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, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Videos, Waterfalls | Tags: Autumn, Autumn Color, Autumn Leaves Falling on Water, Autumn Poem, Autumnal Equinox, Colorful Foliage, Cooler Weather is Coming, Crazy Weather, Fall Color, Fall Gardening, I Love My Family, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Love, Love and Meaning, Love Thy Neighbor, Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself, Predicting Weather, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Interest, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Songs, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family, Sundays, Tennessee Weather, Waterfall, Weather Lore, Weather Signs, Woolly Bear Caterpillars
Good Morning! ☀️ What a storm we had last night! ⛈ ⚡️ 💥 Here we are changing seasons… Bye bye Summer, Hello Fall 🍁🍂 We have literally been on a West TN weather seesaw… It was 100 degrees on the last day of summer, So Hot 🥵 Then the next day a 51 degree morning… Then back up close to 90 today, but guess what – down into the 40’s tonight😮
Oh well, again the old saying holds true, “If you don’t like the weather, just you wait”…
Now it’s on to breakfast and then a little work in the Garden! I Love ❤️ Fall!
“In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil.
And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb color effects as from August to November.”
~ Rose G. Kingsley
Watch this short for the cutest puppy ever 👇🏻
Have a great Sunday!
~ Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Best Local Nursery and Garden Center, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Changing Seasons, Cover Plants, Crazy Weather, Feeding the Soul, Frosty Morning, Gardening, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Life is Good, Love, Love and Meaning, Moment of Zen, Morning Zen, outdoor lifestyles, Outdoor Living, Place of Zen, Predicting Weather, Quality Of Life, Robert Frost, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Water Garden, Spring, Spring Gardening, Tennessee Weather, Weather Signs, Zen, Zen state of mind, Zen Waterfall
If you are like many Gardeners and live by the ”Last Frost Date” given in the Almanac or in your local paper, you may be very disappointed this morning… I’m getting ready to go out and uncover the hundreds of plants that I have under blankets, sheets and in a big cold frame greenhouse.
Why does it ’sneak up’ on us so often?
With me its all about staying in tune with the particular season. Spring here in West TN fluctuates from sweaty 80’s weather to 60 mile an hour winds with frost and snow ❄️ BUT, that relationship you form with the seasons and the changes is where the Zen lies…
But, its tough to wait! As soon as the forsythia and the daffodil 🌼 blooms I’m already setting up my planters and pots 🪴 And, I try to be ready for people coming in to my Nursery early, which means we spend a month or more moving plants in and out of the greenhouse… 😊
Finding balance and Zen within ourselves is found within our own Gardens…
PS: The good news is, I think we are past Frost now for real!
“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.”
~ Henry Van Dyke
Have a great Tuesday!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Waterfalls | Tags: Coffee, Coffee Mug, cool, Eggs, Family, Family Fun, Family time, Frost Warning, grits, Here’s to Spring!, Homegrown Tomatoes, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Morning Coffee, Pancakes, Saturday in the Garden, Sliced Tomato’s, Spring, Spring Gardening, Spring is Coming, Spring is Here!, Spring Planting, 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, Sunrises, Tennessee Weather, Tomato varieties, Tomatoes
I had to put my jacket on this morning when I walked outside with my 1st cup of coffee 🥶 It was a little chilly… BUT, it’s supposed to get up to 78 degrees this afternoon 🌞 Great news! A little more great news, we have ‘probably’ gotten passed our last frost! Can you say Spring Planting Time!
I’m heading back inside to make another pot of coffee and fix some breakfast… Then its on!
My advice is to get out and enjoy this beautiful day! 🌞
“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 great Sunday!
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pondless Waterfalls, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Almost Spring, Feeling Good, Feels like Spring, Foothills of Spring, Here’s to Spring!, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Moment of Zen, Monday Evening Moment Of Zen, Monday Morning Moment of Zen, Morning Zen, Mossy Boulders, Mossy Waterfall, Place of Zen, Spring, Spring Gardening, Spring is Almost Here!, Spring is Coming, Stone, Stream, Streams, Tennessee Weather, Waterfall, waterfall design, Waterfall Video, Waterfall Wednesday, Waterfalls, Waterfalls in YOUR Life, Zen, Zen Creek, Zen Feeling, Zen state of mind, Zen Stream, Zen Video, Zen Waterfall
Well its official, we have Sprung Forward! Welcome to the foothills of Spring! Heres a little ‘Zen’ glimpse of things to come…
Grasses, ferns, flowers and flowing water… Ahhhh! Monday morning Zen… Spring is almost here!
Enjoy the day!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Koi, Koi Ponds, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Beautiful Sunset, budding trees, Cabin Fever, Crazy Weather, Family Pictures, Family time, Family Traditions, Get Outside, I ❤️ Spring!, I Love My Family, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Outdoor Living, Spring, Spring Bulbs, Spring Fest., spring fever, Spring Flowering Bulbs, Spring Gardening, Spring is Almost Here!, Spring is Coming, Spring News, Spring Planting, 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, Sunsets, Tennessee Weather
We are 2 weeks from the time change. We “Spring forward” Sunday March the 13th at 2am! Then only a week after that BOOM 💥 1st day of Spring! Rain and more rain 🌧 Wind 💨 Ice 🧊 Snow ❄️ – But still, Spring is Coming! This lingering winter weather and slow build up and transition is always what causes my Spring Fever 🌼 🤒 🌼
If nothing else, this energy for Spring gets me up and moving! Its Sunday and I’ve already done a full days work! 😊 The week ahead looks promising! I have a LOT of work to catch up on!
Even the Psalmist writes of a yearning in the scriptures – “I yearn for the Lord, more than watchmen do for the morning, yes, more than watchmen do for the morning.” ~ Psalm 130:6
Spring is Coming!
“Is the Spring coming?” he said. “What is it like?”… “It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine”…
~ Frances Hodgson Burnett
Have a great Sunday!
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi Ponds, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: #Theresnoplacelikehome, Allman Brothers, Best Local Nursery and Garden Center, Blog, Blogging, CAC, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Cats, CEU’s, educational workshop, Ernest Hemingway, Florida, Fun, Fun From Home, Garden Center, Garden Show, Garden Tour, Georgia, Greg Allman, Happy, Hemingway’s House, Hemmingway, Homemade, Jackson Tennessee, Jackson Tennessee 38305, John Denver, Master CAC, Mississippi, Mobile Alabama, Nursery, Parks, Pictures, Pond Workshop, Road Song, Safe Travels, Saturday Fun, Tennessee Aquarium, Tennessee River, Tennessee Weather, The Keys, There’s No Place Like Home, Training, Training Day, Virtual Travel, West Tennessee
I have been absent from my Blog for a couple of weeks now. I was surprised at the # of people that sent comments to me about my absence… The messages were mostly concern that something was wrong since I write something every day… Thanks for that! But, No, there was nothing wrong! I abstained from posting in order to be totally present during a LONG road trip with my wife Jo. We were on a business, training, buying… ‘adventure’, that took us all across the South! Down thru Mississippi, across the Panhandle of Florida, along the Florida Springs trail, across to the Atlantic side and all the way down historic Coastal Highway A1A to the end of the road “Mile Marker 0” in Key West! Then back up through central Florida into Georgia exploring Nurseries and HUGE Ornamental Plant Growing operations! We even spent the night in Greg Allmans bedroom and visited the graves of some of my (and probably your) musical hero’s… Climbed a mountain, and finally ended up back home in the middle of an Ice 🧊 Storm ⛈!!!
Thank God that we were spared from a repeat of 94 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 But it was a shock to the system to come back to heavy winds from the north and 18 degree temps 🥶
Over the next few days I will share some pictures and stories of our recent travels and some news of things to come 😊
To boil it down – I’m back & I am excited about 2022!
And, I’m so glad to be back home again!!!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
Filed under: Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Landscaping & Gardening, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 4/20, Bad Weather, Be Prepared, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Chance of Snow, Cheech and Chong, Cold Weather, Cooler Weather is Coming, Cover Plants, Crazy Weather, Frost Warning, Frosty Morning, Garden Preperation, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Late Frost, plants, Predicting Weather, Snow, Spring Gardening, Tennessee Weather, Weather Signs
Hot, then cold, then windy then SNOW ❄️ Then FROST… WHAT? Yes, you heard me right! Gardeners prepare! Your about to get FROSTED on 4/20!
Things we can do –
- Bring in potted plants
- Cover tender plants with sheets and/or plastic!
- Cover veggies 🍅 🌶 🌽
- IF you have an irrigation system, time it to come on before sunrise and run till after. The thermal properties of water are amazing.
- We can’t change the weather, but we can be prepared!
We have to move all tender plants back in the cold frames and cover all sorts of things… I even cover my Japanese Maples! Lots to do, but it’s worth the effort! This has been an eventful weather year, but fret not! We will get past this & see smooth sailing soon 🌞
It always pays to be ready when you live in West Tennessee! Crazy weather… But hey, it’s Springtime in Tennessee! So we got that goin for us!
Have a great day & be ready! You have been warned…
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Landscaping & Gardening, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles | Tags: Be Ready, Cold Weather, Cooler Weather is Coming, Cover Plants, Crazy Weather, Freezing Temps., Frost Warning, Frosty Morning, Greenhouse Report, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Late Frost, Predicting Weather, Protect Tender Plants, Tennessee Weather, Weather Lore, Weather Signs
This is just a friendly warning to be ready… We have 2 nights of below freezing temperatures coming and 3 mornings of probable frost! Be prepared!
Many peoples ornamental trees have started to emerge (Japanese Maples) as well as perennials and have even set out peppers and tender annual crops…
Things we can do –
- Bring in potted plants
- Cover tender plants with sheets and/or plastic!
- Cover veggies 🍅 🌶 🌽
- IF you have an irrigation system, time it to come on before sunrise and run till after. Waters thermal properties are amazing.
- We can’t change the weather, but we can be prepared!
I even cover my Japanese Maples! Lots to do, but it’s worth the effort! This has been an eventful weather year, but fret not! We will get past this soon. Don’t you just LOVE Tennessee Weather 😊
Have a great day & be ready! You have been warned…
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Bad Weather, Crazy Weather, Feeding Koi, Healthy Koi, I ❤️ Koi, I Love Koi, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Koi, Koi Fix, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Supplies, Koi Video, Koi Whisperer, Monday’s, Tennessee Weather, Weather Signs
If you don’t like the weather in Tennessee, just wait a few minutes, it will change… Scary sky’s and 70 degrees in January = Tornado weather in Tennessee!
The Koi were moving around today. All that warm rain turned them on… You have to listen closely to hear 👂🏻 their message…
Spring is Coming!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
Carter's Water Garden 