Spring, Blue Birds, Cymbidium Orchids, Ticks, Memories…
Delightful semi-resident of the courtyard.
And beyond…
It’s like spring here in Northern California.
My roses are bursting, some pushing buds.
The grass is coming back after rain, nice days, sunshine and plenty of seeds just waiting to pop thru in the warming light.
Blue birds are nesting like crazy even tho it’s a little early!
They’re a fertile bunch ~ a happy thing!
The above photo is a male with two female western blue birds having a chat over the water trough.
Below is a bursting nest box that was cleaned out just in time!
“lone cow road”
The cows seem happy again with greening pastures down the road.
And this amazing rainbow chard has fed us all winter!
This cymbidium orchid didn’t bloom for its first decade.
Now look!
Two HUGE flower stalks that are simply stupendous.
Nobody’s more surprised than I that it’s blooming like mad.
As can be seen behind it, my Meyer lemons are also producing baskets of lovely lemons, far more than we could ever use, even with all the gluten free lemon bars we bake!
But it seems it’s to be a lively tick season too…
Yesterday we picked three off the dogs after a short walk in the fields with both Bella and Sophie!
(Quite a sight!)
Time to dig out the drops and special-just-for-ticks tweezers for another season.
A country fact of life. Ugh…
It’s no surprise there’s a “Lyme cluster” up here.
Always I grow blue pansies thru the cooler months.
They are one of my favorites, reminding me of my grandmother every time I look at them.
Makes me weepy thinking of her now.
I spent much of my teen years living with her.
She’s been gone 36 years but sometimes, it seems she never went anywhere at all….
In order to make progress, there is only nature, and the eye is turned through contact with her. ~Paul Cezanne
28 Comments
Jane Brewer
What a beautiful orchid and how wonderful that it has bloomed after ten years. It must have been such a joy to see it. The tick season has started here in Portugal too and we have been tweezering the cats already. Enjoyed your lovely photos.
ĽAdelaide
Hi and welcome Jane! Thanks for stopping in and leaving your thoughts! That’s always lovely when someone new comes by and says hello! I’m glad you enjoyed my post today.
How’s life in Portugal? I can’t seem to find a blog for you but it might be my mistake tonight. I’m quite worn out!
The cymbidium was a shocker and it’s so incredibly gorgeous, I’m tempted to buy another but don’t want to wait 10 years again! Oh well, might be worth a try! 😉
heretherebespiders
Oh, the orchid! Wow wow! And the pansies, and I’d love some fresh lemons, and lemon bars, and some sunshine, too 🙂
Don’t need the ticks, though – they have them here, too, but Lyme-free I believe.
ĽAdelaide
Hi spidey-lady,
No Lyme is a wonderful thing. We live in dread here that one escaped us! I send you sunshine warmth, lemony treats and all things warm and Spring!
xox
cindy knoke
Fab fotos, even of the icky ticky!
ĽAdelaide
Yep, icky ticky is certainly true! Thanks for stopping in!
Crowing Crone
so much of life and bloom surrounding you right now. How truly lovely. Your grandmother would be right there, enjoying it all with you, if she could….and maybe she is!
ĽAdelaide
Thank you deeply Joss! I’m so happy you enjoyed my offerings. And yes, I am sure she is! xox
Mary
Beautiful Linda and here’s to everything new – love that Spring is showing! Wonderful photographs and narrative.
ĽAdelaide
Thank you so much, Mary. I’m glad you enjoyed the post today. I hope spring is showing in your world too. I haven’t had a chance to comment yet, but your painting is gorgeous! xxx
janellmithani
Beautiful pictures, looks like spring here, too. Pansies are my favorite flower and they make me think of my grandmother, too. She introduced me to them and gardening. Been thinking of making lemon bars, too. I just made lemon ginger marmalade. Would love it if you could share your recipe?
ĽAdelaide
Hi Janell,
Wow, we have so much in common! I would love to share the recipe. It’s gluten free but I just use my usual recipe and sub the flour with my mix. I’ll try to get a photo and post it later this week. Have a son visiting just now! The bars might be gone by now but… 🙂
xxx
ĽAdelaide
K, here you go, Janell… I may post it but in case I get tripped up…
2c white flour/GF flour mix
1/4c sugar
pinch of natural sea salt
2 cubes unsalted butter, cubed
Combine in food processor, first the dry ingredients, then with the butter, and press into a 9×13 pan. Bake in preheated 350 oven 20 min.
In same processor bowl- no need to rinse out- combine 3 eggs, 2c sugar, 1t baking powder, 1/4c four and 3oz of fresh squeezed lemon juice. I use the Meyers- they aren’t sour. When the crust is golden right out of the oven, pour on the lemon curd mixture and continue baking another 20 minutes @ 350.
