Spring and early summer in Washington

I love this birdhouse, it sits on the stone wall in our back yard by a small pine tree. I've re-nailed, glued and painted it for over 16 years now. Hard to believe it was painted last year.

This year it will go inside the garage and be protected from the cold, rain and dirt from the Douglas Firs.

It was made and given to me by the young son of one of the school bus drivers where I worked. He came into my office one day to give it to me, he was so proud of it, and I was so proud of him for making it. I was touched and honored that he would give it to me.

I still have it Raffy and I love it even more after all these years.

A friend of ours gave me a wonderful tip on how to keep algae from forming in your bird bath during the summer. I'm going to continue through the winter also and see if it works then too.

You cut five or six long stems of Lavender, leave the blossom on the end. Tie them all together with a slender Day Lily leaf and float them in the bird bath water after you have scrubbed and cleaned it and added fresh water.

The oil in the Lavender keeps the algae from forming in your bird bath. Here is a picture of ours with the Lavender in it. It also looks beautiful and the birds seem to like it, they will sit on it and bathe or drink. The Lavender oil doesn't hurt the birds or animals. We also have squirrels who drink here often. I've done it for three weeks now and it works great!

Our beautiful Clematis in full bloom. I love the weathered wood fencing behind it, a wonderful contrast and easy on the eyes.

They come back year after year, I cut it down to about waist high in late October. Early Spring I give it Rose fertilizer. It never lets me down with the gorgeous dark purple color and prolific flowering.

A close-up of the Clematis. One day I'm going to paint those blossoms!

Our daughter gave us a huge bucket of Day Lilies about ten years ago, I filled up this empty, neglected space at the end of our retaining wall in the back yard.

Within two years they had filled it completely and every Spring they put on a beautiful display and soften the fence line, I love the long slender leaves.

Here's a close-up of the Day Lilies. So pretty and so easy to grow.

Last year we raised the height of our back yard flower bed wall around the Douglas Fir, filled it in with good soil and I planted Hosta all around the base of the tree. They still have a lot of growing to do in able to fill the space well.

I had to get a picture of the blooms, they are so delicate and they don't last long. No aroma to speak of but they are so pretty.

Funny how the slugs will like some and not others, it's a constant battle.

I filled several pots with Hen and Chicks and put them in the flower beds and on the edges of the walls in back. Here are a couple of plants that bloomed, they are very pretty when you can see them close up.

The grandchildren thought they looked pretty funny.

The Hen and Chicks close up, I love the burgundy color on the edges of the leaves. There's a little Sedum mixed in with these and also an Ajuga, ground cover, plant.

This lone Sword Fern plant grows amidst the Day Lilies. It always looks so pretty.

Ferns have a beauty all their own, from the fronds opening up in the early spring to the full leaf waving in the breeze. I leave them all winter and cut them just before the fronds start to uncurl.

Our pink Day Lilies that grow along the side of the house at the top of the retaining wall have been so neglected. I dug most of them out years ago and moved them to other spots. These just keep coming up year after year.

So for sheer perseverance I have begun rewarding them with regular fertilizer and waterings and they have rewarded me with absolute beauty.