T'was a Beary Good Morning!

Literally!  :)  I've been enjoying eating breakfast out on my deck this week!  It's been beautiful and the temperatures are wonderful.  I believe it was 66 degrees as I ate!  Earlier in the week, I went to our local farmer's market and picked up a flat of mixed berries and have had those for breakfast each morning.  And the toast is covered with the tart strawberry-apple jam we made as wedding favors.  It is so yummy and has no sugar!  Only three ingredients... strawberries, Granny Smith apples and frozen concen-trated grape juice!  I love this jam, as it's not overly sweet like so many tend to be.

As I sat eating my breakfast, I couldn't help but be aware of the sights and sounds of my surroundings.  I am enjoying my backyard so much this summer!  After hearing the sounds of a train in the distance, I began to clearly hear the chirping of the birds!  And then the fluttering of hummingbird wings.  They are out in groves this year!

I couldn't help but notice the beautiful (albeit small) garden next to me, filled with tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers and herbs.

And then right above my head, I heard the flutter of wings again!  Aren't these amazing little creatures!

I noticed off in a distance the wisteria bush, just beginning to bloom!

And right beside me the vibrant color of my Martha Washington begonia!

After I finished my breakfast, I decided to walk around the back yard.  It's a small yard, and I'm surrounded by neighbors.  But it's a cozy back yard, and I've been able to plant lots of trees and bushes to help make it more private.  As you can see, Harley loves it out here, especially so when I'm out sitting or working in the yard.

This area is still a work in progress.  I weeded it earlier in the spring but didn't put down any bark.  For some reason, grass loves to grow here, so I need to weed again, this time putting down either newspaper or landscaping fabric before I put down bark. 

This is an old "Noah's Arc" birdhouse hiding among the hostas and day lilies.  It's held many bird nests over the years, but has seen its better days.

Another hummingbird at one of my three feeders.

One of my ingenious ideas!  LOL!  This was a decorative "wasp catcher" made from purple glass.  I bought it because it was so much prettier than those ugly yellow traps you see hanging around.  So I thought this would be a pretty way to catch a few wasps.  Not so!  Never caught a single wasp in here!  So, I thought, why not use it as a planter.  The top has a tiny opening and the bottom curls under to a larger opening.  I was able to get a long, skinny rock in the bottom hole and fit it over the large hole to hold in the dirt, but to also let the water trickle out.  I then filled it mostly full with soil and pushed a small impatient into the little hole.  Then I waited to see how long it would take for it to die!  LOL!  I was amazed to see that not only did it not die, but that it's flourishing beautifully!
 

I think this was a wonderful way to "re-purpose"! 

 I noticed for the first time that the blueberries are starting to turn!

Harley looks so content lying here!  He's enjoying the nice weather we're having!

 

This is the only squirrel I care to see in my back yard.  Actually, I haven't seen any squirrels around here in years.  Fine with me! :)  Now I DID have a raccoon cross the street in front of me when I was out taking a walk last night!  That scared me a bit!  LOL!

Every garden needs its gnome!  I call her my babushka gnome!  She makes me think of my aunts when I visited Poland years ago.  LOL!

Don't see many frogs around, either.  But I can walk a couple of blocks and hear all the bull frogs in our retaining pond!  I plan to hang this on our garden shed once I get my potting area made.

A decorative bird house I picked up from Hobby Lobby.

My neighbor's Mimosa tree is blooming beautifully.  We had to cut ours down over the winter.  I miss it and the shade it provided, but it had split and had to be removed.  So now I have to enjoy the Mimosa on the other side of the fence.

My shed...and another work in progress.  This is my one hydrangea...to the right of the shed.  It needs to be moved, as this is about all it blooms.  Also, there's an azalea bush in there that will be moved, as well.  On the left side of the shed, I plan to have hubby build me a potting bench.

Okay...I'll show you the NOT SO PLEASANT part of my back yard!  :)  This is where I want to put the potting table...along the wall of the shed.  I'm challenging hubby to build it using ONLY the boards that are stacked back there.  You can't really see it, but there is also a stack of boards up against the shed.  I really need to get to this project...especially removing that blackberry bush growing at the front corner.  They were EVERYWHERE when we first got out here earlier in the spring.  This one is coming up through those boards and I'm going to have to move them before I can dig it up!  ANYWAY...can't wait to show you the AFTER pictures!

One of the many flowering planters I'm enjoying this summer!

 Another one.

The shade and privacy my trees provide.  Love it!

I LOVE coming out here every morning!

And finally, Harley would like to wish you all a wonderful summer!  I think he was tired of my taking pictures of him and decided to stick his tongue out at me!  LOL!  Thanks for dropping by today!  Have a great weekend everyone!  ~~Annie