Today’s Question for Tomorrow is!

If April Showers bring May flowers….

** What do May flowers bring?

"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."

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- Mark Twain ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All Fools' Day as it was called years ago was, is observed in many countries around the world.

England ~~ In the Lake District, an April Fool is a - 'April noddy'. ~~ April noddy's past and gone,You're the fool an' I'm none.

APRIL FOOL SMILE :-))

~~ Q: Why are people so tired on April 1st? ~~ A: Because they just finished a 31-day March :-)

April Fool Fun Ideas

1957: BBC fools the nation

Watch the video on the above link Now read what SNOPES has to say!

It will QUACK you UP ;)

A delightful SITE!

Al Jolson Lyrics

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April Showers Lyrics

Life is not a highway strewn with flowers,

Still it holds a goodly share of bliss,

When the sun gives way to April showers,

Here's a thought that we should never miss:

Though April showers May come your way, T

hey bring the flowers That bloom in May;

And if it's raining, Have no regrets;

Because, it isn't raining rain, you know,

It's raining violets.

And when you see clouds Upon the hill, You soon will see crowds Of daffodils;

So keep on looking for the bluebird,

And listening for his song,

Whenever April showers come along.

Though April showers May come your way,

They bring the flowers That bloom in May;

And if it's raining, Have no regrets;

Because, it isn't raining rain, you know, It's raining violets.

And when you see clouds Upon the hill, You soon will see crowds Of daffodils;

So keep on looking for the bluebird, And listening for his song,

Whenever April showers come along

Surprising Blossoms ;=)

Out of the ordinary bizarre & brilliant Blossoms

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It all started quite innocently…

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Gee should I add on a bright and sunny day?

There I was planting two new Blueberry bushes ,,,

The berry bushes are at the eastern end of our Veggie Garden… Blueray Blueberry ~~ Vaccinium ‘Blueberry’ '' 'Blueray' grows to heights of 4 to 5' and the same in diameter. This is a midseason, very hardy, upright vigorous bush that produces large, light-blue, highly tart fruit that ripens 1 to 2 weeks after the cultivar, 'Bluetta'. This deciduous shrub is dense with an upright, multiple-branched growth habit. Leaves are elliptical, and can be toothed or entire, to 3 inches long, turning red or yellow in the fall. White, sometimes-pink tinged flowers to 1/2 inch across are held in pendant terminal racemes. Flowers are followed by edible, sweet, round, deep blue berries to 1/2 inch across. Many varieties are available, check for the ones that are best suited to your local area. Blueberries love acid soil. My Sweetie had just planted his Peach Trees in the Orchard that is just beyond the Veggie garden, slightly North East '' Prunus persica 'Golden Jubilee' (Peach)

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The peach is the most adaptable of all fruit trees for home gardens. When planting, they should be spaced to allow a spread of 20 to 25 feet. At 3 or 4 years of age they begin to bear large crops and reach peak productivity at 8 to 12 years. Peaches need clear, hot weather during their growing season and require well-drained soil as well as a regular fertilizing program. They also require heavier pruning than any other fruit trees to maintain size and encourage new growth. Most peach varieties are self fertile, not requiring a second tree. Cannot tolerate extreme winter cold or late frost. Peach leaf curl, brown rot, peach scab and peach tree borer can be a problem.

Ummmmmmmmmmmmm this is the oddest thing I have ever seen… Must be a Mitten tree… BUT Look another ODD tree, must be the Kite Tree [I tried to fly my kite today, but alas the wind was just not up to it… '''' The bag that holds my kite is in this tree ;)

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Annie shared this link that I feel needs to be here!!!

~~ ~~Thanks Annie ~~

Grumble Grumble

Is there a hidden Principle here?

?????

Ok here it is the beginning of spring and THINGS need to begin.

???

First the Cold Frame needs assembled then the cover placed over it so I can transplant some herbs to larger containers. Then by the end of May the plants will be larger and healthy and ready to be in the outside Veggie Garden. Rosemary, Sage, Oregano and Fennel SO FAR

???

ALAS and ALACK, the cover has deteriorated, YIKES and Gadzooks what NOW?

My Sweetie had located a place in the UK that has exactly what we need…

???

SIGH, no answer to his several e-mail queries… NOW WHAT…well that easy, takes a look at what scrap plastic and mailing tape MIGHT solve for the moment.

??

I suppose what “Chips my nails” the most is purchasing this in the states but the place where we purchased it provides NO replacement cover… WHAT GIVES WITH THAT?

?? OH no dear consumer you will have to purchase the entire unit… HUH? Well Duh and Excuse me!

$69 dollars to get a NEW unit…to replace what we need…$30…NOT bad ya BUT

??

Guess what they changed the shape of the metal poles,

?

Ummmmm If my Math serves me well that is about $60 us dollars RIGHT?

So it seems we are in a quandary… IF the Company in England ever gets back with us we pay @ $ 60 US PLUS shipping…

NOW the poles come to a true point,

OR get a new cold frame for $70 US Plus Shipping… are we chasing our tails here?

