Vrede

 Vrede: Dutch word for Peace, Tranquility.

I learn a lot from my Flickr photo Friends. Viewing Europe and other countries through the eyes of other people is always an incredible experience.

Finding peace and tranquility can be so hard during this time of the year for so many. I think folks need to slow up and catch their breath a bit. Easier for me to say now that I am not traveling each day to an office or other job.

More colors in December? How's this?

Red Dragon Sedum with melting snowflakes on it yesterday.

Snow caught in the Hen and Chicks plant next to the house.

Snowflake caught on a Hen and Chick next to the house. 

Christmas Eve Fog

Christmas Day Fog in our pasture ~ not colorful, but the fog did have a beauty to it!

And for some down time entertainment, I sort of made an attempt at a stop motion film. It is all of 5 seconds long. It did take me about a half hour to photograph and move the pieces carefully.

I did get out for a short walk with Charlie. We walked part of the neighbor's creek and I was able to check the fence. The mules can't get back there which is a good thing. I have a lot of repairs to do in the next couple of months.

The snow melted yesterday as the temps rose and it will melt more on Friday as the temps are supposed to be nearly 40 degrees!

Hubby has made some slight improvements. He is cranky and bossy now, so I say...he will recover.

I think I will go search for some Vrede.

Flowers. I like them.

Hen & Chicks

Above is a birthday gift from a very thoughtful neighbor. Over the years she has added some amazing florals to my porch and garden. I've always admired this sort of set up for hen and chicks, but always passed as I thought it was too expensive.

I have several hen and chicks growing in log crevices and on rocks. This one is like a beautiful center piece.

My neighbor professes to have a brown thumb. Indeed she sort of does, but she has a wonderful eye for adding to my collection of flowers. Last year a lavender plant showed up on my stump with a note when my MIL died. 

Another year some beer and Gerbera Daisies showed up.

Flowers have a way of making me smile. My Grandmother Pearl loved flowers. Grandpa only let her have a small area for her flowers. She managed to have the most incredible flower garden in a tiny space. 

Moon flowers were my favorite. I have yet to grow some of those.

At one time I disliked geraniums. But my MIL always had a wonderful mix of them on her porch or later on her balconey. I'd cut the spent flowers for her and learned to have an appreciation for them. 

This year I have 3 colors of geraniums. I potted some exotic pink ones in an old pot I inherited from her balconey.

White ones in an old galvanized pail that was used to collect maple syrup by my father in law's dad.

For me this year, the flowers have it. I can be close to the house yet still outside working in the tiny gardens and watering those flowers in containers on the porch.

The Hen and Chicks I moved to the Forest Garden are doing well!

I couldn't resist a bit of playing around in the woods. The shade is nice and the breezes were warm but tolerable.

I didn't plan on a moderate drought this year, so hauling water daily to water my seedlings is an extra chore, but one I don't mind.

I had to put some 'fake' flowers in the basin of the Old Man's head. Real flowers would have withered away in this wind and heat.

In a way, I am happy that I didn't decide to do a large veggie garden this year. The lack of rain and the heat would have made the work much more intense.

My garden this time last year:

It was rather impressive. 

Rich keeps telling me that he will till it. But he has forgotten that the tiller is partially broken and lives at the neighbor's house now. My neighbor has tilled for us for the past 4 years.

I just don't have the heart to ask him to do it for us in this heat.

At least if we do get some tilling done. The garden will be much smaller but I will reserve an area for Zinnias and other colorful flowers to admire. 

If it were left up to me, I'd have flowers and plants to work with every day.

I have such a hard time resisting all of those bright colors.

Have a wonderful Monday.

My June week is filled to the brim with fun and exciting activities.

Ahem.

Who am I kidding?

It looks to be awfully hot and icky this week with a chance of humidity, clouds, maybe some rain, and chance of viewing a partial eclipse of the sun on Thursday!

Flowers....I just love them!

Just for fun

I found these interesting items made out of brass in a box covered with dirt and dust and bird poo while cleaning the shed. The box fell apart and these strange little items were with it.

I cleaned them up with no idea what to do with them at first.

Sell them? Sure, but I am not Ebay savvy and they probably weren't worth my time.
Then yesterday I was trying to save these little Hen and Chicks that didn't seem to be doing so well.

This 'snail' was an ashtray!

How unique.

A teapot...
There is a little Hen 'n Chick inside there, I added the fake little trees for color.

The dragon seemed pleased when I put it all on the spool top I'd saved from a rotted wooden spool.

There is even a Hen 'n Chick in a tea cup.

I'm enjoying arranging and re-arranging these little items as the garden starts to take shape.

The unicorns seem pleased too. I found one occupying the rather ugly experimental fairy house I made out of a peanut butter jar this winter.

At the Hummingbird feeder......

And...then the Rumble!!!

Well, the winner stayed and the loser came back later.

I do have an Oriole feeder about 10 feet from this one.
Never the less, they are fun to watch in the morning and evening when they are busiest.

They are not the clearest shots as I shot them through two doors! But you get the idea.

Thank goodness.
This morning I woke up to find that it had actually rained last night.

Tomorrow is a planned 'Social Distance' Hike with my friend again. We are going to complete the trail we started to explore last week.

Some happy things...

Not all is gloom and doom.
In fact we are doing fairly well considering the circumstances.

Yesterday I picked up my order from Farmer Danika and she did include sweet yummy treats just as I asked. Rich was happy and pleased.

He IS a ham if I point the little camera at him.
What a total goof. But this is what keeps us going day after day.

Did you know that a mini Daschund/Pekinese can retrieve?
Charlie comes to Rich or I each evening to play ball. He stands and grunts at us until one of us goes out to the porch and tosses a ball.

It is a hoot to watch him and play. After a few throws, Charlie will just watch the ball roll away and then give you a hard stare, or just turn his back on it. He isn't a die hard fan of retrieving. Seems he is more interested in seeing our reactions and making us do things for him!

What a cad!

I've started to replant the Hens and Chicks into some bizarre and interesting little 'pots' ... not pots. My Non-Fairy Garden is starting to take shape.

More on that as I get more work done.

I think I'm going to have some fun with this.

Be silly if the world is too overwhelming.

"You must never stop being whimsical. And you must not, ever,
give anyone else responsibility for your life."
~~Mary Oliver 
Wild Geese