Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Singing A Song To The Day



Sometime I feel like a little kid who is anxious for her birthday, Christmas or summer vacation to arrive. I am impatient and ask again and again~~When is spring going to get here?

I've caught myself whining and wishing for  springtime this past weekend.

Winter disappeared for a few days and  I was able to work in the garden and enjoy the outdoors without coat and hat.    Plants were planted and beds were cleaned.

Royal Heritage Lenton Rose (click to enlarge)

It was delicious!

Then winter returned~ with cold  that doesn't  invite a Nashvillian outdoors.  Winter wants to stay here longer and there's even  a small chance of snow. 

I want spring to be here now! Right now! If possible~~today!

Oh the irony. All the grousing about the terrible weather and wishing that spring were here right now,  means I am not living  in the now of my life...The now that is bringing spring to us. 

A white version of Royal Heritage beginning to open(click to enlarge)

The right now of gardening life is good~~

Autumn Ferns (Dryopteris erythrosora) have remained green all winter


I don't want to wish away the weeks of slowly emerging springtime~~


and the thrill of seeing  flowers open to the day,  one by one~~
 

Each day, each hour, each minute is precious, whether I am able to be in the garden or not.

Soon the fullness of spring will arrive~~

Spring 2008(do click) 


I want to live each day to the fullest~~~


and, like the birds in my garden, sing a song to the day~

Gail


It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain

* Dear friends north of us! We are not used to the kind of cold weather that you live with each winter.  You are made of stronger stuff then me!  But, here's a good laugh... I do have my first poison ivy rash! g

75 comments:

  1. I, too, am wishing for warmer weather and spring. I know when summer comes with its hot temperatures, I'll be wishing it was still cool. I guess it is hard to please humans.

    Jan
    Always Growing

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  2. It won't be long now! Can't believe you have poison ivy already... same thing happens to my sister every spring, though. The roots always get her before the leaves are up!

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  3. Great post and no we shouldn't rush our lives away by wanting the next day to come before we truly enjoy the one we are in. Poison Ivy, already? GEEZ!

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  4. Hi Gail, what a wonderful post to wake up to! Your enticing yellow blooms, not daffodils but the wildflower simi....something, looks so beautiful with the maple behind. Thanks for bringing us into the now, to enjoy the process of spring unfolding slowly, to be savored with each bite. And yes, I see piggy with new get up, glasses and viola, quite fetching!
    Frances

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  5. Gail,
    I'm right there with you! I'm ready for a full grown garden again. We have all kinds of daffodils blooming and bubls pushing their way out of the ground and I haven't even had time to enjoy them.-Randy

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  6. Poison Ivy already? Even in dormancy it is still potent. I'm right there with you, Spring has teased us one too many times but we are powerless to stop winter.

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  7. Dear Gail,
    When will we really learn to enjoy 'the now' and still look forward to spring with the same joy as the moments we are actually in? It's a difficult lesson at best. You have given us a beautiful reminder today. Thank you.

    We take the days we can to toil and then we let the transition of winter to spring take place as it does with its off again and on again weather ... all with grace and thankfulness.

    You are a smart lady getting so much accomplished when the warmer days allow. During the heat of summer you will look back and be oh, so grateful.

    I'll be planting seed today in the soil I prepared a few weeks ago. Yay. I've played in that delicious long enough ... now it's time to plant.

    Sorry to hear about your bout with poison ivy... it's bound to happen in the way back or the GOBN with all the wild growth and it doesn't take much contact with the evil vine. Lots of calamine lotion!

    Stay warm today, my friend.

    Meems @ Hoe and Shovel

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  8. Oh dear, I would never laugh at a poison ivy rash -- what awful stuff! I love that Spring 2008 photo and I saved it last year and have used it as desktop wallpaper several times. Yes, let's not wish away these lovely days -- Spring will come soon enough.

    "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." - Lao Tzu

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  9. Nancy, That is the perfect quote! It's ok to have a smile at my rash! I am smiling myself, in between ignoring the itch!

    Gail

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  10. Hi Gail, Yes it was fun visiting with you. I would've talked longer but such a long drive back for us. It is quite warm today! Can't believe it. Do get some Tecnu for your poison ivy rash. I get the rash every single year and have a feeling this year will be bad because of everyone getting it early. Have fun today! That meeting was AWESOME! I learned so much. Gotta look for a ring flash now:)

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  11. Gail, it's hard to live in the now when it is cold and nasty outside. But yiu are right about not wishing our life away. As Carol would say, we need to embrace the cold! :}

    Really it odes look like spring in your gardens. The daffodils are beautiful and the Lenten rose so delicate. Hope your weather warms soon.

