Ten Things of Thankful: Reading, Writing, and Smelling the Flowers

The compact "Miss Kim" lilac blooms in the foreground, while bearded irises bloom in the background

You probably thought I was going to say 'rithmatic at the end of that title, didn't you? 😉 Don't be silly! This week has been bursting with new growth and blossoms in the yard. I take a garden walk multiple times each day, and each time I do, I'm delighted with the progress I see. 

1. I'm thankful that, although I will probably have to wait years to enjoy blossoms on the lilacs I planted this spring, the little "Miss Kim" lilacs I planted last year are blooming. I prefer the common lilac varieties, but these little Miss Kims have the same scent. 

2. I ventured out to a local nursery this week, and purchased some fuchsias. I love fuchsias, and think I've found the perfect spot for them: in planter boxes on the north side of the house, where it is fairly shady. I'm thankful that they seem happy so far, and I'm looking forward to their beautiful blossoms.

Fuchsia plants grow contentedly in a planter 

3. Speaking of shade, not far from the fuchsias is one of my favorite areas of the yard, where there is a little aspen grove and green undergrowth. I love this wild little green area. I'm thankful for cool, shady places. 

A decorative bird house, which is shaped and colored like a bee, hangs from a branch of an aspen tree, while light lavender bearded iris and green shrubs grow underneath.

4. Other trees provide shade and shelter for birds, too. I'm thankful that a pair of robins successfully rebuilt their nest after a wind storm took the first one down a couple of weeks ago. 

A robin's nest of twigs is secure in the maple tree

5. Under that maple tree (but not directly under the nest, for obvious reasons!), we have a hammock that was left here by the previous home owners. I haven't used it much, but I'm trying to not take it for granted, so I found myself relaxing there with a book. If I'm going to read, I might as well be comfortable, right? I'm thankful for cozy places to read, and for interesting books. (I recently finished The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women. It was a fascinating read!)

An inviting hammock awaits a reader under a maple tree

6. I'm thankful for bees that also enjoy the flowers, and that will hopefully do a good job pollinating the garden when the berry and vegetable plants are a bit bigger.

A bee buzzes around a purple blossom on a chive-like plant

A bee is hidden in the pink petals of a peony blossom

7. I'm thankful for blogging friends. I was invited by my good friend, Zoe, to write a guest post for her blog, Carrot. She also introduced me to several apps and now I, too, have made an emoji of myself--and learned how to add a photo of Drexel!

Me as an emoji, with Drexel and the caption, "Drexel and I say hi!"

8. I'm thankful for other blogging opportunities, such as Six Sentence Stories, hosted each week by another blogging friend,  Denise, of Girlie on the Edge. I don't always come up with a story for the prompt, but I enjoy the challenge. This week I reflected on a job I had in high school. 

9. I'm thankful that some of the bare-root trees and raspberries we recently planted are starting to leaf out, giving me hope that soon they will be more green than brown.

Little green raspberries leaves emerge from the cane

10. As always, I'm thankful for John, and all the hard work he does. Our native "soil" is comprised of lots of rocks. In the photo below, John is shoveling up rocks in an attempt to clear the land. I just had to get a photo because I have no doubt that years down the road it will seem unbelievable that we started with so many rocks!

John shovels rocks from the yard into a wheelbarrow. 

What are you thankful for this week? If you blog, please consider this an invitation to join us. In two weeks time, the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop will turn SEVEN years old! If you are thinking of joining us, it's a great time to hop on in! If you don't blog, feel free to visit the blogs and comment. We'd love to hear from you!

Joining me this week:
On my Way Home
The Prolific Pulse
messymimi's meanderings
the Wakefield Doctrine
Carin's Gratitude
Heart to Heart Soul Creations
A season and a time
Backsies Is What There Is Not

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