“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!”
Psalm 33:8 ESV
I am often up before sunrise, but wishing I could’ve slept a little later. When I step out and catch a view like this, my frustrations with waking up so early diminish, and I simply find it hard to be a complainer!
The angle of early light brings something special on sunny mornings. A walk around the yard one morning last week was going well until…
…I came across this. At first I thought the birch tree had developed a disease. But then I decided a Sasquatch was lurking here. Ah, finally; I had evidence to prove they existed…until I realized it was only “me and my shadow”.
Pam just loves Wisteria and truthfully, although it is invasive, I like it too! The vines in our area hit their peak blooming time this season just right as far as temps and quite a few days with no frost. Seems like a banner year for Wisteria, but with below freezing weather last week and 22 predicted tonight, the main show is coming to a close! Pam thought they deserved a little attention and I agree!
Some of the blooms along these vines were as long as we ever remember.
The growth pattern and the way each blossom matures from top to bottom can be seen well here. We are glad we enjoyed these blooms early last week since cold nights have now arrived!
The prettiest flower however, was spotted recently at a tea party in the Sunshine cottage! EK wearing her favorite color!
The early morning Sasquatch spotting brought no harm to the birch tree. There was just something about this barchitecture against this sky that I couldn’t pass up!
The pale color of the early dogwood petals is giving way to a whiter and brighter display, even on a very cloudy, rainy St. Patrick’s Day.
I determined it was time to clear out all the weeds that had taken over the wildflower garden during the “off season”. To my surprise, the wildflower mix I sewed last year obviously contained perennials. I had forgotten what was here, but was glad to find something other than weeds. This is Sweet William. I would likely be in trouble if I pulled this up! The gardener has her eye on me.
Of course, there are plenty of weeds to go around. This California poppy has a little competition from henbit and plantain, both of which will need to disappear. Might be some coreopsis blended in also which will need to remain.
I believe this is blue flax? It is definitely not one of our common weeds so I will leave it and see what happens. A few undesirables are hanging around close and will need careful removal!
New tulip bulbs planted last fall are now raising their heads. This is a variety we weren’t familiar with. The blooms sit atop a very short stem. We have learned that if bulbs do not get enough chilling period during winter, the result can be shortened stems. With a fairly mild winter, this makes sense of what we are seeing.
It’s a nice attractive color, different from anything else currently blooming. After looking down into the bloom, I saw that a critter also agrees…or perhaps it only wanted to escape the morning rain?
After storms wreaked havoc on the old arbor and the Lady Banks roses, we tried to cut way back and salvage the plants that had produced a beautiful sea of yellow every spring. It was never the same, so last year we went with a new arbor and new plants. I believe they are going to thrive, although it may take a couple of years to become well established!
Pam thinks I get carried away with adding so many “garden features” such as this guy. But, when I remind her of how much the grands love and enjoy my little “features”, they suddenly become permissible. Isn’t that amazing! I don’t tell the grands, but allow them to discover new additions when they come to play in the garden!
I decided at the last minute before scheduling my post that I would include my Friday, before sunrise moon. Since all the full moons have names, I thought; why not name this waning crescent the “Banana Moon”!
The vernal equinox occurs tomorrow afternoon if you choose the astronomical perspective, but we sorta like the meteorological definition and go with March 1st…probably thinking this makes us feel better. A psychological jump ahead I suppose, but it works!
Either way ~ Happy Spring
PS – we hope to get our act together and post some 50th Anniversary pics and thoughts tomorrow. Key word is “hope”!
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch,Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda
Thanks for starting my day off with beauty
Thank you, Gail and I am glad you enjoyed!
Pam
Early morning walks are wonderful as the sun is just coming up over the landscape. You captured the peacefulness of the view beautifully. It is such fun to surprise grandchildren with new things on the property to delight them. God bless!
Thank you so much and blessings!
Pam
Beautiful shots; the sun hitting the tree is so pretty. The tulip is a gorgeous color. EK is a cute little girl and appears to be enjoying the tea party. She has such a sweet smile. Wisteria is beautiful but can be a challenge to contain. I’m afraid the hard freeze will affect all the pretty Spring blooms. It’s really cold! Clara ❤️
Thank you, Clara. Wisteria is hard to contain, but oh so beautiful. It has been really cold here. Wishing you a lovely week ♥️
Pam
Good morning! What a lovely spring walkabout! I read exposing yourself to just 5 minutes of early morning sunlight resets the pineal gland in the brain and makes you sleep better. It must be true bc I’m up at daylight walking Poppy and sleep like a baby! I love wisteria, it is so beautiful and smells delicious. Princess EK looks very regal and is so lucky to have a PJ with a Sunshine Cottage! Hope you a wonderful week filled with adventures.
