There must be a hundred different shades of green in the garden this morning, everything is growing like crazy!

The ferns are up, and my little "woodland" area with the sweet woodruff blooming, and the scent of vanilla, looks almost magical this morning.

The Hostas at the base of the oak tree, are a picture unto themselves, so lovely........   

The new mulch on the walkway, a rich forest brown, blends nicely with all the green, and fits right in with the rest of the garden.

Mother Nature sometimes gets ahead of me, but that's ok, she does a wonderful job without my help, and seems to place things right where they belong.

The birds are singing this morning, and playing hide and seek in the hydranga, which is so thick with blooms, you barely notice the leaves.

The oak tree is filling out more each day, and the recent rains and strong wins have scattered maple seeds all over the place, if left there, I would soon have a small forest of maple trees!

A gentle breeze is blowing this morning, and the branches of the chinese willow, sway and dance, such a graceful little tree,(agift from my daughter). Yes Mother Nature has been busy, and green is rampant in my garden; I look at all this lush green beauty, and feel calm inside.

                                                   Jen/5/13/08

  More and more as I grow older. I think of mama, and sometimes, more often now, I look in the mirror and I see her face looking back at me. Mama, had she lived would be eighty nine today, and every year the memories grow more precious.

One of my most vivid recollections is mama on washday, with nine of us, this was no easy job, it started as soon as we left for school in the mornings, and on my return she would still be there, at the clothesline, amoung rows and rows of freshly washed linens.

Smiling she greeted me and gave me a hug, she always smelled of bleach and sunshine on wash day. She loved the outdoors and wasday gave her the excuse to be outside, and just between you and me, I think she took advantage of it and maybe even extended it, and all the rest of the afternoon, I spent outside with mama, helping in my own small way, She always had a way of making hard work seem like fun.........Happy Birthday Mama, This is for you.

                      MAMA AND ME

Today we sat on the floor, Mama and me,

Making flour sack dresses for my dolls,

And in the kitchen, dinner dishes waited,

While Mama and I, cut cloth and created.

Yesterday, we made a house with dirt floors,

Open to the sun and rain,

A lovely house with no roof or doors, no window pane,

Just dirt floors and old orange crate funiture,

And mud pies decorated with acorns and rocks,

And inside Mama's mending waited,

The boys jeans and Daddy's socks.

Last night before supper, she taught me a song,

An old country ballad, and I sang along.

And we laughted and made biscuts and I greased the pan,

And tomorrow, tomorrow we'll go for a walk and pick berries,

And I'll hold her hand. (Mama always knows where the huckleberry grows)

And she smiles as she kneels to retie my shoe,

And the housework will wait until we return,

Cause Mama and I have more important things to do!

                                                               Thank you mama for teaching me the important things in life.

I don't remember ever having such a morning as this, so many different birds, at the same time, such an assortment of birdsong!                                                  

Two yellow finches flew back and forth, stopping at the water fountain to take a drink, they are so bright, such a beautiful yellow, you can't miss them.              

The ring necked dove was here alone, searching through the grass, and then flying up to the oak tree to rest.

The male robin sat for the longest time on top of the arbor, just watching everything, and keeping an eye on his mate, who was busy gathering nesting material.

As I watch, I see a flash of blue, I can't believe it !, A blue bird has flown in and is now perched on the chinese willow, he does not stay long, and flies back through the arbor gate, and is gone from sight,I keep wishing I could get a photo but he is so fast....Wait , now there are three, two females are with him and they are feeding on something thats in the pathway leading to the arbor.

                                      I don't know where they came from, but they are so welcome, they have flown back to the crabapple tree in the back, and for such small birds they sure have a lot to say, and add their voices to the rest of the birdsong.

The cardinal has made an appearance , alone this time, still laying claim to the oak leaf hydranga, he doesn't stay long, maybe it's a little too crowded for him today.

 You should see how green the backyard is now, everything has leafed out , the crab apple tree is in full dress, the groundcovers are several shades of green and spreading rapidly, my hostas are about ten inches tall now, everything growing like crazy. 

The doves are calling to each other now and the robin has left the arbor and joins his mate on the ground to feed.

So much activity this morning, so many visitors, two redwinged blackbirds are perched on a limb in the wet spot, they love to perch, and you can see them perched on anything vertical, a fencepost, a limb, a road sign, we have a lot of them in the area. What a morning, definitly For The Birds .!

At this time of year, here in our neck of the woods, it's Morell mushroom season! "THE FUNGUS ARE AMOUNG US!", around here we don't get Spring fever, we get mushroom fever! When the nights grow warm, and the time is right, They'er up! Everyone has their favorite mushroom spot, and it's usually a well kept secret, but our favorite spot is a state park, about an hours drive from here, plenty of mushrooms, lots of ground to cover, a great place.         

 Today we took my daughter, her husband, and a friend with us, my daughters husband had never been before , and it was great to see his excitement when he found some!, it brought smiles and laughter all around.                                                         

We covered a lot of ground today, don't know how many miles we covered, we got rained on a little, crossed a creek and slipped in and got our feet wet, got brambles and briars in our hair and clothes, slipped down a muddy hillside on our backsides, But had a wonderful time and everyone found mushrooms, it was great!

If you've never been, I highly recommend it, if you need information, ther are several web sites out there, just type in morell mushrooms, and you will find lots of useful information, it's fun, it's free, and you get to interact with Mother Nature, So happy hunting, and one other thing, Don't forget your mushroom stick and bag!                         Have a great day, jen

      It's cloudy this morning, and the sky in the distance is the lightest shade of blue, the trees stand out in dark contrast, against this muted background.

There is a strong southerly wind blowing, and it's steadily removing the last of the leaves from the oak tree, exposing more of the smaller limbs.

