“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24
Welcome to my morning, welcome to my day…He’s the one responsible, He made it just this way!
(A little combination of my words and those of John Denver)
Our mayapple colony survived the winter and is thriving on the hillside where we find them each year.
Early to mid April is wild azalea time in our woods. I find that a lot of these plants are along woodland edges and often grow alongside or near oak leaf hydrangeas.
Some azaleas display more pink than others. An oak leaf hydrangea is in the background, growing next to this azalea.
Emma Kennedy is the princess that is forever on the move. However, we noticed she did not move fast enough to avoid getting some of P J’s baked beans on her Easter dress during Sunday lunch! And, expressions speak louder than words…”ok, get your crazy adult pics made and fast, I have eggs to hunt!”
Ella Mae escaped the baked beans it appears but she is subject to climbing trees and crawling under bushes to play in the garden. Only time will tell how these pretty matching dresses their sweet mommy made will fare after an active Easter afternoon!
I’m a bit like Emma when it comes to pics of me. I tried to smile but I fear it looks fake. I wanted to move on to more important things, such as New York strip and other savory items at Bottega.
An appetizer of homemade chips with charred onion dip.
My strawberry cobbler was better than delicious. There are some advantages of a birthday besides the obvious, and one is food you normally don’t treat yourself to!
Welcome to our throwback for this week. A beautiful field found in April, 2016, in neighboring Georgia. Commonly called Canola, these are cultivars of rapeseed plants which are brassicas (cabbages, turnips, mustard etc.). Canola oil and other things are produced from the plants. Canada is typically the world’s largest producer. Canola is actually the original trademark of the Rapeseed Association of Canada and the name is derived from “Can” from Canada, and “OLA” meaning “oil, low acid”!
While walking through the nearby woods in April you aren’t likely to step on a dog but you might step on a dog violet. It is the most common woodland violet and unlike other violets, has no fragrance. I still have no ability to verify if anything has a smell or not…frustrating but on occasion, advantageous! In this case it would have been helpful in determining the plant type.
Pink sorrel has small flowers but a close look reveals how pretty they really are. One small corner of the yard always has an abundance of them and I avoid mowing for a few days just to enjoy the blooms. In the sun they have a shiny appearance to me.
Got armadillos? We hope you don’t! Quite a few holes like this appeared overnight in the yard near the Sunshine Cottage last week. This hole is about the size of a softball and 6 or 7 inches deep. We are attempting to rid the area of grubs, a favorite armadillo food!
Daisy fleabane, one of our most common wild flowers, is in abundance along roadsides and in pastures. It is quite pretty and deserves notice.
Probably the oldest flowering plant we have at our house is an azalea in a garden area out front. The plant is about 40 years old. Last year I decided it was overgrown and out of control and I determined it was time to remove it entirely. But when I started cutting it back and preparing to get the tractor and pull it up, I changed my mind. I suppose I didn’t have the heart to replace it. Instead I cut it way back but figured it would not survive. And yes, the plant was huge and a tractor was needed to remove it. Unexpectedly, the plant leafed out, grew, and as you can see, is providing blooms to enjoy!
Hiking through the woods along a trail that was apparently not a route I travel this time of year because I had never seen this dogwood. This one has very large blooms, larger than many other trees although that might not be so noticeable in a pic. I couldn’t just pass it by!
We leave you with this beauty. Pam used cuts from our Kwanzan cherry last week in an arrangement for a post. We never tire of looking at flowers that are this elegant and showy!
Wishing you a pleasant and peaceful week!
”Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”.
Hebrews 13:8
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda
Beautiful post of the gorgeous flowers of your gardens that are truly sublime!…Oh and the girls….they are growing up too quickly..stop the clock!….So happy you posted that pic of the “yellow field”..on our travels we often wondered what they were and now we know!!! Have a most glorious day!
Thank you Shirley! Have a great week…
Gorgeous, your flower show is just lovely this morning. We have mayapples on our mountain behind the house, but our azaleas are still in the bud stage.
Thanks so much Carole.
Butch, I am always amazed at your keen eye and voluminous knowledge about the woods. I spent hours in the woods looking for my cat last week, and all I could think about was snakes and ticks! The girls’ Easter dresses turned out so pretty, and a few smudges are evidence of a grand time. Good luck with Mr. Armadillo!!
