Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Breakfast Tomatoes, Coffee, Family Breakfast, Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth, Gardening, Growing Tomatoes, Homegrown Tomatoes, I ❤️Tomatoes, Indeterminate Tomatoes, Morning Coffee, Organic Gardening, peppers, Seasonal Tomatoes, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Reflection’s, Sunday Reflections, Tomato Sandwich, Tomato varieties, Tomatoes
I’ve been up since early morning, doing a few things in my garden. Finally getting my tomatoes 🍅 squared away 👏🏻 It was a test… I almost always get my ‘maters’ out by April 15th… But this years weather had other plans 😊 Late frosts, wind and storms, unseasonably cool nights well into late April, early May drove my decision to wait. PS: I’m glad I did.
In fact, I know several old gardeners who always wait until Mothers Day to plant their tomatoes 🍅 and peppers 🌶 🫑 and almost always have show stopping gardens with HUGE yields. “It’s all about soil temperature and warming nights”… I’ve learned that this age old wisdom holds true almost every time. Everything revolves around proper timing…
“Whoever makes a garden. Has never worked alone;
the rain has always found it, The sun has always known;
The wind has blown across it. And helped to scatter seeds;
Whoever makes a garden. Has all the help he needs.
Whoever makes a garden. Should surely not complain,
With someone like the sunshine.And someone like the rain
And someone like the breezes.To aid him in his toil
And someone like the Father. Who gave the garden soil.
Whoever makes a garden, has, oh, so many friends;
The glory of the morning, the dew when daylight ends.
For rain and wind and sunshine, and dew and fertile sod;
And he who makes a garden, works hand and hand with God.”
~ Douglas Malloch
Have a great Sunday!
PS: 1 week from today is Mothers Day! ❤️
~ Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, water garden | Tags: Coffee, Cover Plants, Crazy Weather, Family, Family Breakfast, Family time, Feels like Spring, Frost Warning, Garden, I Love My Family, Late Frost, Morning Coffee, Plant care, Spring, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Night, Sunday Reflection’s, Sunday Reflections
This morning was cold and crisp and damp and it felt like early Spring in March… But it’s April 23rd.! The entire hill and holler is green and in full bloom 🌺 My Nursery is fully stocked as well… And in the morning, we are looking at a very late FROST 🥶 So yesterday evening a LOT of plants got moved in and covered, the rest was left until today 😊 Such is the life of a gardener 🪴 “Till it, plant it, water it, weed it, move it, then move it again… But, what’s the alternative? Chance? Or a lost season of growth? Less plants?…. I think NOT! Let’s get to moving plants!
But, I don’t want to gloss over the fact that we are actually having a Spring this year! Spring is so exciting and changing and renewing… So we will gladly play along 😊
A bit more coffee, then back to it!
“The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You’re one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you’re two months back in the middle of March.”
~ Robert Frost
Have a wonderful Sunday!
PS: Frost tonight! Cover & protect your tender plants 🙏🏻
~ Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Hummingbirds, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: April, Blogging, Breakfast, Coffee, Family Breakfast, Feeding Koi, Garden, Homegrown Tomatoes, I Love Spring, Mark Carter, Morning Coffee, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Night
Cool start to the morning, overcast, 46 degrees and a little windy 💨 But, it’s warming back up! We finally had a week of good weather! Got some work done ✔️ and a slight sunburn… But, this is the time! We are past frost and the whole world is ‘greening up’. Gardening starts in full force now 😊 Tomatoes 🍅 peppers 🌶 squash and corn 🌽 My Koi are eating twice a day now and very happy 😃 Things are looking up ⬆️
“And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.”
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
Now it’s on to coffee ☕️ and eggs 🥚 My chickens 🐓 are loving spring too! I’ve got eggs coming out of my ears… 😋
Have a wonderful, blessed Sunday!
~ Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Hummingbirds, Love, music, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Waterfalls | Tags: Breakfast, Can I Feed My Koi, Day Off, Eggs, Family Breakfast, Family time, Garden, Morning Coffee, Pancakes, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Reflection’s, Sunday Reflections, Sunny Sky’s
What a week! In one week we have seen record lows and freezing weather, severe storms, damaging winds and now it’s sunny and in the upper 70’s… Springtime in Tennessee is exciting I tell ya’! We just finished our 1st garden show of the season! It was nice to see everyone out and ready to start another growing season! So much happens now! But, for today I get a slight reprieve… It’s Sunday Morning! Breakfast with family and lots of good Coffee are 1st on the list this morning ☕️
After breakfast we are gonna do some things in the garden. I’ve gotta get moving… Have a great Sunny Sunday!🌞
“The word ‘March’ comes from the Roman ‘Martius’. This was originally the first month of the Roman calendar and was named after Mars, the god of war. March was the beginning of our calendar year. We changed to the ‘New Style’ or ‘Gregorian calendar in 1752, and it is only since then when we the year began on 1st January. The Anglo-Saxons called the month Hlyd monath which means Stormy month, or Hraed monath which means Rugged month. All through Lent the traditional games played are marbles and skipping. The games were stopped on the stroke of twelve noon on Good Friday, which in some places was called Marble Day or Long Rope Day. The game of marbles has been played for hundreds of years and some historians say that it might have been started by rolling eggs. In the past, round stones, hazelnuts, round balls of baked clay and even cherry stones have been used.”
~ Interesting Facts about March
It’s gonna be a nice week!
~ Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Waterfalls | Tags: Almost Spring, Chasing Chickens, Chickens, Coffee, Coffee Mug, Cold, Eggs, Free Range Chickens, Huevos rancheros, Ice, Morning Coffee, Ranch Style Eggs, Spring is Almost Here!, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Reflection’s, Vernal Equinox
Beautiful Sunrise 🌅, early morning chores, including breaking up ice in every bowl and trough… Cold 🥶
But the coffees is Hot ☕️ And breakfast was epic! We had black beans 🫘 and rice with applewood smoked sausage for dinner last night. Left overs almost demand my wife’s favorite breakfast – Huevos rancheros! 💥 ie; Ranch Style Eggs 🍳 But when I fix them… Markus T.’s Hillbilly Eggs 🍳 💥
Jo likes her eggs 🥚 over medium. I like egg whites only… But both have rice, black beans, cheese, sour cream, guacamole 🥑 & salsa 💥 It’s a meal 🥘
It’s the kind of breakfast that fills you up, warms you up, and let’s you skip lunch 😊
It’s a Cold 🥶, Sunny 🌞 Beautiful 🤩 Day! Don’t waste it 🙏🏻
“The sun is brilliant in the sky but its warmth does not reach my face.
The breeze stirs the trees but leaves my hair unmoved.
The cooling rain will feed the grass but will not slake my thirst.
It is all inches away but further from me than my dreams.”
~ M. Romeo LaFlamme
Enjoy this day! 🌞
~ Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Waterfalls | Tags: Almost Spring, Boating Season, Coffee, Daylight Savings Time, Enjoy The Day, I Love Spring, Love, Morning Coffee, Spring Beauty, Spring Color, Spring Countdown, Spring Forward, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Reflection’s, Sunday Reflections
The daffodils have bloomed, red buds, cherry’s and so many other early bloomers are showing out right now ❤️And todays event is a definite mile post every Spring. Daylight Savings time 🕰 It’s always tough loosing an hour of sleep… But, in a few days it’s fine, and we get the long evenings 💥 I am a fan for sure. The days will continue to get longer all the way to the Summer Solstice 🌞 Soon our Gardens will be in Full Bloom! Our vegetables will be in the ground and growing. Boating season is starting. It’s finally back! I LOVE Spring!
More coffee, then who knows?
“In spring the morning is darker
farmers don’t like it one bit.
Children go to school in the dark,
it’s still light when bedtime they hit.
Others prefer daylight saving,
with longer evenings of light.
There’s more time for beach and barbies
before twilight fades into night.
