The grass is always greener on the other side of the Hodgepodge

In just a matter of a few days, the world around me sprang into life, I kid you not. 

We have had some wonderful rain showers over the past few days and that's all it took.
Those glorious brilliant greens could once again be seen dotting the drab, colorless woods.

As the morning sun filtered through the trees, 
it was as though those tiny new leaves had become luminescent.

And how thrilling that the killer frosts of a couple of weeks ago didn't zap the dogwoods!
 

Spring just wouldn't be spring without them!

So enough of me trying to convince you that spring has finally sprung...

let's get on with the subject at hand...Joyce's Hodgepodge...

 

...where she asks the questions and we write the answers.

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1. April is Lawn and Garden Month. On a scale of 1-10 what's the current state of your lawn and/or garden. (10=a showpiece, 1=send in the professionals). Tell us about any lawn or garden plans you have for this month.

Wow...this one's easy. I am sure the Lawn & Garden folks would rate it a 1...maybe a 2. But like we talked about on last week's hodgepodge, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. You see, they built our home right smack dab in the middle of the woods and that also means on hard, rocky red clay as well and soil (if you want to call it that) is really non-existent. Plus it's mostly shaded and grass loves sunshine, right? Long story short, our yard has only patchy areas of grass to mow and this makes my Jim a happy man. 

I call our type of landscaping "rustic"—it's a better word than bedraggled or unkempt— with layers of old leaves blown year after year around the perimeter as a mulch, huge tree roots that protrude from the ground, woody overgrown shrubbery, a lush green carpet of moss instead of grass and other such lovelies that cover the ground, mostly in the spring. No manicured lawn here and I must admit, I'm quite fond of our low maintenance yard.

This photo was taken a couple of years ago when the azaleas were nicely blooming.

At the present, they are in dire need of pruning which will come later on.

 

As far as gardening goes in this yard, it's all about pots and planters...above ground. Yesterday I was at our local Food Lion (grocery store) and they had just gotten in a supply of beautiful, healthy ferns and hanging baskets. I jumped on them in a heartbeat...the ferns were $3 cheaper than what I had seen at Lowe's just a day before. I bought four of them for the porch and two different colors of hanging geraniums. I still need to get the rest of my bedding and tomato plants...hopefully within the next week or so I will get them all settled in the pots. 

2. "Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there."~Thomas Fuller  What does this quote mean to you?

Gee, I think it could have dual meanings. It can be taken literally, meaning that every garden has weeds and we all know they were not planted there. But I am thinking there is a hidden message...like possibly sometimes we get more than what we bargained for ...like when we purchase a plant and some other seed was dropped into the soil by accident maybe...a happy accident! I think that digging even deeper (hey...a PUN!) one could even find other hidden meanings and I have probably missed the one most obvious to some of you!

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about God?

Oh wow...one word that encapsulates many things...LOVE. Every gift that He gives us—the wondrous beauty of creation, His grace and mercy, peace that passes all understanding, every good and perfect thing He gives us is because of the love He has for us, His children. I could go on and on but there aren't enough ways to express it.

4. If we were chatting in person, how would I know if you were nervous?

I would probably be talking non-stop. You may just have to slap me.

5. Do you like the color yellow? Would I find any in your home or wardrobe? Daffodils, tulips, roses, sunflowers, day lily, black eyed Susan...which yellow bloom on this list is your favorite?

Yes, I do love the color yellow...sunflowers are one of my very favorites with black-eyed Susans running a close second. I don't have yellow as a prominent color in my house on purpose but the paint on my living room/dining room walls very much have a yellowish cast most of the time. It's actually a beige-ish color in reality. I have none in my wardrobe either. For some reason I never have felt comfortable wearing it on my body...thinking that it was like I was wearing a big sign that said "LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME!" And of course I love it in vases of flowers from my hubs that are currently on my dining room table. :)
 



6. Flip flops or bare feet?

Yes . :D

7. Tell us about any Easter plans, celebrations, or traditions you'll carry out this month.

Oh joy, oh joy...my Tennessee bunch will be here for Easter! We are looking forward to a fun weekend with all of the family together. I'm not sure if the younger grands are still into Easter egg hunts but that might be on the agenda if the weather cooperates.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I am already exhausted just thinking about what all I have to do before they get here!! Oh, and that one blade of grass? I'll get Jim right on it! :)