??

BUT had the US Company not changed the metal design we would only have to put for $30 Plus Shipping…

?? The one we still have is shaped differently…

?????????

OK I am finished RANTING… grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ???

It will be better tomorrow ;=)

SPRING MODE

Soon so soon it will be APRIL…then there is APRIL FOOL’S DAY

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I already got my Sweetie two new Peach trees for his gift, for me I got two new Blue berry bushes. Tomorrow we get to PLAY IN THE DIRT. Whoooo Hooooooooooooooooo

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GOAL? Transplanting berry bushes 10 feet to a new location, adding the 2 new ones I got, planting the Peach trees, restoring the fence around the veggie garden and I am going to re pot some plant lings to a bigger pot and place in the cold frame…

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Not time yet to plant much in the garden except perhaps the peas…but first we need to be sure the ducks and geese cannot get in to eat our work.

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More daylight better weather means we are outside more, which I so love… Which means less time to blog, but I will when I can

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Here are a few pictures of seedlings that have reseeded themselves. They are a combo of Violas and pansies… HOW KEWL is that… Growing pansies and viola flowers The pansy is a hybrid originally developed in Europe. Although it is technically a perennial, it only grows well from seed the first year and after than it deteriorates quickly. They are usually grown as annuals or biennials. Pansies and violas are from the same family and are grown the same way. Pansies generally grow about 8 inches tall with delicate 2 to 3 inch flowers of five overlapping petals in every color and marking imaginable. The similar viola grows 6 to 8 inches tall with smaller 1 1/2 inch blooms and the color selection is not quite as broad as with the pansy. Violas have smaller flowers but they generally bloom longer than pansies.

More info here!

Heartsease (Viola tricolor) is a common European wild flower, growing as an annual or short-lived perennial. It has been introduced into North America, where it has spread widely, and is known as the Johnny Jump Up (though this name is also applied to similar species such as the Yellow Pansy). It is the progenitor of the cultivated Pansy, and is therefore sometimes called Wild Pansy; before the cultivated Pansies were developed, "Pansy" was an alternative name for the wild form.

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ABOUT

April Fools' Day: Origin & History

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The uncertain origins of a foolish day April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-only" observance. Nobody is expected to buy gifts or to take their "significant other" out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It's simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant, for he may be the next April Fool!

~

April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day, though not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, enemies and neighbors, or sending them on fools' errands, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. In some countries, April Fools' jokes (also called April Fools) are only made before noon on 1 April.[1]

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Said to be originated with the adoption of the new Gregorian calendar in place of the old Julian calendar in 1582, April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day, was once used to be celebrated as the New Year's Day. It evolved into its present form through several centuries and influenced by several cultures and has limited itself to be the fun and hilarity associated with Spring.

Sky Shot for Friday March 28

Please visit Tom if you'd like to participate in Sky Watch Friday

The Never Ending Story

Last evening while watching hubby ride his tractor [of course there is ANOTHER story for later]… I saw these clouds.

Sequence of three within seconds of taking

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Immediately this came to mind…

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The cloud looked like FALKOR: from the novel written by Michael Ende Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende (November 12, 1929 - August 28, 1995) was a German writer of fantasy novels and children's books. He was born in Garmisch (Bavaria, Germany), son of the surrealist painter Edgar Ende. The Neverending Story (German: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by Michael Ende, first published in Germany in 1979. The standard English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was first published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several films.

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Falkor is Atreyu's luckdragon. After saving Atreyu from Swamps of Sadness, Falkor becomes Atreyu's new best friend and partner to save the Childlike Empress. Without any kind of wings, the happy dragon can flight rapidly. He can also swim. On difficult moment, with his voice of bronze, he said to Atreyu that nothing is impossible.

Falkor or Fuchur, according to the original German version, is a Luck Dragon, one of the main characters of the Never Ending Story, novel written by Michael Ende. In this literary work, Falkor didn’t provide good luck to other people; he only enjoyed a very good luck for himself; a luck outside the common. In the novel also appears an antagonistic dragon, Smerg, which is evil.

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The Luck Dragons (Luckdragons or Glücksdrachen) is a fictitious species whose body is pearled, white, has no wings, and displays rudimentary legs. The form of its head is described with less exactitude, but in the filmic adaptation, it acquires the traits of a dog. In the movie, Falkor even asks Atreyu to scratch his ear! Nevertheless, to think that luck dragons look like dogs is an incorrect idea, especially when one finds out that the author of the novel was disgusted with the look Falkor had on screen.

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Unlike most of the mythological dragons, the Luck Dragons do not possess great physical force nor great magical talents. They are only distinguished because of their luck. For example, in a point of the novel, Falkor was going to be eaten by a Spider God. To his good fortune, he met Atreyu and learned that a bite from the Spider God gave the afflicted a wish. So Falkor wished to escape with Atreyu and saved their lives.