The delicate green branches of the chinese willow dance in the wind, leaves are lifted from the ground and swirl briefly before finding another place to rest, some find their way to my neighbors neat and leaf free yard.

The lawns are a lush green, and the wind sends currents of movement through the grass, making them seem alive. The clouds hover above the tree tops this morning, low, tinged with grey, the clouds near the horizon are elongated, sculpted by the wind.

As I watch ,the cardinal finds a quick perch on the hydranga limb, and is buffeted by the wind. Suddenly the sun will go behind a cloud, and send a receding shadow across the lanscape, and then just as swiftly it's gone, it's almost as if someone is adjusting their camera lens, trying to get just the right exposure.

Off to the right, a single cloud has blown high above the trees, and waits there, to be joined by others drifting through this windswept sky of burgeoning blue.

And presiding over all , is the oak tree, limbs spread wide, welcoming all winged visitors to my garden. Every day the view is different, something is added, and something else is taken away, An everchanging landscape of sky and trees and a garden of dreams.

                            Jen 4/17/08                                   

As I write this the rain has been falling all day, and so has the temp, is is now a cold thirty nine degrees, and was spitting snow earlier, Plans for the garden have been put on hold until next week, when they promise highs in the sixties and sunshine, .

All a gardener can do is wait and keep a sense of humor, so I wrote this little rhyme.

                    A  Gardener's Woe

     Too wet to plant, or the tiller's broke down,

      Don't know  when we'll get the plants in the ground!

     Now the tiller's ready and so are we,

     But it's been raining for not one day, but three!

     The tomatoe plants sit in their little peat pots,

     Gosh, I hope the onion sets don't rot!

     The seeds in their packets, look inviting and green,

     But sprouts in the garden we havn't seen.

     Every year I think, we're planting too late,

     But always in August the harvest is great,

     We'll be knee deep in tomatoes and green beans galore,

     My back will be aching , my fingers sore.....,

     From pulling the weeds and hoeing the rows.....

     Of corn and beans, and tomatoes!!

                                                         Jen

 There is a lot of activity around and in the oak tree this morning, the robins in their autumn colored vests are still feeding on the earthworms they find underneath the layer of leaves beneath the tree,

The sky above is a beautiful shade of blue, and has that just washed look it gets afer a rain, the clouds are soft and delicate and float slowly across the sky.

The sun this morning has turned the fields in the back a bright summer green, and casts its light on the branches of the oak and what's left of last years leaves.

This is a northern pin oak, and hangs onto it's leaves a lot longer than the maples and elms, It also produces a lot of acorns for the neighborhood squirrels, who take a fiendish delight in tossing them onto the roof of the house and hiding them in my flowerpots.

I've watched this tree grow for the last twenty years now, and I am always amazed by how many different birds visit it's branches and call it home. It has grown tall and sturdy and every year provides shelter, nourishment, and shade for my feathered friends, and countless hours of joy for me.

3/31/08

 The last day of the month, and it looks and sounds like it’s going out "like a lion",Rain is on it’s way, and there is a very strong wind ,You can hear it as it whips around the trees outside.

Some of the leaves on the oak are torn loose and fall to the the ground below, as I watch a gust of wind makes the limbs shake violently, and then just as suddenly it’s gone and the limbs are still.

Even with the roar of the wind, the bird song is audible. There is an urgency in their calls this morning, their flights are swift, and they do not linger long.

The cardinal and his mate are busy around the arbor, perhaps seeking shelter from the storm?

The rain is here now, coming down hard, I can hear it pouring into the gutters and hitting the window panes. Thunder rolls across the sky, and our dog KD comes running to me for reassurance, and a calming word.

The sky is the color of a grey November, and even though the  day is warm, when I look upon this day I’m a little chilled, I think i’ts the wind, and it just looks cold.

Tomorrow there will be more rain they say, but tomorrow is also April, and I know that the days will get warmer, and the skies will be bluer, for now I will just have to endure the rain.

  She sees him, head bent, a concentrated gaze, and steady hands,

carving a walking stick out of a straight and sturdy limb.

He carves a pattern and in his minds eye, he sees the look on her face when he gives this gift from the heart,

And he feels anticipation and a small amount of fear, will she like it? He labors long and makes aplace for her name, and rubs it down with tung oil, and sets it aside, and waits.

She sees him coming, and in his hand he carries the walking stick. She is touched and awed that he would take the time, and she touches the hand carved wood and sees her name, and wonders at this man who stands there bearing gifts.

And he knows now, he did the right thing, the look on her face tells him so, and his heart swells with pride, and the pleasure of giving.....

And in his pocket, another gift, feathers of a bluejay, gathered on a walk he took that morning.

 Easter morning , and there is a sprinkling of snow, not much, a light dusting here and there, as if someone took a can of artificial snow and sprayed things at random.

It dissappears as I watch, and as the sun hits it. , a bit unusual for Easter, but it is Illinois, and the weather here is so unpredictable. As I look out across the landscape, I see the shades of green are a little brighter, and spreading across the lawn.

The doves have set up residence in the oak tree, and the cardinal has laid claim to the area near the arbor.

Our dog KD is making her rounds this morning, following the scent of rabbits, she always stops to check the spreading juniper, where low branches and dense growth make excellent cover for the rabbits, from there she walks the boundries of the property, surveying the low area in the back, that cuts through the property, they say it is what's left of an old creek, in days of heavy rainfall , it's always filled with water. We've let it turn "green", and it's become our own little "wildlife refuge", natural and free, and I like it that way

The snow is gone now, dissappearing almost as quickly as it came, This is a small town and achurch sits on a hill not far from here, and on a quiet  Sunday morning you can hear the church bells ring, I hear them now, ringing for Easter service, A new day, a new beginning, Life starts all over again.