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  12. I'm repeating those words as a mantra Gail - live for the moment, enjoy the moment. We've got an Environment Canada "Special" Weather Event on the way. Knowing that this snow is special has made me feel all so much more cheered.

    Nasty about the poison ivy - those rashes are ghastly! Hope you're on the mend soon.

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  13. Beckie,

    It is lots easier for me to embrace the today in my garden! My Zone 7 garden is way ahead of your zone 5 garden. I did think long and hard about whether I wanted to post this or another one and didn'tt want anyone to think it was about them...It was all about me!

    The dafs are lovely right now and it does look a bit like spring!

    gail

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  14. What a magnificent post, Gail. It's easy to fall into the winter-weariness for most all of us (usually the real southern and sou-western gardeners don't have it quite so hard) but yeah, I don't want the days to rush by either. I'm finding beauty in the days now for sure...and as I read your post, I was listening to a live version of David Cook's song A Daily AntheM, and it seemed even MORE appropriate"...a daily anthem, would you sing along, at the top of your lungs..."

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  15. Thanks for the kind thoughts for Northern gardeners. Except for the poison ivy rash :( I'd be singin' also, Gail. Don't you just love Autumn Ferns? I have them here and at the lake (never met a fern I didn't like). Like yours, my heart sings in spring (my favorite time of year), rejoicing in each precious moment. More snow is on the way for the weekend ... 'Oh Happy Day':)

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  16. After a lot of warm weather, we're having pouring cold rain right now. My horses hate it more than I do, even with waterproof breathable sheets and blankets. Their heads get wet. (rolls eyes)

    So you have Senecio in your garden -- it's beautiful with the Japanese Maple. The Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill has it in the Mountain section of their garden, like a carpet. It coats my floodway fields every spring.

    Which crocus is that? It's lovely.

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  17. Sweetbay,

    I don't know...it came in a bag of mixed crocus and I forgot to save the lists. I am terrible at record keeping...although, I have gotten a journal for new plants.

    It must be miserable for the horses...We have had strange weather lately. Such a roller coaster ride. It's heading to 6o (then into the 20s tomorrow night) and raining with occasional moments of sunshine.

    Gail

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  18. I hear you my friend and you said what we all feel so eloquently. I feel like I wish away months of my life every winter wanting it to pass in haste to get to spring. Each little bloom is so precious in those early days. and it's definitely hard to ride the weather roller coaster of warm then cold. We do it over and over again some years till June. Your photos are beautiful, I'm sure it helps to have blooms in the garden even if they are few and far between. My ferns are completely brown! Such a difference. Take care with the poison ivy and thanks for the beautiful post.

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  19. Good morning Gail! I can sure relate to your spring fever, and have spent more than my fair share of time lamenting winter and wishing for spring.

    This is the first year I can remember successfully living in the moment and not being so anxious for spring. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the return of spring signalling the return to work, and I'm enjoying my time off too much to be in rush.

    The hellibores, crocuses, daffodils, and still-green autumn ferns in your garden are lovely sights, and reminders spring will be here before we know it. The poison ivy rash. . . not so welcome I imagine. I hope it's not too terribly troublesome and heals as quickly as possible.

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  20. Gail -- thank you for reminding us to savor the days that bring us -- ever-so-slowly -- the Spring that makes our hearts sing. You are so right. How many days did I enjoy waiting for that first precious Daffodil to open? It was beautiful every single day, not just once it was open. Your crocus are so pretty and perky and I love the 2008 shot. So sorry about your poison ivy -- stop scratching! ;-)

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  21. Fortunately this fever makes us all active! I love the crocus blooms photos. They look vibrant! Waiting for mine to bloom [sigh]

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  22. Oh no, not poison ivy. I wouldn't trade our snow and cold tonight for your rash;)

    Did you make that birdbath? I love it. That's the kind of rustic, stone look I want.
    Marnie

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  23. Marnie,

    I didn't make it a Tennessee artist who sells at our local Craft Fair each spring made it. It is very light weight and built on a rebar, plastic plumbing pipe and a chicken wire frame/armature. It was very inexpensive, too.

    Gail

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  24. Lovely post, Gail!

    Why do you think I named my blog:
    THANKS FOR 2 DAY ??????????!!!!!!!!