One of my favorite books and movies: Also a favorite of our children, so much so our youngest son has a cat named FALKOR. Great cat…

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This Video gives a lot of movie clips…

A thought ~

Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns.

I am thankful that thorns have roses.

-- Allophones Karr

ABC Wednesday Letter “J”

Go To Mrs. Nesbitts Place

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Jonquil & Jacopo

The END at the beginning ;) Admist the Jonquil's

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Jonquil is the Spanish word for plants of the genus Narcissus.

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The Jonquil is March’s Birth Flower

Many here and I have not planted a one, thanks be to the old farm that has, and STILL produces these flowers …many are double flowered…

Narcissus is the botanic name for a genus of mainly hardy, mostly spring-flowering, bulbs in the Amaryllis family native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia. There are also several Narcissus species that bloom in the autumn. Though Hortus Third [1] cites 26 wild species, Daffodils for North American Gardens[2] cites between 50 and 100 excluding species variants and wild hybrids. Through taxonomic and genetic research, it is speculated that over time this number will likely continue to be refined.[3] Daffodil is a common English name, sometimes used now for all varieties, and is the chief common name of horticultural prevalence used by the American Daffodil Society.[4] The range of forms in cultivation has been heavily modified and extended, with new variations available from specialists almost every year

Then there is...Jacopo

Jacopo is one of the four cat rescues I made last October. Earlier pictures can be seen at: Big Day here October 22, 2007 Wow what a day...A bonny Day October 28 also Stop - Don't Litter! Spay and Neuter on November 14. The pictures shown on this post were taken this weekend.

He is named for Jacopo (Character) from The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) Alexandre Dumas. Jacopo is the smuggler who saves Dantes from the sea right after he is thrown into the waves in the Abbe Faria's body bag. Dantes smuggles with Jacopo for a few months before recovering the Monte Cristo treasure. Jacopo later becomes the captain of Monte Cristo's yacht.

Jacopo is best described as loyalty, and his loyalty is vital to the development of Dantes' character and to the themes. Dantes' faith in humanity has been demolished by his experiences. Meeting Jacopo and receiving his kindness at his moment of escape ensures that Dantes will not be totally lost to bitterness. When Jacopo stays by him throughout, and even offers to share his treasure bounty with Dantes, Dantes realizes that Jacopo is an honest and trustworthy man. Dantes then knows he will be able to get past his vengeance.

Egg? Culprit? WHERE?

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Good News for Momma "G"...

Mom G nesting next to our deck…on the recently trimmed ornamental grasses… She does not seem to mind us using this entrance, which is a GOOD THING!

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We took a peek yesterday while she was off her nest, 5 EGGS ;)

Now for the BAD NEWS

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The English Call Ducks Nest

The first egg, right under my NOOK

Nest site of English Call Ducks

Now FOUR EGGS ;) Some one was a HOME WRECKER

This sort of thing happens, we never like to see it but it happens when you live out on the edge of the woods.

Heartbreaking Raccoon’s and/ or skunks!

Did not smell a skunk so my bet was the Mom Raccoon nesting in and old tree across the creek!

Mufasa, one of our cats…and I scouted a better nesting location before she[the Call Duck] laid her first egg ~~

Mufasa [ was a fictional lion who first appeared in Disney's popular 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. He was voiced by James Earl Jones. The name "Mufasa" means "King" in the Manazoto language.]

Potential nest site for the English Call Ducks… Better situated protection wise, also a former Goose nesting site of years past.

What are you?

Happy Easter

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This Easter Morning we were greeted with a

New Bird ALERT at the feeders, grabbing the camera for a hasty picture or six…

Grab the Audubon Book…

Tohi à flancs roux (French)

Could you be a Towhee?

Go GOOGLE the information A warbler ~~~~ nope too big to be a warbler

A Grosbeak

The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, boldly patterned in black, white, and rose, is easily identified. The drab, striped female, however, is more of a challenge, resembling a large sparrow or finch. A common bird of forests and second growth, the grosbeak's song is like that of the robin, only as sung by an opera singer, being mellower and more sweetly melodic.

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Nope the rust color was not enough for that one

Think we have a winner: The Eastern Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus, is a large sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been under debate in recent decades, and formerly this bird and the Spotted Towhee were considered a single species, the Rufous-sided Towhee.

Adults have rufous sides, a white belly and a long dark tail with white edges. The eyes are red, white for birds in the southeast. Males have a dark head, upper body and tail; these parts are brown in the female.

Their breeding habitat is brushy areas across eastern North America. They nest either low in bushes or on the ground under shrubs. Northern birds migrate to the southern United States.

There has been one record of this species as a vagrant to western Europe; a single bird in Great Britain in 1966.

These birds forage on the ground or in low vegetation. They mainly eat insects, acorns, seeds and berries.

The call is Drink your teeeee; the word "towhee" imitates this call.

Drink your teeeee?

Or?

Upon closer inspection do we have a

Rufous-sided Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus YIKES or? Rose - breasted Grosbeak?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!