Wednesday, February 29, 2012

A Lagniappe Kind of Day


[Image borrowed from the Internet]

Today is "Leap Day," and I'd like to wish a very Happy Birthday to all of you who were born on a Leap Day.

I like to think of today as being a "Lagniappe Kind of Day," and hope you find lagniappe wherever you go today.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

October Moon



No, that's not a ping pong ball caught in a tree — it's the moon, as seen through the branches of a tree behind our house.

I took that picture around 4:45 a.m., on a Sunday morning in October of last year, and had forgotten about it until I came across it this morning while browsing my picture files on my computer.

Hope your day is a good one however and wherever you spend it!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Spring's Alarm Clock


What is it about the approaching arrival of Spring that makes us want to clean and organize and fluff and freshen and redecorate? I don't know about you, but it's as if I have an internal "Spring's coming!" alarm clock that, without fail, goes off this time of year inspiring me to do most, if not all, of those things.

The weatherman says it's going to be partly cloudy today, with a high around 70, and I plan to release some of that energy and inspiration by spending the morning in our yard fluffing (pine straw), trimming (some of the smaller plants), picking up leaves in the flower beds, and planting Hollyhock seeds my mama gave me back in the Fall.

I hope one day they will look like hers, which were grown from some seeds I gave her that were given to me by a sweet lady in Jefferson, Texas, whose beautiful Hollyhocks I admired. I love "pass-along" plants, don't you!

Here are a few "before" pictures I captured of our courtyard and waterfall. As you can tell, all that ornamental grass definitely needs some attention. Poor Harry the Heron and the waterfall are almost hidden.

And I was afraid to sit in the chair in this next picture all winter for fear the grass would cover me up, too!


Hopefully, I won't be too tired from all my fluffin' and freshenin' to take some "after" pictures when I finish.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Counting the Days


Best wishes to you for a weekend
filled with the promise of Spring ...

In case you're wondering, these aren't recent pictures. Spring hasn't made an appearance in Vicksburg yet, but it will be here soon — and I'm counting the days.

Spring countdown banner

Friday, February 24, 2012

Night Visions: Old Court House at Vicksburg


One of the most beautiful and impressive landmarks of the City of Vicksburg is the Old Court House Museum.

The Old Court House, built in 1858, stands today as Vicksburg’s most historic structure, and today I would like to share some pictures I recently captured of it at dusk. The spotlights had just turned on, and there was still some daylight left, which made for some interesting pictures, I think.

I especially like the way the building was framed by the silhouettes of the magnolias and dogwoods ...

I used a flash for this picture and was surprised at how the backs of the magnolia leaves were highlighted.

The Court House is an awesome and impressive sight at any time of day or season of the year, and I look forward to going back to capture it when the dogwood trees are in bloom, which won't be long now.

In the meantime, if you would like to know more about the history of the court house and see more pictures, you can read my post featuring A Vicksburg Treasure.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Story of the Runaway Jasmine


When it comes to landscaping, one of the most common mistakes gardeners make is not taking into consideration the size of a plant at maturity instead of its size when they plant it. I have to admit that I was guilty of making that mistake a few years ago when I planted a Carolina jasmine plant (also known as Carolina jessamine) on a small trellis outside our bedroom window.

Nice, huh?

Well, that was four years ago, and those little Burfordi holly plants now stand about six feet tall and are completely covered by the kudzu-like jasmine vine ...

And the little trellis has long since disappeared, hidden amongst the hollies in a tangle of jasmine vines ...

Even though the vine has "done its own thing," I enjoy seeing it from our bedroom windows, and love the heavenly scent of its trumpet-shaped blossoms. Here are some closeup shots of the flowers ...


I even like the contrast between the bright yellow blooms and the deep red berries of the hollies ...

In fact, now that I think about it ... anyone can plant jasmine on a fence (like our neighbors' fence shown here) ...

But it takes a special talent to grow it on a living trellis like our hollies, don't you think?

[For more information about Carolina jasmine plants, you can visit this website: Carolina Jasmine]

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Adventures with Maddox


Yesterday I had the privilege of spending the day with my six-month-old grandson Maddox, and boy, did we have a busy day. But in and amongst diaper changes and bottles and lunch and naps and strolling, I managed to capture a few pictures.

Here is Maddox spending some quiet time on a quilt made by his great-grandmother. He looks so long stretched out like that ...

He loves to watch the ceiling fan ...

After we played with some of his toys for a while, he got fussy and since it was almost noon, I figured he was hungry.

We started out fine, with him taking a few bites of his peas, and pears and apple blueberry stuff, but he soon let me know that he wasn't fussing because he was hungry.

He was a sleepy baby, but he always has a smile for his Grandmama ...

I had barely gotten him all snuggled in his swaddling blanket before he was sound asleep ...

Now, I ask you — is that not an angel!
(And, of course, I'm not prejudiced or anything)

After his naptime, I fed him his lunch (he was ready for it then!) ... and then it was time for his big sister Avery Grace to come home from school.

It was such a pretty afternoon, we decided to go for a stroll ...

Lord, I thank you for these two perfect little grandchildren ...

After our stroll, Maddox, with Avery's help, practiced learning how to sit up ...

He's kind of wobbly, but it won't be long before he masters it!


In this picture, he looks as if he's saying, "Help, GrandMama!"

I love the way he always checks out who's holding him ...

In his spare time, Maddox loves playing with his feet ...

I hope you enjoyed seeing these pictures from my day with Maddox, as much as I loved my day with him. He's changing so much now, and I don't want to miss anything!

Avery is growing up way too fast, too ... and I'm looking forward to her spending some time with us during her spring break from first grade.