2025 | Spring is in the air! Dreaming of big Beefsteak tomatoes, blooming water lilies, croaking bullfrogs...

2025 Growing Season

This is a collection of some of the seeds I will plant for 2025. As always, I will be planting saved seeds as well and using the volunteers that will sprout in the various pots. It's March, so we are not yet past the chance of another frost or two so I am trying to be patient (Not an innate skill for me). I am going to direct sow the tomato seed (pictured) in a new raised bed instead of starting the seed indoors and then replanting. I am currently in a holding pattern relative to planting in the new raised beds, as I want to amend the soil with a sandy soil mix for cacti.

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Beautiful multi-color flowers from Publix

Picked these up at my local Publix. I like getting flowers in the winter since the yard gets so brown. I love the blue color in the batch.

...ice build-up since the blog post yesterday. Brr. 18° this morning in HSV.

Nature's ice art today. Brrr

Huntsville Alabama Snow

Image of snow in an Alabama yard

Snowing in Huntsville today. Jan 2025

Cardinal checking out watermelon and grapes

Cardinal checking out watermelon and grapes.

A foggy morning.

Yellow jackets love eating grapes left hanging on the vine at the end of the season. September2024.

A morning moon. 7:10 am, Sept. 19, 2024.

Pretty morning clouds over a backyard water garden

Pretty morning clouds.

A glider being towed in the skies above our water garden

This is not a great picture, but it is an example of what takes place in the blue skies above our watergarden. It is a tow plane pulling a glider that it will release into a thermal, ridge lift, or wave lift, to begin its unpowered flight.

The cloudless sulphur butterfly

Dragonfly

Silver-spotted Skipper Butterfly

Gulf fritillary butterfly

View from the porch | Beautiful Morning

A morning Image of the garden

Welcome to our porch. This is where we sit in the early mornings, sipping coffee or the occasional mimosa. It's a great way to start the day. Listening to the birds in conversation, hearing the bullfrog jump in the pond for a morning swim after its night-shift position of eating bugs. The aroma of the blooms on the Meyer Lemom tree or the wafting smoke of insense burning in the Japanese lantern helps maintain the calmness of the area. The splish-splash of fish jumping at the passing insect fly-bys, assist in controlling the insect population. The whisical activities of hummingbirds, butterflies and dragonflies, paint the space with color and movement. Words and pictures can never describe the ambience created in this small area located in a rural subdivision in Madison County Alabama, adjacent to Huntsville. Huntsville is also known as the Rocket City.

Heavy Rain: Aquatic garden view from our security camera

Our security camera captures a rainy view of our aquatic garden space. This is the same day (August 5, 2024) that Hurricane Debby made landfall in north Florida. It may have pushed an unexpected shower our way.

Family Paintings Passed Down | Art of 'Grace S. Ellzey'

Painting by Grace S. Ellzey.
A family members painting of a garden scene with a beautiful waterfall.

Sugar Baby watermelon

Relaxing Retirement Project | A Backyard Aquatic Garden Can Deliver Healthy Serenity

Many retirees find healthy benefits to having a private, calming aquatic garden for your home, condo or apartment. The sounds of a waterfall and chirping birds can relax your soul and possibly lower blood pressure. It is also a great area to add flowers, fruit and veggies organically grown in your own yard. It is so nice to gather fresh blueberries, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, peppers, figs, watermelons and a plethora of other items directly from you own home spaces. The physical upkeep and additions can offer physical, as well as mental health. The sights of swimming fish and the sound of a croaking bullfrog is sure to put a big smile on your face. Give it a try! Here is an example of a watergarden in Huntsville, Alabama. Click the image for pages of ideas, videos, and beautiful pictures:

Hummingbird

Morning coffee views of the backyard.

Beefsteak and baseball

Zinnias

Waterlily