Thanks so much, Roxanne. I need to join Butch for his early morning walks! Have a wonderful week!
Pam
A beautiful Spring walk, and so glad the Sasquatch was just your shadow Butch! I love wisteria, we have a vine growing in our side yard. EK looks so pretty in purple! I certainly hope the freezing temps don’t hurt anything, we have our hydrangeas covered. I look forward to more anniversary pictures, and I hope you both have a great week ahead. Happy Spring 🌷
Thanks so much, Jenna. I love the cascading of wisteria and it’s beautiful color. I am ready for warmer temperatures!
Pam
Who could complain capturing a sunrise of that beauty ?..the early bird does get it… Precious EK becomes more huggable with each passing season. Alas, some young weeds look too lovely to demolish, such as that blue flax, but one has little choice in the taming game. Oh, your wisteria… beautiful cascades to delight.
Looking forward to the 50th photos…. Your musings and scripture selections are
always a Sabbath gift.
Thanks so much, Mary. The 50th photos won’t come until Thursday. We can’t make it happen tomorrow!
Pam
Your new trellis and plant growth look good! Two more nights of 20s for us, and then hopeful that spring stays. I love how you have the little critters for the grands in the garden. EK is such a doll, they all are. I’ll be celebrating my oldest daughter’s birthday on the vernal equinox. Happy spring, Pam and Butch!
Thank you, Rita. Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Pam
Another lovely stroll! First off EK is such a sweetheart… I just love seeing your Littles.
I enjoyed seeing the Wisteria blooms. Pretty shades of purple.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
You are so sweet, Nancy. Happy Week to you!
Pam
Stunning pictures! EK is sooooo beautiful! Happy Sunday, dear friends.
Thanks so much!
Pam
What a beautiful grandchild. You are truly blessed 😇
Thanks so much!
We are still very cold here but hoping Spring will arrive soon. Everything looks so pretty. Happy Sunday have a good week ahead. Hugs. Kris
Thank you, Kris. Happy Week to you!
Pam
i wish that wisteria would hit my part of the world! It’s gorgeous, a favorite we can’t seem to grow well here (at least we normal beings can’t!) Happy week, Sasquatch!
Thank you, Jeanie. Wisteria is so beautiful, but terribly invasive! Happy Week to you!
As usual Butch teaches us and entertains us with his witty comments. Beautiful signs of spring and I especially like the ‘banana moon’.
Oh, for a sign of crazy weather, I have a day lily blooming! Very early!
Thank you my friend! It was 22 degrees this morning!
I’m with Pam. I love wisteria. Beautiful photos of early morning and the crescent moon. EK looks beautiful in her favorite color. Your Lady Banks yellow roses were my favorites. Seeing them cascading over one of Pam’s tables was just amazing. I hope your new plants grow nicely. Happy week. It was 19 here this morning. My beautiful Weeping cherry has been hit hard.
Thank you, Dianne. I am so sorry about your weeping cherry. I am not sure about our Kwanzan cherry.
Pam
SO very lovely. Winter and Spring are toying with us here in Wisconsin. It’s supposed to be in the mid 40’s tomorrow, so I hope to spend a little time tidying up my flowerbeds. I haven’t spied any flowers yet, but crocus and daffodils should be opening soon. I love wisteria too, but can’t grow it here. Thanks for sharing photos of yours.
Have a blessed and beautiful Lord’s Day.
Cindie
Yes, that sweet little grand is definitely the prettiest flower in the garden! I don’t think wisteria grows here but it looks so pretty and I’ve heard the fragrance is lovely (correct me if I am wrong please). Sorry for your early awakenings Butch, but the sunrise is gorgeous! Can’t wait to see how the Lady Banks do on the new arbor this year. Happy happy week to both of you!
EK looks like a doll. She is beautiful e rn at this very young age! Wish I could grow wisteria. It’s one of my favorites. Oh and the dogwoods. Gods way of reminding us of His sons work on the cross. Oh today is the first full day of Spring. Butch I’m looking forward to your walks through the woods since I can’t go. I love the second picture of the sun light on the tree. I’m an early riser also. Watching the sun come up is truly beautiful. Thanks for this post.
Thanks so much, Alice. There is so much to see at sunrise! I hope you are seeing signs of spring!
Pam
Thank you for featuring the beautiful wisteria. I really miss seeing it around where we used to live. It is one of my favorites, too!
Thank you dear one!
Pam
I appreciate you highlighting the lovely wisteria. When we were living there, I truly missed seeing it there. One of my favorites as well!
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