Monday, April 30, 2012

Yard Work Surprise

Finally it was warm and sunny today, so grass got mowed at both houses...yeah, that is NOT a perk of having 2 places!

Anyway, in the yard of the house we live in now, we have pine trees and I love the way the wind sounds in them...late at night and early in the morning...but, I didn't know they did this!



Yes, I know the pictures are not very good.  It was high up and I was trying to hold the branch down some and take the picture and then the little husband came to hold the branch down but the wind was blowing.
ANYWAY, it's RED and amazing, no?

And there was only the one on that tree.  I found 3 more on another tree....higher up still.

While we are in the red family have a look at part of my sweet Japanese maple....how lacy and delicate the leaves are....
...it drapes and flows like a giant bonsai.

Sweet bluets peeking through on this side of the driveway ... and taking over on the other side.

And the thing I love best about these sweet things is that they came all by themselves.  Don't you just love the serendipitousness of that?
I invented that word and the computer isn't happy.

It was a productive day and now I am tired and going to bed.




18 comments:

Rachel said...

What is that red thing in the tree? A pine cone? Excepting it is hollow..... so odd but cool!

I love Japanese maples.... we planted one but it died. Boo :( The leaves do look lacy.

I love spring! I just cut a ton of lilacs and have them in several vases through out my house. My house smells delish. Which is also a word the computer doesn't like and is made up. Made up words are the best. They are scrumdidleeumptious!

Baa-Me Kniits said...

Your garden looks lovely Donna and so colourful! I love that word you invented too....perfect :-)

Donna said...

It must be a pine cone, but I have never seen one like this in all my 56 years. How can that be? And why are there so few?
We are wondering if we can take our Japanese maple with us to the new house and I had to resort to lilac smelly stuff from Bath and Body Works...no real lilacs. :-(

Donna said...

Thanks, Jenni....it has to be pretty much self sufficient, because I'm not really much of a gardener.

W-S Wanderings said...

And it's red! I've never seen a red one before. Is it a red pine? I'm going to pay closer attention to our pines now.

Rachel, you have lilacs already? Lucky you! Ours don't even have leaves yet.

W-S Wanderings said...

Your red pinecone and Japanese Maple are enchanting, but it's the sweet, blue volunteers that really made me smile.

It's good to make the computer spell-checker work for a living. Builds character.

K said...

I'm going to google that red thing. How almost scary big it is! I am enjoying imagining the sound of the mower just now, as I am still under the weather, which is bad because it's raining and cold, which is good because the pasture needs the rain so very badly. Now - those little blue guys look like forget me nots. I'm almost certain that's what they are - with their neat yellow centers. But I have a secret to tell you about them: when the blossoms die away, as they will (what is wrong with the world?) they will leave tiny burrs behind that will get into Mercy's hair - especially the feathers on her legs. So keep an eye out. It may be wise to cut them back before those form. Getting the foxtails out is NOT fun and there will be millions of them.

K said...

I looked it up and found one person remarking that they'd lived in their house for 32 years, and this was the first time they'd seen a red pine cone. I did not note the date, darn it. Evidently, the male pine trees put out their "cones" this time of year - they are not the ones that we think of as cones, but are soft tubes from which the pollen will fly out to find the female cones, that seem hard and solid. The male cones don't last past spring. The female cones open up and dry and fall off (sounds like the skin on my face) as the year progresses. But I couldn't find much about even male red cones - I don't think they're a regular thing. Maybe in a drought? Or a high water year? I haven't found anything.

Donna said...

I love the little blues, too, even though I don't like blue!

Donna said...

Well, since I am almost sure that I couldn't bering myself to cut them while they are still blooming, the good news is that most of them (98%) are on a hillside that Mercy can't get on to...I will just watch those ones up near the top of the yard....
They spread like crazy. Just a few near the driveway last year and now an abundance!
Wonder if I could start some in my meadow at La Ti Da?

Donna said...

Isn't it interesting how sexual it looks and that is just what it is? Can I say that on here?
I'm pretty sure I would have noticed these before.
We did have the mildest winter in my time here (30+ years)....
The whole wonder of God's creation astounds me so often.
Thanks for checking into this...

Donna said...

ps...I can't believe that you are still not up to par! You have a big birthday coming up...you need to be able to enjoy that whole thing. Should you go to a doctor?

Tanna said...

I DO love that!! =D beautiful. just beautiful! blessings ~ tanna

Donna said...

I suspected you were a serendipitous sort of person, Miss Tanna!

K said...

You can say it, because everybody's thinking it anyway. Well, that's not a good excuse for saying things that shouldn't be said, I guess. But this is not that. I wonder if it's in response to the mild winter - if the plants get a sense that they are going to be fighting for their lives, they tend to do extreme things to preserve the population. Unlike humans. Some humans.

K said...

I started thinking that yesterday. But my reading - and the fact that it's getting better little by little (sleep helps, when I can talk myself into doing it) is making me wait.

Donna said...

I have been checking out all the pines I see. My other pines also seem to have some extra coney things, but white and way to high up to take a picture of.
Don't you love it when you learn something new?

Tanna said...

You betcha. ;) xoxo t.