will stay on my table for a week maybe. Bossy little squirrel is so cute. Have you named him? And to everyone who chimes in to tell their stories from NZ, Mass., Florida, Texas. Makes me feel less alone, thank you all.
Nature is coming to life again and I love it. The double daffodils are stunning. I enjoyed seeing you March garden up close, thanks for sharing it!
Love hyacinths!! And you have had some gorgeous blooms.
You made me smile with the squirrel antics. I think they are so cute, and everyone else thinks I am batty. They are considered varmin in the UK. We don’t get them here.
I always enjoy a trip around your garden. Thank you.
I haven’t done any gardening yet, since our frost free date is later. There are some bulbs blooming here though and they make me happy. I will be doing more gardening this year if the nursery is open. I have enjoyed looking at all the beautiful plants and birds and deer in your post.
I so enjoyed these lovely images – thanks!
Your tomato plants and all inspired me so I visited the local hardware store to buy starter planters that I’ll keep indoors until end of April. Just yesterday evening, I sowed some seeds: Roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, cilantro, and Italian parsley. I sure hope everything grows. Hopefully, I still have a green thumb. It has been a few years since I planted any vegetables or herbs.
So much beauty. The double Daffodils, the tawny deer, the birds!! Just needed a little pop of beauty as we haven’t seen the sun in days. Thanks for giving and sharing all of this.