2026

Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to SEPTEMBER. My header photo this month shows a gorgeous picture showing the Great Smoky Mountains from the Foothills Parkway. God's Blessings to YOU for an awesome month.

Monday, April 15, 2019

More SPRING is Happening in our Yard --April 15, 2019

Beautiful RED BUD tree blooming in our Yard 4/11/19
Good Morning Friends and Family,   After a warm week,  some rain and storms,  today is sunny and COLD....  Brrrr---got down to about 34 last night,  but it felt MUCH colder....Maybe now --it will warm up and stay warm!!!!!  (Pretty soon I'll be complaining about how hot it is!!!!!!!!  ha)

I haven't had much time to blog this week --but have gotten more pictures of our yard, as Spring keeps appearing....  SO today I'll just share more Spring Pictures for you... Hope you enjoy them.


The first picture at the top is a close-up of this tree,  the big RED BUD tree in our front yard.  (4/11/19)



Hosta plants are really pretty in our yard --so we have a bunch of them... The biggest problem with having Hosta is that the deer LOVE them!!!!!   (4/13/19)



I took this picture on 4/9/19 of the leaves popping out on our big trees.   As of today,  we have MANY more big trees getting their leaves!!!!!  Yeah!



More HOSTA;  4/13/19



The last little TULIPS blooming in the Yard for this year;    These are Double Tulips and I love their colors.  (4/09/19)



Hosta in another bed;  (4/13/19)



Little Azalea BUDS on one of our bushes in the backyard;  (4/13/19)



Some of our SEMPERVIVUM (Hens and Chicks) in the Yard;  (4/13/19)



Our Bleeding Heart bush is so healthy and just beginning to bloom;  (4/13/19)



A Bleeding Heart  (up close and personal);  (4/13/19)



Another Hosta (near the sidewalk);  (4/13/19)



Guess what this is??????  This is a LILY beginning to grow on our deck.  I LOVE Lilies  (almost as much as Roses and Tulips).  The deer also LOVE Lilies --and we have lost so many Lilies to the deer.   SO---My Sweetheart has made me a Lily Garden on the deck!!!!   See the next picture!!!   (4/10/19)



Here is my NEW Lily Bed on the deck...  Isn't George just GREAT?   He worked hard on this project  --so that I could enjoy the Lilies this year.   SO--in about a month or so,  I'll hopefully show you some of these Lilies in bloom.  YEAH!!!!  (4/10/19)



A beautiful HOSTA in the bed under the Dogwood tree;  (4/13/19)




Besides the Forsythia and Red Buds,  my favorite Spring tree in our yard is the PINK DOGWOOD... (4/13/19)



Another picture showing the PINK DOGWOOD;  (4/13/19)



A close up showing the PINK DOGWOOD;  (4/13/19)
Well ---that's it for this week....Spring is so exciting since it brings NEW LIFE all around us,  and so much color!  Whether it is the beautiful greens of the grass or Hosta plants--or the colors of flowering trees like the Red Bud and Dogwood,  or just watching the new growth of the flowers like the LILIES,   I feel so blessed...  Thanks be to God for new LIFE.

Happy Easter to ALL and God Bless YOU.

Hugs,

Monday, April 8, 2019

Around our Home -- Early Spring 2019

Our Home and some of our Flowers--April 6, 2019
Good Morning,  Family and Friends.   How is your April going so far????  We are finally getting some spring weather here --and it feels wonderful.  After a long winter ---feeling, smelling, enjoying Spring is good for the SOUL.

Today --let's just take a walk around our yard...  Hope you enjoy it!!!!!


Visitors in the backyard!!!!! "Stay away from our tulips,  Pretty Little Deer!!"



The Tulips on the lower front yard beds;  George is getting 'up close and personal' with the new tulips.  (4/6/19)



Here is an interesting Tulip in our yard.   This little beauty looks different from the others since he/she is a DOUBLE TULIP (with many more petals).   Pretty, huh?



PURPLE FINCHES at our feeders (We've had a few of these beautiful birds in past --but now,  we have a bunch of them.)



Such a pretty Tulip!!!!



Pretty Hot Pink Tulip



Same tulip as the one above --after it gets some sunshine and opens up!!!



Deer eating leaves off of one of the bushes on the empty lot next door!!!!  (By the way,  the deer managed to eat a bunch of the leaves on our Azaleas in the front yard sometime during winter.  First time they have ever done that!)



Gorgeous Yellow Tulips;   Yellow has always been a favorite Summer Color of mine.



Male and Female Purple Finches;  I didn't recognize the females at first --and had to search for the name.



Our front yard and home (4/6/19)....  Lots of green grass;  See one of our Red Buds in bloom on the right side of our home?  



Standing under one of our Red Buds and looking up!!!!!  I love the Red Bud blooms!



Red and Yellow Tulip



Who is looking at ME??????  Such beautiful animals --and they "LOOK" so innocent!!!!! ha



Orange and Yellow Tulip;   One way we are keeping the Deer away from our Tulips (SO FAR) is by surrounding the plants with Daffodils.  Deer do NOT touch or go near Daffodils... 



Purple Finches love the plate feeder!!!!  Look at the females.  They remind me of the female Grosbeaks with the big white eyebrow.  However,  they are much smaller than the Grosbeaks!!!!



One last picture of the Yellow Tulips --after they open up...  Love the red addition!!!!



One last picture of our home and yard --taken on April 6, 2019;   You'll notice that we still do NOT have any leaves on the big trees here yet.... SO--in some ways,  it still looks like winter!!!!!!   Even though our winter was warmer and much wetter than normal,  March turned out to be COLDER than February!!!!   We are just now finally getting some real Spring warm weather....  IF this continues,  we'll have leaves on the trees  fairly soon.
Hope you have enjoyed the walk in and around our yard today...  You actually got a little exercise!!!!!!! ha ha.....  Have a great week!!!!

Hugs,