Two Trees; One Ring

Oh, my...we have drama today! 

The maple has finally begun to spread her wings.  Such a beautiful green. 

And look how copper beech is coming out of her shell.  That pale copper shade at the tip is what we can expect the new leaf to look like when it finally emerges.  maybe next week?  The parent tree is already almost in full leaf.

Last night it rained. Now, for a while,  the sun has come back to us.  The lily of the valley were just standing there, clothed in droplets of rain, waiting to dry.  They will be putting on a show for us later this week- the buds are just poised to open. 

And one of my favorite groundcovers, alchemilla, catches every drop.

Each leaf holds a different assortment of water gems.

I think that this is when the true beauty of this plant really shows.  It will eventually push up a bunch of chartreuse flowers that make it look kind of ratty.  Well, I think so anyway.  So, today is a good day to show off. 

Saturday Stash

 This is a week for making sure I have all the items on the To Do list crossed off.  It was the week of our association's AGM which is always a big deal and a lot of making sure everything is exactly where it should be.  Lots of stuff that you can't forget to do.  Now I've run that marathon, I can get back to what passes for normal around here.

So, this kind of snow-plow knitting was perfect for the week.  I forged ahead with determination and have started the sleeves.  It's really simple stuff.  I am still implementing my one lesson learned.  Count the rows.  Even if it's only stocking stitch forever.  I have fudged too many seams in my life and this really changes that scenario.  Tip of the week for you.

Actually, what I'm heading for with all this plain knitting is the lace part.  Yes, of course, that's what has my attention in this pattern.  It's a very cool lace insert knit in the round.  I just can't wait to get there.  Who needs carrots when there's lace?

And I just might finish my pink cardi.  I dumped jars of buttons on cookie sheets and sifted through hundreds thousands of buttons to find 13 of the smallest I had.  They are not all the same color but I will live with that.  I simply could NOT go out and buy buttons.

I apologize for the fuzzy blue photo.  It was taken in a hurry because Iwas about to run off  to participate in our annual community park clean up.  We get to pull invasive species, plant the good stuff and generally clean up anything that shouldn't be there.  This is a park I'm not familiar with so it should be fun.  We've had several days of sunshine and it is just typical that it is raining this morning.  My gloves are rubberized!

Because Blogger took so long to upload the photos, I had to delay the posting.  Now I'm back from my morning in the park.  I've never been so wet in all my life!  We pulled lamium from the ground for three hours.  People tip their old hanging baskets into the woods and the lamium takes root.  It's a groundcover so it spreads happily.   The morale of the story is: DON'T!  It took a team of us all morning to clear out three good-sized patches of the stuff. 

Fifty Fridays #35

This morning I was looking for a spring-time photo to share.  I found this one of my Uncle Howard when he was about five. 

It would have been around 1920 and before my mother was born.  He is the brother closest in age to my Mom and the one who, I think, looks the most like her.  There is always a bit of mischief in his eye and the grin is never far away even when the face is serious.  My mother was the same.

It looks as though he's in the tomato garden and the sun is shining so warmly.  So, maybe it's really summer.  I believe this would have been taken at his mother's family farm on the Gulf Shore of Nova Scotia.  But I'm not sure and there is no one who could verify this for me now. 

I went back to the box of photos - this one is on a CD - to see if I could make out more detail.  Like:  is that a line of washing to the right of the building?  Or is it a fence?  And is that a person on the right edge of the photo?  Having a white fence would give it a more town-y location than a farm, I think.   I didn't find this one before I found some that I've never copied onto the disc.  They must arrived after that phase of the project was done.  I'm still looking for the original of this, though.   

Two Trees; One Ring

Oh!  I've just been out to take my tree photos this morning.  It's amazing the changes in two weeks.  I feel as though I've missed an important milestone while I was away last weekend.  You know - like if the baby learned to talk or took its first steps. 

Maple tree has really made great headway.  The leaves are actually looking like leaves on the top storey of the tree.  But my little branch is doing so well, isn't it?

Even copper beech has done a great thing.  The bud doesn't appear too much more advanced but, can you see the big, big change?  Yes!  The old leaves beside the bud have fallen off.  Finally!

Elsewhere in the garden, spring is trying to do more than creep.  My favorite rhododendrons are both out and shouting the news. 

I love the way the pale pink one begins dark and turns almost white.

But those lemon-y bells are gorgeous in their own dainty way.

Everything is pushing up and out of the ground.   Blossom buds are everywhere in evidence.  Next week should be really exciting.