This year I’m adding a few (read 106) bulbs to my front garden box, and walkway landscaping. My bulbs this year are all purple, and all from Costco. The Hubby and I were shopping for a cart full of pantry staples when I was snared by the bakers racks of bulbs by the bag and had to get one- ok, two. There wasn’t anything fancy or new there, just Daffodils, Crocuses, Tulips, and Narcissus, but they were calling my name anyway.
Photo Courtesy of: ktylerconk
Name recognition is important, and ever since I moved to Baltimore city I can for the first time recite all the names of my neighbor’s pets and children – this never happened when I lived in the suburbs. This is new! And should I forget a name here or there I have only to wait for one of my neighbor’s 6AM wake-up calls for a quick refresher.
Baltimore is a world without a need for those stick on name tags!
When I purchased my city home I’ll be honest, what won me over to it was the yard; the charming front yard with a front walk and wooden porch and Daylilies gracing all sorts of odd places in the lawn. The homemade side-deck seemed promising. The tiny chain link fence in the front and the 6 foot wooden fence in the back spoke to me of privacy, and future pets, and vegetable space. The sunlight streaming though the windows and the city view from the front step all won me over. I loved that house the moment I set a foot on its rough and completely un-sealed wooden steps. I’m sure the place gave my parents pause, and surprised my friends, who were renting homes in much nicer suburban developments.
This past summer threw me for a loop! I plunged into one end of the summer a single woman, and tumbled out three short months later a married lady! I’ve spent the majority of the last few months consumed with wedding planning, packing , moving, and ultimately trying to start my new life out on the best footing possible. I’ve had blue ribbon days, and days where I’d rather have a re-do, or at least an early bedtime, and some pajamas with footies.
This spring I purchased the Solar SunJet 150 for my tiny front yard pond by the mailbox. It worked perfectly all spring and summer, sparkling and splashing away in the bright sunlight. The gurgling water attracted all kinds of city wildlife that I might not have seen otherwise, like Mockingbirds, stray cats, a groundhog, stray cats, House Sparrows, stray cats, Dragonflies, stray cats, and Raccoons. With variety like this, who needs national parks? Not this girl!
Pardon my absence, I’ve been planning my very own garden themed wedding (of course), in an unbelievably fast 2 month window! It’s been a busy couple of weeks for me, beginning with a surprise engagement to my boyfriend, and steam rolling into a wedding day that’s only one more month away!
I’ve never been a believer in long engagements, at least for myself, so this past month has been a series of evenings filled with rapid fire decisions to make, and venues to tour. My evening freelance writing has fallen to the wayside a bit, and I’m looking forward to jumping back in with all of you. Curious about how he popped the question, and where we went to celebrate our engagement day, keep reading this week for more of my story, and regular updates from my very sleep deprived mind.
All the best,
Amy the Green Gardenista
This is the face of my Saturday mornings lately, and I’m loving it! The Raspberry and Blackberry bushes I planted shortly after I moved in to my city townhouse have given me their first big yield, and on Saturday mornings one of the first things I like to do is collect the newly ripened berries for cooking. I keep my berry bushes on trellises in my front yard to give them the optimum amount of sunlight, and to keep them looking a little more organized and upright than they would if I let them flop around like they would prefer. [Read more...]
Mute Swans have more vocalizations than you might think. Aside from their snorts, and grunts, and hisses of displeasure, they have a squeal that they let out if they are upset about something, or startled. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s really more of a “Squonk” than a squeal, and adequately covers their displeasure.
