Getting my groove back

I feel like I am finally getting back to some semblance of normal these days. Yesterday was my first day back at work after 10 weeks of maternity leave. I am glad to have something to occupy my mind other than poopy diapers and a fussing baby. It helps that Garrett has become much happier these days too. I am getting more sleep than before and that really helps my sanity. Last night was rough, but for the past week he’s been doing pretty good.

Another wonderful thing is contributing to my sanity: SPRINGTIME! After months of long cold winter and seeing snow three times in January (unheard of here in Alabama) we are finally up to 70 degree days and plenty of sunshine. I was happy to see snow, don’t get me wrong. It’s nice to see it every couple of years, and it was our very first snow since we’ve lived in our current house. Gus and Woodrow didn’t know what to think about it.

Since I didn’t document it back then, let me show you here: This was January the 19th, 2008. I was 36 weeks pregnant.

Finally, after that I am able to plant flowers this spring, which is one of my all time favorite things to do. So far this year I have replaced one of the camellias in my whiskey barrells that didn’t survive the drought last year. I got one that was bigger and better and plan to keep it watered even if I have to break the law to do it.

This is a flower from my older camellia that did survive. I’m so proud!

Here is what I see when I water the plants in my whiskey barrells. It’s usually accompanied by much scratching and barking and wet noses sticking under the fence begging to be sprayed with the hose:

I also planted a bunch of full sun, drought tolerant plants in the front flower bed that I call “The Desert”. It gets full sun ALL day in the heat of summer and its hard to find plants that will take that kind of heat. Here is what I planted last weekend, and here’s hoping they will survive:

Snowflake Iberis (white) Violet Lace Lavender, Otto Quast Spanish Lavender, Blue Potato Bush, Nanho Blue Butterfly Bush, two varieties of Sedum, Blue Festuca grass, Hens n Chicks, Mexican Bush Sage, White Salvia, and portulaca (multicolored).  I already had planted some thrift, dianthus, the little oakleaf hydrangeas (bad choice for that bed but they have managed to survive so far) and the two blue flowering plants in the front and another shrub that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of. Momnesia has set in.  I get so frustrated walking through the garden center because I cannot recall the names of plants that used to be common knowledge to me.  (EDIT:  So I’ve been racking my brain for 45 minutes trying to remember the name of those plants and finally in mid-shower they both popped into my head.  “Blue Star Creeper!” I yelled as I washed my hair.  Followed closely by “JUNIPER!”  If anybody besides Garrett were listening to me they would probably think I was crazy for yelling out random plant names while bathing.)

Anyway…here are pics:

Now it needs some mulch and I’m good to go. I used Spray-n-grow after planting so hopefully this bed will be nice and filled out by the end of summer. And everything I planted is perennial, so lets hope next year it will look even better.

Other plants around the yard include pansies and Martha Washington geraniums in pots:

My hostas are starting to peep out:

And my snapdragons and ranunculas are looking GREAT!

Even my little japanese maple is thriving, which is a miracle considering the drought last year nearly got him too.