Deck Chairs Arrived

                       The new polywood deck chairs arrived.  These should last a very long time, tired of wood that rots and falls apart. Situated to view the bamboo forest with a cup of coffee!
 

                         I've been collecting enamel mugs for the coffee station, something portable that won't break, plus love how pretty they are.

                               Have to have a bear! This is also a good bear viewing area, don't know how guests will feel about that though. Don't think I'll tell them lol.

                                                  Easter rabbits.

    I know these plastic plaques don't quite fit the farmhouse theme, more of a mod '60s theme, but I really like them, and don't come across them very often, so when I see one, I get it!

                        I had a number of new bird houses to put up and found these great hooks, one on back of the house and the other on the tree and you just click it in. So easy!! 

                  A chickadee house to be viewed from the deck.

                    On a rainy day last week, I thought it would be the best time to dig up that old rose that I found and transplant it to the farmhouse in a spot with lots of sun. It was a HUGE root.  Took me two hours to dig up.

           I was soaked and covered in mud, but it was worth it, it's been a week and the rose is looking fantastic.  Can't wait to see what color it is.

                      Sold one of the hooked rugs locally and she sent a photo. Looks fantastic in her room.  The border is so pretty.  If it had only been smaller, I would not have let it go.  

Blooms at the Farmhouse

                       The mahonias are beautiful this year.  Full of fruit!
 

                         Red buds in full bloom.

     Even leaves sprouting on trees are colorful.

     And the quince just gets better every year!

                           My deck chairs arrived, and I hope to put them together this weekend.  

Hooked Rugs, Daffodils & More

   Looking for rugs for the farmhouse, but these two were HUGE! 15 1/2 x 12 1/2, one rug could cover all the floors in the tiny farmhouse.  Now on Ebay and hopefully I find some just as nice, but smaller.

 

 Barrett Browning Daffodils

I was hoping the daffodils would bloom in tandem with the red azaleas I planted behind them, but I don't think it will happen, even though the buds are starting to open.

I planted many red buds in varying sizes, all volunteers in my yard from one large red bud, but only one is really blooming.  Seems it takes a few years of growth for them to really get going. The red buds around town are stunning right now.

                   

                               First swallowtail of the season.

                        I uncovered this bush? tree? which was covered in vines and is now full of blooms.  I've looked through guides trying to figure out what it is with no luck, so will need to stop by the ag dept for the answer.

                            A month ago we heard a crash and knew a tree had fallen in the bamboo forest.  I think we found it.  Like we need more firewood!

     My guys are out from hibernating and sunning!  I love their colors, which change depending on where they are.

                      Geisha loves the farmhouse porch giving her a "raised" perspective on the grounds she is guarding!

                         Everything is getting very green, just in time for St. Patty's Day!

Farmhouse Fireplace

              A sign outside a bookstore Bob frequents.  I had to laugh because I'm always calling him a hoarder.  Years ago I did a post of his "library" on FB and said hoarding or collecting?  All the girls said hoarding, my friend Rich was the only one that said collecting, proves men and women don't think alike!  
 

 This is just a small sampling of what he has.  He has two storage units full.  His plan is to be a fulltime bookseller when he retires, whenever that may be. Every day I say "Are you retiring today?" The reply is always, "Not today."  Then I say, "You better not stick me with all these books!"  LOL  The point of this post is the farmhouse fireplace.  There actually is a mantle on the far wall behind all these books.  I tried, I painted, had the mantle installed, wanted this to be a really pretty room . . .

    The thought started with the foundation. It's lattice and ugly cinderblock.  We were going to put up some gutters for some water drainage, but now thinking a French drain, but our contractor said best thing to do would be to build a solid foundation.  The columns are brick, but I like rock.

    Don't even understand what was going on here, thought initially this was a door into the crawl space, but it's not.  The cinderblock doesn't even provide support. First thing I need to do is get the gas company out to remove that pipe that is attached to the old oil tank just to be safe, but this wall would be beautiful as a rock wall. There is a local rock guy named Terry Hudson, convenient name "Rock" Hudson!

           Took some maneuvering to get a few photos of this mantle. Bob bought it at a house sale in Georgia.  Primitive old paint, the perfect colors of chocolate brown and hints of green coming through. Lots of crackle!

     It's small, which is good because at the farmhouse I would use a window where the fireplace would go.

   The painting above was found in the chicken coop when we moved here, done by the owner of the house who was a well known paper mache artist, but also did some paintings and drawing. 

    Up close you can see the layers of paint and crackle.  I really love this mantle, it's plain and simple, perfect for a farmhouse.

Right now with this warm weather I have moved outside doing what I can to prepare for spring, which is right around the corner. I need to get the gravel for the driveway, lay rock paths, patch woodpecker holes and paint, oil the front porch floor.  I have a feeling the farmhouse is going to be a never-ending project, just like our 1946 bungalow, but it keeps me busy!!

Bees Are Busy