Tulips and Azaleas from Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina, April 17, 2018

Us  at Biltmore enjoying the TULIPS 

Dear Friends,   Can you believe that it is ALMOST May????   Time is flying by ---but now,  maybe we will all have some warm weather, lots of sunshine  --and finally,  some SPRING!!!!!! April was a COLD month for us  (colder than Feb.)---and many of our plants have suffered so far...  They are waiting for some 'real' Spring also!!!!

On April 17, 2018  we drove to Biltmore to see their Tulip collection...    WOW---did we ever get there at a perfect time...   Even many of the Azaleas were blooming...   SO today I hope this post will make you SMILE.....  Sit back and enjoy the beauty!!!

TULIPS

AZALEA

TULIPS and some WHITE DAFFODILS still blooming

AZALEAS

LARGE TULIPS 

TULIP Opened Up;   Would you recognize this one as a Tulip if you hadn't seen the picture above???

AZALEA

TULIPS AND MORE TULIPS

Love this Purple/White TULIP  next to the dark Purple TULIP

The Inside of one of the Purple/White TULIPS

Mixture of AZALEA BUSHES

TULIPS and WHITE DAFFODILS

More TULIPS ----oh,  so many colors!!

My Favorite Color of AZALEAS

See the smile on the face of the girl who LOVES TULIPS and AZALEAS!!!

OOPS----not a Tulip nor an Azalea  --but a sweet little family of CANADA GEESE;  Look at those adorable babies!!!!

BILTMORE HOUSE AND GARDENS,  Asheville, NC  --4/17/18

Finally,   I'll include one of George's fantastic pictures which he took while we were standing in the Walled Garden --looking toward the Biltmore House in the distance.... We were definitely there on a gorgeous Spring Day,  and enjoyed every minute of our day there!

Hope you have an awesome day and week ahead....  I think/hope that we are going to finally get some warm weather here --and maybe,  I can get the deck furniture out of the basement and get it cleaned up!!!!   YEAH!!!

Hugs,

Emoticons

Oh How I LOVE LOVE LOVE our TULIPS (2018)

Always my favorite group of Tulips in our Yard each year,  named  Purissima 

Hello  Blog Friends,    Since today is snowy and COLD here in Fairfield Glade  (as I write this on April 16),  I thought I would cheer myself up a bit and share some photos I took throughout the past few weeks in our yard,  of one of my favorite Spring flowers,  TULIPS....

We have trouble growing TULIPS here  since the Chipmunks and Squirrels  dig up the bulbs during the off-seasons and think they are 'nuts' planted just for them!!!   BUT---we still have a nice variety --so I hope you will enjoy seeing some of these little beauties today!

Same tulip as the one above ---but a different viewpoint

Same as the above Tulip --but from a different angle.

Love the colors in this one!

I love the way these are made--with points!!!!!

One of my favorite new Tulips this year;   Love the purple splashes!!!

A close up of the white/purple Tulip above!!!

A ROW of Tulips and Daffodils 

I will close showing you the combination row of alternating Daffodils and Tulips...  We found out that if we plant Tulips near/next to Daffodils,   the chipmunks and squirrels won't bother them...  There's something about Daffodils  which most wildlife do NOT like...   SO---hopefully,  if we are lucky,  this row will come back next year.   Tulips are Perennials ---and we shouldn't have to plant new ones every year....

Hope you enjoyed seeing one of my very favorite Spring flowers  today...   I love all of our flowers  --but the Tulips have always been a favorite --along with our Lilies (which don't bloom until May or June usually)..  However,  with our freezing weather this month --I am afraid that many of our young lilies have been or will be damaged by these freezes.... Today, for instance,  the temperature right now is only 32   (at 1:30 p.m.) ---and it is supposed to go down to 25 tonight...  This kind of freeze is NOT good for those newly growing Lilies....We'll just have to wait and see what happens since we have no control over Mother Nature...

Have an awesome week, my Friends...

Hugs,

Emoticons

My Easter JOY

A happy Mom and two of her three sons  (Mark and Bert--known as Tre by some);   Picture taken along the Foothills Parkway,  4/2/18;

Dear Friends,    After my last several posts talking about my health situation,  I am writing you some GOOD news  today---at least GOOD  (GREAT) news for this Mama!!!!!!   Two of my SONS are now living a little over an hour's drive from our home!!!!!!!    They moved to their new apartment in Maryville,  Tennessee   on EASTER SUNDAY!!!!!!    As I told my Facebook Friends this morning,   I have been singing:  "I've got that JOY, JOY, JOY, JOY ---down in my Heart..."

Of course,  the day after they moved in,   I just HAD to go and see them!!!!!   What a terrific day we had....   Since it was such a great day,   I decided to share it with you... Hope you enjoy our day together ---the first of many I am sure!

Kitchen area of Mark and Bert's new home

We first had to check out the new apartment...I was IMPRESSED... It is roomy and I love the openness and the way it is laid out....  They have an open kitchen/living/dining area with a separate room which can be a sunroom or office.   There are two large bedrooms and baths  (on either side of the living room) --plus a nice balcony...  There is plenty of closet space,  a nice utility room,  and even a separate storage room downstairs...  This is a perfect place for these two guys!

These guys had already worked hard putting things away and organizing!!!!! Afterall,  they had only been here one day!!!!!

Living /dining area  with the kitchen to the right and the balcony to the left

Our First Family Home

Bert helped me find our first little home in Maryville --where we lived in the late 1960's- early 1970's.      The house was new when we bought it.   I probably couldn't have found it ---but we started from Bert's school and then found our little home.  Someone has been taking good care of it.

I remember  the large backyard we had ---and the cow pasture out back!  But--we didn't have a carport...  We had a small garage  (which someone obviously enclosed to make more room in the house).

Four happy and HUNGRY People

We stopped for some dinner  at the TRAILHEAD Steak and Trout Restaurant in Townsend --after checking out  the Foothills Parkway...

We checked out all of the raging water at the SINKS.

Relaxing at the SINKS  --in the Great Smoky Mtns.

More water at the SINKS

Two of my 'loves':   Bert (Tre) and Mark

We had an awesome day in the Smokies ---and I am totally thrilled beyond belief to have these guys fairly close by!!!!!!   They want to get some hiking in soon before both of them have to settle down and go to work...

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Several of you have asked about my health situation...  Right now --it's GOOD NEWS.

I had my Esophagus stretched so that food could pass through and not get stuck... That seems to be helping my stomach problem  so far...

My Cardiologist is working with me to get the proper medications for me and my heart rate.   The good news is that my heart rate is pretty stable now...  We are still working on some wicked side effects from some of the meds --but overall,  I'm  BETTER.   Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Hugs,

Emoticons