This and That: A Blog

 Now that the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge has ended, it's time for some reflections and the Reflections Post.  These questions come for the co-hosts, my responses, my reflections, are in blue.  Although I participated with two blogs I am only posting my reflections here.  Our team theme this year was: A is for Aspirations: Blogging hopes, dreams, and goals. Do you feel like our team's posts from this month met your expectations for that theme? Yes , I do. How do you feel about the Theme Reveal? (Especially if this is  not  your first year doing the Challenge.) I like that there is a Theme Reveal. It’s like a preliminary thing before the main event!  In what ways does the reflection post help you? Writing one helps me look back over the month and see what went right, and what I could have done better. Or, at least, i f not better, differently.  It also gives me a chance to address ongoing proble...

 The Herb Garden area is as colorful as the front yard. Almost, yesterday the yellow Moonshine yarrow in the front yard made an appearance.  Blue Flax (oops, this particular plant isn't in the Herb Garden, but there is Blue Flax there) Blue-Eyed Grass (not a grass, it's in the iris family) A California poppy, sea thrift and Persian catmint combo. Firewitch Dianthus  Boy, does this one ever self-seed! Ixia in front of the dianthus.  The corms came from the Dollar Tree a few years ago.  Juniper Thyme I bought from Mountain Valley Growers quite a few years ago.  They have a nice herb selection.  I keep this as an ornamental, cooking with my common thyme.  Persian catmint and sea thrift again, with Hot and Spicy oregano on the right, Golden oregano clumped in the upper right. Not an herb, but growing in a container near a rosemary.  The sole survivor of a snail invasion. Also in the Herb Garden area are the large nursery pots I used last year...

Sunday Stamps : N  N uthatch Bulgaria 1987 N udibranch Singapore 1994 N for  N utria N icaragua 1981 First anniversary of the N ational Literacy Crusade.  (I would love  an entire A to Z set, but there isn't one.  They only issued seven stamps in this series.) N ext is O for... let's find out next week! 

I got an email this morning letting me know it's my 2 year Postcrossing anniversary, or as they call it, Postcrossingversary.  I've been " teleporting joy across the globe with tiny rectangles of paper for 730 days... "  2 years isn't long, some have been at it for many more than that; Postcrossing began in 2005.  By 2008 it reached its first million exchanged postcards, and as of January 2025 hit over 80 million!  There are countries around the world that have issued official Postcrossing postage stamps. In my two years I have received 80 postcards from 30 different countries.  That means postage stamps from 30 different countries too!  I have sent 81 postcards to 27 countries.  Today I received a Postcrossing postcard from India.   The senders enjoy birdwatching, and while waiting for birds will see wildlife such as Indian leopards.  I guess that's like my sighting a mountain lion, but a leopard sound so much more exotic!   T...

 

 Now that April is over, and the A to Z Blogging Challenge with it (other than the Reflections post coming in a few days), it's time to focus on what's happening in the garden. May hit and the blooming began.  It feels that way, some flowers opened without my noticing they were even buds! Sharing these photos will have to be spread out over a few days this week, there are that many.  I'll start with the front yard, since it ties with the herb garden area for " Best of May " so far.  This is minus the bearded iris, which need their own post, and a few small things like the violas . Chives of course, the onion type. They seem extra purple this year. Breeder's Mix hardy geranium has flowers a bit different from the others in the mix I grew from seed. One of my favorites, Persian catmint.   Some sort of pink and sea thrift. Sweet William.  I don't know where it came from.  Maybe some random seeds I tossed out there.  Some take.  The columbin...

 For this last week of Thursday Postcard Hunt 's theme Color of Spring we're hunting for the color  Blue .  From the Porcelains Collection in the Hebert Hoover Presidential Library, West Branch, Iowa  Lake George , Georgia O'Keefe, 1922 Blue Forget-Me-Nots  To My Sweetheart , postmark 1910 Next week is May, and the new theme will be Parks and Gardens. Up first will be National Parks.