Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Our Neighbor's Wonderful Country Yard.

It is almost Spring . . .
and time for little birdies to build their nests
and have their babies.
I've talked about our wonderful neighbors many times,
but today I'm going to show you around their enchanting yard.

 He builds some very unique birdhouses
and they are not just for decoration,
but they are all 
"Home Sweet Home"
to the neighborhood birds.

 Look at this one, the little bird
is in the middle of spring cleaning. 

 I love their yard . . .

 We live in a desert area,
but their yard is an oases of shade
and song birds.

 I love this one!
The hole is a natural knot,
the perch a twig and the roof . . .
Can you tell what it is?
An old rusty lunch box lid.
Now, I ask you . . . how cute is that?

 This one is out by their wood pile . . .
 Look at the vines on the fence.
I just think it is so pretty :) 



It's not all birdhouses . . .
don't you just love this old rusty lantern.
This adorable wind-chime hangs by the backdoor.
Anything he sees, he can come home and build.
This milk separator stands about four foot tall
and in the summer she has 
red geraniums growing in it,
and it is gorgeous!
He also builds whirligigs.
This little man cranks the motor on his old automobile :)  
It's too early in the year
to show you this in it's glory,
but believe me, it is so pretty 
in the late spring and summer. 
Our growing season is just barely starting.
Did I tire you out?
Well, rest before you get out and work
in your own yard . . .
That's what I'm doing this week.

Keep Smiling!
Your blogging sister,
Connie :)

70 comments:

  1. What fun birdhouses! I love the little tear drop campers best! Happy Spring my friend. Hugs, Diane

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    1. I know, he certainly has a talent for creating lovely things for their home. You should see some of the signs and furniture this fellow makes, too. He builds and she sewing and decorates . . . their home is beyond charming :)

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  2. I am ready to head out and work in the yard. Unfortunately Mother Nature is not ready for that! :) Thanks for the tour. It makes me want to sit on the back porch and watch my feathered friends. The spring rains have started so I know it won't be long!

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    1. Spring is wonderful . . . I have been enjoying the songs that our feathered friends have been singing as they busy themselves creating pleasant homes for laying their eggs. It feels so good to get out of the house and breath the fresh air while getting your hands dirty. Spring . . . I just love it!!!

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  3. What an amazing set of photos - TFS. You must get lots of birds taking advantage of all the lovely birdhouses!xx

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    1. Hi Liz, we do and the music around here in the Spring is delightful.

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  4. What a beautiful place!! Thank you for sharing :)

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  5. So many wonderful birdhouses! I can see why you love their yard.

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    1. Their yard is wonderful, but it take many years to create this kind of charm. They have a tree in their back yard that blooms in the spring (not sure wish month) it covers their back porch and absolutely takes your breath away with it's beauty.

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  6. I enjoyed seeing your neighbor's yard especially the birdhouses made to look like old travel trailers. And the lunchbox roof one. Nice twig chair! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. Hi Teresa, they are always on the lookout for unique and old rusty things, then they bring them home and work their magic on them. I love the lunch box roof, too . . . so creative, right :) Between the two of them, there is not much that they can not do and they do it to perfection. I'm so happy you popped in to visit.
      Have a lovely week.

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  7. What a day-brightener, Connie! I loved the tour of your neighbors' yard. Yes, out in the desert, shade is a wonderful asset, and a rare one!

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    1. You are so right and their yard is filled with trees, evergreen and deciduous, it's a lovely haven from the hot sun of summer.

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  8. I love that garden - all the country accents are just charming!!! I need to put up a few birdhouses at my new home for sure!

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    1. It's a lot of fun watching the birds. They have noticed that in the spring a bird will move in and clean out the birdhouse before starting her nest. It's just like us, we want to make our own home and fit it to our own tastes, not live with the old owners style :)

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  9. Love the bird houses, those little trailers are adorable

    That reminds me to fix up an old bird house my stepdad made me years ago
    it's roof needs the shingles put back on which I have and its bottom is sagging
    I think I can fix it up
    I love a country yard

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    1. Those little trailers are adorable. They made us a red one when we moved into the neighborhood :)

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  10. They have some awesome bird houses. Looks like they have a very fun yard

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  11. Connie - Thanks for sharing this delightful backyard with us. So many ingenious and charming ideas!

    Judy

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    1. I love going over there, every time I do, I see something that I missed seeing before.
      There are little bits of charm and whimsy scatter about, they have created a delightful yard.

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  12. Replies
    1. I know it is, isn't it :)
      Their yard is as delightful as they are.

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  13. What a lovely yard your neighbours have. So creative too!

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    1. I knew showing it off to my blogging sisters would make a great post. They have worked hard through the years turning in from a bare field into and little paradise.

