More Springiness
SPRINGINESS…Is that a word? I’m pretty sure it’s not.
Spring is busting out all over. I love it! Soon, it will be time to plant my garden, and start tending outdoor plants. The chives in my garden from last year made it through the winter, and are looking spectacular – nice dark green, and LOTS of them.
My bluebells look good, too. They won’t bloom for a while still, but they are poking up their leaves to soak up some sun.
I have more flowers now, too. I have lots of daffodils, lots and LOTS of grape hyacinths, and some new ones. I had one tiny little red tulip (my finger is in the picture for scale). I also have some real hyacinth buds. They are about 3 days away from blooming, though.
Here is my abundance of grape hyacinths. Many more than last year. I offer an artsy photo of them, taken by Rich on March 14th:
Last week, I did a BUNCH of re-potting. Lots of my plants were more than ready for bigger pots, and a lot were ready for fresh dirt, after years of living in the same dirt. Here are some of the plants I transplanted.
Aloe ‘Lizard Lips’, and Aloe ‘Pepe’. ‘Pepe’ isn’t looking very good. I am a little worried about it. It is a strange orangey-brown color in the middle of its rosette. 
My two Fockea edulis plants. The first of the two I have had for about 8 years. It is far smaller than it probably should be for that length of time, but I don’t mind. It is very healthy, just a bit stunted. It got a bigger pot. It’s now up to a 7 1/2 inch pot. The second I have had about 3 years. It is still fine in the pot it’s in – just needed some new dirt.
My only Adenium obesum got a new pot. I won this plant in a drawing at the San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society meeting last August. It seems healthy, but definitely needed a new pot! I am sure it is grateful.
This is Ferocactus gracilis. I got it at a cactus ranch in SoCal last August. It was crammed into a teeny pot, and was almost literally screaming for a new one. Now it is in a reasonably-sized pot, and hopefully will do lots of growing this season!
Thanks, everyone, for stopping by and sharing in my spring happiness!
P.S. Here’s another bird for your enjoyment…an adult male white-crowned sparrow:
Birding
I have been birding half-heartedly for years. However, this year, I am more interested (for whatever reason), and am excited about the wild birds that come to my feeders and yard. I am not sure why, but whatever the reason, I am seeing lots of birds!
My ‘lifetime bird list’ is at 96 different species. You can only add a bird to your list if you haven’t seen it before. I have heard of people adding birds if they see the same type of bird with ‘winter plumage’, or if the bird is a different sex from the original bird they saw, or if it is a young bird. I am sticking with the original ‘rules’ – If I see it, I am adding it, and seeing the other sex later will not add another bird to the list…although it may become a note in the margin. I added one new bird to it today. A Townsend’s Solitaire. He was sitting in my backyard tree, where he was chattering away. I took an okay picture of him, and then got help identifying him at a bird forum I have joined online…BIRDFORUM.NET. Below is my Townsend’s Solitaire:
I have taken a slough of photos of the birds that frequent my parents’ bird feeders. The most interesting things there lately have been a pair of Lesser Goldfinches a couple of weeks ago, a Western Scrub Jay (he’s a regular – been visiting for years), and a Juniper Titmouse (well, a bunch of those really – Titmice?). Below are some pictures of Titmice, some dark-eyed Juncos, and one of the Scrub Jays:
Yesterday (Saturday, Mar. 7) while I was at work, Rich took some pictures of some birds that showed up to eat the seeds I put outside on the ground. He happened to get this shot, in which there are some of our regulars, Pine Siskins, and a bird I had to look up. It turns out to be a female American Goldfinch in ‘winter plumage’. It’s a cute bird! (The two in front are the Pine Siskins).
That’s really just about all that’s going on around here. I am enjoying birding a lot. Today, I got on ebay, and ordered a couple of new bird books (as mine is almost as old as I am, and is falling apart). Hope they get here soon! 