The azaleas came into bloom this week with about half of the shrubs well into their spring show, just lovely! We have a lot of bushes inside the driveway island and down the edge of the meadow along the driveway. My favorite ones are the white ones. Luckily, the cold nights do not seem to have damaged the blooms significantly.

There are a few brown edges here and there, but mostly they are pristine.

I love the soft pink of this one, and it was full of big bumblebees busily collecting pollen.

On another white azalea, there is always one small clump of pink. I have no idea how this happens, but it happens every year in the same spot. There are white flowers on the same branch.

Then there are usually one or two flowers that have pink streaks like this one. The petal is half white and half pink.

The hostas are coming up nicely now, and a lone turkey came by to scratch in the ground for tasty bugs.

I found one lady slipper preparing to bloom. These are such a joy, as they are impossible to cultivate and need precise conditions to grow. To have one growing in our garden is magical. I like to say that they grow where the fairies touch the ground.

When we cleaned out the bed, I was afraid that the other two would never come back. Disturbing the delicate bacteria they need in order to propagate is a risk. Last year, I only had the one bloom. This year, I think I have found the other two again, just leaves for now, and I have hope for flowers again.

While I was out taking photos, I heard a bird song that was new to me. Searching the tops of the trees, I saw these guys. With the zoom on the camera, I still couldn’t get a close up shot as the trees are very tall. I didn’t have my phone, so I couldn’t pull up the Merlin app. I think this is a pair, with the male on the right and female on the left, but I cannot be sure.

I set a table for our holiday meal using the Kaleidoscope topper. I opened the cabinet where I keep my salad plates and found these flower basket ones that I haven’t brought out since last spring.

I used a small milk glass vase and filled it with silk flowers for the center. The footed vase is small enough to allow the radiating pattern of the quilted piece to show.

The place settings have yellow chargers, white dinner plates and the flower motif salad plates. Crystal drink glasses and everyday flatware are placed with the plate stack.

Flower pot napkin rings hold yellow napkins, and individual salt and pepper shakers are placed above the forks. All ready for a ham dinner today.

Yesterday was the Dillsboro Easter parade, and we enjoyed spending some time with our MINI club. However, the parade itself was a huge disappointment. We had to arrive almost 2 hours early with the cars already decorated. We put the final touches on ours when we got there. We had our big stuffed dog with bunny ears sitting on the back of the convertible. Inflated bunnies were put across the front, with magnetic eggs and a whirlygig on the antenna. On the back, a couple of glitter garland streamers with eggs trailed off the boot lid.

This used to be a big deal, with vendor booths and lots of spectators lining the street, several car clubs and more. This year, the spectators numbered a few dozen at best, and they didn’t even block off the street. A small number of vendor booths were off to the side and across another street. There were 6 MINIs and three other cars, and that was it. One lap around the four block parade route and it was over. Pitiful. It took longer to decorate the car than to drive the parade.

But, we had a drive and meal afterward, and it is always nice to see the greening up of the trees in the spring. We drove along the Tuckasegee river. You can see our Easter ducks on the dashboard. The blue one has bunny ears.

Then we went over the ridge to Cullowhee for lunch. Having a fun meal with a lot of laughter made up for the lack of a real parade.

Back home in the kitchen, the amaryllis is making progress, getting ready to bloom. I have had this bulb for 13 years. It bloomed for four years, then took a year off. Then it bloomed every year for the next five years. It didn’t bloom last year or the year before. But this year it apparently has rested enough, and is going to give me a beauty!

The orchid is making progress as well. I am trying not to get too excited as it looks like there might be three blooms. But I’ve been disappointed before, so cautiously optimistic now.

Virtual Retreat is Thursday, and my big Stamping Sale is Friday. Mostly a fun week is coming, and I hope to get some sewing done. Have a Happy Easter, and a great weekend.

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