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  14. You know, I love your neighbor's yard. Its is so beautiful...but you have been busy, too! Love the new little deck and repurposed furniture. Wonderful place to sit when it warms up a bit more.
    Hope you have a fun weekend.

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    1. Thank you Tete, I think that little deck will be a great place to take a break from gardening this summer :)

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  15. Seeing a yard like that makes you want to straight out and start working. Poppy ordered two bluebird boxes that should be here any day. I really like the unusual birdhouses like your neighbor has. The birds have started building here. I saw a tiny wren with a mouthful of trash fly inside the goat barn today.

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    1. I filled and old colander up with string and strips of fabric and then hung it in a tree outside. The idea was that the birds would use the scraps in building their nest, but I haven't seen any birds near it. I saw the idea on the web, have you ever tired doing anything like that?

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  16. Your neighbor has one interesting yard! He also is very talented. Love all the birdhouses. Would be nice to just wonder about the yard on a nice day! Nancy

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    1. I had fun walking around taking these photos. There are so many cute things to see, not to mention all the flowers that are coming up. In a few weeks their yard will be filled with blooms.

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  17. Love your neighbors bird houses, but I especially love his wind-chime made from an old grater and silverware. I've been working in my yard this week, too. So glad to be out there.

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    1. Hi Laurie, I love that wind chime, too. He made me one that I have hanging on my front porch and it has a little stainless steel bowl as the top with spoons and forks hanging down. It’s adorable and a treasure.

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  18. Oh my goodness!!!!
    I love this yard!!
    I do love birdhouses and have made my own, as well as painted some that my dad had made.
    I would love to walk around this yard and find all the treasures amongst the flowers.
    We still have snow piles higher than I am tall, so it may be awhile before I see my backyard, lol.

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    1. Tracy, I am sorry to hear about all of your snow. Is this normal for this time of the year, where you live? Here's wishing you warm sunny days and melting snow. Remember the fact that Springtime always follows Winter and it is on the way :)

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  19. I love the little camper ones. They are so cute.

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    1. Oh I know! He made us a little red one . . . it is a little show stopper :)

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  20. Replies
    1. Their yard is a delightful place. I just hope that one day I will have mine looking half that nice.

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  21. Connie, I don't think I have ever seen so many birdhouses in one place, each one stunning and has a beauty in its own right. What great neighbours.

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    1. Isn't it lovely! The best part is that the birds love them, too, and each one is a home and not just an ornament.

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  22. All so lovely. Must be great watching the birds come & go when they start nesting. Have you been inspired to make some yourself? I look forward to seeing more photos when the flowers are in bloom......that's if your neighbours don't mind! Have a lovely weekend.

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    1. Good Morning Jacqui, Their yard is a sanctuary, not just for the birds but for relaxing, too. What I didn't show is that they have a lovely deck to sit and enjoy watching the birds and listening to their sweet songs. Also, under the trees they have flowers like Day Lilies, Grape Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, and Lilies of the Valley . . . a beautiful and calming respite. It is just not quite warm enough here for them to be blooming, but they are breaking through the ground and growing.

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  23. I love all those unique bird houses! I would love to have a lot of open land like that where I could put bird houses all over. One time when I was collecting decorative bird houses, I had them displayed outdoors in the nice weather - and wasps moved in! Not the kind of visitors I wanted in my bird houses.
    I can only imagine how beautiful that red milk separator is with red geraniums planted in it in the summer. Maybe you can show it to us again then! :-) Have a wonderful weekend, Connie.

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    1. Hi Melanie, I had the same problem when we lived at your other house. I put out bird houses and the wasps moved in. I wanted to keep the bird houses up for decoration so I put ammonia in a spray bottle and in the evening when the wasps were in for the night I sprayed into the openings of the bird houses. It didn't take long at all until my houses were empty. I didn't have birds, but at least I had cute bird houses and no more wasps.

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  24. I love all the bird boxes, so cute. Perhaps you could take us back to his yard in early summer to see all the flowers in full bloom? That would be lovely xxx

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    1. Hi Fran, I am sure that they wouldn't mind showing you their beautiful flowers. We are still having cold weather with a few warmer days thrown in now and then. When those warmer days show their faces it is hard to not stay outside all day. That's one of the pure pleasures of being retired.

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  25. Connie - that is marvelous, what great ideas too.
    Bet the yard has a 'different' face on it through the seasons as birds visit, blooms flower ...

    Wishing you a good weekend - I think you plan to be working in your yard!

