The past couple of days have been typically beautiful spring days. My Dearly Beloved and I have been out in the garden raking the leaves and debris off of the flower beds. We have pulled lots of weeds. I had my first casualty of the gardening year. This tool broke way too soon. I hadn't even worn the tag off of it yet. I really hate breaking this tool. I didn't even know I liked this tool until I received it as a gift christmas before last. I used it all last year but it didn't make it through this season. If you like certain tools and use them often you know how I feel. I know that Carol would know how I felt if she broke one of her hoes.
Of course our Overseer was in the garden. It was her job to alert us to the meter reader and to keep all squirrels and cats at bay while we were out.
We had to take a little break in the action to watch as this Robin was busy building a nest in one of the shrubby trees out front. There is another Robin building a nest in the apple tree in the back garden.
The Saucer Magnolia is all abloom like I can't remember it ever blooming.
Dearly Beloved took the above two photos.I tried to get an overall shot of the Magnolia. Somehow it just doesn't show up in photos as it does in person.
Behind the Magnolia you can see the forsythia blooming. I call this arrangement my "Folly". When I stuck these two forsythia into the ground I was just going to leave them there until I found somplace for them to take up a permanent residence. I had bought them as a table decoration for easter one year. Then I forgot about them. They sent out these L O N G branches so I decided to tie them up over the garage window. They made an interesting (to me) arch. I like pulling into the garage and seeing either the brilliant yellow blooming or the dark green of the leaves. Some years this arrangement is stuffed full of blooms. This year it has a bare spot or two. Most were caused by those galls I wrote about this winter. I will cut them out and hope that it improves the bush. Now if I could also get the House Sparrows not to build nests here it would fare better.
Behind the Magnolia you can see the forsythia blooming. I call this arrangement my "Folly". When I stuck these two forsythia into the ground I was just going to leave them there until I found somplace for them to take up a permanent residence. I had bought them as a table decoration for easter one year. Then I forgot about them. They sent out these L O N G branches so I decided to tie them up over the garage window. They made an interesting (to me) arch. I like pulling into the garage and seeing either the brilliant yellow blooming or the dark green of the leaves. Some years this arrangement is stuffed full of blooms. This year it has a bare spot or two. Most were caused by those galls I wrote about this winter. I will cut them out and hope that it improves the bush. Now if I could also get the House Sparrows not to build nests here it would fare better. 
