A Basket Full of Blooms and Other Miscellaneous News

Blooms On My Driveway

Hello everyone!  Today is a no fashion post.  I'm just sharing a few, I hope, interesting tidbits like the walk I took this evening along my driveway and a few other things. Just a little bit of this and that. Hope you enjoy!

Our rhododendrons are in full bloom right now and are so very pretty. I decided to cut a few blooms to create arrangements for in the house. We are supposed to have a hard frost tonight and I'm afraid all of our blooming flowers will not be with us tomorrow!

How pretty are these gorgeous blooms? The bees were certainly enjoying them!

Our other azalea bushes are already looking spent. This bush is hanging in there but I cut a few blooms from it to enjoy in the house. Even in the house in a vase of water I know the blooms won't last long. 

We also have lots of honeysuckle in bloom. The yellow color is such a nice contrast against the green. We can take hints about color combinations for clothing and other fabrics from nature. God has a good eye for color!

And I passed by our waterfall as I walked up the drive. It is flowing strongly after the Spring rains we have had. We hope to have some work done on the culvert under our driveway since we have had flooding this Spring from the waterfall overflowing. We keep waiting for the workmen to come and get started! No workmen yet!! But, the waterfall certainly is pretty. 

So, I brought my basket full of blooms into the house to start arranging them. Notice I'm wearing a coat. Our warmer weather has changed to much chillier weather today. 

I used four different containers for the flowers. Tall vases and shorter vases. These are now scattered around the house, placed strategically in spots where little paws cannot get to them. I love the colors and the way the arrangements came together in these containers. 

Now.....in other news......we have had a variety of backyard visitors lately. Would you like to see them?

Knock, Knock, anybody home? How would you like to see this at your door? This cub was curious about seeing Cassie on the floor staring up at him/her.

And this bear was disappointed that there was no bird feeder on the pole. Say what?!

This family of four includes a mama and three yearlings. I'm sure we saw this family last year when the cubs were just wee babies. 

This blue jay and its mate have been coming to the yard regularly this Spring. It seems to be saying, "Are you takin' a picture of me, huh?!"

And we also have a red headed woodpecker that has been visiting regularly. Being at home so much, I have really enjoyed watching the birds and other animals this Spring. 

I've also been doing some cooking......

This is a tasty vegetable bean soup topped with couscous and served with crunchy taco shells. 

The soup contains mixed vegetables, black beans, chicken broth and spices. 

Couscous is one of the easiest grains to cook. I used one cup of chicken broth brought to a boil and added in one cup of couscous, removed it from the heat and covered it. Wait five minutes and fluff it up with a fork. So easy!

The crumbled up taco shells added another layer of flavor to the soup. 

And finally......I've been doing some reading. 

Image of Mary Roberts Rhinhart from Wikipedia

Mary Roberts Rhinehart was a prolific author who some have compared to Agatha Christie. I have read some of her mysteries that I owned and since we have been quarantined, I have been looking for more of her books to read. I was delighted to find that our local library offers several of her books online so I have been reading from this virtual library using my phone. I never thought I would enjoy reading books this way as I love the feel and smell of real books. However, I am finding that I actually enjoy being able to pull out my phone and click on the library app that takes me back to where I left off at the last reading. Also, if I want to read in bed at night the "book" is illuminated so I can read with the lights off. While I won't read this way all the time, I like being able to find "new" books to read while the regular library and bookstores aren't open. For a bibliophile like me, this has been a life saver!

That's my non-fashion news for now. What are you reading, cooking and seeing in your yard-blooming or otherwise? Hope you'll let me know in a comment. Stay safe and well!

Until Next Time,

Debbie