    All the best Jan

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    1. Their yard changes beautifully through the seasons. Late Spring is amazing :)

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  26. Thanks so much for this delightful tour of your neighbor's yard, Connie. His birdhouses and all the decorations are fantastic. I can see why the four of you get along so well. You're all so creative. This post was a real treat this morning. Hugs, Nancy

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    1. They are the best neighbors, we were certainly blessed when we moved here. It is wonderful having Christian neighbors and when you have so much in common . . . well that is just the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae :)

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  27. I too love the bird house with the tin roof, so cool, cool wind chime too!! I can't wait for our flowers and trees to bloom, we actually have a few trees blooming in our neighborhood now :)

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    1. I noticed just this morning that our neighbors on the road behind us had trees about to bloom. Spring is so pretty :)

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  28. Hi Connie, What a great post! Thank you so much for your kind comment on my blog which nudged me to get over here and see what's going on at Crafty Home Cottage. Wow, I really like this post. Well, your neighbor sure has a lot of creativity up his sleeve. You know I'm a railfan so the old lantern is a perfect fit. The unique birdhouses are cool too. Thanks for taking the pictures and sharing them. Hope to see you more often ... thanks for stopping by!

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    1. Hello John, it is always a pleasure when you pop over to visit. I'm delighted that you liked the tour and yes we have two very creative neighbors. Your blog always makes me want to get away to Seattle, but ever since my husband's Grandma passed away we haven't made the trip as often. It is such a beautiful city . . . I would like to see that new Ferris Wheel downtown. Have you been on it yet?

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    2. Thank you, Connie, for the kind words! Yes, I rode the big wheel in October, 2013, and posted a few of my pics on the blog ... Hope you will take a look http://john-s-island.blogspot.com/2013/10/seattle-great-wheel.html Come over this summer on one of our clear days and enjoy the blue sky from the big wheel! Wishing you and your family a fine week ahead!

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    3. Hi John, I just visited your post on the wheel. Great photos! When I read that the Wheel has transparent floors in the gondolas . . . that might be a bit much for my stomach, but I think that I still would like to ride it, it would be a thrill for sure and certain :)

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  29. Love the tour of your neighbors yard!!
    ~Cindy

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  30. I just love to see people's country yards. Thank you for sharing these pictures! I bet the flowers are gorgeous!

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    1. Oh, yes they are! Thank you for stopping by to visit and have a lovely day :)

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  31. I love your neighbour's yard and all their birdhouses and other decor. I have always wanted to build an assortment of birdhouses but it hasn't happened yet, their yard definitely inspires me. It took everything I had to not work in my yard the other day when I took the boys for their stroll. I had to stop and think...wait...it's only March and we could always end up with another snowfall. I think I'd look a little dumb in my area also as nobody usually works in their yard in March LOL!! Maybe I'll wait at least another couple of weeks. Have a great week, Kelly.

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    1. Yesterday I was raking a few leaves off some of my perennials when I decided to wait another week . . . they looked so warm and cozy under their blanket of warm leaves but green sprouts are shooting up. I love spring! April promises much warmer weather and it's not that far away. I'm happy that my neighbor's yard could inspire you . . . it inspires me every time I visit :)

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  32. Hi Connie! I was visiting to read your reply to the comment I left a couple days ago and am not finding it. I don't know what happened to it, but I'll leave another one. :) Your neighbors' yard is so fun! It reminds me of my aunts' yard with all the fun elements. They are certainly creative and always have fun things to look at. I hope you are having a great week working in your yard. I look forward to seeing what you've been up to. Have fun!

    Hugs, Vicky

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    1. Hi Vicky, thanks for stopping by and for leaving a second comment. Sometimes the blogger site just tweaks out. I'm been outside most of the day and I'm just taking a little break before heading to Home Depot. I need more supplies to keep me busy tomorrow, LOL.

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  33. I love this neighbor, his vintage trailer bird houses are the best!! I would love to have bird houses, I've tried a couple times, unfortunately all we attract is rats here in downtown Orlando....Gross! I'm not building them houses lol!

    Enjoy your time in the gardens

    Carol

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    1. Oh, if my birdhouses attracted rats I would not have them either. Our neighbors are so talented, both of them, he builds and she decorates, sews, does flower arranging and bakes the best pies that you have even eaten. She is the one who taught be how to cover a lamp shade. Did you see that post?

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  34. Yes! Their yard is gorgeous! I love all the country and rustic details. I'd love to see it in the summer with everything green and flowers blooming. Great pictures too Connie!

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    1. Hi Sherry, their yard is even prettier in the summer, it gets very lush and green. Last winter we had a terrible wind storm and they lost three giant forty year old Blue Spruce, what a shame. Before that their property was so secluded that you couldn't see it from the road. Those trees must have had 15 to 20 feet of evergreen spread each, so it made a huge different. I think they feel a little bit exposed now that they are gone.

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