Spring Garden Fever

 Currently, this is what the outside of the house looks like.

And yet, despite, or perhaps, because of it, 

I have a serious case of Spring Fever.

 I'm anxious to start all my outdoor projects, 

most of which are gardening/plant related.

Gardening is my big stress reliever,

and it's been many years since I've had flower gardens

(or potential ones rather)

of my very own.

The digging and planting, the design and enjoying sitting out on the patio

all make me feel relaxed.

And trust me, I need all the stress relief and relaxation I can get.

So now I'm using the last of the winter

to plan out the gardens.

I'm planning things like brick paver patios,

water gardens and flower bed design.

I've also looked into making the property a Monarch Waystation

and having the yard be a National Wildlife Federation certified Wildlife Habitat.

(I encourage others to look into these as well, no matter where you live!

Especially the Monarch Waystation, Monarch Butterflies are declining rapidly and need help!)

I'm also working on a plan for some added curb appeal-

something the house is in desperate need of!

The steps to what was the upstairs apartment will be removed

once we replace the door with a new window.

The front of the concrete porch I plan to spruce up with stone veneer,

and eventually replacing the ugly iron columns and railings with nice white ones.

I also think I'm going to get 3 large containers and plant an evergreen shrub in each one

for the front of the house on the sidewalk.  

Without a front lawn, the house needs something to soften it up.

I'm also thinking about a planting box on the right end of the porch 

so I can plant some type of climbing plant to grow up that side.

I'm thinking perhaps cardinal vine as it's an annual,

has bright red flowers that will attract hummingbirds and match the front door.

When the columns and railings get replaced, I can plan something more permanent.

And I suspect I'll be butting heads with my husband over design ideas.

I have it in my head to have a cottage garden

with English roses spilling over white picket fences

and climbing arbors 

(which will be featured to the right of the house towards the back yard some),

and I'm thinking he's more of the organized plants in a line sort of fellow.

Really, if that's the case, he should just plan to give in now. 

For now, this is the reality of the yard,

and I've been told I can't rip out shrubs until the ground isn't frozen or too muddy.

Guess we'll see about that.

Wordless Wednesday

Early morning drink for the tomatoes before the 80+ degree temps

Koi Pond in the morning with the new papyrus plant

Wordless Wednesday

Squatch, Zombie and Martha Stewart at the watering hole

Froggy Went a Courtin

It was a dark and stormy night.
Really. 

I was on the way home from partaking in some retail therapy
when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. 
I stopped my car, and fearing that whatever it was had gone underneath the vehicle,
 I got out. 
There sitting in the road was a large bullfrog.

So I did what any nature loving tomboy would do-
I tried to catch it. 
Mr. Frog was a wily one and I had to chase him across the road
and through someone's yard-
at 10pm.
In a thunderstorm.

I was victorious, however, and proceeded to drive home
with a frog in one hand and steering with the other.

He's now residing in the water garden in the back yard. 
And for your listening enjoyment,
here's Tex Ritter singing "Froggy Went a Courtin"
a song I remember singing/hearing in my childhood.