Roxanne, I am so glad you didn’t see a snake or find a tick on yourself. I am terrified of both!
The girls are adorable and the garden looks so pretty. What a beautiful time of year this is.
Amalia
xo
Thanks so much Amalia!
All the flowers are beautiful! I do love the native azaleas and saw a yellow and pink one growing in a friends garden this week.
I also love the wild violets. I wish I could spend a day going to my childhood woods where they grew and see if they were still there. We would be delighted when some of them had a velvet petal.
Believe it or not there is something worse than armadillos. We have had armadillos for years but last year moles took over and ate all our grass. They were very entrenched and expensive to hopefully eradicate. Hoping we never see signs of them again.
Glad you enjoyed your trip to Bottega.
Have a great week.
Thanks so much Bonnie. Moles, armadillos, skunks…it seems there is something to always deal with. Hopefully you are rid of them permanently. Have a lovely week!
Beautiful Spring photos Butch! I love seeing the princesses every Sunday, always adorable! Hasn’t our weather been incredible these past few days, enjoy this beautiful Sunday!
Jenna
Thanks so much, Jenna. Wishing you a lovely week!
Would throughly enjoy going on a walk through the woods with you because of the things you find. You remind me of my grandmother as I would go with her on walks through her woods. On my I didn’t realize that armadillo had spread to Alabama. How awful. How do you rid yourself of them other than getting rid of the grub worms? I’m so glad you didn’t pull the 40 year old Azalea up and cutting it back is a good thing for all azaleas. Mom had many of them that required cutting back when they over grew. I enjoy also all the information you give us on the names of the plants. Hope your week if filled with blessings.
Alice, I know that Butch would enjoy your company on a woodland walk. Armadillos have spread further north to Tennessee and Kentucky. There is only one other way to get rid of them, I will let you guess.
Wishing you a blessed week dear one!
Pam, The girls look so cute in their dresses. The dresses are adorable. All the blooms are fresh, colorful and uplifting. We have armadillos and ground hogs! I have deer fencing around the newly planted roses after I saw a young ground hog in the area. The yellow field of what will be canola oil was informative and appreciated. I use it often when cooking. Happy belated birthday Butch! The meal looks delicious. Enjoy your day. It’s gorgeous here! Yesterday was delightful too! Happy Sunday! Clara ❤️
Thank you Clara. Our DIL teaches school and it amazes me that she can find time to sew. There are always pests to have to contend with it seems.
The weather has been perfect today, Clara. Enjoy your week ♥️
Adorable girls and beautiful flowers. Happy belated birthday. Blessings,dear friends.
Blessings and hugs dear one 🙏🏻
The girls are growing up so fast! They’re so pretty! All of the flowers are beautiful, too. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed week!
Thanks so much Michelle. Wishing you a blessed week!
Good morning, Pam and Butch. Your photos are beautiful. We have native azaleas here in WV also. They bloom in June high in our mountain areas. Ours seem to be a pale pink. The colors of your are stunning. Now, to those dreadful armadillos, I do wish you luck in getting rid of them. It is not a pleasant thing to have your garden wrecked with unwelcome visitors.
The girls are so sweet and pretty n their Easter dresses – but they are growing too quickly. They will soon have the precious little one to fuss over. He will keep Emma Kennedy busy.
Wishing you a beautiful day and week ahead.
Sandra, your comments are so sweet. Wishing you a beautiful week my friend.
Happy Sunday, Butch and Pam! Such gorgeous pictures for this beautiful day! Those girls are so precious! They look so pretty in their Easter dresses. What fun they must of had hunting eggs! The picture of the canola fields is gorgeous. I hope you both have a blessed and lovely day!
Thanks so much Shannon. Wishing you a lovely week sweet friend!
You know Pam…I love all kinds of music and I just have to share this song with you and Butch. I am sure you have heard it, it was recorded by Diamond Rio in 1991. And it was also the time our twin boys were in the Navy (they went into the Navy right out of high school) and they would call me from so many different places as they would be transferred. And no, although the Navy did let them be in boot camp together, the Navy would not let them serve together in the same place. (I believe that came about because of the Sullivan family, but that is another story and I digress.)
