The clock ticks. The fire splutters. The cat sings. There's a knock. Open the door and there's a smile, outstretched arms, a splodgy kiss and a rush of feet. And a day transformed.
Pam Brown
Youngest Daughter and her little guy recently moved back to the Chicago area. They came to visit and play Sunday afternoon. What a joy to welcome them home!
Our little guy catching bugs in the back yard at his birthday party last year.
Oh, Linda how very nice, lush and green your garden is. How lovely!
ReplyDeletexoxo Tyra
Catching bugs..a favorite pasttime of my kids too! You're lucky to have your family near for visits..one wish I always tell my girls..don't move so far away!..lol. And your garden in shades of pink was so pretty :)
ReplyDeleteLinda you must be so pleased .. the little guy will be a big help to you catching the bad bugs all summer ? wink wink !
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks gorgeous .. isn't it amazing what our gardens do for us when they come to full life ? : )
What fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely garden for your little guy to explore! :)
ReplyDeleteI was going to say, Linda, surely this isn't how your garden looks right now?!! How wonderful that your daughter and grandson are nearby now. It's so nice to be able to live close enough to see the grandkids frequently, go to their activities, and watch them as they grow up. And, of course, you can't beat the free babysitting service! I speak from experience:)
ReplyDeleteThank you Tyra, I'm looking forward to warm weather and lush and green again soon!
ReplyDeleteHi Lynn, I've shared that wish with my girls too, with mixed outcomes! It's lovely having them all close again. I sorely missed these two, and am overjoyed they're back!
Good morning Joy, pleased as punch! I hoped they'd come back, and now I hope they stay!
I'm looking forward to spring and the garden's return to life!
Hi Kim & Victoria, fun is his middle name!
Good morning Rose, ha! made you look! The garden looks nothing like that right now - it's brown as far as the eye can see around here. It won't be long though. . . :)
Thanks Racquel! I hope we'll be doing lots of exploring this spring!
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks very nice, especially now that there is a little guy in it. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Yolanda. I've been enjoying looking at photos from last year's garden and can hardly wait for it to come to life again this spring!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to wake up every morning to this lush greens. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteLife is good when family is near.
ReplyDeleteHi, Linda! We really are having twin experiences! That little poem at the beginning of your post is the perfect verse in this household, too, as Antonia returns to Northern California and arrives to celebrate. I decided to share my birthday with her this month as a joint Birthday party/Welcome Home Celebration! Isn't it wonderful?? I'm so happy for both of us! :)
ReplyDeleteLinda, How wonderful it will be to have your little guy and the rest of his family near by! Someday, I hope to have little visitors chasing bugs and looking at butterflies in my garden...and what a beautiful garden
ReplyDeleteyou have for children to romp and adults to relax. Btw, I love your header photo! I hope it's warming in your part of the garden~~gail
Looks like your life is about 'as good as it gets', Linda!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking foward to seeing the garden come alive again this spring Blossom!
ReplyDeleteMN Garden, I second that!
Hi Kathryn, that's exactly what I thought when I read your post. I'm happy for us both too. Few things make me happier than having my girls and my grandson nearby.
Have a wonderful celebration - I know you will!
Good morning Gail! It's grand indeed having them home.
Your future grandchild(ren) will be very lucky to have such a kind, warmhearted grandma to share nature's wonders with.
Have a delightful weekend!
Hi Joey, I must say, I feel blessed and lighthearted indeed these days.
Your garden and your little guy just look so natural together! Beautiful photos! I miss being close to my adult kids and grandchildren, but it's a joy when they come to visit. Happy March, Linda!
ReplyDeleteIt's great that they are close to you now and you'll be able to visit each other more often. Is he going to be your summer time garden help?
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, how wonderful to have them back so close. I know you are going to enjoy that so much. Thanks for letting me know about registering for the fling. I thought I already had for that google thingey. Do you think there might be others like me? Last year Stuart sent an email out from Blotanical to let them know about the Austin meeting, even though many were out of the country. Maybe he would do that again, he has the list and sometimes makes those mass mailings.
ReplyDeleteFrances
I think he fits very well in the garden too Kim! I know he's looking forward to summer again so he can play outside, and take walks to the park and to the train station to watch the trains go by. Hmmm. . . he's a little older now - I wonder if he'll still be so excited to watch the trains!
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how much you must miss your kids and grandkids, and how it great it is when they come for a visit.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Hi MMD, I'm thrilled to have them back. He's much more interested in the wildlife in the garden than the plants! He was hoping to be able to take his bug kit outside Sunday - not many bugs yet, but it won't be long!
