The backyard........

The perennials are sure returning with gusto.  I like how I have things becoming so crowded that they keep any weeds or creeping Charlie from growing.  I can see the hosta could or should be divided but I will wait I think for another year.  It always depends on the mood that you have when your in the garden.  On a good day I could divide it and the two parts would have plenty of time to revive and thrive. 

It is getting close to the time that I can start to plant tomatoes outside.  I am trying to decide whether to plant them in the ground this year or put them in large pots.  Tomatoes really like a lot of hot sun and my yard is becoming more shady as my trees mature.

School is out at the end of the month so the extra sub pay will stop.  I end up working four out of the five days but sometimes they just don't need me.  I take advantage of a free day as much as I can to get outside work done.  My riding mower sure speeds up the mowing time so I won't spend a half of day just push mowing the property.  I do have to still mow the other property in southern Iowa and that is push mowed.

It has been a long week and blogspot gave me a day off from posting for Thursday.  I was busy and things were down so I just can move on from there.  I am looking forward to the weekend and hope everyone has a great two days off.

Thanks for stopping by.........

Thursday's report..........

Our heat on Tuesday finished off the tulips.  We don't have a lot of moisture in the ground so it made everything shrivel up.

Our warmer weather helped bring out the wild phlox.  I found these in a timber years ago and transplanted them in my garden.  The have spread throughout the garden area.

The mulit headed daffodils are later than all of the other bulb plants.  This is a stem with at least four to five blooms the end.


I am a middle school social studies teacher today.  It has been a long day but will be back for more tomorrow.  I succeeded in getting my old riding lawn mower up and running.  It takes an older machine a little convincing to get them to run.  I am glad that I mowed as the evening was filled with thunderstorms that produced very light rains.  The rains made everything take a leap forward in greening up.  My evergreens all put out buds of green overnight. 

Thanks for stopping by...............Friday is coming!!!

Wednesday........

The apple tree that did not have a single bloom on it seems to be showing off this year. It is loaded with blooms and seems to think it is going to have apples.  There are a few bees on them helping to pollinate them as well as the winds are certainly strong enough to help with that too.

While attending Iowa State University I would always look forward to see these red bud trees in bloom.  They were planted among large trees and would show off their color in spring.  Walking to class was always a treat in the spring time.

My red bud tree has been planted at least seven years now so it is getting really showy.  We have some very old trees in town that stand large with a lot of great color.

Trying to sell a house without a realtor  may save money in some cases but I have had two very bad experiences now showing the house.  The young couple wanted everything to be brand new, even though I know they are working beginning salary jobs.  They knew how much the bank would loan them but they thought maybe I would sell it to them very low to help them out.  I also don't know for sure how large of family would end up in that house but it seemed a little shaky.  I still believe the one holding the deed is the one you respect and that is the person you are being appreciative to for allowing them to view the house.

A house should be worth more than the price of two brand new cars or I must be confused.  I know the market in southern Iowa is slow and low right now but a structure that protects you from the elements and keeps you safe is not a freebie that buyers can expect to have.  I really think the society has disillusioned some to think that all things are instantly there's for the asking. Our society was built with the work ethic of bettering oneself as you work up the ladder.

My wife and I live in an old fixer upper and we have lived within our means.  We have a nice home but it has been created in years of work and remodeling.  Brand new kitchens don't happen with a magic wand and ceramic tile floors and all new house furnishings have to come in time.  

I will be patient as I know that the right age of people and the right set of people with realistic means will come along and buy this house.  In the meantime, I will also expect less from the public and be surprised when someone is nice. A buyer's market does not mean that you can victimize the seller.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by........

Tuesday's tidbit.......

It gets to be so busy that I need to stop and smell the tulips along the way.  It is getting hot in Iowa now and I need to get more outside work done in the garden and in the yard.

Thanks for stopping by...........

Blossoms......

Pear blossoms are sparsely spaced on the tree this year.  I guess the weather wasn't good for them early spring.

Looking across the street you can see my neighbors flowering crabapple tree.  The lilac in front of the tree is almost ready to bloom.

The fernleaf peony you see here is the parent plant of all the new starts of fernleaf that I have in three spots in my  garden.  It flowers a week or two earlier in southern Iowa than it does where I live. I didn't destroy it by taking starts from it.  I think there is a start somewhere else in town that I gave to distant relative and I know there is a start in Minnesota that I gave to a distant friend.

I am working in the Special Education room today working in assistance to homework challenges and giving tests.  I was in there on Friday and I will return today.

Thanks for stopping by.............

Sunday Stuff...........

The tree will continue to give me bad apples.  It didn't last year. There wasn't a single bud, bloom or apple on the tree last year. So we are going to return to a normal blooming cycle this year and yes bad apples.

The birds are enjoying the seed heads for the birch tree.  I have seen cardinals and sparrows eating seed from the branches.

Sadly this suitcase is taking it's final trip.  It isn't visiting Colorado or Utah but will end up in Afton, Iowa at the landfill.

I shouldn't get emotional over a dumb old rusty suitcase but it is the one my brother and I used when I was a kid when we traveled.  My dad loved to take these two week trips out of state each year and my brother Dwight bought these stickers.  I see a trip to Spook Cave is on there too. The Wisconsin Dells trip was a bad trip as my dad didn't want to go there and we heard about it the whole time.  We went to Colorado most years and again the next year after going to the Dells.

Dad, mom and Dwight are all gone now and I guess the suitcase's final trip should bother me a little.

Thanks for stopping by................ Have a good Sunday.

Saturday's viewing........

Years ago I planted grape hyacinths out in the orchard area.  These use to be growning under a pine tree.  The tornado snapped the tree off five years ago so now they just come up in the grass area unhindered from the shade of a tree.

This is a growth report on the hosta's  I have planted new ones in other areas around the fish pond and I was pleased and surprised to see them.  I am good about transplanting and forgetting what I have done.  It is really a great thing for the feeble and old to have surprises once in a while.

Color of this tulip is so subtle and so rich.  My neighbor lady told me once that tulips sometime revert back to yellow and I think that this is one of them.

We are headed to Osceola today to mow the lawn down there and do some more throwing away of things in the garage.  The weather is so much warmer down there so I expect it to be warm for mowing. I will dress accordingly.  School subbing has kept me from making as many trips down there as I need to do to finish up down there but school will be out soon.  I don't think I will sub for janitors during the summer even though it is a possibility.

Thanks for stopping by........going back to work makes me appreciate the weekends again.
Everyone take care.