I perfect home for a Downy Woodpecker
The woods are dense.
I found this sweet wild flower & I don't even know what it is..but I love it!! A lovely pink hue to itl
Look at all the fungi on this tree, a work of art in itself.
A white & black moth.
This guy blends in so well, I almost missed him.
Another colorful butterfly landed on the house.
I didn't have to go far to find God's gifts in the Singing Woods, just take time to
look, God's love is all around us.. Fondly, Deena
My friend Lana, Honeysuckle Lane, takes the BEST photos. This is my type of Patriotism, mixing the colors with
flowers as the theme. The Bee Balm looks like rockets bursting in air. What could be more lovely than blue
hydrangeas?, with just a touch of white?
Lana has a gift when it comes to vignette arranging & photo taking. The best quality photos on lovely cards. I just had to share.
One of these is going to my daddy in Florida to brighten up his room in the nursing center he now lives in (he has Alzheimer's & Parkinson's disease) . He has always had a love for flowers, guess that's where I got mine, comes
naturallly!!
Check out Lana's website
HoneySuckle Lane or
The Primitive Gathering for these treasures & more.
*****
Tis hot & humid here, a typical Midwest Summer day! I need a cooler day
to find butterflies & fleurs to share with you. Fondly, your gardening friend, Deena
They've begun to bloom
In pinks & Reds
Whites are lovely too
Some are singles & some are like roses
Even powder puff looking
Here's my only surviving FoxGlove. Mother Nature played tricks on the others and SHE won.
I love Hollyhocks in a cottage garden. Plant them EVERY year for continual blooms.
Hollhocks are a biennial~You can plant the seeds in Autumn or Spring. The first year you get foliage, the next year, blooms..then they are done.
If anyone wants seeds this Autumn, just email me from my Profile Page & I'll be happy to share. **I'll mail
them to you as they go to seed, with instructions for planting**
My BLOG friend, Dawn of
Isn't this just sweet?? Daddy Finch is feeding his lil baby. He kept an eye out for me the whole time I was there. He'd grab some seed, look at me, feed his babe & look at me again.
We have so many different birds feeding their babes right now , but they are very wary of humans during "nursery time", I am lucky to get any pictures.
The hollyhocks have begun to bloom, so I'll be posting a few pics of all the colors & strains. I love them, from the singles to the fluffy ones like roses..they are delightful & easy to grow. Every garden needs some hollyhocks.
********************************************************************************************************************Here's one of my hand did creations. If you enjoy folk art~
a visit to
The Primitive Gathering would be most pleasing.
Oh Joy, the baby wrens are hatched & mommy isn't NEAR as shy now...She sits in the tree right at the edge of the
house & sings ALL day. The bird box is on the inside of the fence right at the house edge, so the tree lets her see
her babes . My bedroom window is upstairs right where the tree is...so I love hearing her.
Today I went to the box & mama was in there taking care of her chirping babes..she flew out, they kept chirping & moving so much the bird house was moving..OH what pleasure I got..but mama started her lil cry & babes stopped
their sweet chirping. She must have been telling them *that Deena is trying to look in, BE STILL*
I hope to get a pic of the babes peeking out soon, so come back for more.
OH I also found a new butterfly today, he flew into the garage & landed on hubby's riding jacket while I was following him around with the camera..Got a couple GREAT pictures..tis a Mourning Cloak ...and it was so irridescent..and lovely..
Here he is!!!
and oh we did make SURE he got back outside..and flew off
isn't he lovely??
The Singing Woods is delightful, your friend, Deena
I have been trying & trying to get my little wren to pose for pictures, but she's just too shy..Well, I saw her on the hickory tree, got the camera & I actually got a GOOD picture of her. She SINGS all day long~~ I wake up to her singing in the tree at my bedroom window.
They've nested in the silliest bird house we have.It's missing a piece, hangs ON the FENCE, but they seem to love it. Wrens boys build two or three nest starts & the wren girl picks her fave, then Mr. finishes the one she picks.
I've taken a picture of a bit of nest ..only the camera can see!! The top two bird house pictures are of the blue bird house that they nested in. The other little green box , was an alternative that SHE must not have chosen!!
I can't wait for the babes to hatch..She's a little House Wren and those babes will have their heads out when
we pass by ..begging for food.. so tiny and sweet!!
I've been trying to get pictures of the Downy Woodpeckers feeding their babes, but they are WAY too shy with the lil ones around..but I'll keep trying!!
