Thursday, May 7, 2020

the start of may


The month of May is when spring really jumps into action here in Illinois. Inspired by my friend, Kari at A Gracefull Life who has been sharing beautiful photos of her walks on Instagram, I purposely noticed the beauty that surrounds me on my neighborhood walk today. I normally do pay attention to that stuff anyway; I'm always pulling out my phone to take pictures when I walk, but sometimes my same ol' neighborhood walk gets a little boring. Not today!







 Around my own yard, a few perennials that say SPRING to me are bleeding heart...


vinca...


and bishop's cap. All three have that delicate, romantic look about them.


This past weekend, the weather was sunny and warm, so I spent a lot of time on Sunday getting herbs and herb seeds planted in pots...


and more herbs such as basil, two varieties of thyme, and rosemary planted in the backyard herb garden. 


 I planted two pots of dahlias and sweet potato vines, too. I still have coleus and tomatoes to plant, but those are going to have to wait until it's warmer. We're in for another cold snap this weekend. Can you believe it's going down to 28 degrees Friday night? I've been bringing in my pots of flowers into the garage and covering my herbs with a sheet at night.


I had a helper while planting, too. Clementine loves to be outside, but I don't let her roam freely. She only gets to go on the front porch with me. If she starts to step off the porch, I bring her back into the house.  I ordered her a mesh cat tent on Amazon, but I haven't put it together yet. I'm hoping she likes it. She can stay safely in her tent on the porch when I'm outside, without me constantly having to guard her every move.


Speaking of cats, I ordered this art print online from Bed, Bath & Beyond and then got the frame on Amazon. Isn't it cute? Sorry the photo didn't turn out well; I kept getting glare from the plexiglass in the frame.


Here's what my big kitchen wall looks like now with the new print ~ and oh yes, two more plates around the gather here sign.




Here's an older photo I found when I only had two plates around the gather here sign. That sign seems rather sad nowadays though. No gathering around our table lately, except for Brian and I. 


Have a good weekend ~ stay safe and well!

16 comments:

  1. I love these pictures of your home and yard. That kitty print is so cute. I love your cats too. We are cat people, but haven't actually had a kitty in our house for some years since we had to put the last one to sleep. It was too sad. I hope you have a good week. You blog is very aptly titled - you do have a very comfy house!

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  2. I love this so much!! Your yard inspires ME yearly. I want to create in my yard what you have. It is magical. :)

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  3. Spring has sprung in your area. Well, temporarily anyway. I love the bleeding hearts!

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  4. Such pretty sights along your walk. Love the "Gather Here" sign. I hope you will soon be able to gather with those you love.

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  5. Loving seeing your pretty spring photos, Melanie! I'm thinking we're not far behind! Chilly...but at least we're not getting the snow, the east coast is expecting!

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  6. I saw the picture of you big wall on Instagram and thought it was a Pinterest post. It's so cute! Love the plates. Your garden pictures always look so lush. It isn't easy gardening here on the prairie. If I took a wide angle photo of my garden, it would not look impressive, so I do a lot of close up photos;) It's lovely seeing a cat among the flower pots and watering can. Just completes the garden look.

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  7. You and Brian have a lovely place to 'gather', just for the two of you, nice and romantic. Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady

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  8. Melanie, I think my first comment disappeared but I love your dining area! I love those blue and white plates and your cat in a teacup picture is charming. And that addition of a pink pillow is the perfect touch. I've written down your bishop's cap on my wish list for the garden. Your pics from your walks are delightful, I love the pattern in that path. We'll be covering things tonight too. The last freeze a couple of weeks ago killed two beautiful white crape myrtles RH planted here 3 years ago. Those kills hurt! But as long as all our family remains well I shouldn't complain. I hope all of yours is well. You take care!

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  9. The photo from Amazon is really cute and I love where you put it. With it being so chilly at least some of our flowers and trees are budding and giving us a little color. Have a good weekend.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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  10. Love the beauty all around you. Happy Mother's Day, stay safe.

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  11. Oh So Pretty. Even though you are only one state south of us the weather difference is unbelievable. We have nothing growing or flowering yet..and the trees are just now starting to bud out. loved your pictures. Happy Mother's Day- xo Diana

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  12. Wow, so you've got the freeze warnings too....tonight it's supposed to drop to 26. Give me a break already!!

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  13. Great pix of lovely things Melanie - and we all need to be surrounded by beauty at this difficult time.
    Wishing you warmer days this week.

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  14. I love the red touches in your garden and your cute, curious kitty outside! I love your inside kitty print, too. How fun! I love adding new touches in spring. It makes me smile.

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  15. I'm so happy that spring has arrived in Illinois. It looks beautiful.

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