flowers in the house

Finally enough warmth in these northern latitudes for flowers in the house that come from my garden.

Azaleas, lilacs,

and a spray of low-hanging andromeda.

 I always like to have fresh flowers on the kitchen table,

and for the cat to play with. 

Visit Jane and friends at Small But Charming for more flowers in the house.

the easy way

You don't find many decorating tips here on Country Weekend, because....I don't have many. But today I have the Easiest Decorating Tip Ever.

 The wall outside of the store was looking a little dingy. I was thinking about stenciling some vines, which I've done before. But I'm always so busy...I took the easy way.

Stickers. My friend Gerry was selling them in his store. 

Please don't sic the decorating police on me.

 I guess I should be embarrassed, but I love them. 

If you click on the pictures you can get a larger view.

 (That's the art gallery next door.)

In the 1980's the windows of hundreds of abandoned city-owned buildings in New York City were covered with vinyl decals of curtains, shutters, and flower pots. I lived in NYC then and remember them well. They got a lot of well-deserved ridicule. I thought of that when I put up my hydrangeas. Why is is bad for the Bronx but okay for me? Maybe because I'm not pretending anything. Just doing a little short-cut pick me up. (That's probably what Mayor Koch said too.)

Gerry had a package of pink ranunculus that I strongly considered, but I'm happy with the hydrangeas.The company has a huge variety available. See here. I'll try to remember to take a close up picture next time so you can get a better look.  If you're still talking to me after this.

weekend in the Catskills

 The garden festival was a success. Lots of food

 flowers

fresh produce

 kids

kids with kids

 music

and more. (See here.)

 In the spirit of things, I oh so artfully displayed gardening books,

  and planted violas in milk glass containers.

 Seed bombs made an appearance.

They are gumball size clumps of soil mixed with clay, earthworm castings and seeds, created for throw and grow ease. Seed bombs originated with urban guerilla gardeners to be used on empty lots. (More on guerilla gardening here.)

I have another flower thing to show you, but I'll save it for later in the week.

I hope you had a good weekend.

Jen

garden festivities

There will be a garden festival this Saturday in Margaretville, the little town in the Catskills where my store is. Birdhouse building, seed exchanges, green market, food, music and garden related goods. I look forward to seeing Main Street lively, after the long, quiet winter.

 I don't do any gardening in the Catskills--our property is hilly, rocky and wooded, except for one small area. But lots of people have farmhouses and cottages that are garden-friendly.

 I do a bit of gardening in Massachusetts. After my trip to the nursery Monday, I planted an assortment of containers.

I do have a couple of beds that I added snapdragons to, as well as some blue-flowering perennials. 

I'll take pictures of those later this summer.

The past few mornings I've had my coffee on the deck. It's chilly enough for a sweater, 

but I like to look at this flowering cherry tree. Those blossoms won't last long. Of course, then there will be something else, which is one of the wonderful things about gardening. 

flowers make everything better

The cure for a gloomy mood? A trip to the nursery. There's a fine one close to my house.

  I filled a green wagon with plants for my garden and deck.

 Pansies are the garden memory of my childhood--I always planted them around the birdbath.

They come in so many colors these days--it's hard to choose.

The Boston Marathon route is close to my house, so after the nursery I walked down for a look. Schools are closed today--it's Patriot's Day in Massachusetts; Revolutionary War reenactments and such abound. The Marathon is very festive. The little boys in the picture above are holding out cups of water for the runners.

 It's at least 80 degrees--crazy hot for a marathon. These girls are handing out ice pops.

They have a cooler full, and cut them in half. People also bring orange and banana slices for the runners. They set up their camp chairs and picnic and clap and cheer. All kinds of people run the marathon, not just the fast and fit.

 As I walked home buds blossomed and leaves unfurled before my eyes. It is finally spring in New England.

My viburnum is blooming and I brought a bit in to fill the kitchen with its glorious scent. Flowers make everything better.

volunteers

Viola growing through the cracks between the bricks. With a dandelion next to it. Just think of all the possible metaphors. I am betwixt, between, bewildered, about what to do with my little store. Right now I see only pavement. I'm searching for the flowers.

edited to add: I woke up today, feeling better. Just so you know. More later.

around here

A better look at the Curious George print from my last post, when I was more interested in showing you my paint craziness. (as always, click for larger view of pictures)

Eating at my desk, which I rarely do, but the green bowl looks so nice with the green vase, which tells me I am spending way too much time with the home decor/styling tsunami on the internet. Am I the only one who thinks large curd cottage cheese is significantly better than small? And yet it's hard to find, so when I do, I grab three cartons. At least.

Reading poems by my long ago, far away friend Galway Kinnell, one of my favorite poets.

Collage.

I have been lusting after the blue flowers everyone has been posting on their blogs and finally I have my very own blue flowers to share. I am imagining a flower bed that is 50% blue and deep purple flowers, 30% pink flowers and 20% white flowers.

Last weekend I didn't go to the Catskills because I was in New Jersey with 30 or so of my favorite in-laws. Unfortunately I missed a visit to the store from Ashling, a blogger friend who lives in the northern Catskills. (My place is in the Western Catskills, and obviously I need to write a post on Catskill geography). Read her blog, Confessions of a Would-Be Mountain Woman here. I won't be there next weekend either--my husband has invited his buddies for an all-night poker game. (They do that a few times a year, and I prefer to stay far away.) So any dispatches will be forthcoming from Massachusetts, where I am currently sitting in the above-pictured chair. That sentence put me in a state of cognitive dissonance...

Jen

 I will not tell you how long those paint swatches have been on the wall of our second floor hall. All those blues and greens that I love so much.

Perhaps I should paint palm trees like Curious George did, as pictured in this print I just happen to own. But I think I'm going to go with a crisp white. Not linen or oyster or French vanilla. Greek white. Swedish white. My house is full of color and too much stuff. It's time to simplify.

So I probably shouldn't have bought another coffee table book. I couldn't resist Bringing Nature Home, Floral Arrangements Inspired by Nature. You can read about it here.