Don't Gloat . . .

Try to cultivate sophisticated laziness . . .

Sophisticated laziness does not come naturally;
you have to cultivate it.

Cats have it all figured out, don't they?

Life's Little Instruction Book, pages 82 + 83 . . .

...To be continued...

A Pileated Woodpecker and a toad . . .

The most exciting thing I saw while working outside yesterday was a pileated woodpecker. It was pretty tame too. My digital SLR doesn't have a long enough lens so I grabbed my point and shoot with the 10x zoom. This giant Woody Woodpecker never fails to thrill me. He is huge and almost prehistoric looking. His call is pretty crazy too. He was attacking an old tree stump on the ground.

Pileated Woodpecker

I finally have a resident for my ceramic toad house.

Group of Jack in the Pulpits.

Chives about to bloom.

A very large antique cement herb marker for Rosemary.

I haven't been to the garden center to buy any plants yet this year. Still weeding, spreading wood chips, getting out pots, hooking up hoses, putting out chairs, etc. It is nice to be outside again after the long winter. I seem to be doing most of my photography at the end of the day too.

That's about it. Enjoy your Sunday. Thanks for stopping by. ♥Rosemary

Random photos after the rain late on Friday . . .

I went outside with my camera last night just before the 6:30 nightly news. The afternoon rain had just stopped.

My lone tulip.


Wisteria just beginning to bloom.


Jack in the Pulpit in the woods.


Skunk cabbage in the wetlands.


Dandelion puff ball.


Pink geranium.


Ladies mantle.

I love taking photos on overcast days and if there are rain drops or dew drops I am twice as happy. The trees are really beginning to fill in and all the flowering trees are so beautiful.

Have a great weekend and enjoy yourself whatever you do.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage. ♥Rosemary

Life's Little Instruction Book, pages 80 + 81

Just one tulip this year . . .

Five years ago I planted lots of these tulips. Each year fewer and fewer come up and this year I have only one. Boo Hoo. They always get eaten just before or just after they bloom. I guess I will just have to be satisfied with daffodils from now on since nothing seems to bother them. How this beautiful flower escaped being nipped in the bud this year I'll never know. I am just happy it did. I went to a garage sale last Saturday just around the corner and the lady had a big bed of the most beautiful tulips imaginable. They were right at her back door and she had a small fence around them. Maybe that's the answer. I just keep experimenting until I find things that are trouble free, lazy gardener that I am. 

Life's Little Instruction Book, pages 78 + 79 . . .