Friday, May 27, 2016

Roses, False Goat's Beard and Dahlias by Ben Wheeler

Hot pink rose: Copyright © Ben Wheeler, 2016; used with permission
Happy Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" My kind husband offered to take photos for today's post so hearty thanks to him for being our guest photographer this week and generously sharing his flower photo artwork! 
False Goat's Beard: Copyright © Ben Wheeler, 2016; used with permission
The false goat's beard is a plant he selected and is thriving in our deepest shade garden bed. 
Bicolor dahlias: Copyright © Ben Wheeler, 2016; used with permission
We have three of these bicolor dahlia plants. He picked one and I picked two. I also planted two new tubers this week so hopefully we'll have flowers from them in a month or two.
Red rose: Copyright © Ben Wheeler, 2016; used with permission
I think this is our "Mr. Lincoln" rose, a deep red rose that smells divine. A dear friend recommended it a few years ago and I loved it so much I put in another one this spring.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless Ben and may He bless you too!

Related posts:
Zoo animals by Ben Wheeler: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.ru/2015/07/ben-wheelers-zoo-photos-for-wild.html
Macaw parrot by Ben Wheeler: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.ru/2016/03/macaw-parrot-photos-by-ben-wheeler.html
Cute cat by Ben Wheeler: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.ru/2015/07/black-cat-pink-tongue-cuteness-photos.html

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Braveheart and the Sandman - Our New Kittens!

Braveheart the kitten: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
This might be my most exciting Wild Wednesday post yet! This week we welcomed home our two adorable and feisty new kittens, Braveheart and the Sandman. They're about nine weeks old and super cute. Braveheart is a fearless little girl who is determined to conquer every inch of her domain.
The Sandman: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
The Sandman has a fascination with the litter box and lives his little cat life full throttle. His foster mom called him "Spot" because of his unusual nose markings. He's almost half a pound heavier than his sister but he scares easily and often runs to me for protection from loud noises outside. 
Super adorable cutness kitten pile: 
Copyright © Kelli Markley Ammlung, 2016; Used with permission
This amazing sleeping-cuddling-kitten-cuteness photo of Braveheart, the Sandman and their siblings is by their kindhearted and generous foster mom. Hearty thanks to Kelli for sharing her photo, raising these kittens and caring for their feral mom until they were old enough to come to our home! You, Ellen and friends are making the world a better place! Thank you all!
Braveheart and the Sandman playing: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
It doesn't seem to matter what I put in this bowl, the kittens will play with it and have fun fishing it out. Braveheart also likes to curl up in the bowl when it's empty. I remove toys that have parts that could come off (like the mouse in the photo above) when I leave their quarantine room (they have worms, which is pretty normal for feral born kittens, but means they can't be introduced to my elder cat for a few more weeks). But they have some safer toys that stay 24/7. They are happy, healthy except for the worms, and well loved. 
16 year old Baby cat's reaction to kittens: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
Friends keep asking for Baby cat's reaction to the kittens. Mostly, she doesn't seem to care a bit! That may change when they come out of quarantine but for now, I try to visit with the kittens only when Baby's asleep because she has some separation anxiety whenever she's apart from me. She sat outside the door and cried the one time I visited with the kittens when she was awake. But when I came out she didn't try to get in to see the kittens; she just wanted to be with me so I gave her lots of love and all was well.

If you'd like to see more kitten pictures I've been posting daily on my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/lovejoypeas/ It's embarassing to admit but I don't yet know how to get photos from my phone to the computer (other than by emailing them to myself one at a time) so that's why some will be here and others there. The kittens try to attack the straps on the camera so it's easier to take photos of them with the phone (no straps to attack).

Thank you for visiting! May God bless our kitties, Kelli, Ellen and the cat saviors, and may He bless you too!

Related posts:
Wrestling kittens: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2016/08/cute-kittens-wrestle-and-surrender.html
Cute lion cubs: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/05/little-lion-cubs-for-wild-wednesday.html
Cute pouncing tiger baby: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/03/tiger-cub-launches-sneak-attack.html
Cute Christmas cat: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-cat-santa-and-reindeer.html

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Asian Brush Painting and Mixed Media Art by Arlita Kadar

Arlita Kadar and original art: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
Earlier this month I had the privilege of meeting artist Arlita Kadar and while I loved her artwork, it was her kind dispostion that made me want to befriend her. I bought a few of her cards the first day and then returned the next day to get to know her better. Both times were at her display at the National Arboretum for the 2016 World Bonsai Day event.
 Macro of a piece of Arlita Kadar's art: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
She kindly consented to allow me to take some photos of her and her artwork for this blog and I'm excited to share them with you. The piece above reminds me of cherry blossoms.
Two birds on card by Arlita Kadar: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
 This is a photo of a part of an art card I bought from her. I plan to frame it and hang it in our kitchen.
Pretty bird on flower branch by Arlita Kadar: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
This is also an art card photo, but I'm still debating whether to send it to someone or frame it.
Image source: Arlita' Kadar's website
On her website, I found this beautiful seascape. She's a lady of many talents.

Artlia Kadar, artist, can be reached at arlitak@gmail.com or (571) 393-0758 and some of her work is available at http://arlita-kadar.pixels.com/. According to her business card, she creates murals, water color, Asian brush painting and mixed media art. She has received awards and recognition for her artwork, including a certificate "for extraordinary contributions to Asian cultural programming" from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History.