You might wonder what triggered this memory for me and it was the beautiful dogwood flowers Butch shared in your post today. Every time I see or hear about dogwood, this song comes instantly to my mind. I think it was because the writers of this song, Larry Cordle and Larry Shell,…seemed to be right there in our home as the lyrics were being written. And yes, we did have dogwood blooming behind the house. Indulge me please and forgive me if this reply is too long.
The Title: Mama Don’t Forget To Pray For Me
The lyrics:
Well hello, it’s good to hear your voice
I hate to call so late, but I didn’t have a choice
I’m calling you from Dallas, headed for L.A.
I wish I had more time to talk, there’s so much to say
No I ain’t forgot how I was raised
But I’m livin’ way too fast
It’s a roller coaster ride, up and down
My new job is going great, I’m headed for the top
I should be happy but somehow I’m not
Sometimes I think the devil has got me by the sleeve
Oh, Mama don’t forget to pray for me
Tell me how is the weather?
Have you put the garden out?
Are the dogwoods bloomin’ out behind the house?
No I’m not sick, there’s nothin’ wrong, don’t wake up Dad
I just thought of you and home and got a little sad
No I ain’t forgot how I was raised
Oh, Mama don’t forget to pray for me
I have always tried to make sure we have a dogwood somewhere near our home(s)! If only in a large pot!
Thanks Butch and Pam for the memories and beautiful flowers in and about your woods.
Blessings Always
Philippians 1:3
Kari
Kari, I love your sweet sentiments my darling friend. I am so glad your memory was stirred by the dogwood photo back to this song. I am sure it was one that brought tears when your boys were serving our country. It has been a long time since I have heard the song, thank you for sharing the words with us. Your reply could never be too long. You are a lovely sister in Christ and I count it a privilege to call you friend. Blessing dear one!
Thank you for this much appreciated post! It’s always a delight to share in your sweet family’s fun and special days, your knowledge of and breathtaking flower photos are such a sight for our sore ID eyes…still VERY windy and still snowing on and off here…what a blessing you all are🌾
Thank you Sue. I hope spring comes soon for you all. Blessings dear one!
Beautiful Sunday pictures and thoughts! Butch, you’re pretty much in the category of a long hauler with still having a loss of smell, aren’t you? The girls are so precious, and their dresses adorable. Have a great week.
Our DIL is a teacher and it amazes me that she can find even a minute to see. I so hope Butch’s smell returns. Have a great week, Rita!
Nothing like a Sunday stroll through your beautiful photos to have one’s heart and soul lifted high. So much to be learned from Butch’s storehouse of knowledge of nature’s wooded bounty. Such a keen eye for particular beauty…..speaking of which, the
Easter maidens shine beautifully in their Easter frocks .. pure bunny love… and no fake smile possible at Bottega, given that
cobbler…genuine delight. Thank you Pam, Butch and Princesses for gathering us into your world of discovery and joy.
Thank you dear one for you lovely comments. Blessings on your week, Mary!
The girls in their Sunday Best made by their sweet Momma… reminds me of my sister and I when we were young. My Mom made us matching dresses. 💗
Did I hear you mention your birthday? Happy Birthday Butch!
I always enjoy you taking us in the woods with you. We learn so much!
Happy Sunday!
Thanks for sharing your sweet memories, my friend. Psst, Butch is getting older!
The granddaughters are beautiful and I’m sure a delight to you and Pam. God clothes the earth in beauty this time of year to give us Hope after a long, cold winter.
Those wild azaleas are gorgeous. Did you transplant them to your woods or did God plant them there?
I have to find some like that.
Have a great week!
Hi Mildred and thank you for your sweet comments. God planted the wild azaleas and there are lots of them. Wishing you a lovely week!
Butch, I’ve seen many photos of your smile and it is a beautiful, warm welcoming one and never fake — so never be afraid to smile for the photo. Just think of your lovely girls (including the older ones!) and that smile will bloom as beautifully as the wonderful photos of your garden.
Jeanie, what sweet comments!
Happy belated birthday, and may God bless you with many more!
Thank you, Cheryl. Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday!
Great post Butch!
Bless you both,
Jennifer
Thanks so much, Jennifer!
STRAWBERRY cobbler!!!
Yum!
Yes, so good!