You Can Tell It Has Been A Bad Winter When...

Everyone has been writing about the cold and
snowy winter we have been having in so many of
the states and even across the pond.
The deers have been eating anything they can
munch on this winter that even looks a little green
or eatable .
Around here the birds have
been the ones to have something to eat on a regular
basis. The last three days even the squirrels have been
trying to get to the feeders and coming close to the
house in search of food.




Our country squirrels are not like their city slicker
cousins. Here they tend to shy away from getting near
the house or people. So when they tried for the first
time ever to get to the feeders I was cringing until I
saw they could not reach them yet. So they were left to
digging around beneath them to find some seeds the
birds had missed or scattered in the snow over the winter.




Here on the hill there is still plenty of snow cover
yet that has to melt so digging around for leftover
acorn's and hickory nuts is a little difficult.



I saw them grabbing up pieces of stale bread
that I had thrown out for the birds or stray cats.



But you have to know it has been a really bad
winter when you see them eating the frozen
chili soup that was left out for the cats,etc.
I had thrown it out and it of course was frozen
overnight. This little squirrel was eating it up like
it was the best thing it ever had. Chili Popsicle's
may become the new rage around here for the
critters. LOL!





I had never seen this happen before and felt
so sorry for the poor starving thing.
Then I noticed there were two other squirrels
sitting just off a short distance eating something.




Then I knew it was even worse than I thought...





You really know it has been a terrible winter when
the squirrels are gnawing on old bones!!!
I kid you not that this was even a bigger surprise.




This one took its bone and ran up the old oak
tree. There it set gnawing away on the bone.



My question to all of you is this...
Do you think I should lay out a roll of
Rolaid's or Tum's on the back step for the poor
things after eating my chili soup? LOL!!!

Business Is Up At The Feeders

As the sun was rising yesterday morning this
is what I was looking through at the kitchen window.



The icicles were growing so long that I could
not even take pictures of the birds feeding from the
feeders because of the ice.
So it was time to go out and knock down some ice from
the eaves and gutters before it started causing ice to dam
back under the roof and cause problems or bring down
the gutters from the weight.
With another snow storm on our front doors steps
which I did not even want to think about, I took broom
in hand and knock down all that I could reach. Since
we live in partial two story I could not reach them all
but with the sunshine yesterday a lot of ice slide off, taking
down one of the lower widow boxes in the process so I
had to go out and rescue it. I was just glad in the great
slid it missed breaking one of the windows.



Now at noon it is snowing like crazy and the roads
are getting terrible. My Mom just informed me that
she called the Ohio Dept. of Transportation to tell them
to get on the ball and get on the roads because she has
grand-kids coming home from work this afternoon. LOL!
Whatever! She is more gutsy than me. I did not remind
her that just because it was bad upon this hill did not
always mean all the roads in the valley were bad too.
Twenty minutes later they were going by plowing.
Which is just about as long as it would take them to
get from town to here, so Mom it worked.





With the snow falling the feeders are getting lots
of action. The birds seem to come to the new metal feeder
as the older plastic feeder gets lower on seed.
The reason being the new metal one is a little slippery
for them and the snow was making it even more slippery.
As sad as this sounds watching sliding birds is a little
fun to see. LOL! Not so much fun for them.




But they are gorging at it anyway today like there will
be none for tomorrow.
Reminder to self: add birdseed to the shopping list.




This winter I have not yet saw any
new variety of birds. It has been the old faithful
one such as the many Cardinals, Junco's ,Sparrows,
Goldfinches, Titmice, Woodpeckers and Nuthatches.



By the way if you hear angry shouts it will have been
me because Blogger is causing me fits today just
trying to get this finished and intact. Seems others
are having problems too.




Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and
a snow free one.





One last thing has anyone else lost Blotanical
all together. My logo disappeared and the website
is not responding????

Not Your Apple Blossom

Apple Blossom Amaryllis is just a beauty.
The large blooms brighten up any gloomy winter day.





Who would not love big blooms of white with
touches of pink on the petals and veining.
The green throat of the bloom just pops.






Now take this Apple Blossom amaryllis.
It is pretty also with its bright red petals.





The deep red center adds to its beauty.




What is up with this? I am not doing too well with
getting the right bulbs for the amaryllis I think
I have purchased this winter. LOL!
Granted it is a pretty one but just not the glorious
pink Apple Blossom I wanted.
Does any of you amaryllis growers have any clues
as to what this one may really be named?


Happy Surprise Gardening Everyone!

I Got Babies !!

"Alright do not look at me that way."
Some feat for an old lady, huh?
Okay, so they are not of the human variety.





Iceberg


The violet leaves that I thought was going to be
written into the old garden log as " do not try this
experiment in futility ever again " are starting to
actually grow and get new leaves.





Wrangler's Dixie

You gardeners with all these green thumbs and fingers
may think " what is the big deal" or " poor woman"
but to all of my old blogging friends who have seen my
admitted failures in botany know it is an accomplishment.
By the way, green thumbs comes from pinching off those
plants not from actually growing them. Even I can deadhead
and pinch with the best of them. LOL!

Anyway.... I am glad to finally see some growth
coming from them and I still have two more pots of
violet leaves starts that the jury is still waiting out on.

