February Desktop Calendar

I don't know if y'all are familiar with how the seasons work here in Houston, but last week it was so cold in my kitchen, I was warming my hands over the stovetop to keep my fingers from turning blue. That was winter. Just the 3 days. Right now, it's drizzly and dreary but look! Spring has sprung! 

These gorgeous camellias are weighing down the branches of the giant 8' tall bush/tree in my front yard. It is absolutely filled with hundreds of pink, ruffly blooms. That can only mean one thing: we'll have one more hard freeze so they all turn brown and fall off. Then we'll have the 3 weeks or so of spring, followed by 7 months of summer. Yeah. That's how it works in Houston.

Anyway - here's your special Valentine's Edition of your desktop calendar - a one patch of "kites." Jarringly, blindingly, bright, Hope you don't mind!

Click to expand image to full size, right-click and choose Set as Wallpaper or Background.
To really make the calendar "pop" right-click on your background and choose black.
And if anyone asks where you got this awesom-o calendar, point them in my direction!

April Desktop Calendar

Spring has sprung in Texas! On March 4th, we woke up to an ice storm, with branches and limbs bending and cracking under the weight.

Then, 10 days later, ol' man winter departed for good and left us with the first azaleas of spring! What gorgeous color!

This past weekend my friend Darleena was lucky enough to go in search of, and find, the first bluebonnets of the all-too-short season! Don't tell her I stole this picture off her FB page...but it's so picture perfect!
And with Easter coming in a couple of weeks, here's a desktop calendar to cheer you up if you're in the part of the country where spring doesn't show up til June.

Click to expand the image to full size, right-click and choose Set as Wallpaper or Background.

To really make the calendar "pop" right-click on your background and choose black. Your family and co-workers will be jealous of your awesome wallpaper! Be sure to tell them where you found it!

Spring Fever!

Yesterday, after a busy morning of doctor visits, errands, and general waste-of-time running around, Gillian and I pulled into one of my favorite spots for gardening eye-candy, The Arbor Gate in Tomball.

I thought I'd just run in and see if I could find the perfect flower pot for a large Spathiphyllum that Andy received while he was in the hospital a few months back. Five minutes in and out, right?
Wrong.
Reason #1: Too many distractions

One of these would add so much color to the log cabin!

Love these chairs, but need a crane to get me up out of them!

That's more like it - and a pillow for my back!

???

Oooo - wouldn't that look great in my koi pond?!

No - this one!
Reason #2: Too many choices

Reason #3: The inside - more stuff!

Yes, that's Gillian's finger in his nose...classy. Like her mom.

I give up. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow

Spring Has Sprung in Texas!

My first spring in our new house has brought so much beauty, I don't think I can stand it. I really appreciate our old neighbors' (from whom we bought the house) efforts when they planted dozens of azaleas 25 years ago. They have literally exploded with blooms and color, and even fragrance. I had no idea they even had a scent since the 2 puny little azaleas back at my log cabin never had enough blooms to even take a picture of. So pathetic.
But now, we've got these:

and several dogwoods

Unfortunately, along with the beautiful weather, has come another harbinger of spring, the ever-hungry Blue Heron. 

He ate my last blasted koi. So now we have a pond filled with algae, some unknown variety of vine, and little else. That koi was big enough to make a good-size serving of sushi. If it was going to be eaten, it should have been by us!

Damn bird - I hope he chokes.