    I have to remind myself to live in the moment, too. It's easier to think about the 'when' rather than the 'now'. I find it hard to live in the moment. But every time I'm reminded, I get back into it. Until I start planning for the future, again. It's a cycle!!!

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  25. I feel like I"m going nuts all closed up inside. I got out like you did during the warm days and got 1/3 of my leaf mulch spread. I wanted to finish but the kids came home and they came first :).

    Gail after I get my Spring plants in the ground and they look half way decent, I'm going to have a get together for all those buddy bloggers of ours who live close enough to drive down my way. I really want to meet everyone who has helped me get through my move, winter, and kept me sane during it all. Won't that be fun! We'll have lots of chocolate.

    It does help to blog doesn't it? It does help me to come and see that you want Spring as much as I. Big Spring hugs to ya.

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  26. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  27. I deleted the above comment; I must learn to preview first!

    Don't feel too bad for the horses. :) They've always got shelter (which they're free to go in and out of) and they have their blankets when they need them. My big horse really does hate the cold and needs a blanket at night whenever it gets below freezing; he's 3/4s Thoroughbred and TBs can be real wimps about winter. Some TBs will lose a lot of weight without protection from the cold, especially cold rain.

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  28. I am actually enjoying the here and now (I'd be enjoying it more if it wasn't for those stupid squirrels!), admiring the Snowdrops and checking the progress of the Helleborus niger. If only it was a slow progression to spring. Instead it's a 2 steps forward, 1 step back kind of thing around here. It snows in spring. That's ok. What's not ok is 80F in March. I definitely do not want to push the seasons. I want to enjoy the transition and the experience of watching the garden wake up.

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  29. Spring fever - yes that's what I'm suffering from. I just want one sunny day so that I can get outside and start "real" gardening.
    Lovely Hellebores - they are a joy at this time of year.

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  30. Gail, MH told me about your blog so I wanted to check it out. I love the pictures and I love spring! Melanie Mayes

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  31. Gail, I enjoyed reading your post with my coffee this morning and am just now getting back to tell you how much I appreciated your words.
    I remind myself often during winter's long, cold months to enjoy the moment..and mostly I'm successful :)
    Your lovely photos are uplifting! Would you mind me using that gorgeous Spring '08 picture on my desktop?
    I'm in love with the hellebores! And those sweet crocus are so pretty. And who could not love a daffodil's bright yellow face? :) Spring will be here soon!
    I hope your rash goes away quickly!
    We're getting more snow today.

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  32. Kerri, I am incredibly complimented...please do use it and thank you for asking! Gail

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  33. Melanie,

    Hi...I know your name very well! Glad you stopped by...Do you garden? Once spring decides to stick around you are welcome to visit.

    Gail

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  34. I do have the same feeling. Ready for spring to really be here, and yet trying to remember to enjoy each day and the little signs of spring that keep showing.
    Your spring 2008 picture is beautiful!

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  35. What a beautifully composed photo of crocuses! It’s still too wintry here to imagine spring. Sorry to hear about your poison ivy – awful. I got a bad rash once clearing out beds even before the leaves came in. I find Ivy Dry works really well.

    Loved your GBBD post too.

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  36. Gail - this is a lovely a posting and so true as well - waiting for Spring is just like the anticipation as a child on Christmas Eve - but it just seems so much longer in arriving! Some beautiful photos too... Miranda

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  37. I know how you feel Gail, these teasing warm days make us yearn for spring even more at this time of the year. That photo of your garden last spring was gorgeous. Is that blue container in the front a water feature? I have one just like it that I ended up painting with Terra Cotta spray paint. Lovely post today...thanks for the beautiful spring like pics. :)

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  38. I know how you feel and it is supposed to be cold again this weekend. Drats! Hang in there, spring will eventually get here.

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  39. Sorry about the poison ivy! I keep rubbing alcohol near, which if splashed on affected areas stops the rash. Um, which isn't so helpful to you THIS time, but maybe next. It was supposed to snow here last night but instead it's been raining. I think it's natural for a gardener to wish for spring, even though it is nice to stop and try to appreciate what is unique about each day.

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  40. Yes, I remember how I used to long for spring when I was young an living in colder climes... Now I'm just hoping it stays cool and wet through April (fat chance) or at least for a few more weeks...

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  41. I love the look of your Dryopteris snuggled up next to the birdbath. The flowers of Royal Heritage are beautiful, both in purple and white. I especially always enjoy the sight of new bulb foliage pushing up through the brown leaves. It's so exciting to walk by the ever fattening buds.

