Seed Starting...

It is rainy outside,

 so I am inside today.

I thought I'd show you some 

of my indoor gardening stuff.

I have lots of seedlings in the tray 

with the clear cover on it.

Also, some plants that will be living outside 

when the weather warms up.

Below are my containers that I save my 

eggshells and used coffee grounds in.

These will go into the compost bin 

or sprinkled throughout the garden. 

The used coffee grounds are good sprinkled 

around my blueberry bushes.  

They love the acidity of the grounds.

They also say that the eggshells 

will deter slugs around the hostas,  

that they won't crawl over the shells-- 

too sharp on their bellies!

Here are a few of the other plants on the shelves

 that I have in my workroom.

Below is a pineapple top that I just started rooting.  

The roots are about an inch long now.  

I will put it outside once it warms up out there.

So,  even though I can't be outside today, 

 I can still amuse myself with my indoor plants!  Lol

Oh,  and I am also watching my gardening tapes that I 

recorded in 2000 and 2001.

They are of  "A Gardener's Diary" 
with Erica Glasener.  

I wish that she still had this program.  

She was the best hostess of all the 
gardening shows 

that were on HGTV at that time. 

 I just love my tapes 

and I hope they last for a long time.

How do you amuse yourself when it's a rainy day?

'Til next time,  Love ya,  Jean

My Pond and some flowers...

I finally have some flowers to enjoy...

This is Pieris Japonica...

A close up of the flowers....

So pretty...

And some daffodils...

I don't know the name of these...

They just happen to be one of my favorites...

A closeup view...

I have other small bulb flowers around the garden,  too...

And this is my pond...

All my goldfish perished this winter.  I had a pump in there,  but it must have frozen up.  The top of the pond froze over and the fish suffocated.  I am so sad about losing my fish but I decided it was time to do a good cleaning.  I had some Louisiana Water Iris in there that had taken over.  Half of the pond was full of them.  The roots were just a carpet under the plants and it was so thick!  There is a picture below of how they looked.

This is how it looks now.  A little more dusting and cleaning and we will be ready to fill it up again and start over.  I need to also work on the stream that goes into the pond.  It is a little overgrown,  too!

 This is a flower pot,  no holes in it yet,  with all the snails I found in the pond after it was drained.  I was amazed that there were so many still alive!

So,  sometimes things work out for the best.  Although I will miss my Goldies,  it is a chance to start over and give some others a new chance at life...  They certainly seem to enjoy living in a large pond environment and all my neighbors love them.  My pond is the neighborhood gathering place.  I enjoy it a whole lot,  too.
It is a lot of work,  but to me,  it is well worth it!

I will post some more pictures when it is up and running again.

'Til next time,  Love ya,  Jean

Orchids...

So beautiful!

Can you say Phalaenopsis?

That is the botanical name of these orchids...

They are blooming again.

I just love them.

They help me get through this period of time, 

when I can't grow the flowers outside.

They are amazing!

God has blessed me with their beauty!

I had to show someone!

'Til next time,

Love ya,  Jean

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter To All!

'Til next time,

Love ya,  Jean

More dresses...

I made some more dresses...

I will bring them to the meeting next Wednesday.

This will be our last meeting for now.

We have to get these dresses shipped out, 

and then we will make more!

They are so pretty and the pictures 

do not do them justice!

I am sure the little girls of Africa or other 

foreign nations will be thrilled to receive them.

I am so honored to be involved in this worthy project.

Oh,  and I just found out, 

a lot of these dresses 

will be shared right here in the US,  also!

My sewing machine is sure getting a workout!  haha

'Til next time,   Love ya,  Jean

Spring containers...

My old watering can...

Love this thing..

Don't remember where I got it,  

I've had it for so long...

They are silk,  but still bring a smile to my face when I look at them.

Can't wait 'til the real ones pop up!

Have a lovely day...

'Til next time,

Love ya,  Jean

Maple Syrup Time...

I have a silver maple tree out behind my shed...

It gives me the most delicious maple syrup 

 (with a little work on my part).

I discovered this 3 years ago.

I was browsing the internet and found 

an article about making the syrup.

It said that you could tap trees 

other than sugar maples.

I didn't know that!

Some others are:  Sycamore,  Black Walnut, 

Birch, Norway Maple, and some others.

  

So I thought I'd give it a try.  

To my surprise,  it is delicious!  

So I am hooked! 

 I look forward to this every year now!  

This year has been pretty good,  so far.  

The temperatures have to be right 

and that doesn't always happen!

I got another pint and a half last night.

  

My BFF over at Our Cozy Abode , (Lady Jane)
sent me a label for my first batch of syrup.  
I lost that label,
 but I found that I could make 
these cute labels on the Avery site...

Now I make them for all the canning that I do...

Love that gold...

It's a lot of work and time invested, 
but I think it is well worth it. 
And I am retired,  so I have time!
  Plus,  it is fun and I enjoy it very much! 
Do you have a tree that you could tap?

Thank you for visiting!
Have a great weekend,  Everyone!

'Til next time,
Love ya,  Jean