Hope you'll check back, smiles, Deena
By Stacey of The Good Wife of Washington County
&
Lana of Simple Joys, so I have to tell 7 things about me..and tag some friends.
1. I just had Lasik Eye Surgery two months ago, and I can see BETTER than 20/20 now
2. I have SIX grandsons!
3. I am a "retired" banking Vice President
4. I have 3 children , one is 35, one is 24 and one is 17..eeekkkk
5. I love BIRDS!!
6. My God given gifts are * the gift of giving & the gift of discernment
7. My new primitive co-op is www.theprimitivegathering.com
and I am tagging
1. Letter's from The Blissful Home http://www.theblissfulhome.blogspot.com/
2.The Feathered Nest http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/
3. Of Bluebirds & Roses http://bluebirdroses.blogspot.com/
My MAC doesn't show the hyperlink adder on this page....sorry you'll have to cut and paste :>(
Oh I love my little hummingbirds...they've been busy lately..The males are SO territorial...the guys have been fighting for about two weeks. Even though I have five feeders, they seem to think it's only enough for ONE male & ONE female!! They even get mad at me sometimes if I get near the feeder. LOL!! He obviously wants to "bite" the hand that feeds him..silly boy!!
One picture shows my hummer sitting on the branch where he can view his food..and protect it.
This rose is one I planted last year from Heirloom Roses, I forgot it's name, I'll find it and post, but isn't it lovely??? The most wonderful shade of apricot?? peach?? pink?? OH it is gorgeous and smells so good. If only my soil wasn't clay here, I know it would be BURSTING with blooms.
A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet
Deena
While I was roaming the wonderful world of BLOGS I found Debra of Hop Hop Jingle Boo , heading up a bunny swap.
I thought it sounded like GREAT fun, so I have signed up. Just check out
HOP HOP JINGLE BOO if you'd like to be part of the swap or just to check out her great BLOG.
I am so pleased to announce that Heather of
I just found this today and want to get in on all the fun. Please click the banner above
to see all the participating bloggers.
Here a photo of what I will be giving away ~ 
All hand did by me using a DEERFIELD FARMHOUSE pattern.
All you have to do to enter is comment on this post, making sure that you have an email link in your profile or add your email address in the comment.
Saturday morning I will write all the entries down (which may not be many since I'm getting in so late), put them in a bowl, and draw out a winner. I'll post the winner on my blog as well as send them an email asking for their mailing address.
Don't be shy, sign up, it'll be fun!
My pics show them, they leave their shells EVERYWHERE, they just grab on to something and ZOOM they leave their outer shell .. I see their wings everywhere too!!
and the birds. Oh My Gosh, tis a sweet treat for them, I see them taking on this big TREAT..I EVEN saw an army of ants trying to carry one off today!!
WOW
and..one picture shows a live cicada..they get sooooo loud, but what wouldn't after waiting 17 years to come above ground and mate..They're hhhheeeerrrrreeeeeee
below is an article I found ..in all places...ESPN.com
********************************************************************************************************************
"Brood XIII
It sounds like a bad horror movie. But it's actually the name of the billions of cicadas expected to emerge this month in parts of the Midwest after spending 17 years underground.
The red-eyed, shrimp-sized, flying insects don't bite or sting. But they are known for mating calls that produce a din that can overpower ringing telephones, lawn mowers and power tools.
Brood XIII is expected across northern Illinois, and in parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. Cicadas live only about 30 days as adults, and their main goal is mating.
They don't harm humans, although they are clumsy and might fly into people. Birds, squirrels and pets, especially dogs, love to eat them, and they are high in protein.
They're going to have quite a meal. It's going to be like Thanksgiving for them.
They are periodical cicadas, which are only found in the eastern half of North America. The annual, or dog-day cicadas, that appear every summer are common around the world.
The last massive emergence of periodical cicadas was in 2004, when Brood X emerged after 17 years underground in parts of 15 Eastern states. Some broods emerge after 13 years.
As nymphs burrowing underground, cicadas suck sap from tree roots. Almost all members of a group, or brood, burst from the ground within a couple days of each other.
They quickly climb the nearest vertical surface to molt and unroll their wings. In some heavily wooded areas, as many as 1.5 million cicadas per acre will crowd onto trees, expert say.
``It's one of the greatest insect emergences on Earth,'' said Daniel Summers, an entomologist at The Field Museum.
