this and that

 Finally. 

The sun finally came out today after an entire week of nothing but gray skies, rain showers, and temps only in the 40's. What a difference the sun makes for one's energy and attitude! I got a lot accomplished today, both inside and out.

The latest new blooms in my yard are these tiny beauties on top of the dead nettle ground cover. 

 Since the sun was out today, I was able to get some more planting done. I saved this hanging planter from last year and filled it with pansies.

 Several varieties of coleus and gerbera daisies went into this large container - which was moved into the garage tonight. Nights are still cold here!

And, I planted two containers of lettuces.

One area I want to work on improving this year is the north side of the house. See the shady area against the side of the house? We had bushes planted there and they died a couple of years ago. I'm assuming because this area doesn't get a lot of sun. I have to do some reading and research for what would do well in this area and perhaps ask for some suggestions from the experts at the garden center. 

The window you see in the photo is our bedroom window. Our view from that window is our neighbor's ugly fence. I remember Brenda from Cozy Little House saying that you should always have a pretty view out your windows. And, if you don't have a pretty view, then try to do something about it. I think I will dig up the bamboo (which I didn't know was invasive) in the butterfly garden and put in a big pot and then flank that with pots of tomatoes.
Later edit: You might notice that my lawn has dandelions. It also has wild violets and Creeping Charlie. That's because we don't use chemicals on our lawn or on any of our plants. It's not worth the health risks to ourselves, our pets or wildlife to have a weed-free lawn. Not to mention that we also have a private well, so any chemicals put on our lawn would leach down into the ground and into our well water. That's the water we drink and bathe in. No, thank you.

On Saturday when it was pouring rain and we were running errands, we ducked into one of my favorite antique shops. I couldn't resist this curved ceramic Siamese cat. It's marked on the back: @Mann. I can't find anything online about it. Anyone?

I also found this blue Red Wing piece to add to my vintage pottery collection. I told hubby that I blame Claudia for my newest obsession. ;-) I never really noticed vintage pottery or appreciated it until I started seeing photos and reading about it on Claudia's blog. Oh well, hubby is probably glad I'm not collecting birds anymore. Or owls. Or cloches. My interests come and go over the years.

Thanks for your visit ~ have a lovely week!

Sharing with Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday.