Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Bog (not to be confused with the blog)

A visit to the Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog is a must for those who live near  or are visiting coastal Alabama.

BoggSign

The pitcher plants are in bloom now and are putting on quite a show.   Insects beware!  These plants are carnivorous.   What goes in does not come out.

BoggPP4

BoggPP8

BoggPP3 - Copy

Pitcher plant blooms produce ovaries which can be seen in the photo below.

BoggPP5

I believe these white droopy flowers are whitetop sedge.

BoggPP7

Grass pink orchids are also found in the bog.

BoggFlower1 - Copy

Ferns are in abundance.

BoggFurn1 - Copy

Thanks for going on the tour of the bog with me.   If  you want to learn more about the Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bogs, this link will take you to an informative brochure.

See ya next time,

Marlee

The bog and I will be partying with Susan @

A Southern Day Dreamer.

Outdoor-Wednesday-button_thumb1_thum[1]

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Sweet Blooms

The perennial hibiscus bush we planted last year has begun blooming and is putting on quite a show.    When we saw this plant at a local nursery, we had to have it because of the light blush color and the dark pink center.    The blooms are 8 to 10 inches in size and only last one day.    However, the plant blooms daily during the hot  summer months.

Hib1

Hib2

Our magnolia tree is blooming also.   I am from Mississippi which is known as the Magnolia state.  The magnolia is our state flower and state tree.    The flowers have a spectacular sweet fragrance that is hard for me to describe.   I often use the leaves of the magnolia in arrangements.

Mag1

Mag2

Thank you for dropping by today.

Marlee

I am heading over to the Outdoor Wednesday party at

 A Southern Day Dreamer.

Outdoor-Wednesday-button_thumb1_thum

Monday, June 17, 2013

Where’s my Seat?

In need of a project (who am I kidding…I am addicted to yard sales), I headed out in the humidity on Saturday morning to see what thrifty treasures I could find.

This charming little cabinet with rope trim stole my heart when I came upon it.   The door opens to reveal a shelf.   With skillful negotiating I scored it for $8.    After cleaning it up  and giving it a little bit of TLC, it may become my nightstand.

Cabinet

Who can pass up two chairs for $1.00 apiece?   Not me.

Chairs1

Now I need to decide how I want to transform them whether it be painting them white or staining them a little darker or ???    I guess when I find a fabric I like for the seat (oh wait, there isn’t one) inspiration will come.

What would you would do with these chairs if they were yours?   I refuse to ask my husband that question because he would probably answer “put them in the trash”.

Thanks for popping in.   Hope to see you again soon.

Marlee

The projects and I will be partying with Linda at Coastal Charm.   Please join us.    So much creativity there!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Tale of A Wild Hare

Rain over the last few days and life beyond the computer has kept me busy so I didn’t think I would write a post today.  However, when I saw this darling little rabbit in my yard, I knew I had to take a few photos because they are a hare rare sight around here.

Check out those big black eyes!

Hmmm….something has caught his attention.

I just hope this little bundle of cuteness doesn’t eat my tomato plants!

In closing, here is a joke for your enjoyment.

Q.  Where do rabbits work?

A.  At IHOP restaurants

Thanks for hopping by!

Marlee

The wild hare and I will be partying

at A Southern Day Dreamer and hope you will join us.

Outdoor-Wednesday-button_thumb1_thum[2]

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Randomness

Tonight’s post is a collection of random outdoor pictures I took over the past week.

Our gardenia bush’s intoxicating fragrance permeates the air.  

Gardenia1

A close up of the white as snow blooms.

Gardenia2

Also in bloom is this peach colored hibiscus.

Hib1

The alligator plant is not in bloom.  It bloomed late in the fall on an approx. 3 ft.  tall “stalk” with an umbrella shaped bloom at the top.

alligator2

Alligator1

While watering the purslane, I spotted a rogue Johnny Jump Up in the container.   Is it just me or does he have a little pirate face?

Purslane1

Can you see the rainbow in this picture?

Rainbow1

Thanks for popping in!   Please visit anytime.

Marlee

The randomness and I will be partying at A Southern Day Dreamer and hope you will join us.

Outdoor-Wednesday-button_thumb1_thum[2]

Monday, June 3, 2013

Rocking the Tropical Sea

After a year of trying to work up the courage to do it, I took the plunge and painted the front door of our coastal Alabama home turquoise.   The hardware was spray painted black in an effort to minimize costs.    The paint color is Tropical Sea by Behr and is more of a greenish turquoise than a blue.  I think it looks good with the yellow siding and am very happy with the way it turned out.

Rocker2

This is how the door looked before I coastified it.  The dark hunter green with yellow trim wasn’t doing it for me.

Green Door

The rocker was an estate sale purchase for $20.00.    Ironically it was hunter green also and I painted it white since my mission at this point was to remove all hunter green from the property.

Rocker1

Have you painted anything recently that was out of your comfort zone?

Thanks so much for popping in.    Come back anytime!

Marlee

I will be rocking the tropical sea with Linda @ Coastal Charm and hope that you will join me.  Lots of inspiration there.