Let's Party!

"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'"

~ Robin Williams

My Freesia are blooming.
I have them in pots on the balcony.
I know spring is here when they start to bloom.

I love the yellow ... such a happy color!

I found some more freesia bulbs well after the season last year.
Such a small little bulb to make pretty flowers.
I bought them and added them to the pots.
The pretty red is one of the new ones.

"Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! 
I must get out and breathe the air deeply again."
~ Gustav Mahler

Freesias are strongly scented. 
They have five to 10 single or double flowers.
Stems are usually 10 to 18 inches long with little or no foliage.
The bell-shaped freesia blooms up to seven days and comes in
white, golden yellow, orange, red, pink, mauve, lavender, purple and bicolors.

I'm joining Sun Lit Sunday

and 

Mosaic Monday.


Wishing YOU well and much joy!

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

The Butterfly Iris are blooming in my garden.
It is very difficult to underwater or overwater this Iris.
Perfect for Houston weather where it is either too dry or too wet!

They look quite pretty dancing in a light breeze under the sunny skies.

"Earth laughs in flowers."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm joining the lovely Karen and Mya for Sun Lit Sunday.

SunLit Sunday

It's that time again.
Time to bring a little Sunlight into our lives during the dark days of winter.
I'm joining Karen for the first SunLit Sunday for 2016.

I see Daddy Cardinal more often than I see Mom.
His color is so striking against the green fan palm.
All my bird friends seem to be enjoying the new garden.
No one has fallen into the water garden since their own bird bath was added.

Little Robin and his Robin buddies come by -- not necessarily to eat,
but to take a bath.
Where did I put those tiny towels??!!!!!!
No matter how many pix I took of this little fella,
he was always standing on one leg. 

Happy Sweet '16.

Wishing YOU well and much joy in the new year. 

Thanks, Karen!

The Sun Came Out!

The sun came out this weekend after
four days of rain.
The white camellia was blooming.

I went grocery shopping and found these lovely roses.

I'm hoping I find some daffodils next week!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

A big thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Longing For Spring

The sun was shining one day this week.
I went window shopping at Highland Village.
A nice walk among the flowers!

I didn't buy anything.
Just took pictures of the flowers
to share with my friends up north
who are longing for spring!

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

This and That

It's been cold
and then it's been like spring.

Today it's cold, but the sun is shining.
Mina is always good at finding a sun puddle.

The college baseball season is off to a fast start.

The Rice Owl baseball team started off with four games against the

University of Texas.

There's nothing like the sound of the bat hitting the ball

Or eating a hotdog at a ball game. 

Photo From Rice Sports Information

Meanwhile,

back at home in the garden

the camellias are blooming.

Last, but not least,

the Burpee catalog arrived.

I'm making a list.

Burpee is a Non-GMO company.

Something I really appreciate.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thanks, Kim.

Thanks to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Hyacinths For The Soul

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft

And of thy simple store two loaves of bread alone are left

Sell one, and with the dole,

Buy hyacinths to feed the soul.  

~ Sa’di

In one brief period of sunshine, I caught the sun before it disappeared again.

Warmth, peace and calm inside.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thanks, Kim!

A big thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

The Sun Has Not Disappeared Forever

The sun came for a visit.
It brought spring time temperatures
And pink mornings.

Pink Sky in the Morning

Mina in her sun puddle.

The sun is only visiting for a few days.

Cold, wind and rain come back this weekend.

We'll have to remember the words of Arnoud Desjardins:

"On days when the sky is grey, the sun has not disappeared forever."

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a sunny day!

Thank you, Kim.

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

When The Red Red Robin

On the first day that the sun made it's reappearance,
after 8 days hiding away in the clouds,
this fellow appeared at the bird bath.
I think he was as happy as I was about the sun's return.

"My favorite weather is bird chirping weather."

~Loire Hartwould

Animal Sprit Guide

The Robin

If a Robin shows up, it means:

it’s time to let go of anything in your life that’s outmoded and stagnant and plant the seeds for the new by setting your goals and intentions for the coming year. 

Let go of your attachments to drama and allow as much joy and laughter into your life as you possibly can. 

Your spiritual path is steady and slow, with challenges along the way, yet it inevitably leads you to your achieving your spiritual ideas. 