Hi Frances, Can you tell I'm ecstatic?
About the Fling registration - you're welcome! The google thingy is a sort of 'friends of the fling' tool, and there are people on that who aren't planning to attend the Fling.
The registration form has attendees' contact info and emergency contact, where they're staying, and what day they plan to arrive and depart.
I'm glad I checked with you, we'll have to make sure to get the word out. I do know of at least a couple of other people planning to attend who haven't registered yet.
Hi Linda,
ReplyDeleteI am happy for you that your family is close by again. Little guys are such a blessing! My 15 month old grandson just gave up on staying awake, and is asleep on my lap. We have him most Saturdays.
Linda, I, too, at first thought these were current photos and was wondering what magic you were using to enchant your northern garden. You must be so happy to have your family living close to you now.
ReplyDeleteJan
Always Growing
Oh, Linda, I share your joy as there is really nothing more valuable than loved ones close by. Mine little guy is on his way over this minute... I always thrill at that initial hello and a big squeeze. Playing in the garden is all the more a thrill, too. I know you are so happy to have them close by. More drop-ins to come!
ReplyDeleteMeems @ Hoe and Shovel
Yay about seeing your daughter and grandson! And how'd the talk go yesterday?!?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteYou have a lovely little grandson (hard to believe, looking at you!!). It must be a joy to have him closer to you, and your daughter closeby, as well!! If these are photos of your garden in summer, I'm jealous!! It's so gorgeous, I'll never be able to put such a variety in my yard. I have so many neck & back problems that I'm beginning to despair now that spring is here: I can't dig or plant like I used to. Sorry...didn't come here to whine;/ I will love looking at your garden when I'm unable to work on making my own as nice as I'd like it!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sue!
ReplyDeleteI miss babysitting our little guy, and am looking forward to having him here as much as we can!
There's nothing like holding a sleeping grandchild!
Hi Jan, I'm so glad to be photographing the garden now that I blog! When everything's brown (or white) outside, it's fun sometimes to pull out some of last summer's colorful photos and remember how pretty it was, and hopefully will be again soon!
Hi Meems, hope you had a wonderful time with your grandson! They are just SO much fun. There's nothing like a child's spirit to bring joy and make you see things you otherwise might miss. So many special moments happen when they're around!
Thanks Monica!
It went GREAT! I was nervous, but not as bad as when I was practicing, and it got better as I went along. We felt we were well-received. The audience was engaged, and we got some great questions.
We stayed for a while afterwards, and had a very nice conversation with Bill Aldrich, Chicagoland Gardening's publisher. We got some nice feedback from him.
I hope your presentation went well!
Thank you Jan! I'm ecstatic they're back.
Our garden is young, and it's been slow to establish because of all the maple roots the plants have to contend with. But I do like lots of bloom and color, so there are a lot of containers near the patio!
The rest of the garden isn't nearly as lush or colorful, although you might get that impression from the patio shots.
Yay! I had a feeling it would go well! And it's always fun chatting to other gardeners/garden industry folks.
ReplyDeleteVery nice post :)
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have them back so close and what fun to chase bugs!
ReplyDeleteGreat to see your garden as it looks in summer! Perhaps we will have a chance to see it in May.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda!
ReplyDeleteThis is the crazy dressed garden Lady from Wisconsin.
You did a great job at the blog-talk! I really enjoyed meting you ! I was there with my sister who had no idea such a thing existed! LOL
All of the speakers did wonderful! ... you all seem very nice, but thats the gardeners way... right?
Well I want it to be spring so bad.. and its pouring snow right now... oh well., that why we have photos...
Keep in touch!
Vanessa
The Rhinestone Contessa
( My Husband nicknamed me that ,,, :)
Thanks for your encouragement Monica!
ReplyDeleteThank you Marie!
It's a joy to have them back Skeeter! The little guy is all boy - he loves bugs and he especially loves cars, trains, lawn mowers - all things noisy, and especially if they have a motor!
Thank you Elizabeth! I'm looking forward to taking lots of photos in the garden this spring.
Hi Vanessa, it was great to meet you at the show, and fun to talk with you after our presentation! Thanks so much for attending our talk, and for your nice feedback.
Can't wait for spring!
I'll be around shortly to check out your blog - looking forward to seeing you on Blotanical too! Love your moniker! Kudos to your husband for coming up with such a catchy name!
I want my oldest son to move back home. I miss him something awful. So glad you get the little guy to play with and see more often. Your last year's garden looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna, I know how you feel. I never even thought about my kids moving far away one day! I've really missed them and am glad they're back!
ReplyDeleteThank you - looking forward to getting things going again soon!