Experience Nature: New Growth

Oh, my!  There are signs of new growth all around at our house!   We've really been enjoying watching Spring take hold here.

This weekend, we found a robin's nest in a tree, and there were four tiny gorgeous blue eggs inside! The mama robin protects her eggs and squawks at us if we get close, so I had to snap these photos really quickly--she really means business!

Also, the little parade rose bush I planted back around Valentine's day has really taken off!  I planted two of them, and, alas, only one remains.  But that one is growing by leaps and bounds each week.

The bulbs we planted are also beginning to sprout in our front yard.  I'm hoping we'll get some good colorful flowers from them!  I think these are our gladiolas coming up.

I wish I had captured our azaleas last week--they were so full of blooms!  It's so nice to drive around in Atlanta and see all the azaleas and dogwoods blooming.  I had no idea Atlanta could be so beautiful!

What new growth are you experiencing right now?  

The School Garden: Progress!

A Sweet William in bloom

Our little garden at school is really coming along!  Little by little, my writing groups, social skills groups, fifth graders, and classroom of kiddos with autism are making a difference in this little plot of land by our basketball courts!  (See the "before" photos here.)   It's so neat to see the changes from day to day in the garden.  It's like a little bit of magic when a new plant takes root or flower blooms.  

And the neatest thing?  The big, burly, ultra cool fifth grade boys who beg me to let them work in the garden during their lunch breaks.  Apparently pulling weeds is all the rage these days.

Butterflies on Daisies

A pond flower...just gorgeous! (I took this with my phone, but will have to get a better shot with my real camera for you soon!)

planting some herbs (rosemary & basil)

This is my new favorite picture in all the world!

pulling weeds

What little project is bringing you joy right now?

New Growth

One of the things that makes me happiest is to grow and learn each day. Right now, I've been trying to learn a little more about gardening (as well as continuing to learn more Spanish).

Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to get to visit my brother-in-law's house and to see all of his cool plants. The pics here are of his weeping cherry tree and some bulbs that are beginning to grow in his yard. (He's obviously been at this whole gardening thing way longer than I have!) It was neat to see his hard work coming to fruition. And given that I'm really interested in the whole challenge of growing things these days, it made me appreciate the experience, and notice the little miracles of new growth, even more. I'm sure he thought I was crazy taking pictures of his plants, but it was exciting to me to see someone else's success with growing!



What everyday things do you notice now or appreciate more because of one of your learning interests? (For instance, when I was a nursing mom, I constantly noticed other nursing moms' tricks of the trade--clothes they wore that made things easier, positions they used, etc. It was so interesting suddenly!, Or once my niece was adopted, I started noticing all the ways adoption is overlooked and under-mentioned all around me--from health history forms at the doctor's office to school projects with the generic family tree templates.)