Happy New Year's 2008

2008 it almost here, I wonder if I will be able to stay awake to see the new year in..........doubtful :).

As seed catalogs arrive earlier and earlier each year I stack them up until after the first of year, three more arrived today, but after tomorrow I can start browsing, YEAH! Spring is just around the corner, right???? Select Seeds arrived today, it is my favorite catalog so I may have to look at that one tomorrow. We have a very quiet day planned, I am going to watch the Rose Parade start to finish on HGTV as they air it without commercials.

Have a happy and safe new year, I feel 2008 is going to bring some changes in my life.

Pretty Birds

Well, the Christmas rush is over. It was another wonderful holiday season with the one exception of my Dad's health. My 59th birthday passed with little fanfare, I wanted to get to Reiman Gardens and the butterfly house for my birthday but that did not happen with all the other things going on.

We have had one storm after another with ice, snow, rain and fog, what is next a tsunami? :)

I have noticed something at my feeders that I have not witnessed in all my years of feeding the birds, juncos are coming and eating out of the feeders, they have always been plentiful around here but they always ate off the ground, this year they are regularly at my feeders, I am not sure if they have gotten smarter or hungrier :). The Carolina Wren is still a daily visitor.

Merry Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas everyone!

Last Roses of Summer or First Roses of Winter

I didn't know what to name this photo, last roses of summer or first roses of winter. Since yesterday was the winter solstice, I guess I will go with the First Roses of Winter, what do you think?

Iowa is under a winter storm warning, wind warning, you name it and we either have one going on now or had one :), all these warnings followed several fog warnings over the past several days, the weather has not been good, that is for sure. It has just started snowing again and it is cold and windy.

Picture Taking for Christmas Card

Last Saturday I put some lovely holiday collars on the dogs and tired to get some pictures, they did not want any part of it, I did not get one decent picture.

We are under yet another winter storm warning today! Sounds like a good day to stay in for me, thankfully I have that option and that is exactly what I am going to do :).

We had some beautiful hoar frost this past week, but I was sitting at my desk at work looking out at it and was not able to get any pictures, darn it!

TGIF, Christmas Cactus, Begonias, Cactus Garden

Friday is finally here, it seem to be a long time coming.

My Christmas cactus is in bloom. I have several but my favorite is the old fashioned kind that has been around forever. I have a begonia in bloom as well. Last weekend, I had a bit a free time so I did a cactus garden.

Birds at the Bar

Last weekend during our ice storm the birds were busy at our feeders.........you can see the ice on the feeder. During a storm I usually fill the feeders several times, yesterday I think I either filled or dusted snow off of the platform feeders a half a dozen times.

Hibiscus in Bloom

I snapped these pictures of the some Hibiscus at the greenhouse.

We have gotten more snow! Probably about 3 inches so far, and it is cold.

Bromiliads

I took these photos at the greenhouse while shopping for our poinsettia. I love bromiliads but I do not have the room to grow them. I do have an earth star, I always think of my aunt when I water it, she had one growing in her kitchen window for years. I bought mine at Wal Mart a few years ago, I was surprised to see it there, but there it sat just asking me to purchase it.

White Poinsettias

Last of the poinsettias, I promise :).

Pink Poinsettias for Connie

Some pink poinsettias for Connie. The first one is kind of a dark pink, more maroon possibly but I thought it was pretty.

Poinsettias on Parade at local Greenhouse

Every year for many years my husband and I go to a local greenhouse that grows thousands of poinsettias, I take lots of pictures, we walk around and admire all the varieties and each year we walk away with the usual bright red one which is always our favorite. This is just something small but it is has become one of the highlights of the holiday season for me. The first picture is of the plant we purchased the other is just one of the greenhouses, there are more.

Our first winter storm has arrived, it was snowing when we walked the dogs this AM, by the time we got back home it had turned to sleet, while walking in the woods all of sudden you could hear that it was sleet and not snow. The weather has changed my plans for the weekend. I am staying in for the day. I am going to get started on my holiday candy making. Caramels and fudge are are on the agenda today. A couple of weeks ago, my oldest friend, (we met when I was 5 and she was 6) came over and we spent the day making caramels, her daughter is home from CA now for an early Christmas and she loves the caramels, so my friend and I made several batches, it was a great day.