DAY 19, MARCH 19, 2024, HAPPY BACKYARD DAY!
Good Morning, Everyone,
When I first came to Europe as a United States Army soldier, I thought the world revolved around the United States. Imagine my surprise when I found it didn’t. The Europeans are different. Their differences lie in treasuring their time off from work, the public holidays they celebrate, and their summer vacations.
If you visit Europe in June, July, and August and maybe the first two weeks in September, you will find few Federal offices open. Some stores, doctors’ offices, and other medical facilities are closed too. People are on vacation or at home working in their backyards, and if they don’t have a house with a backyard, they have gardens and can apply to the city municipal office, where they are put on a list to rent one.
Our space in Europe is small; we live close to one another, which I had to get used to.
I have a home, so my backyard is my garden.
Let me put a disclaimer here: I am not a gardener, but I like being in one. I am thankful that I have a couple who are very close to me, like a sister and brother. My brother does the heavy garden work, and his wife helps me at home while I write. I have committed to a few responsibilities that no one else can do, but I and I’m happy that God has sent me dear friends to help lighten my load.
My brother, sister, and I looked at my garden last Sunday afternoon when they dropped by and decided it was time to clean it up sometime next week so I could enjoy the glass patio and look at my trees.
It has been freezing here, so my cherry, apple, and walnut trees have not started blooming yet.
I think they will bloom in April, and they will be gorgeous when that happens.
I gave each of them a name when I planted them and have written a caption with their name, like a name tag you get when you go to a conference. I took the photos this morning.
My backyard is looking forward to spring just as much as I am.
I hope you enjoyed the visit.
Have a nice day, everyone, and take care.
Shalom shalom
Pat Garcia
When we were first married, I was eager to make a small garden and plant some rose bushes. The roses were my favorite (thorns and all). My favorite was the Chrysler Imperial. They had large pink blooms that were very fragrant. We have bougainvilleas near a stand of poplars on the back fence. Wonderful times. The only fruit tree we had was a loquat. My son planted it without us knowing. It produced a large crop of fruit every year. Unfortunately, none of us really liked the fruit. We were fortunate to have many Philippino neighbors who loved them. Eventually, the tree was taken down, as most of the fruit went to birds who made a mess out of the backyard.
Hello, Karl,
I’m sorry to hear that the trees were cut down. Every year, my neighbors come over and pick the fruit and walnuts and I am very thankful for that.
Thank you for stopping by and have a lovely day.
Shalom shalom
Pat, no trees on our property. Only a lonely Lilac bush in the corner. It’s an early bloomer and usually comes full before the neighborhood trees develop leaves. However, the ‘bloom’ only lasts a week and then stays green until the fall. First time I’ve heard of somebody naming their trees. Animals on the farm was okay as are pets. Odd, but I like it! Gorgeous place you have!
Thank you, JP.
I enjoy living at my place.
Have a lovely day.
Shalom shalom
What a beautiful space, Pat! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Thank you, Yvette. It was my pleasure.
Have a lovely day.
Shalom shalom
Thank you for the pingback.
Have a lovely day.
Shalom shalom
You have a beautiful garden, Pat, and your glassed-in porch and balcony are wonderful ways to see it in any weather. I love that you name your trees. Thank you for the tour! I love your posts!
Blessings!
Patty, thank you so much. I love naming my flowers and trees.
Have a lovely day and take care.
Shalom shalom
Thanks for the lovely tour of your garden! I first came to Germany as a US Army soldier too, back in 1981, then returned as a DoDDS teacher in 1988 and stayed until 2014. I miss it so much! Those bright yellow forsythia blossoms always heralded new life & new hope after the long, dark winter.
Thank you, Rhonda. Yes, the yellow forsythia blossoms herald new life and new hope. That’s why I love them so much.
I hope you are fine.
Take care and have a lovely day.
Shalom shalom
Hi Pat!
You are the perfect host. I enjoyed your tour around your property and learning the names of your trees. Very nice.
My community is known for its trees and fruit trees and greenery. I’ve seen deer every now and then and this is a residential area. All the many trees and shrubbery all around the community is what attracts all kinds of critters. We had to learn how to secure our garbage because the smart ones would open them up and trash everything. Not anymore.
Thank you, Pat!
Hello, Shirley,
Yes, critters are very smart. They learn quickly.
Thank you for dropping by and take care.
Shalom shalom
Pat, I love your yard. I don’t have a lot of trees because I’m more of a flower girl, but I do have a forsythia like your yellow bush. It is on the other side of the house where I never see it. I’ll walk around there today to see if it’s bloomed. Thanks for the tour!
Hi, Linda,
I am no a flower girl. I don’t know why because I love flowers.
Thank you so much for stopping by and have a lovely day.
Shalom shalom
Must see the photos when It’s all a bloom,Pat. Do you look after it all yourself ? It looks quite big from the Pics.
Hi, Joy,
I said in my post that I have two lovely people who are like a brother and sister that help me, and I am thankful for that. In comparison to all the homes around me, my house is small.
Thank you so much for stopping by and have a lovely day.
Shalom shalom
Your property is beautiful and even more so in spring. I like that you consider trees your friends and give them names: Lydia, a plum tree. As you may know, Lydia in the Bible was a seller of purple, so there you go!
Much of my ancestry can be traced to Switzerland and Germany. My forebears all had gardens and valued the “fruit of the land.” You made my day, Pat. Thank you! 😀
Thank you so much, Marian. Yes, I know Lydia from the Bible and her story. She opened her house to Paul, Timothy, and Silas, I believe.
It is a beautiful thing when you can trace your ancestry.
Have a lovely day and take care.
Shalom shalom
How relaxing, Pat, to be able to sit in your own yard surrounded by trees, each with its own personality!
Thank you, Karen. Yes it is nice just to sit in my yard and watch the trees.
Have a lovely day, and take care.
Shalom shalom