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Ten Things of Thankful: Reading, Writing, and Smelling the Flowers

The compact "Miss Kim" lilac blooms in the foreground, while bearded irises bloom in the background
You probably thought I was going to say 'rithmatic at the end of that title, didn't you? 😉 Don't be silly! This week has been bursting with new growth and blossoms in the yard. I take a garden walk multiple times each day, and each time I do, I'm delighted with the progress I see. 

 1. I'm thankful that, although I will probably have to wait years to enjoy blossoms on the lilacs I planted this spring, the little "Miss Kim" lilacs I planted last year are blooming. I prefer the common lilac varieties, but these little Miss Kims have the same scent. 

 2. I ventured out to a local nursery this week, and purchased some fuchsias. I love fuchsias, and think I've found the perfect spot for them: in planter boxes on the north side of the house, where it is fairly shady. I'm thankful that they seem happy so far, and I'm looking forward to their beautiful blossoms.
Fuchsia plants grow contentedly in a planter 
3. Speaking of shade, not far from the fuchsias is one of my favorite areas of the yard, where there is a little aspen grove and green undergrowth. I love this wild little green area. I'm thankful for cool, shady places. 

A decorative bird house, which is shaped and colored like a bee, hangs from a branch of an aspen tree, while light lavender bearded iris and green shrubs grow underneath.
4. Other trees provide shade and shelter for birds, too. I'm thankful that a pair of robins successfully rebuilt their nest after a wind storm took the first one down a couple of weeks ago. 

A robin's nest of twigs is secure in the maple tree
5. Under that maple tree (but not directly under the nest, for obvious reasons!), we have a hammock that was left here by the previous home owners. I haven't used it much, but I'm trying to not take it for granted, so I found myself relaxing there with a book. If I'm going to read, I might as well be comfortable, right? I'm thankful for cozy places to read, and for interesting books. (I recently finished The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women. It was a fascinating read!)

An inviting hammock awaits a reader under a maple tree
6. I'm thankful for bees that also enjoy the flowers, and that will hopefully do a good job pollinating the garden when the berry and vegetable plants are a bit bigger.

A bee buzzes around a purple blossom on a chive-like plant
A bee is hidden in the pink petals of a peony blossom
7. I'm thankful for blogging friends. I was invited by my good friend, Zoe, to write a guest post for her blog, Carrot. She also introduced me to several apps and now I, too, have made an emoji of myself--and learned how to add a photo of Drexel!

Me as an emoji, with Drexel and the caption, "Drexel and I say hi!"
8. I'm thankful for other blogging opportunities, such as Six Sentence Stories, hosted each week by another blogging friend,  Denise, of Girlie on the Edge. I don't always come up with a story for the prompt, but I enjoy the challenge. This week I reflected on a job I had in high school. 
9. I'm thankful that some of the bare-root trees and raspberries we recently planted are starting to leaf out, giving me hope that soon they will be more green than brown.

Little green raspberries leaves emerge from the cane
10. As always, I'm thankful for John, and all the hard work he does. Our native "soil" is comprised of lots of rocks. In the photo below, John is shoveling up rocks in an attempt to clear the land. I just had to get a photo because I have no doubt that years down the road it will seem unbelievable that we started with so many rocks!

John shovels rocks from the yard into a wheelbarrow. 
What are you thankful for this week? If you blog, please consider this an invitation to join us. In two weeks time, the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop will turn SEVEN years old! If you are thinking of joining us, it's a great time to hop on in! If you don't blog, feel free to visit the blogs and comment. We'd love to hear from you!

 Joining me this week:
On my Way Home
The Prolific Pulse
messymimi's meanderings
the Wakefield Doctrine
Carin's Gratitude
Heart to Heart Soul Creations
A season and a time
Backsies Is What There Is Not


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Comments

  1. RomiMay 22, 2020 at 4:53 PM

    So beautiful and joyful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. messymimiMay 22, 2020 at 7:31 PM

    It sounds like you have a beautiful yard and you are making more so all of the time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiMay 23, 2020 at 12:35 PM

      Thank you. We do enjoy the transformation.

      Delete
  3. Clark FarleyMay 24, 2020 at 6:05 AM

    Always enjoy a well (and skillfully) landscaped yard/house/property... totally an example/illustration* of the saying about 'greater than the sum of the parts'.

    Phyllis enjoys keeping several bird feeders full, and the squirrels are grateful for it...lol

    Have an excellent week.

    *do have a problem this week settling on one word, lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiMay 26, 2020 at 1:30 PM

      Thank you. Have you seen the recent YouTube video about squirrel feeders? https://youtu.be/hFZFjoX2cGg

      Delete
  4. Carin DiazMay 24, 2020 at 1:14 PM

    Oh, I love this post so much. You inspire me. I am a newbie again gardener in a small lot around the house. I love the flowers and hi, Dexter!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carin DiazMay 24, 2020 at 1:14 PM

      Drexel

      Delete
    2. KristiMay 26, 2020 at 8:44 AM

      I'm impressed with your efforts to grow mushrooms! I haven't ever attempted that before.

      Delete
  5. GirlieOnTheEdgeMay 24, 2020 at 7:22 PM

    All so beautiful! Don't ask me why, but I have a new found fondness for irises, in particular the dark purple ones. I pass a large swath of them on my walk every day. Very cool the nest was rebuilt! Birds do fascinate me in that they can build a nest in the blink of an eye it seems. That looks like very hard work! John is getting his work out in for the day for sure :D And I thought Virginia clay was bad, lol It's always nice to read you at the Six :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiMay 26, 2020 at 8:49 AM

      I'm almost positive I wouldn't have planted as many irises, but I'm glad the previous owner did. They really are beautiful!
      Slowly but surely, we're trying to change the composition of the growing medium.

      Delete
  6. Pat BMay 25, 2020 at 6:06 PM

    I love your flowers, especially the peony and the Miss Kim.
    You probably have noticed I haven't posted any emoji of myself. I am clueless as to how to do that. HaHa
    If you ever decide to add a dry riverbed to your yard, you already have the material needed.🙂

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiMay 26, 2020 at 8:53 AM

      Zoe had to walk me through the emoji thing.
      We do have a dry riverbed, remember? But we probably could come up with enough rocks to make another one! :-)

      Delete
  7. Lisa TomeyMay 26, 2020 at 8:34 PM

    Love your pictures! I read Radium Girls too. Here's to a great week!

    ReplyDelete

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