something new every day

he looks like he can't believe what he sees outside this window!

pretty and purple

they cover the ground near our mailbox...

welcome back...

Haven't seen these guys for a while, so it was fun to find them back again early this morning!

finding the sunny spots

because that's what he DOES.

sunshine and purple

now showing in the woods at the edge of our back yard!

relaxing at home

Recovering from the long trip, and being "away" for two months!

spring

full of color and life and beauty!

one day away

I was only gone one day, but when I returned home, this new bloom had arrived! 

This little guy was enjoying the sunshine on his first day in his new home (our new home!)

Snow Day

A friend gave me a Buddy Pass so I could fly to MN for just one day, to pick up my cat.  I picked the worst day of the whole month of March, apparently.  But this little chickadee on the snowy background was a fun sight anyway. 

fresh as a...

I brought these home over a week ago to brighten our guest room for our special guests... and they still look as fresh as they did on that day!

another view

another look at this guy-- he can't quite decide between the food in the feeder and the bugs in the tree!

blooming back yard

a few days later...

Loving the beauty as this develops!  (Here it is when it first blossomed.)

Unknown

It's fun to see these unknowns coming up in the yard!   Can't wait to find out what it is!

marble tower

Our son and granddaughter have been building increasingly complex constructions  with the blocks and marbles.

lady cardinal

I like her understated elegance. 

discovery day

We spent the day at "Discovery Place"-- enjoying shapes, textures, colors, sounds and lots of cool scientific-type stuff!

woodpecker...

I wasn't able to get a great picture but this guy has showed up at the feeder in the past few days... he's pretty cool!

a closer look

Up close to see the flowers from this tree. 

japanese magnolia

loving the continuing development of the flowers on this pretty tree!  (first seen here, second look  here!)

another day, another new flowering tree!

Another tree burst out with pretty color today!

news of the day

It's been really fun to watch the daily developments in the back yard.  We don't know what trees and plants live here, and since we moved in at the end of winter, we are now enjoying the almost-daily surprise of a new tree or plant suddenly declaring itself. 

all dressed up!

The cardinals with their festive red feathers look like guests at a fancy party!

invited guest

We've had some fun visitors to the bird feeder, when they're not being chased off by squirrels! 

he wins... this round at least!

He has to work pretty hard for it though, hanging upside down and pulling the seeds out with his paws! 

figuring it out

I should have known when I bought a supposedly "squirrel proof" bird feeder that there is no such thing.  Soon after we put the food in, he came to check it out.  It was kind of amusing watching the different angles from which he attempted to get to the seeds. 

gift from a friend

Our friend Rachel sent this with us, to open when we got into our new house.  Love the way it looks with the sun shining through!

from my kitchen window

I almost fell off the chair I'd climbed on to get plates and glasses from a higher cupboard when I saw this group outside the window!  How does anyone pay attention to preparing dinner when there are deer to enjoy?!  But we had guests coming so I had to get my act together! 

blooms against blue sky

These white blooming trees against the blue sky stopped me in my tracks, forced me to get out of the car and photograph them!

special delivery

My mom had these flowers delivered to us, what a fun surprise! 

deer sighting!

I was so shocked to see deer in my backyard that I couldn't even remember where my camera was...  got this just as they were leaving.  I think there were 3 or 4 of them... such fun!