My Love Affair :)

I have a love affair with Clematis vines. Not just the first one that I purchased in 1976  the famous deep purple Jackmanii. Since that day, I have planted so many of these beauties. I loved the big beautiful blooms be they white, pink, purple, lavender. I've had great success with them, all except the one that was planted under the shade of the River Birch. Since the River Birch has been removed...it has flourished once again. Now here's where the mystery comes in. A smaller clematis has sprung up a couple of feet from the  original. It's a different color entirely. The only one like it in the yard. I blogged about it last year and thought that it deserved another post. It's a little smaller than most but the blooms are the same size. Who knows how it got there, but I'm glad it did. Glad that I recognized the tiny start of it as being a clematis. Glad that I had a small trellis just for it. It graces the Mary's Garden in amongst the hostas and lilies.
I've become interested in the smaller blooms of some new, to me, hostas. They are bell shaped and so delicate. I planted a couple next to the front porch three years ago. They are growing like gang busters this year. They are budded out and I'll show you a picture when they bloom. They are my new favorites.Hostas and Clematis....a couple of favorites in the garden. I'm loving the chartreuses, purples, lavenders, and blues in the garden right now. My favorite time of the year.....Spring.

Speaking of spring....how about some spring cleaning? Love that too.Yesterday, I cleaned our bedroom and living room. I took down the lacy valances in both rooms and washed them. While they were washing, I cleaned the windows inside and out...sills too. My sills get so dirty. Then I cleaned both rooms good. I was too tired to cook, so we ordered a couple of dinners from the local Chinese restaurant. Joe's not crazy about Chinese food, but I am and this was such a treat after working so hard. Then, when I was about finished the pain began. My joints in my wrists and knees were hurting me, so I had to stop. That went on until bedtime. I was able to sleep and this morning the joint pain is gone. Rather than start the cleaning again, I'm going to do a little at a time. I always pay for a day of work... later on. I sometimes think, as I go along, you're going to hurt tonight.....but I keep on going because I want to accomplish something... pain or not.

I'm really enjoying the book A Year By the Sea. I'm close to finishing it, but don't want it to end. Have you ever read a book like this? Toward the end you read so slowly just to make it last longer. The book reminds me of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's book, A Gift From the Sea....a favorite of mine. There are two sequels to this book....I'm thinking of ordering them. I would get them from the library, but I want to keep the books in my collection.

We'll have chili today. I thawed it for yesterday, but I was too tired to even heat it up. The dismal day outside is perfect for indoor work. No looking out the window and wishing I was out in the garden.
See you later...
Balisha