Beautiful Spring

I just noticed that this is my 400th post!

This one is going to be packed with photos documenting the past few weeks--easily the most beautiful spring I've witnessed since I began living here. Jeff and I have been trying to improve our driveway garden over the past couple of years. Last fall I planted a few dozen tulip bulbs and was so excited to watch them bloom. The frilly ones in front are parrot tulips, and I painted the pink one recently. Backing them up are two rows of regular tulips that were supposed to be purple. I think my bag of bulbs was incorrectly marked.

But that's okay--I like these better. They're so cheerful!

We have lots of roses on the other side of this garden and are unsure about how to tame/contain them. The two large rose bushes throw out tentacles that climb up to the sky and then arch down, like dozens of this thing overlapping again and again.

Our neighbor cut down a large, dead tree, and he set the logs out by the side of the road to be removed by the city. Jeff saw one of them and thought it might make a nice display element in the roses, so the two of us rolled that heavy thing down the street (Jeff did 90% of the work while I gave it a few kicks here and there) and installed it. We like how it looks semi-human, and I can't wait for those roses to bloom.

This is the east side of our weirdo house. The redbud trees are in bloom!

I love the redbud-blooming week the most.

It's followed by redbud-confetti week.

We have other flowering trees on the south side of the house.

This one is almost embarrassingly gorgeous.

Crab apples and dogwoods decorate the west side next to the garage.

Needless to say, Bun is a very happy little girl.

She mostly stays on the path during her supervised walkabouts.

And when it's sunny, sometimes she'll just lounge.

On rare occasions she becomes SUPER FIERCE MIGHTY HUNTING JUNGLE CAT;;;;

Ohh, the colors. I still can't believe I get to live here...

...with this amazing creature...

...and my sweet girl.

Too. Much.

PS Mom cut three inches from my hair a few weeks ago, diminishing that grizzly-bear-living-on-my-head feeling. Now it's more like I have a grizzly cub up there.

I hope you're having a great spring, too!

Comments

[Matt Crowley]

Do you have any problems with wandering deer that eat your roses?

[Kelly]

Not really, Matt. The roses are close to the road and I've never seen a deer out there. Woodchucks used to eat my moss roses before I got wise and put them where they couldn't reach!

[Tobin]

Did your husband design the house? I love it. Swedish vibe!

[Kelly]

Thanks, Tobin. I love it, too! Jeff didn't design it. In the 1970s, the previous owner bought an old Sears Craftsman house and added those two big boxes on either end. It's definitely one of a kind!
http://pinterest.com/txdaughter/craftsman-homes/

[Sarah]

I love when redbuds bloom! You can actually eat the redbud flowers too (I remember that from my plant taxonomy class way back in college).

[Kelly]

Ya don't say? I'll try that next year!

[Lynn]

Congratulations on your 400th post. I thoroughly enjoy your blogs. You write beautifully and share gorgeous photos. So glad Emily introduced you on Beauty Broadcast!

[Annah]

Hi there! I'm new to your blog, got here after googling flower photos (the beautiful bouquets with zinnias came up) and am really impressed with your artwork.

Can you tell me the name of the embarrassingly gorgeous tree in your yard? Thank you!