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  42. Aww, I like your little note to us northerners. I too am yearning for spring, but not for the poison ivy, which I get every year. Here's the URL to a post I did about how I deal with it. Hopefully it won't plague you for too long.
    http://nyackbackyard.blogspot.com/2008/09/poison-ivy-my-home-and-non-home.html

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  43. JGH,

    Thank you...I use Fels Naptha for stain removal, too! I think I got this rash from gloves I grabbed from the front porch and didn't wash last fall! I have had to go the route of steroids, too!

    Gail

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  44. Hi Northern Shade, I like the hellebores, too...and have recently seen a double that is tempting. Bulbs poking up from the ground are a sure sign that spring might show up sometime! Gail

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  45. Town Mouse,

    We do get rain until April then it slowly disappears...our summers are the driest months for us...I hope I can continue to appreciate the now whrn it is hot and humid!

    gail

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  46. Hi Gail,
    There you go, making me whine again about our snow and ice! I do have crocus blooming now though ... in the house! So there... :-)

    Lovely stuff you have going already down there ... I have to get those seeds shipped off so you can still get them in before the rains go away... if work would only cooperate!

    Poison ivy... yuck! BUT, there is a fantastic product you can get to knock it right out (at any drugstore) called ZANFEL. It's very expensive, but it works wonders and clears it up right away. Hope yours isn't too bad now!

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  47. Anticipation...it has its ups and downs. But mostly ups - because spring will arrive, whether we live in the south or in the north. The big question is: when?

    A lovely post, Gail.
    Enjoy your day /Katarina

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  48. Katarina,

    Here's a quote I like~~you might like it, too! No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. ~Hal Borland

    Thank you for your very kind words about the post...
    Have a delightful day!

    Gail

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  49. IVG,

    There is a decided look of spring to the sweet flowers but let me assure you that winter still has his hooks in us! We worry each spring that the warm weather will tease the flowers to bud and that a really nasty freeze will take them out...so when we have a particularly lovely spring we get rather emotional! I will give the Zanfel a try...money well spent if it works!

    Any seeds you send will be appreciated! Take care!

    Gail

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  50. Which is worse...poison ivy or frost bite? Both, right? I so enjoyed seeing your emerging spring photos especially since we are still covered in snow. Love the 2008 picture with all the yellow, purple, big urn and old tree. Enlarging it made me go, WOW!

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  51. Monica,

    I usually wash my hands very well with comet cleanser! But this rash came from the gloves I grabbed off the front porch! Thank you for the suggestion to wipe with alcohol..I will add a bottle to the tray!

    ~~it really is perfectly all right to wish for spring! I do it myself~~it's my whining that has to go!

    gail

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  52. Phillip,

    The ups and downs are drastic! 63 on Tuesday and 22 tonight! Btw, your spring flowers post was absolutely beautiful...

    gail

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  53. Racquel,

    Thank you...that is my favorite photo...I hope the garden looks like that this spring! The blue container could be a water feature, but I use it as a focal point and didn't connect the water gurgler!
    The blue is perfect for that garden. I just bought plastic paint to try to paint a few pots fun colors! Hope it works.

    Gail

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  54. Jan,

    You are so right..this summer I will be grousing about the heat and humidity! We humans are together too human!

    Rurality, This rash was such a surprise, I am usually so careful! You will get real spring sooner then we will! Can't wait to see what it brings us.

    Darla, Yep and it is a bummer! I can't believe how much it itches... must reapply the zanfel to the new spots.

    Gail

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  55. Frances,

    I count on you to see Monsiour Piggie's seasonal looks! The photo of the Golden Ragwort is one of my favorites...the Porch Wildflower garden looked its best that day....I wonder what this year will bring. Thank you for your very kind words for my post today...I always appreciate your support and friendship!

    gail

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  56. Randy, Are you going to get the horrible cold weather that is bearing down on us? My poor dafs! Maybe they will survive it! The roller coaster ride that is spring's unfolding in the middle south is tough sometimes.

    Dave, We really are powerless over nature...cover your plants here it comes again!

    Skeeter, It is and then it isn't! is it that way in your garden?

