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Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Neighbors, Flowers, Socks & Food

Hello from the hills, where spring rains and blooms have been abundant.

The azaleas are bloomed out now, but they were profuse in April.  Can you believe it's May already?

We have new neighbors.  A nice quiet family moved into the cedar house under one of our Sugar Maples.

The mom is really quite the homemaker.


And the dad is an excellent provider.  They're expecting five little ones any day now.

I finished the socks.  The yarn is really nice, superwash merino.

What's for dinner.  Homemade Chicken Taquitos with sour cream and salsa.  They're delicious and much better for a body than the ones from the store.  Have you noticed the ingredient list on those boxes is about 2 inches long?

Hold That Tiger Iris

I'm not certain, but this may be the African Princess Iris. 

Hope you're enjoying Spring so far.

The Art of Home-Making Mondays,  The Maple Hill Hop

37 comments:

  1. Oh My Goodness! What Beautiful pictures! Such vibrant colors!
    The flowers and the sweet little blue bird :-)))
    And your beautiful blue socks.... I just love it all!

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    1. Thank you, Danette. The socks do look a bit blue in the pic, but they're really shades of gray.

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  2. I think our spring was a week ago Wednesday. :) It's 39 degrees outside right now (11 PM). Our azalea is fully budded, with quite a few blossoms, but nowhere near its full glory. Your spring flowers and the little bluebird family look much more springlike.

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    1. We're mighty chilly today, Linda. The high is only supposed to be 53°F. It could in the 80s here tomorrow though as we have such extreme temperature fluctuations.

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  3. What lovely colours, particularly the blue Iris.

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  4. Hello, your flowers are beautiful. I love the bluebirds, lucky you to have them nesting there. Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

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    1. Hi Eileen! We've been here 23 years and have had bluebirds most every year. They make us happy. :)

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  5. I love the iris.I want every color.I had purple ones that smelled like grape soda.The new huge blossom hybrids are real nice.

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    1. We have some of those iris that smell like grape soda, too, but they didn't bloom well, very spotty this year. And the plain yellow ones (not the ones above) have a nutmeg aroma. You're the first person other than my husband and myself who has ever mentioned the grape soda smell, but you're right. That's exactly how they smell.

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  6. Spring is certainly showing off in your neck of the hills! Such beautiful and vibrant colors! Those socks look nice and cozy too :)

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    1. Thank you, JES. It's so chilly here today, I may wear them before winter after all.

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  7. OH my gosh! Everything is so beautiful, Toni! Up here the leaves haven't even emerged from the trees yet. You did a great job on those socks. The next pair will be easier. Just before I read your post, I was reading about a Listeria outbreak. It is certainly better to prepare and grow as much of our own food as we can. Those taquitos look delicious. The color of that last iris is outstanding. Hope you are enjoying spring!

    Hugs
    Jane

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    1. Hi Jane! It's chilly here, today, but we'll probably be in back in the 80s before the week ends. Those outbreaks sure are a concern, and I hope it makes folks consider where there food is coming from. Love those irises. :)

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  8. So pretty! Our blooming seasoning is just on the verge of beginning, other than the dandelions of-course which have been throwing their bright yellow cheerfulness across the countryside.

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    1. Hi Mary Ann. I almost wish we could start spring over here because we've already had temps in the 80s. It's chilly today, but tomorrow will probably be really warm again. Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. Beautiful flowers, Toni! I'm sure your new neighbors are fun to spy on. LOL! Whenever Costco has samples of Taquitos...I always take one and love anything Mexican-y....I bet your homemade ones are excellent!

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    1. Thank you, Deb! And yes, my neighbors are very interesting and lead really colorful lives.

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  10. Happy May-lovely flowers. when I lived in NC years and years ago I always remembered all those gorgeous azaleas.Love your bluebird pair how exciting-perhaps she will hatch just in time for mothers day. Enjoy your weekend Kathy

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    1. Thank you, Kathy, I can't wait till the babies fly, I just hope I'm here to see it.

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    2. I meant to mention your socks-they turned out just gorgeous! I know you said you had to take them apart a few times-paid off-enjoy

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  11. What a beautiful spring day you've had! Your finished socks have reminded me that I have some sock yarn that needs to be made into socks. Time to break out the knitting needles. :)

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    1. Hi there, and thank you for stopping by. Love the your profile name. And I hope you'll share pictures of your socks, too.

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  12. Your garden is beautiful and your socks look great. Are those eggs really... blue?! I can't believe it!
    Enjoy your wonderful spring time at the Foothills. :-)

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    1. Thank you, Alhana, and yes, the eggs are exactly the same color in the photo. We really enjoy those birds.

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  13. heading into summer soon, here. love your blooms! and your new neighbors made me grin. :)

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    1. Hi Theresa! I'm enjoying spring at the same time dreading the heat of summer. Thank you for stopping by.

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  14. Isn't this season a blessing ?
    Thank you dearest friend for your so lovely shots, they truly filled my heart !

    Enjoy the end of your week, sending hugs and more hugs to you

    Dany

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  15. Your flowers are gorgeous! Love the birds. We have had them visit here two or three times this year. It seems like so much of the boughten food nowadays has a lot of things in them that aren't good for us! your fahitas look delicious! Nancy

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    1. Thank you, Nancy! And thank you for the visit.

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  16. I love robins! And they have the prettiest eggs.
    Amalia
    xo

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  17. Very nice. I love the colorful flowers !

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  18. How exciting to have neighbors like those!

    Making from scratch always ends up tasting better anyway.

    Enjoy your beautiful blooms! It's hard to believe the year is already almost half over.
    Thank you for sharing your outdoor post on this week's Maple Hill Hop!

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  19. Your flowers are gorgeous! And so are the taquitos!

    Have a lovely evening! Gina

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  20. Wow! Your photos are awesome! I love your flowers and the photos of the birds. Excellent posting. I loved it.

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Thank you for your comments!