Flowers, Family, & Music

The iris and peonies are blooming in the backyard.

There are two different yellow iris varieties

and maybe two different purples.

The yellow peonies below have no fragrance.

I guess that is good if you have allergies but I love the smell of the pink peonies.

Little pink blooms of unknown plant.

The bird like this metal birdbath for quick splashes.

Monday we had fun watching the baby bluebirds take their first flight.

That is a baby bird's head sticking out of the birdhouse.

Five little ones flew off.

We checked each morning to see how many buds and blooms there were.

This is my favorite iris.

It's the only two-color variety that we managed to get from mom's yard.

Here are the front yard flowers.

Lots of yellow.

I posted this on social media-

Helen's iris and Clara's peony.

Flowers from our mom's gardens.

Sweet William blooming in front of the iris.

The small purple flowers are phlox.

Easter brunch with Ava and Kenton.

Joey, Jessie, Ava, & Kenton in their front yard.

And in NYC-

David and Ben

Emily and Liam

A few weeks earlier I was singing Verdi's Requiem with the Memphis Symphony.

The symphony chorus was joined by the University of Mississippi choirs. There were almost 200 singers and a lot of symphony musicians, too.

I was on the front row between the timpani and the bass drum. LOUD!

Lots of sopranos...

We practiced all week.

Ready to sing!

It was a great experience.

The music is still going around in my head.

Until next time.

Catching Up & Snowy Days

Well, back in January we had snow and ice and stayed inside for about two weeks.

At the same time I tried to upload photos to my blog but was blocked. 

Today (March 12) I went to the Apple Genius Bar and got help.

So here are the snow pictures.

Mini mountain at our front door.

Backyard views from our porch.

We are so glad we replaced the windows on the porch this past fall.

With the help of a small portable heater the room stayed warm and

all our potted plants survived.

Below is a view from our upstairs playroom.

All the snowy backyards.

The front view from the upstairs master bedroom. 

Part of the reason we stayed inside for almost two weeks was our driveway 

was icy and snowy. Being on the north side it did not melt and there was an ice

speed bump in front of the garage door. 

We were fortunate to stay warm and cosy with plenty of food, books to read, and TV shows to watch.

We even played mahjong for two a few times.

I made several dresses for Miss Ava. 

Look for them on my sewing blog.

 

 

Around the house

This summer Martin decided to tackle painting all our wrought iron furniture.

The green tape topped tables have been prepped for spray painting. 

All the porch furniture was moved to the deck so the porch ceiling and trim could be painted.

Notice the okra growing on the right.

We have a narrow strip of sunshine on the side of the house.

That's where Martin plants the flowers and vegetables that need lots of light.

These are the old windows.

Some glass was gone.

Some windows would not stay up.

The plants were moved for the new window installation.

The new door is all glass.

So great for viewing birds and critters.

Installation in progress.

Note the drill on the window sill.

New working windows.

Now the plants can stay on the porch in cold weather.

We bought a small portable electric heater to keep the temperature above freezing. 

Now we have a porch we can use all year round.

In the summer we will open the windows and use the over head fan and standing fan 

to keep the air moving.

The porch is on the east side of the house so it is shady in the afternoon.

Two robins are waiting their turn to eat the cherries on the neighbor's tree.

Can you see the cherries?

They are sort of golden not red.

Kenton and I tasted them - not sweet but the birds like them.

Next time - new trim colors on the front.

The Big Anniversary Trip

Fifty years ago in July

Martin & I were married in my parents' house.

Through the years we have enjoyed traveling together.

This July we wanted to celebrate with a trip with our children and grandchildren to Vermont.

Joey found the Von Trapp Family Resort in Stowe, Vermont.

The grounds were beautiful with lots of activities like hiking, biking, swimming, and tours.

This area was very inviting.

Phlox and Globe Thistle

The Von Trapp Family cemetery

Phlox

Globe Thistle

The bike practice field

The grandkids burning off some energy.

Joey checking out the Sugar House where the maple syrup is made each winter.

Joey and Jessie investigating a covered bridge in Stowe.

One of the group tours was 'Meet the Cows'.

We walked about a mile to see the Highland Cattle.

We learned that they had just been moved from near the swimming pool to this far away field.

A little too buggy for some of our city kids.

This farmhouse was across the street from the cows.

Ben & Jerry's first ice cream factory was nearby.

Measure how tall you are by ice cream cartons.

Liam above and David below.

They are both growing so much.

I had to take this photo of the newest flavors.

Now on my must-taste list.

Emily brought funny props for celebration photos.

Oh, my!

Silly cousins!

David is a great snuggler.

On our way to the airport we stopped at the ECHO museum in Burlington.

It was an extensive hands-on children's museum.

The exhibits were well thought out and engaging.

It is right on Lake Champlain.

We ate lunch at a place near the marina.

This one is out of order. 

Our last evening at Von Trapp the sheep came to graze on the lawn.

What a way to cut the grass.

The Sugar House from our Maple Sugar Tour.

We sampled the syrup. It was sweet and smokey.

Maple trees

The Green Mountains

It was a fun trip with family.