    Gail

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  57. Sounds more like a Spring Itch to me and it's itching very badly I see. ;-)And you're not the only one who is suffering from it. I'm glad I don't live that far North, I'd go insane and would closely resemble a popsicle. Not keen on extreme cold. Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

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  58. Gail - We are enjoying? a snowy blustery day up north. Although I sometimes envy your warmer and quicker to spring clime, sometimes it is nice for the prolonged break.
    Lillian is also here to say hi.
    Cindy

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  59. Oh, no--I am not laughing about the poison ivy rash! I got my first case last summer; that's no fun. I'm hoping I got rid of all the ivy plants last summer.

    Gail, you are so right about not "wishing our lives away." As anxious as I am about spring arriving, I keep reminding myself of all the things I wanted to get done this winter and haven't. True spring doesn't arrive here until April sometimes, so I still have time...and I don't want to rush the garden work, because there's always a chance of snow even in April here.

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  60. Ah dear Gail.....we all long for spring and warmer days......bad winters seem to last forever......but you are so right, we should live each day and enjoy the moment......
    I love your lenten rose they are some of the most beautiful plants, don't you think??

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  61. You are experiencing a LOT of spring! What is the abundant yellow flower? And what is that copper snakey doing? ;-o

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  62. It has been nice here too...in fact all 12 raised beds are now ready...the pea fence is up, the compost is stirred, the trees and berries pruned. Now what am I gonna do if it gets cold again...I'll do just what you are doing whine a little and wait...

    Kim
    BTW...you live in Nashville? My #2(and sweetest) son just move to Chatanooga(sp?)He wanted an adventure so moved clear across the country, sigh.

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  63. Shady,

    You are an observant gardener! The flower is senecio smallii or S aureus...Both called ragworts...Copper snakey thing is copper tubing that I wrap around lots of different structures in the garden for fun!

    Gail

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  64. Kim,

    Congrats on all the work! Good weather is a motivator~~Chattanooga is a good community and he will have a great adventure. He isn't far from Frances of Fairegarden.

    Gail

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  65. Goodness, a poison ivy rash from your gloves --how unfortunate. One of the worst cases I've ever had came from taking soil cores in winter and contacting roots. Yuck. The second worst case (as an adult) was hugging our dog, who'd obviously been in contact with some. Some gardening friends swear by kaolin-based deodorant as a way to neutralize the oils after exposure for clothes, skin, or fur, for that matter. It can't hurt -- I've been using it and seldom, if ever, get poison ivy now (of course, I avoid it at all costs!)

    This was such a nice post, and even though we're in Zone 7, we can still yearn for spring.

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  66. Cheryl,

    I do think Lenton Rose is delightful....you never know what color the offspring will be and that is fun! Living in the moment is something that takes effort and practice..No way have I mastered it! So glad you stopped by...I will pop over to see you tomorrow...I am really behind in visiting folks.

    Gail

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  67. IKW,

    There is no immunity from Spring yearning is there? I will try your depdorant immunity...it is itching like crazy right now...thanks...
    gail

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  68. Rose,

    Have you met folks who are real task masters and keep at it until each and every task is complete...Not me! How about you?

    For years I never had any problems with PI but, once I contacted my first rash...it was never the same. So be extra careful out there!

    Gail

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  69. My dear friends,

    Thank you for your suggestions to stop the poison ivy! Yikes, it is not fun!

    Gail

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  70. Wise words indeed Gail - I think I have got past wishing for spring .... now I am wishing for summer ;)
    K

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  71. Sorry about the poison ivy, Gail! :-(

    I'm all for living in the present, too, but seeing your signs of spring makes me want it here...NOW! ;-)

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  72. We went all the way to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas to try to escape the cold. It was the first time I ever had to wear a winter coat during the early morning hours. GEez. It just didn't seem right. If we had flown like we usually do we wouldln't have had our winter coats with us. We usually leave them in the trunk of the car. Luckily we had them with us. I didn't wear shorts this time either. Only one afternoon was warm enough that I even thought I could. Weather is weird this late winter. I got my first chigger and tick of the year while there. Also an unusual happening. I love seeing your crocus and helebores. I have a few helebores and crocus ready to bloom. All they need is a little sunshine.

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  73. Here in the mountains of NY state I take winter walks instead of gardening. This year my big love was ice storms. After the storm the sunlight turns the landscape into pure glisten. And when the ice starts to melt into the streams, what a show. Keeps spring fever at bay.

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  74. very useful read. I would love to follow you on twitter. By the way, did any one hear that some chinese hacker had hacked twitter yesterday again.

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"Insects are the little things that run the world." Dr. E O Wilson