Bears, Turkeys and Flowers, Oh My!

 Backyard Visitors and More

Hey Everyone!  I know that it is has been many days since I've posted.  But, I'm back today sharing some recent backyard visitors, my Spring flower planting and a little more. Hope you enjoy!

As you can see, the bears have returned to visit!  These are two cubs that stopped by the other day with their Mama Bear.  Mama didn't stick around but the cubs stayed a few minutes. In this pic it looks like the bears are looking at each other saying, "Uh, Oh, I think the lady in the window is lookin' at us...."  These cubs are yearlings but we have seen another Mama on up the road who has three teeny, tiny cubs.  They are so precious!

We also had a big turkey come through the backyard today.  This guy was pecking at the grass seed The Mr. had just scattered on the hillside so we were glad when he decided to move on fairly quickly!

In other backyard news, we managed to get the flowers for Spring and Summer planted on our back porch. Hopefully, they will bloom and grow and really become full this Summer. We are only doing container flowers for the most part. And only flowers this year, not any vegetables! I gave up on planting veggies after last year's planting that yielded very little. I just don't have a green thumb in that area!

So, in addition to the purple verbena you saw in the first picture, we also planted two different colors of lantana and some sunpatiens. They don't look full right now but should really fill out as June approaches. 

And in our backyard in-ground garden that is surrounded by a stone wall, we planted these pretty leafy plants. I think these are called caladium but don't quote me on that. We have a hard time getting anything to truly flourish in this back garden but we keep trying! Perhaps this will be the year for flourishing!! Planting flowers in the Spring always reminds me of seeking growth in my faith. I always want to be flourishing with growing closer to God. Psalm 92:12-15 speaks to flourishing in faith. I especially like the idea of bearing fruit in old age and staying fresh and green. 

"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

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planted in the house of the Lord,

    they will flourish in the courts of our God.

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They will still bear fruit in old age,

    they will stay fresh and green,

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proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;

    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

In other news, The Mr. and I got our second Covid vaccines last week. I am so thankful to have the vaccine. We want to be rid of Covid-19 as fast as possible! 

I also had promised in my Easter tablescape post to share with you how I was using the faux pansy blooms that I had purchased at Dollar Tree. So, here is a pic of how I am decorating with them. 

Remember this Farmhouse metal bucket that I was uncertain what to fill with at Christmas time? Well now it is filled with flowers!  I love the look and it brightens up the view down our hallway tremendously! I think I bought around 17 stems to fill this size bucket. Some I have used in vases around the house but this bucket is still pretty full. Real flowers would be gorgeous also but, of course, wouldn't last long. These pretty faux flowers will be fresh all summer long until I'm ready to use the metal bucket for something more Fall-like! BTW, at Christmas time I took the advice of my friend, Sharon, and filled the bucket with a red plaid throw which gave a quilt-like effect. These buckets are so very versatile!

And that's it for today, dear readers.  I hope to be back with another post on Friday. I've had a bit of writer's block but, hopefully, that is behind me. Take care and I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!

Until Next Time,

Debbie