Bird watching...

Lazy sunny afternoons....

Tuckered out!

liitle.....BIG...this pic cracks me up. : )

She's not this small anymore!

 Iris has not had this much excercise ever & she is tuckered out! We used to think she was a very active dog....then we threw a puppy into the mix.

  Willow is growin' like weed. And let me tell you...this pup has kept us jumpin'! I am exhausted! Lol!
But, everyday she turns a new corner and something about her changes....today, she is sleeping on my lap.
Lol....she has never slowed down long enough to do that! :)
  Iris has been  mouthed and wrestled with for weeks now and has never once lost her cool with this pup. KUDOS to you Iris! That's my girl!
 She is never far from Iris' side.

Take er' down!

Last week we had to take down one of our many peach trees. They are all coming down one by one....it will just take me some time  to part with them. They were planted by Tom's father in the late 80's and have all become quite pathetic looking. The largest is lit for the holidays and I don't think that i could ever part with that one..I love that tree!
 Our friend Steve dropped in and helped out. We chopped it down in no time!
I am feeling very 'exposed' in the front yard now....but, it will grow on me.

 Then  I chopped & chopped until I turned the stump into a bunch of toothpicks until I could get it out and plant grass over.

Fun in the Sun!

The summer weather is upon us and so it begins!

This is our friend Connor starting off the season by jumping into 68 degree water! Burrrr!

Why don't kids feel the cold??

 Our weekend mornings are filled with yardwork and the afternoons are filled with Fun In The Sun!

Certainly one of my favorite pastimes for sure!...we wait all week for it.

 Here, my brother- in- law Scott coaxes his grandson  Talan to jump from the side of the pool for the first time, again and again and again. Yeahhhhhh Talan!

 

  My hubby bought me a tent! I have been asking for one so that I can camp out in the yard. We don't have a screened in porch ,  this is the next best thing. Lol! Camping is not 'up there' on my list, yet since I am only outside our bedroom window,  I erected my tent and gave it a whirl!  Iris and I had a nice evening, fireplace lit, I roasted marshmallows & slept under the stars....until we got rained on @ 4AM! I did'nt have the rain top on.....because you can't see the stars that way? The next night , I was smart.....I put it on.

Learning to be patient....

Willow has been in our lives for almost two weeks now.  Our days our exhausting ,yet entertaining!
She certainly has 'Spunk'! Ain't no flies on this pup! And she is keeping us on our toes!
  Iris has'nt had this much activity in a long time & finds herself hiding here and there around the house,  just to get a moment of rest.

  Tom says, Willow moves around the house like a tennis ball...bouncing from one end to the other, on the move constantly. She loves the outdoors & tastes just about anything she can get into her mouth without one of us catching her at it.  She stopped dead in her tracks the other day to watch a flock of geese fly directly over her head. Wish I had a video of that!

  We are all falling into a daily routine which still needs a bit of work, but we'll get there for sure! As for sleep...It's lacking lately.

  These two are quite different in size ,but don't tell Willow that! She is BIG in Attitude and that makes up for it, let me tell ya! These two roll around for almost an hour every morning! Iris has been so gentle with her. Her mothering instincts have come out and  she is quick to keep Willow within her sight out in the yard.

Willow's teeth are truly  like  little razors,  but Iris tolerates  every chomp, bite and tug without ever reacting negatively. Amazing me each day.

  We borrowed a great corral type device for her to be in when we need to have her 'contained'...which she quickly learned how to climb out of 'ever so quietly' and Whallaa! There she is, by my side. Leaving me wondering, 'how did you get out of there?'  So now she has an entire room (our second kitchen) to herself and we have dubbed thee 'FORT WILLOW' ! She knows it's her space is now napping ...Thank goodness. A moment of rest.:)

She now weighs 20 pounds and counting!...

Missing you Mom.

My Mother's day Surprise!

To my utter amazement, my husband surprised me with this fabulous little girlie!

I have named her 'Willow' & she is 10 weeks old.
I have waited sooo long for her. Since we lost our German Shepherd  'Mako' a few years back, I have longed to have a second dog in house once again. We miss her very much.
  Well, my wish came true this weekend!
My friends Mary & Sue were in on the surprise all along & happily hid  the puppy over their house until Tom was able to lure me over for a visit. He drove all the way to upstate NY to pick her up. Our retrievers play together, so it's not unusual for the dogs to get together for good run.
 When I turned around to see Sue holding this beautiful little pup, my eyes watered up. I was green with envy at the thought that they had gotten another golden!  Once she said it was not hers, I asked, through my tears..."Then who's puppy is it?" 
  Behind me, my husband stood grinning from ear to ear! She was mine!
 I was shocked & elated!
 Over the years, I have been known to bring a puppy or two home without discussing it with Tom first. It never went well. Those puppies were quickly returned by the next morning. It just was'nt the right time to bring another dog into the house.  Can't say I have'nt tried!
 Now, I have another beautiful Golden and she is here to stay! Lol. Thank You Mary and Sue for being part of the fun & capturing the moment.  Willow loves all her new toys!

 

Thank you Tom for my wonderful gift! I love you very much! You're the sweetest husband in the world! xo

View all the pics here. :)

Ms. B & Mr. D. in Wisconsin... it was so much fun reconnecting with the both of you today!
Keep in touch ! Come visit ANYTIME! :) G.
I also spent the winter months working on building  a fishing website for a friend..  http://www.toadstackleshack.com/   Check it out & send it to your fishing buddies!

Smell the green!

  As I sit  looking out over the yard, I wish that I had the energy to dig up my gardens and begin again from scratch.  Wishful thinking!
  I call myself a 'garbage gardener.' There is no rhyme or reason to my planting scheme.  I buy plants randomly. They catch my eye & I absolutely cannot leave the garden center without them...a habit that sometimes tends to send my gardens into chaos! One plant totally taking over all that surrounds it. Choking out the sweet pretty red Poppies I loved so. Some turning into such a nusance that I have been pulling them like weeds for 4 years now!  Why did I ever buy that plant? Or where they offered to me from a fellow gardener years ago? Either way...I should of never of put them in the ground. :)

   Yet, each spring I venture out. Eager to find that one plant that I cannot go home without.
This week, Iris and I hopped into the car and off we went to one of our local nurseries, Van Wilgen's Garden Center.

  All the tables were filled with color! Perennials lined up row after row! Unique planters available in every color & my heart went a flutter! Everything looked fabulous and I swear that I could actually smell the green!

 I walked the aisles for over an hour. Iris scurring at my feet & enjoying every inch of the place. There was'nt
anywhere she did not attempt to explore!

I read tag after tag & daydreamed of starting a 'new garden'. A garden that visually makes sense? You know...english garden style. Tall ones toward the back, shorts ones in the front, colors that actually match, and no weeds!
Dream on! Lol.

  Iris and I totally enjoyed the day. I came home with a huge hollyhock & no specific area to plant it in?
No worries, I will find a spot somewhere for it. :)

 

...And so,  another season of gardening begins!