Good hot, cold and the next day-if they last that long!!
janellmithani
Thanks do much, I will make them this weekend.
susancrow
and for me it’s the crane I return to gaze at. I’ve still never seen one in real life so it’s a thrill to know they visit you.
Thank goodness there’s been some rain there at long last. The flowers and grass look magnificent. Every autumn the winter pansies were (and likely still are) planted in Portland’s street containers. sigh.
xoxo
ĽAdelaide
Dearest Susan,
Return as often as you need. Perhaps he returns for us both. He is a majestic creature. Perhaps it is a she, i have no idea but love it every time I’m surprised by it!
I wish for you flowers soon!! I am certain it must be hard at times to be up there now as Portland is a beautiful city and rich with so many wonderful things!
much love xox
Mel
What hope you brought me on this subzero morning. *sigh* I know spring will get here…eventually…sometime……soon, I can hope.
The pansies are gorgeous–and how graced you were to have a grandparent in your life. I envy that–but I’m grateful none the less.
I’d love a crane in the garden! They’re such shy creatures at the river, if they even see me looking at them…*poof* Oh, but they are great fun to watch as they stalk their way through the shallows.
C’mon SPRING!! (not that I’ll have orchids popping out, cuz they’d freeze to death) I’m ready for a bit of green already!
ĽAdelaide
Ah Mel, you and millions of others, I think. My son flew out of SFO and was hoping he’d get into Chicago with no delays. It’s also raining like mad here so thats dicey. Ah well, best laid plans methinks. I hope for you spring sooner than later or at the VERY LEAST, a bit of green! Enjoy your cranes when you see the beauties. They are very shy. I can capture them thru my windows with camera otherwise I’d not have these photos. 😉 but glad I can!
xox
Mel
You get white cranes in your garden and you can sneak photos of ’em through your window….. Talk about a cool set up! We get more ‘mud cranes’ than the white ones. Himself wants me to believe their blue herons–pfffffftttt…..they’ve been mud cranes my whole life and they’re STAYIN’ mud cranes. We don’t, however, get ’em in the garden. Ummm….we don’t have a garden.
The neighbor does! He gets ground hoggy guys–well, he got ONE ground hoggy guy and himself named him Geoffry. :-/ I wanted to keep him……..the neighbor didn’t.
Pffffffftttt. So poor Geoffry got relocated to a farm where he lived happily ever after. LOL Gawdddddd I do carry on! LOLOL
ĽAdelaide
Mel, yay for carrying on! I’m laying here with a tummy catastrophe, well IT thinks so anyway, and your words made me smile! As for YOUR heron, I’ve got them too and they’re huge so no mistaking them. we call these great blue herons but I’m sure there’s more than one kind. Like cranes…. I think they’re related but not sure. I’m waiting for pelicans with all the water, I’m waiting for FISH! Poor pup is not liking peepeeing in the wet! Oy!
xoxox
Mel
You wanted water. Wasn’t that you that wanted water? LOL Yes, I know–sometimes I think the Big Guy is as sucky in moderation as I am! :-/ But yippee for Friday with it’s ending of the workweek and the promise of a different agenda. Ummmm…..like more snow. LOL NOT that I’m too crabby about it–I got out and about last weekend and I’ve got plans to make a mess in the house so I can make it neater. But–if the Big Guy sees fit to hand the snow to someone who really needs it, I’d be okay with that. 😀
ĽAdelaide
Hi mel, I’m sick but had to say hi. Hope you get some sun! xox
Anita C. Miller
I feel like I just had a mini vacation seeing your lovely photos. Just gorgeous. Everything is still totally covered in thick snow here and that awful polar vortex is back!!! I guess we all have our “nasties” to contend with. I really enjoyed your post and seeing your corner of the world today. Best, Anita
ĽAdelaide
And another friend freezing into spring! I’m so glad you enjoyed these random offerings. I know many are still buried in cold and snow, I’m buried inw ind and rain but it’s nice in temperature, 60s, so won’t complain. I’m hoping my son gets all the way to Florida in a timely manner tonight and returns next week as well! Take care, keep warm, I’ll think warm sun shining for you and yours! xxx
elenacaravela
All terrific photos-the crane and even the tick.
ĽAdelaide
Haha, even that yucky tick? Ugh… 😉
Carol King
Ah, what beautiful photos. Right now I wish it was spring here. But it’s still freezing cold and more snow is coming. So thanks for letting me a little virtual spring. 🙂
ĽAdelaide
Hi Carole,
I’m under the weather in more ways than one just now but I wanted to say I’m glad you enjoyed! As I said in my current post, I hope our rain isn’t more snow upstream! Crazy!