In autumn clock hands fall back
for that missing hour to reclaim.
This upsets our sleeping pattern,
now the brain we need to retrain.
Time then returns to normal
sending the body into shock.
We are messing around with time
by moving those hands on the clock”
~ Vivian Wade
Have a great day!
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Anticipation, Breakfast, Chickens, Coffee, Coffee Mug, Frosty Morning, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Morning Coffee, Mud, Spring Gardening, Spring is Coming, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday with Family, Sundays, Tennessee Weather
Spring is elusive. It tease’s us a bit. My Saucer Magnolias are in full bloom, my big Weeping Willow is leafing out. The ground is very wet, muddy in fact with more rain forecast all week… Then a cold snap is expected that will nip all these early plants and trees back. This time of year it’s always 2 steps forward & then – 2 to 3 steps back… But that is also part of the magic that Spring brings us 😊 Resurrection, renewal, regrowth… ❤️
It was a cool, muddy morning, but we got the chores done in record time. I fixed coffee ☕️ Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee to be exact (so good!). Had a simple quick breakfast (bagels & eggs 🥚) and then I got a pot of soup going for dinner (homemade potato 🥔)! No football 🏈 to tie me down this afternoon… Who knows what might happen! 😇
“The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.”
~ Gertrude S. Wister
Have a great afternoon!
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Hummingbirds, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Pondless Waterfalls, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Breakfast, Coffee, Daffodils, Morning Coffee, Spring Gardening, Spring is Coming, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family, Sundays, Trees
Up and at it this Sunday morning… Quick chores, feeding the animals, feeding us, coffee ☕️ goes without saying… Spring is in the air! Shrubs and flowering trees are busting open, some a little prematurely… But, it’s a beautiful thing to see.
This is when you can really see the coming of Spring. The trees changing color, the daffodils 🌼 blooming. Forsythia blooming, early cherry trees and plum and crab apples busting open… It’s hope and healing and medicine for those ailing from Spring fever 🤒 Get out and find your cure!
“Flowers clad in colorful t-shirts and vibrant shorts are swaying in the gentle breeze. Birds are singing. Trees start filling with leaves, and the branches laden with exploding buds look majestic. Balmy spring days are coming. I am happy, very happy.”
~ Bhuwan Thapaliya
Have a great day!
~ Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Breakfast, Chickens, Coffee, Morning Coffee, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Songs, Sunday with Family, Sundays
Good afternoon 🙏🏻 I always try to post a Sunday Reflections blog, and they have almost always been in the morning. The morning just got away from me 😂 Coffee ☕️ Chickens 🐓 Breakfast 🍳 Picking up, cutting back, composting, trash duty, etc. Preparations for the coming season… Plus Preparations for the coming week 😊 February is only a few days away and I already have Spring Fever 🍀
Thursday is Groundhog Day, the half-way point of Winter! Then it’s a downhill roll into Spring ❤️
Have a great afternoon!
Mark C.
“Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle … a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream.”
~ Barbara Winkler
Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Breakfast, Coffee, Coffee Mug, cold morning, Cold Weather, Family Breakfast, Ice, It’s Cold!, Morning Coffee, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Reflections, Sunday with Family, Sundays
Cold frosty morning 🥶 Had to break ice from the troughs for the 1st time this season… The leaves are still coming down, but most have already fallen. Thanksgiving is coming quick. Coffee ☕️ and breakfast 🍳 await.
We are looking at a little cold snap for the next week, dress accordingly!
“On a cold November morning Frost wrapped the world in an ashy hue Sucking the heart from silence As an optimistic sun gazed through Naked branches of oak and maple
Peeking through the limbs of gray Lighting the indigo skies with grace Dancing, flowing, praising In waves of enchantment, such riches Radiating warmth and awaking The crackle of leaves, stunned By the bitter air, the chilling stare Of freezing sparkles on thoughts Met by the luster of dawn”
~ Regina McIntosh
Enjoy this cold November day ❤️
~ Mark C.
Carter's Water Garden 