Amaryillis Picotee is putting on her finale blooms
for this winter so I wanted to share it one more time
with everyone. Besides from a few bulbs starting to
show some promise and the excitement over the violets,
well that is all I got blooming now friends.










And I know, I know, I promised to not show of the
"Ragtime " amaryllis any more this winter, but what the
heck they are in the same planter.







I want to tell all of you who are getting socked in with
the recent round of snow storms to stay safe and warm
and do not forget the birds.
We have been getting a little each day for a week
and expected to get up to six more inches today to
add to the five or six, or twelve ( it depends on which
snow drift you step off into) that we already have.
So I made sure this morning that the birds had
filled feeders and water. I also see a pot of chili in the
near future.

Growing outdoors....






The Lavender is slowly disappearing
from one snow to the other and will be out of
sight after today. That will be a good thing because
it will be insulated from the cold winds then.





The yellow "Capistrano" rhododendron now has
a broken branches, poor baby.




And the leaves on all of the rhododendrons are
curling up from the cold.



Joy, maybe I should have brought this pot
indoors for the winter.





And instead of sunflowers and daisies I am now
growing snow-flowers. Anyone in the market for one?





So enjoy Picotee and....

Happy Dreams of Spring to Everyone!

Hunkering Down

The birds have been hunkering down, puffing out
their feathers and gorging themselves.
When I see the bird's feasting at the feeders as though
there will be no food for tomorrow I know the
snow is still going to continue or a new round is
coming. It is tough watching them trying to feed
with the strong winds and the snow coming in sideways.
The Junco's , Cardinals, Sparrows, Titmice, Woodpeckers
and Nuthatches have been the main feeders thus far,
but as the cold continues and the snow is piling up
there are bound to be new types of birds coming in to fed.
So keep those feeders filled and the fresh water out.







After all of the Christmas decorations are down, usually
that means the next day or two around here, I decorate
the front porch for winter.







The Christmas wreaths come down and a wreath of
sparkling ice crystals and lights go up.





Here in Ohio you decorate for every season and any
little ole thing it seems. So I decorate for the winter
just to brighten things up for the gray days of winter.

The small prime tree comes out of the crock
and sticks that have been spray painted white
and seed lights are added.
The Christmas swags and flowers are replaced with
snowmen.
Whoops, I think that one little snowman is a little
crooked. LOL! What you see after the pictures are taken.





This corner of the front porch now is all bright
and sparkling on a cold winter night.
I am not sure the 'Winter Welcome' sign is exactly
truthful on my part though, you all are welcome
but as far as winter I could live without it.
I think there was a horrible mistake made -- years ago
and I was really suppose to have been born on some
tropical island.






The sled stays out with the skates upon it but the
Christmas greenery and ribbons are gone.
Miniature lights and another sign brighten this
corner of the porch.
The sign reads 'Let it Snow'.
Last winter someone coming up onto the porch
and turned this sign over. Guess they had had enough
of the snow and thought this would stop it . LOL!
The way it has settled in this winter I may go out and
take the stupid sign down myself.

A Sparkly Winter Day to You All!

Just Beneath The Surface

Or out freezing your t-hinder off in the morning
when the thermometer is reading 5 degrees and
the wind chill is below zero.
Nothing will wake you up any faster making the old
sleepy eyes pop open.
What a rush. LOL!





" Hope "

As I went to open the blinds this morning all the signs
of a very cold night were written all over the windows.
Jack Frost had been busy working with his paint brush
while we slept.





The patterns made the windows look like lace

curtains were fastened to them.

Then when the sun begin to rise and shine through
the window panes the patterns were decorated with
clear crystal quartz.

After seeing the pictures the caption I would give
to them if they needed one would be 'Hope'.
Just beneath the stark cold surface of life,
hope shines through to brighten our lives.

After breakfast I ventured out to refill the bird
feeders and to check on the water in the bird bath.
I keep a small heater in it to provide water for
them throughout the winter.
It was just about empty so the birds have been using
it and by the tracks so are the raccoons and stray
cats. I hope they can stay clear of one another

and they all make it through this winter.





While doing these chores I could not help but to
once again go back in to get the camera.
The sun shining upon the snow was an array of
diamonds and colored prisms.
I tried to catch the colored specks of red and blues
but my camera just would not pick them up plain
enough to show up on the pictures but the glistening
snow came through.




The lavender plant seems to be taking all of the cold
thus far with the sparkling snow around it.





Jack Frost
"Someone painted pictures on my
Windowpane last night --
Willow trees with trailing boughs
And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
They vanished one by one."

- Helen Bayley Davis -





Gardening Gone Wild is sponsoring a January
picture contest and the title is "Winter's
Beauty" chosen by Alan Detrick, who will be this
months judge. What a fun way to start off the New
Year and give us garden and camera enthusiasts
an escape from the cabin fever of winter and
looking into the beauty of a winter day instead.
Everyone get those beautiful Winter pictures
entered in.
I think I will enter ' Hope ' into the contest
to look for hope into this New Year ahead and
toward the hope of a new Spring.
It certainly will not be the best picture because I
have seen more beautiful ones already entered
but it will be fun to participate.
Good Luck to all the entries and....

Happy Winter Gardening Everyone!