i'm in love . . .

meet edward.  he's a 6.75 horsepower 21 inch self propelled mower who was being put out to pasture from a friend's father's lawn care service.  we decided he had a little life in him yet, so he's come to live with us.  i love him already.  we spent quite a bit of time together this afternoon.  while we were walking along, we chatted about the weather and how good a little outdoor time is for me.  as he was pointing out all the sweet details of my yard, i was reminded of how good life really is.  it's going to be nice having him around.

now if only i could find a man who enjoys cooking and cleaning.  ha!  but seriously, no less than three hardworking men tried to dissuade me from purchasing a push mower for my one little acre.  i am so confused.  do i not need to lose a few pounds?  isn't walking good for that?  now i have not once looked back at a treadmill, track, or neighborhood block with pride and thought to myself, "yeah!  i just walked that!"  but my freshly mown lawn is a different story altogether.  proud as punch at that accomplishment i am.  american society is a bit whacked in places.  i mean, we pay the big bucks to go to gyms and the big bucks to drive little vehicles around our yards when we could save tons of money and kill two proverbial birds with one stone by pushing a mower.  not that i have anything against birds mind you.  but moving on . . .

i would like to mention that the kind man who delivered edward to me made sure the blade was set at the perfect height to preserve my favorite weeds.  viola and her wee friends were unharmed in the mowing of this lawn.

i'm sure my neighbors must think i'm whacked seeing me flop down on my belly with my camera for no apparent reason.  they don't say anything though.  us country folk have a live and let live mentality.

while we were outside enjoying life this afternoon we noticed lots of delights . . .

 g spotted this little charmer.  we think the pansies we planted last fall are reseeding themselves.

i suspect this is the parent plant.  she has gone through selective breeding, but our tiny little guy is reverting back to his natural state.

after waiting and watching and wondering for weeks, we had all but given up hope, but look!  the carrots have sprouted!  woot!  g spotted those too!  he has an eagle eye for green and growing things.

i spent a few minutes with my newest friend, dear columbine.  i have wanted one ever since discovering them in a flower identification guide as a child.  i think florida is not a good place for columbines, but home depot seems to think that tennessee is, so she came home with me on sunday.  i've decided to name her grace.

my toes are dirty and tired, but happy tonight.

chichi looks the way i feel . . . 

 i just want to roll around in all the springtime in the country . . .

thank goodness there is more lawn to be mowed . . .

and tomorrow is another day . . . :)