Winter Wonderland in Wilson

The snow flakes started falling last night and by the time we went to bed we had a soft white blanket of snow everywhere.  Mother Nature's beauty at it's best.  

This morning the snow is still falling.  We have about 2 inches here in Wilson, NC.  

Otis prefers to stay inside on the sofa in his pile of blankets.  I opened the back door for him this morning and he turned around and came back in.  

Enjoying the snow while it lasts!

Brrrrrrrrr

It's 32 degrees.  I walked outside this morning with Otis to check things out.  As you can see, the water in the bird bath is frozen.  Otis high tailed it back into the house already, no doubt, straight to the sofa and under his blankets.  

 Not a bad idea.  

I might just stay here 'till spring.  

Rose topiaries

Sitting here on this cold January morning sipping my second cup of hot steamy coffee, my thoughts take me to the garden.  January is the perfect time to plan your summer garden.  This year I want to plant two rose topiaries in pots by the steps as you enter the front door.  

Light pink with a sweet fragrance.  

     My sketch             

A rose hedge would be lovely too, or rosemary topiaries, maybe on the back patio.  What could be better for a cottage garden.  

I am sure you have ideas rolling around in your head, planning new things for your home or garden for the coming year.  

A new year, a fresh start...new opportunities, new choices, new ideas.  I feel a sense of optimism and hope as I plan for this new year.

Enjoy your day!  

Gardens

Hello everyone!  How are you?  It's been a while since I posted so I just wanted to wish all of you a wonderful year!  

January calls for digging out all those garden books (no pun intended) and gathering ideas for your garden come spring.  Oh yes, we're thinking spring here.  The anticipation is exhilarating.    

Climbing roses...

stone pathways with flowers along walkways...

pergolas and trellises filled with climbers...

and beautiful color everywhere.  Fill flower pots for even more interest.  Just a few ideas to get you going!  

Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed.

~Walt Whitman

Photos from Alastair Sawday's Special places to stay.  Garden Bed and Breakfast

The long cold dreaded grey days of winter.....

Ugh, Help! All I want to do is curl up in a ball under a big pile of warm blankets, close my eyes and sleep....and sleep..... and not wake up until spring is here. Hmmmmm, hibernating, I believe that's called.


The walls have been closing in on me this week, oh yes, ~ JANUARY, and cabin fever, but instead of feeling the need to get outside and walk or shop or just be around other living human beings, and the fact that it's way too darn cold to even go outside, please, just let me hibernate. So yesterday after lunch, feeling a nap coming on, I sat there for a few minutes and imagined things, like.......happy things, and my mind began to wander........green moss, and maybe making a winter terrarium, and painting with bright colors like purple and green...

well, you get the picture, so instead of taking a nap, I reluctantly dragged myself into the art room with my mug of hot coffee and sat down to paint. Would you believe I haven't picked up a paint brush since the end of November last year?

I looked around my art desk and saw the many projects which I started and never finished, a serving tray that needs painted, a marble chaser half painted, oh, and my mermaid that needs a coat of fresh paint.....I'll start with that...


I picked up my blue paint, the one that looks like the color of a beautiful blue sea, (oh, to be on a tropical island right now)....and painted my mermaid.

Ok, wonderful! The mermaid is finished and ready to go back outside.

I then mixed paint for a wooden egg that will be painted with a vintage Easter scene (which will go to the shop downtown in the gallery museum).

First coat done. Ok!

While that paint was drying, I started a new painting on canvas with the color purple.....





....and blue, and green.....






and here is the finished painting.





Seems appropriate for January somehow.....January blues.


In fact, I think that's what I'll call it.

january blues

8x10 acrylic on canvas board

Hopefully, now that I've pushed myself to start painting again, I'll continue, and maybe spring will be here before we know it.

It came...

just as predicted.......the snow, ice and freezing rain.

Truth be knownst, I'm not a big fan of snow and cold weather, partly the reason for moving south......

but it won't be so bad, it will be gone in a few days.....

and that makes me happy.

January chill

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, it's cold.

I was out side this morning filling the bird feeders and noticed the ice in the bird bath. There was a blue jay chipping away. Poor birds. It would be nice to have one of those warmers for bird baths to keep the water flowing in the winter. Oh well......

Good day to stay inside and keep warm, however, I'm off to the art store to buy art supplies.

Have a good day!

January freeze

The sun is shining bright this morning but the temperature is only 19 degrees!




When it's really cold outside I like to light candles. This is one of those glade scented oil candles. It smells so good.

I'm making toast and coffee and then I'm going outside to walk around in the garden.

Brrrrrrrrrr, it's cold. The water in the bird bath is frozen, and the ground cracks when I walk on it.

I filled the bird feeders yesterday. The birds must be freezing.








There seem to be plenty of berries for the birds to eat. Look at the nice blue sky.








And look how they've devoured the apple that I stuck in the tree.

My coffee is almost cold now. I'm going in, it's much too cold to be outside today!

Stay warm!