A row of sunshine.

 Kirea is a shrub with yellow pom poms on lime green stems.

They thrive in the shade under the pines.

They do spread but that is OK

 it fills a space  under the trees.

We mow it off every other year .

The easy was to maintain the landscaping.

I have 2 patches  I do them on alternate years.

So I have a bright spot each spring.

Now that we are approaching 70 we find

new ways to control the yard with less effort.

The chain saw, the mower, hedge trimmer and

a weed whacker with a saw blade.

This year the row of 14 burning bushes went from 5 ft

to 18 inches in one hour.

The honeysuckle arch got a major hair cut too.

The box wood got attacked with the hedge trimmer

instead of hand trimmed.

It will recover in 6 weeks-hopefully.

Maybe someday a young person will come up

the long driveway and buy this park like

25 acres and we can settle into a condo

on the gold course so we are still surrounded by green.

Condos for Purple Martins

 My husband loves his birds.

This past winter he came up with this idea for  the

purple martins.

He made the houses out of PVC drain pipe,

and had the local welder construct the framework.

He just finished raising it Thursday and

the first bird scout showed up.

Went in several of the houses to check them out.

Hopefully it met with his approval and

he brings back the whole flock.

They are a fun bird to watch.

 He devised a winch system to raise and lower it.

He is such a practical man.

I had him help me decide how to set up my

new Kola cabinet. He thought of a  better way than I .

Definately a left brained person.

A good balance with the right brain artist.

 close up of a unit.

My new Kola sewing cabinet

 Look at this bargain I found on Craig's list

Now I am really organized.

Finally the right height to avoid frozen shoulders.

All that stuff on the right used to set around my machine.

So much easier to work.

I just need to turn my chair to the right

and all my embellishments are there.

Very efficient.

Now to quit messing around with re-arranging

 and get to work creating again.

Wordless Wednesday

Sping Greens.

 Love the colors of spring. So many greens.

The light limey greens, the dark greens of the pines,

the yellow green of the oaks.

I found a Kola sewing cabinet on Craig's list for $300

just what I was needing to have the proper sewing height.

Only 45 minutes away too. What a bargin.

When I told my husband what they were new

he agreed to go with me to pick it up.

So this morning my husband will get it  out of the back of

my SUV and down the basement steps.

Thank goodness we have an appliance dolly.

Than I will start on either a segment of a quilt for Houston

or painting a chair for the Lafayette Museum of Art.

Both on my to be done list by May 1st.

Spring FLowers

 I picked all my tulips and daffodils to fill my vases.

The kitchen smells so good.

I decided to save the meatballs for Mothers day.

The ham, turkey and lamb was enjoyed by the young men

in the family there was even some leftovers for each family.

Liz brought some DeBrand chocolates. Yum.

The best part of hosting is making the menu.

It was good to see my grand kids again.

They are fun to have around.

Notice the McCoy vase in front I found this

 at a flea market last summer. It is perfect for spring.

The final load of dishes is in the dishwasher and the

washer is working on the tablecloths.

Time  to take it easy.