leder legends

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 EVERYONE! I CAN'T BELIEVE THE LAST TIME I POSTED WAS IN MAY!  RESOLVE TO DO BETTER IN 2014!

The Dump So, in Grand Rapids there is a dump for yard waste and it's free. At least there is no money involved but it is not without cost...phy sical c ost.  We have a very nasty truc k that roars like a tank and makes me feel like a rednec k grandma as I drive it to the dump.  This morning , we lo aded up the tr uck with bags and bags of leaves and branches and off I went to the dump, carefully staying below the speed limit and praying tha t I wouldn't be stopped for a noise violation. To tell the truth it was kind of fun!   I arrived at the dump without incident a nd off-loaded my b ags and watched as the man parked next to me proceeded to dump an e n tire trailer of BEAUTIFUL mulch! He told me it was the remai ns of 22 yards of mulch that they had ordered! 22 yards!! I can't even imagine that much mulch!  Needless to say, I was n ot able to resist helping myself to the stuff. I filled bags and the back of the truck with as much of the stuff as I had ener...

May Flowers So, these days I have been cleaning up the flowerbeds in my yard and bemoaning the fact that most of this could have been done in the fall. At the same time I love exploring the beds to see what has made it through the winter and what needs to be divided. Almost everything is up and show little sign of winter harm. The Joe Pie weed, hibiscus and the galardia are perhaps not returning but I'll give it a few weeks. It's May 8 and I am quite surprised at the amount of spring blossoms in my yard. There are lots of these lawn beauties. and lots of these... both of which I could do without!! Tulips Cowslip primroses Lenten rose (a hellebore...I think) white lamium ( a ground-cover) A dark purple mini iris...it's the first iris blooming. I wish I could remember where I got it from last year.  Brunnera Solomon's seal Pink lamium bleeding heart Rhododendron   Old-fashion bleeding heart...

I got a great box from Sandy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I love getting something via snail mail...anything...but even better when it brings me some great foodie stuff!  Coffee from a local Iowa roaster tops the list. Not only does it taste great (and that's a complement from a self-proclaimed coffee snob), it has the best name: COW TIPPER! That is so cool! The box also contained corn nuts and grape jelly from a nearby 'village' that has a great German heritage. My husband LOVES corn nuts! The last item was a bag of Indiana Popcorn drizzled with chocolate etc. Sandy suggested we enjoy it 'slowly'...as you can imagine that did not happen! lol  The stuff is addictive! So a great big THANKS to Sandy for making my day ...and days because I'll be enjoying that coffee everyday for a while!! Who can resist coffee with such a great name!  This stuff is SO good! Crunchy old-fashioned goodness! Gourmet! That plus a nice note made my day! Th...

It's April 15th and SPRING should be here...right? I don't think it is much different than other years but the expectation is or seems to be higher. A good week of rain has done wonders for the lawns which are much greener than before, tulips and daffodils and irises are showing promise in the flowerbeds. The weeds too are up in numbers too many to contemplate. I am not a big fan of chemicals BUT I found some Round-up in the shed and took a walk around the yard with it. I do hope it won't effect plants that are on their way up! I really need to split a lot of plants this year and perhaps this will unintentionally help. lol  Tomorrow is hubby's 67th birthday. What do you get for someone who needs nothing?? I suggested a Power Hang-Glider ride!! He said he'd think about it! LOL! Doesn't this look like fun?? LOL

Praying that you all have a wonderful Easter! The sun is shining here in west Michigan...such a good feeling after a long winter!

I sent my pen pal HIS box today! YES!! There are guys that also participate! and I came home this afternoon to discover my box had arrived! Such fun!