Christmas Spirit

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Flourishing Fall

It's been a while since I took out my camera and snapped a few photos of what has been going on at Rebecca's Retreat.  I was inspired this morning while I was sitting on the deck drinking my coffee while cardinals and other flying friends were singing and enjoying the cool weather.

Of course, as soon as I went inside to get the camera and try to take photos of the birds, they all decided to take a leave of absence and leave me with my camera in hand.  So, I decided to take photos of what is growing, blooming, and providing whimsy at Rebecca's Retreat.

 

What a nice place to sit and read a book by the Peggy Martin rose bush.

 

 

 

 

 

The garden angel will look over you and make sure you don't sleep too long in that comfortable spot.

The Xylosma is so big and dense that it drowns out the sounds from the neighbors next door.

 

 

 

 

 

The Fall Aster provides a pop of color in the fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The butterflies have been abundant in Rebecca's Retreat all through summer and now  into fall.

 

 

 

 

 

I got this little guy for free at a garage sale.  I love the way he almost blends right into the tree.

 

 

 

 

I planted Clematis and Trumpet Vine on this old swing set and made an instant arbor.

 

 

 

 

 

I am not sure what this is.  I believe I got it from one of my garden club friends.  It reminds me of fireworks exploding and drizzling down the sky.  If anyone knows what it is, drop me a note and let me know.

Spring Cleaning - The Dirty Deck

I finally got up the motivation to start the inevitable spring cleaning around the yard.  I don't like the maintenance, it is not fun, but it is necessary.

I started with cleaning the deck a couple of weeks ago with a pressure washer.  I soon found out that a pressure washer alone was not going to do the trick.  I went to Lowes and bought deck cleaner, sprayed it on, waited 10 minutes, and the dirt and grime came off much easier.

Below are before and after pictures and the deck cleaner I used.

 Before deck cleaner. You can see where I pressure washed it and it just left streaks in the dirt.

 After deck cleaner and pressure washing.

 

 

 

 

 

Good stuff!  Made my job much easier.