A single male's shrill courtship call can reach 90 decibels, equivalent to a kitchen blender. That could sour plans for outdoor events over the next few weeks.
Ravinia Festival, a 103-year-old music festival held north of Chicago, revised its schedule to avoid classical musicians having to compete with the insects, said festival president and CEO Welz Kauffman.
June will see more pop bands outdoors, a few concerts moved indoors and a visit from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. ``With 350 voices on stage, they can hold their own against the bugs,'' Kauffman said.
At the Chicago Botanic Garden, spokeswoman Gloria Ciaccio joked that her advice for brides holding outdoor weddings there will be to put the tent flaps down and turn the music up.
An Illinois company that provides ice sculptures has turned down several outdoor parties over the next month. That's because of what happened when Nadeau Ice Sculptures owner Jim Nadeau delivered a swan statue to a wedding in 1990, during the area's last emergence of the periodical cicadas.
``We put our tray down and immediately the cicadas came off the ground and attacked the ice. Literally, it was a moving sculpture, this big black ugly mass of cicadas constantly moving,'' said Nadeau.
``I don't want to talk myself out of work, but that was just too gross,'' he said.
Exactly when the cicadas will emerge is a subject of debate, although there is agreement they emerge once the soil temperature is consistently 64 to 65 degrees for several days. Biologists and insect experts predict the cicadas will emerge between Tuesday and June 1.
The best place to see — and hear — the cicadas will be forest preserves, golf courses and any land where there are older trees where the soil has been undisturbed since 1990.
Freelance writer David Hammond runs the LTHForum, a Chicago-based Internet site devoted to culinary matters, and his ``foodie'' friends want to see what the cicadas taste like.
The insects are eaten in other parts of the world, with descriptions of the taste ranging from shrimp to canned asparagus to not much at all.
No recipe has been decided upon yet, but Hammond assumes they will be fried and perhaps accompanied by a dip or salsa.
``Honestly, they'll probably go down easier that way,'' he said. ``Who knows? Maybe we'll love it. We may have to travel around the country as infestations occur.''
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
I can't believe my baby girl is all grown up. Tonight was High School graduation..I felt like a giddy school girl all
day & night. We started by getting nails and pedicures, then she helped me pick out a dress, ..I dropped her off
at her sister's , who did her hair & makeup. Then on to the Academy..for a lovely ceremony..
Pictures & chatting with friends & family afterwards.
Lastly , dinner at Sushi Gawa's ..oh so yummy & it's Mercedes' favorite, we invited a couple of her friends
to join us..it was ..bonding & comfortable & delightful.
As I enter into another chapter of life, I wonder how I will be with no children at home..it's bittersweet, & I thank
the Lord for giving me three wonderful children to bless my life for these last 35 years...I'll be dreaming of
my beautiful ~grown up~ lady ..who was once my tiny baby girl.
Pleasant dreams, Deena
I was delighted to see her pretty blooms this morning. Oh she smells divine. I am blessed with her
lovely face smiling up at me.
I have another Old Heirloom Rose getting ready to show her bud. It
will be a delight to share her.
Rosa rugosa ~ Blanche Double de Coubert is her name~coming soon, I can just barely see the color
of her bud.
I've had a turkey visitor lately too, she brought her friends before, but she's been coming back alone. I
know she's enjoying our bird seed, BUT she's SO smart, she hears me as soon as I try to get outside with
the camera. I was lucky to get this one, she hopped the fence about 2 seconds after I snapped this. She's not
as pretty as the fleur, but I think she's lovely just the same.
Fondly, Deena
Having moved to The Singing Woods two years ago, I had to leave behind all my wonderful roses at
my old Victorian. Last year , I decided I needed my roses again, & sent for some Old Fashioned Roses
from Heirloom Roses. I had to BABY these bushes, as soil here is just not compatible to growing
anything.
When I came back from the Folk Art Show @ Cinammon Creek Cabin in KY this last Sunday, I was delighted to see the promise of this rose, Reine de Violette, with it's wonderful buds. The weather has turned quite cool here
but I am hoping she will bloom this week. I can smell her fragance NOW!! alas I am to be blessed with
one of my favorite roses blooming here in the wood.
Life is good, take time to stop & smell the roses~***~ Deena
Proverbs 31:10-12 and 25-31
"A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."
May God bless each & every woman, be she a mother or not. Deena