You have a beautiful song inside you, so do whatever it takes to share it with the world. Expect new growth in a number of areas in your world. 

Make a wish, be patient, and watch how it comes true.

From the Handbook: Animal Spirit Guides by Steven D. Farmer

Thanks, Kim!

Thanks to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Wishing YOU well, much joy, and beautiful songs.

Still Hanging On

This gerbera daisy is still hanging on.
It hasn't gotten the message that it is winter
and it's COLD!

"Flowers are those little colorful beacons of the sun from which we get sunshine when dark, somber skies blanket our thoughts." 

~Dodinsky


Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Sun Lit Sunday

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark;
the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."
~Plato

A big thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Sun Lit Sunday

It's time for Sun Lit Sunday.

My blogging buddy, Karen, hosts Sun Lit Sunday during the winter as

a spot where people could share the "sunny" side of winter. Every season has its own beauty and this one is no exception.

Where I live plants are still green.
It's damp and temps are in the 40s.

Getting cozy, like this pair of doves, helps!

But it is also the time of year when I can open the front door for awhile and the "babies" can get a touch of fresh air while watching the action in the neighborhood!

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Sun Lit Sunday

This is the last Sun Lit Sunday for this year.

Thank you Karen for hosting.

I'm going to miss them.

Azaleas blooming at the Houston Zoo:

And at the Japanese Garden:

Last year I missed the azaleas blooming in Hermann Park, the zoo and the garden.

Thanks to our cooler weather, the blooms were running a little late 

and I ran on time! 

What a treat!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Double Delight

On this cloudy morning I'd like to show you 

Double Delight.

From bud:

 

 

to full bloom.

 

This is what she looks like today (before the rain) blooming in Musashi's Garden.

A Double Delight in color and her fragrance is heavenly .. just like a rose should. 

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday and

to Mary for Mosaic Monday.

When The Red Red Robin

Came bob, bob, bobbing along --

he made an early morning visit to Musashi's Garden.

Not my usual visitor for the morning buffet.

He took a bath in the fountain.

No pictures -- although I did try -- he was just a blur.

Here he is sitting drying off. 

(I wonder where I put the tiny towels?)

The sun was just beginning to find the garden.

Pleased with himself, I think.

Come back again, Mr. Robin!

I'm joining the other sun lovers at Sun Lit Sunday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Hanging In There

I've been watching the Houston marathon on television this morning.

I fixed a cup of tea and looked out the door and saw this:

This little rose has been through high winds and freezing temperatures and still is

hanging in there ... just like the runners in the marathon.

Join us for a little Sun Lit Sunday.

Wishing you well and much joy!

Sun Lit Sunday

I walked into the Village yesterday.

Lovely sunny day and I took my little point and shoot thinking about Sun Lit Sunday.

Didn't find anything on my walk that grabbed my attention.

While waiting for the Seahawk game to start,

I looked into the kitchen and there it was -- the sun hitting the Christmas Cactus.

My Christmas cactus was late blooming this year.

Better late than never.

I love the color.

Hope the sun is shining where you are today.

Won't you join us for Sun Lit Sunday?

Wishing you well and much joy.

Chasing Sun Puddles

Sunlit Sunday is back for its third season.
The link-up was started in 2011 to help add a little sunshine to what can be
a rather grey period from January through March.

Today Teddy and Mina are chasing sun puddles.

Wishing you well and much joy.

Stay warm!

Sunlit Sunday: Baseball

It's time for Sunlit Sunday.

Nothing brightens up my day more than baseball.

Especially college baseball.

That's part of the Texas Medical Center in the background.

My owlettes started the season off well and then they went to Hawaii.

They played well there.

I think they may have had too much Hawaii as they haven't played well since coming home.

The season is young -- and so are they!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Happy New Year!

This is what greeted me in my email this morning.

Happy Losar!

A joyous year of the female water snake to you and yours.

In this, the 2140th year on the Tibetan calendar, may all the world, and every one of us in it, come to know peace and walk with kindness so that those born will be welcome, those passing will be at ease, and harmony reins in all our inner and outer realms.

*

A time to reflect, to start again.

There is no better place to celebrate the Lunar New Year than at the Japanese Garden 

in the early morning.

Thank you to the hosts of Sunlit Sunday and Mosaic Monday.

Wishing you well and much joy in the Female Water Snake Year of 2140!