Hearty thanks to Arlita Kadar for allowing me to share her artwork here and to you for visiting! May God bless her and may He bless you too!

Related posts:
Wildlife photo art by Brian Dering: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/10/wildlife-in-aruba-photos-by-guest.html
Butterfly Art by Denise Arvaneh: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/10/butterfly-art-by-denise-arvaneh.html
County Fair Art by various artists: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/08/floral-fair-photos-art-and-arrangements.html

Disclaimer: This post was written of my own free will, contains my opinions only and was not solicited or paid for. I just liked Arlita and thought it would be nice to feature her on my blog.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Big Yellow Irises and Multicolored Roses

Big yellow iris flower: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" I'm always excited when my honey scented yellow irises start blooming.
Yellow iris extreme close up: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
 They smell as nice as they look and we've already had some bees enjoy them too.
Soft yellow rose: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
 This week also marks the start of heavy rose blooming season. This yellow rose has a soft scent.
Our first orange rose: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
This is our very first orange rose bloom. I think I planted it last spring but we didn't have any flowers until this week. Better late than never!
Hot pink rose flower: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
This hot pink/red rose is one of about five bushes and they usually put out flowers through frost.

As you can see, it's a great week for Maryland flower gardens. I hope you have some lovely gardens in your area too. Thank you for visiting! May God bless you!

Related posts:
Irises and roses with raindrops: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/05/raindrops-on-irises-roses-dahlias-and.html
Yellow irises at Kenilworth: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/05/flowers-at-kenilworth-aquatic-gardens.html
2014 big iris photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/05/yellow-blue-purple-and-white-irises.html

Friday, May 13, 2016

Funky Lavender, Thyme, Allium, Marigold and Dahlia Photos for Floral Friday

Funky lavender blooms: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" My wonderful husband bought this Spanish lavender a few weeks ago and it's almost finished blooming so I'm thankful to have a photo of its first year in our yard. 
Tiny white thyme flowers: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
I planted this French thyme last year and it's nice to see it covered in little white flowers.
Our first giant allium flower: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
This giant allium flower is a little miracle. We bought the bulbs last fall but each thought the other planted them. So when I found them in late winter/early spring I took a chance and planted them. Voles ate two of the three that should be blooming now but one survived and I am thankful. We have three more that are supposed to bloom in early summer.
Artsy bicolor marigold: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
The marigolds are growing and I love this bicolor red/orange marigold.
Funky bicolor dahlia: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
This is a funky shot of our bicolor dahlia. I love how the petals are shaped.

Thank you for visiting! That's all for this week's tour. Which was your favorite photo? May God bless you this spring and always!

Related posts:
Dahlia loving cat: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/08/cat-enjoys-my-first-dinner-plate-dahlia.html
Sunflowers, dahlias, marigolds: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/sunflowers-dahlias-marigolds-verbena.html
Giant dahlia close ups: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/10/delightful-dahlia-close-up-photos.html

Friday, May 6, 2016

Glistening Raindrops on Pretty Azalea Flowers

Flashy azaleas: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
Happy floral Friday! This week's post features beautiful azaleas from the National Arboretum's azalea collection. Their wooded azalea walk features the widest range of azalea varieties and colors that I've ever seen. At peak it is truly stunning but it's lovely even when the azaleas aren't blooming.
Raindrops on azalea flowers: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
 I took these photos between rain showers and the raindrops were still full and fresh.
Glistening azalea blooms: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
 Some of the flowers were so soaked they became almost translucent.
Gorgeous bicolor azalea: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
These bicolor azaleas are a favorite of mine, although I love them all.
Raindrops on red azaleas: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
These red azaleas looked especially nice with the mystery purple flowers in the background. If you know what the purple flowers are, please let me know.

Thank you for visiting! If you enjoyed this post, I'd appreciate a Google +1 and if you like the blog in general, a separate +1 for the main blog would be fabulous too. May God bless you!

Related posts:
Azalea walk landscapes: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/05/azalea-walk-landscape-photos.html
Azalea walk photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/04/amazing-azaleas-wooded-walk-photos.html
Azalea flower close ups: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/04/beautiful-azalea-close-up-photos.html

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Splashing Robin, Blazing Azaleas

Splashing Robin: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
Happy Wild Wednesday! This wild robin had a great time splashing around in our bird bath.

Bathing Robin: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
I thought she looked especially pretty with the fiery red azaleas in the background.
Pretty Robin: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
She definitely noticed me taking photos.
Splashing Robin 2: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
But just kept an eye on me as she went about her wildlife business.
Robin preparing to fly away: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016
Then she gave me one more glance before flying away.

Whenever I have something new and fun I aim to post a Wild Wednesday feature for you. But when a post isn't possible I do still usually share something on my blog's Facebook page so be sure to check there if you miss seeing something here. 

Thank you so much for visiting! If you liked this post, I'd appreciate a Google +1 and if you like the blog in general, a separate +1 for the main blog would be fabulous too. May God bless you!

Love Joy and Peace on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovejoypeas/timeline

Related posts:
Catbird and robin: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/catbird-and-robin.html
Wet & wild birds: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/wet-wild-birds.html
Azaleas galore: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/05/azalea-walk-landscape-photos.html