beauty all around us

 It's amazing how, when spring gets going, plants seemingly grow overnight and

bushes and flowers burst into bloom. The cilantro in my herbal fairy garden is already

taking over much of the pot! And I've even clipped and used some in my cooking.

My lilac bush is blooming now and the fragrance is heavenly. Outdoors, that is.

I have allergies and if I bring the blooms indoors, it makes my schnoz very unhappy.

My fern plant unfolds a little more each day.

 This wicker rack is on the patio. I'm not done with it yet; I'm still filling it

in with plants and decor. See the three flowered pots in the blue wooden box?

I got those at the Dollar Tree yesterday.

I was hunting around in the garage for other items I could possibly use outdoors

and I found this wicker stand. It was faded with wear, so I spray-painted it 

bright blue to liven things up. I only had time for one coat yesterday though.

Still needs another coat or two. And more plants too, of course.
I got this pretty pot at the Salvation Army thrift store. If you're looking
for plant pots, thrift stores and dollar stores are the way to go! I couldn't
believe how expensive plant pots are even at Wal-Mart.

 I like how the wicker stand adds dimension and interest to the flat ground coverings.

Will be even prettier when those day lilies by the fence start to bloom!

I went to water my hanging fuschia plant a few days ago, and was surprised to find

that a bird decided that the plant would be a good place to build a nest!

It was still muddy inside....mama bird was obviously still building. No nesting

material inside the nest yet.

Well, imagine my surprise and delight when I peeked into the nest today and found

not only the nesting material, but one blue egg, too! A robin's egg!

There's a big lake only a few blocks from my house and I was down there the

other evening with my camera, so I was able to capture a couple of beautiful

photos. I'm not sure what kind of tree this is (I'm terrible at remembering names

of trees and plants), but it sure looked pretty, especially with the cat tails in the 

background.

And then I was able to capture this photo of a lone fisherman.
So peaceful and serene, isn't it?

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