LOVELY LAVENDER

Many years ago I decided to plant some lavender which has thrived and done pretty well over the years.  This year is no different and it's loaded with lovely fragrant buds.  I only have the one "mound" . . . or whatever you call it but that is enough.

FIELD of DAISIES

After the day lilies and red hot pokers are done then here come the Shasta daisies.  I love to see them because they are so "sweet" looking to me.  They smell awful however!  I learned that many years ago when I took a bouquet of them in my house and it took me a while to discover they were the source of what smelled very much like stinky feet!  Soooooo  .. . they stay outside now!

SUMMER SNAPDRAGONS

One of my very favorite flowers are snapdragons and these bloom along my deck 2-3 times every summer.  I just love them.  I had some of the dark red ones out by a gate at the end of the drive but they didn't survive . . . not sure why.  Maybe someday they'll come back.
Looking forward to seeing more of them this summer!

SHEEP PENS on LIZARD HEAD

Many years ago there was a railroad, called the "Galloping Goose" that traveled in the mountains near my home.  This photo is of Lizard Head Pass (unfortunately the Lizard Head is out of view) with a summit on the highway of 10,000 but there are three of Colorado's famous "Fourteener" peaks here as well. 
Sheep used to be herded into these pens for transportation by the train, but that no longer happens. I do think that the pens are still used, occasionally, for cattle or sheep that might be pastured in the high country in the summer.  They would be transported by trucks.

RED HOT POKERS, ASPENS and PEONIES

Flowers from my yard, Red Hot  Pokers and Peonies with aspen trees (quakies) in between.
I dug a start of the Red Hot Pokers from my mom's over 20 years ago and they do well.  She went to heaven in February 1994 and these make me think of her.
The peonies are full, beautiful and so fragrant . . I love when they bloom. 
We planted the aspen trees and love listening to them "quake" in the breezes and then enjoy the fall gold when the leaves turn.

EGG-GATHERING APRON

I was gifted with an egg-gathering apron which has 15 little pockets in two rows on the front.  A couple days ago I was given some eggs by the neighbor, Mike.  So my hubby took a picture of us putting eggs in all those cute little pockets.
Krissy, Mike's young English mastiff was sniffing . . .he tells me she likes fresh eggs too!

SPRINGTIME in the ROCKIES

Welcome to springtime in Colorado.  We have the craziest weather this time of year.  Our irrigation water was turned on in the middle of April.  This is what happens when it gets cold and frosty at night.  The irrigation water from sprinklers coats trees, fences, sprinkler systems, etc.  This was on an overhanging cottonwood tree branch in our cow pasture.  A VERY TALL and LARGE tree.

For "BUZZN BEE"

Since it is spring and my sweet farmgirl sister and friend and I are trying to encourage each other, I decided to make her an ATC.  She IS my sunshine and such a sweet, Christian encourager.  Thank you "buzzn bee"!

FARMGIRL "MINI" APRONS

Some of the farmgirls on the Farmgirl Connection are doing a monthly mini-apron swap.  They will have a wonderful collection of mini-aprons from different farmgirls to make a bunting/banner.  I am not participating in the swap but I've been the fortunate recipient of some of these cute little aprons.  The four in the the top photo were made by Grace Brown, who lives in California.  I sent the little one with purple to my daughter.  Her favorite color is purple, she knows Grace and I thought she'd enjoy one of Grace's little aprons.

The Western themed apron below was made by Linda Olivera, who lives in Texas.  She sent it just because she's generous.

They are all soooooooooooooooooooooo adorable.  Now it's up to me to find a creative way to display them.

SPRING IS COMING!!

This cute little egg scale is one that we used when I was a kid to weigh our eggs for our customers.  I am the privileged owner of this 50+ year old tool and it sits in my kitchen.  I wasn't fond of the chicken house or the chickens but I do have fond memories of growing up on a farm. Those memories are more fond now that I'm an adult!  

KITTY LICKS . .

I have a two big south-facing windows in my living room.  Silky LOVES to be able to sit and look out or take sunny naps there.  This winter with the frosty and cold weather there is a bit of condensation along the bottom of the windows.  We have honeycomb blinds that have insulating qualities that we put down at night.  Silky will sit under this window and "beg" to have the blind put up and then she licks the cold water off the window.  Silly kitty!

OLD TRACTORS

 On one of our trips to the local salvage yard, which is my hubby's favorite place to shop, I spotted these OLD tractors.  I don't remember if I found names of what make they were on them, but I thought them to be interesting.

Where did they come from?  What kind of farm did they work on?  Who was/were the farmer(s) that drove them.

I grew up on a farm where there were many tractors, most of them orange Allis Chalmers 

which were the ones my dad preferred. I did drive some of them but I wasn't as expert as some of my siblings.  At least I never drove one in the pond like some of them did!

FIRESIDE KITTY

"Silky" my tortoiseshell kitty loves to spend these winter mornings in front of the fire.  As soon as we let her out of her kennel, where she spends the night, she runs to the pellet stove and cozies up to the warmth.  My hubby and I do too!

She is basically an indoor cat and can only go outside when wearing her harness and on a long leash.  She does well with that and we're glad to have her safe in the house.  (I believe that a predator got the kitty we had before Silky who was an indoor/outdoor kitty)

Now that spring is coming, Silky will be spending more time outside which she loves to do as well.

The ULTIMATE GIFT

"For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have EVERLASTING Life!!!" John 3:16

OPEN DOORS . . .

"When one door of happiness closes another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us"
                                      - Helen Keller

GETTING A BETTER VIEW

Silky is basically an indoor cat but she is allowed to be outside with a harness and long leash rope.  She loves to be outdoors when she can be.  This is big mailbox that I salvaged from our family farm and it sits on the deck as a reminder of growing up on the farm.  

Silky decided that she could see some things better from atop this mailbox.  She loves to keep her eye on any birds, bunnies, squirrels, moles, mice, etc.  

While in the house she sits in just about every window in the house, watching whatever shows up on the yard or trees.