My purple carpet and the return of spring creepers….

Made ya look! (smile….)

Ok, so it isn’t carpet like floor coverings in a house. Personally, I think this kind of carpet is even better.

The stone pathway seems even more enchanted than usual to me.

For weeks now, I’ve been watching a portion of our backyard come alive with color, bit by bit, blossom by blossom; even through the snow. Today, the crocuses seemed to burst forth with exuberance as if to shout, “Spring is here!” 

Notice the subtle differences in the shades of purple. Glorious! I feel truly inspired to create a quilt with the colors from this particular photo.

Notice the subtle differences in the shades of purple. Glorious! I feel truly inspired to create a quilt with the colors from this particular photo.

These beautiful violet-colored crocuses are the first harbingers of spring here in Sindelfingen. Just stepping outside my studio today I could literally feel and smell freshness in the air. For the first time this year, it was warm enough for me to open a few windows to let the breeze inside to air things out after having been cooped up for so many months.

Even the honey bees took advantage of the lovely weather and were hard at work. I could hear them buzzing everywhere as they flitted from flower to flower.

Check out the back legs of this little fellow as he pollenates each blossom he visits.

But bees aren’t the only critters who have been visiting my back yard lately. I’ve also become acquainted with a new little mouse friend who visits the base of our bird feeder each morning around 9:00am. He stuffs himself on birdseed that has fallen out of the feeder and scurries to and from his home underneath the nearby holly bush to “stock up” for evening meals.

Of course, this little routine keeps Poppy entertained for hours.

But the best thing is, one of my favorite backyard critters has returned from his long winter’s nap. We caught our first glimpse of him late last night. He surprised me by visiting the patio outside my studio door this afternoon where he happily munched and graciously obliged me while I took photos. He is about the size of a baked potato, and so adorable!

Good thing I stocked up on peanuts.

Tuffy and I have a ring side seat right here in my sewing studio for all the spring action! Does this cat have it made or what? His ring side seat comes complete with a comfy cushion for hours of viewing enjoyment.

Whether its my growing purple crocus carpet or the cute critters whose visits remind me of how much I have for which to be grateful, everything seems to be happening right in my own back yard. (Didn’t the Good Witch remind Dorothy of this right before she clicked her heals and returned to Kansas?) 

Like Cheetos for bees, the yellow stuff is evidence they’ve been here.

Blessings abound. Happy Spring!

11 Comments
  1. Oh Oh OH…HAPPY SPRING to you!!!
    Loved your photos… so wonderful… wish it was my stone pathway!!! :o)

  2. Your photos are amazing. (as is your Spring Wonderland). What kind is it?

  3. Stina — Thank you SO much for your happy spring greeting! And please allow me to wish a very happy, sunny, wonderful spring to you as well!

  4. Good morning, Pat! To answer your question, I have a very simple Canon PowerShot SD630 Digital Elph camera, which is truly a user friendly, point and shoot digital camera. I’m pretty impressed with the photos it takes, and it is slim and has a big viewing screen on the back.

  5. Thanks, Kimberly. I have always been impressed by the quality of your pictures. The camera is a big piece of that, but you also have an eye for great shots. The ones of your little visitors look as though they belong in a children’s book. Have you named your friends?

    Poor Poppy & Tuffy! So near & yet so far……..

  6. Pat — You should HEAR both cats make the funniest noises as they cackle at the birds in the feeder and the critters!
    🙂

  7. Hi Kimberly,
    the pictures of your cats are HILARIOUS!!!
    One of my cats makes the funniest sounds, too, when he watches the birds in our feeder. I call it ‘primitive cat TV.’ We don’t see mice and hedgehogs that up-close, but every once in a while we have deer in our backyard. I’d attach a picture if I could.
    You must have thousands of bulbs in your yard. Your ‘purple carpet’ is quite impressive.

  8. Hi Ilona! You have deer? Oh my goodness, that would really be something to see! Hopefully I’ll get to meet your cats someday. Aren’t they just the best companions? 🙂
    Guess who is toasting himself again right here next to the heater?

  9. Kimberly, I think what your cats are doing is called “chirping”. Not all cats do it, but it’s a “known” cat behavior. I’ve only had one cat that did it. She’d get so excited by the movement outside the window that her bottom jaw would go up & down very fast while she make this funny little noise, like she was trying to call the birds/critters. The first time I saw/heard her do it, I thought she was having a seizure of some sort. Silly me.

    It must be Spring. Our current cat brought us a present the other day. He was very proud of himself & howled until we came to look at it. His job is to make sure our garden is a mole-free zone, and he takes his job vcery seriously.

  10. Kimberley, I loved the pics of the crocuses. I’m orignally from England, been in Australia for forty years and haven’t seen crocuses in all that time. In England that were so special, as they heralded the beginning of Spring. We have a few (specially adapted) tulips and daffodils here, but I think the crocuses really need the cold. They are so brave pushing through the snow in many cases. It was so nice to see their lovely colour and you captured them very well. Thanks so much. Sam, Perth, Western Australia.

  11. Sam — What a lovely comment you left on my blog — thank you, thank you! I’m so tickled that you enjoyed the photos and that they brought back such good memories for you. Honestly, I enjoyed and appreciated the crocuses more this year than ever before. I couldn’t stop taking pictures! Thank you also for stopping by to read the blog. I appreciate our “visit” very much — it is so exciting to think I am in touch with someone in Australia!!!

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