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Sunday, January 3, 2016

Happy New Year- Snow! January 3, 2016

The surprise this morning is the first snowfall of the current fall-winter seasons.  In view out the back window, huddled under a tree-


Today I am linking with-

Today's flowers hosted by Denise

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

I'd Rather B' Birdin' hosted by Hootin' Anni'

In a Vase on Monday hosted by Cathy

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Mystical Magical Teacher

A rarely-sighted bird visited for some seed last week, a Varied Thrush, Ixoreus naevius, what a name.  Pardon the window glare.  Similar in size to an American robin, and with my favorite rusty peach and bluish grey coloring-







Last year I enjoyed a new bloghop that added a new dimension to my gardening, a challenge by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden to go looking for flowers and foliage to put in a vase.  For this Monday, I looked outside and found some Nandina berries still clinging to the icy bloom stalks, and stuck them in some snow in an iridescent bowl and horse set I inherited from my Swedish Mother-in-Law.



I'm also featuring a sampling of my vases from last year, and more next week-

Daughter's teapot

My pinched vase


Mt. St. Helen's ash ball-



Blue glass vase-

Antique globe with my DIL's pottery cup-

My handmade slab vase-

My handmade slab pinched vase-

Glass swirled knobby vase-

My handmade slab pinched vase-

My winter gardening activites are planting seeds under lights for flowers I want to grow next year, hoping at least some will bloom this year, though some may wait until next year to bloom.  Gaillardias, Platycodon, Dahlias, 

Lunaria, getting the biggest fastest and needing transplanting soon-

Streptocarpus- what a surprise to see a few smaller than 1 mm, plus Asters, Echinacea, and Salvia-

I have 3 shelf set-ups for starting seedlings, they are made from 3-shelf metal units which hold 4 standard 10 x 20" nursery flats.  I suspend 4' fluorescent light fixtures from the top and middle shelf,  and the seedlings can grow about 11" until they hit the lights.  The nursery flats each hold rows of 4 x 9 rose pots which are 2.25" square, = 36 plants x 4 flats= 144 plants per shelf unit x 3 units = potentially 432 seedlings.  I don't want to start that many plants, but in a couple of past years I have actually needed all the shelves plus had overflow.  If I transplant to 4" pots the flat holds fewer plants.

I hope you had a fun and meaningful New Year's Eve, I spent the evening with my 5 local grandkids and niece's family with one great-niece, and then went home before midnight to see the New Year in with the Motorcyclist.  -Hannah

My wish for the New Year-



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40 comments:

  1. Happy New Year! Wishing you have nice days. Many beautiful flower vases! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks, Minoru. we have snow now but I'm glad to be on the countdown now for spring!

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  2. Lovely Varied Thrush. I've never seen one.

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    1. Thanks, Dorothy, it was a treat to be able to get some photographs.

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  3. This was onlt the second time I've seen one, if it wasn't just passing through maybe I will see it more, I need to clean my glass door, Dorothy.

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  4. Beautiful photos of the Varied Thrush - and wonderful flowers! I'm ready for spring. :) Happy New Year!

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    1. I'm ready for spring too, Rebecca, I'm hoping at least for Hellebores soon!

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  5. how very neat to see that beautiful bird!

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    1. Thanks, Theresa, it was a treat, I hope it will come back.

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  6. Interesting bird!
    Love the flowers, too!
    Lea

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    1. Thanks, Lea, I was happy to see a new bird, and I hope my hellebores are far behind yours.

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  7. A beautiful Thrush, varied and variegated vases, every one lovely, and seeds started. well done.What a grand start to the year with your top photo.

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    1. Thanks, Jean, it was interesting to get snow right away at the start of the year. I hadn't seen the deer for quite a while. The thrush is an interesting bird with such complicated designs in its feathers.

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  8. Hello Hannah, your Varied Thrush is beautiful and I love the pretty deer too. Your collection of vases are lovely. Sounds like you had a wonderful New Year's Eve. I wish you all the best in 2016. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a great new week ahead!

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    1. Thanks, Eileen! It was fun to have our family together for Christmas, and my niece's family with a 2 year old were able to join us for New Year's, which was fun.

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  9. Hello Hannah, lovely post. Sorry you had trouble linking up but hopefully you were able to eventually. I am slowly catching up over the next week as I am back from vacation. Thanks for visiting when I was gone. My first journal post is http://anenglishgirlrambles2016.blogspot.com/2016/01/first-day-of-vacation-washington-dulles.html

    Happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks, Denise, I'm sure you have lots of lovely photos from your trip, I look forward to seeing them.

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  10. Wow....gorgeous bird the thrush is. I've read that they've been spotted about 200 miles from us, but I never find the time to drive knowing that actually sighting the bird would come about. So, I relish your photos very much.

    Thanks for adding your link this weekend at I'd Rather B Birdin'

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    1. Thanks, Anni, I enjoy all your great bird photos, I was glad to finally get another bird photo I could post.

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  11. Hannah, loved the flower arrangements. So much lovely color on a Monday.

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  12. Gorgeous thrush and deer! And I love the floral arrangements!

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    1. Thanks, Marie, the snow and deer were a surprise.

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  13. Beautiful flowers, and love the thrush too. Thanks as always for sharing the love up-close with I Heart Macro Hannah… and for our well wishes too. Happy New Year : )

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    1. Thanks, Laura, I wish you great new health and healing in the New Year, something I wish for as well.

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  14. I was tucked up in bed soon after 11.00 on New Year's Eve!! Interesting to see your special thrush - is it a native to your parts? I like your setting for the nandina berries, replicating nature outside, although I guess your snow didn't last too long inside!! Lovely to be reminded of some of your previous vases too - thanks for sharing them all

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  15. Thanks, Cathy, it has been inspiring reading the IaVoM blogs and finding some new flowers to grow this year, hopefully. The Varied Thrush is here for a while in the winter but not very common, or maybe just passing through.

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  16. The Varied Thrush is a pretty thing. What a treat to have it visit you. Your snow and nandina arrangement is inspired. Its lovely to have your MIL's iridescent bowl and horse--very unusual and interesting. Great to review your lovely arrangements too Hannah.

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    1. Thanks, Susie, I thought the little Nandina branches would be cute sticking up out of the snow. Thanks to IaVoM I look at my many containers as possibilities for arrangements or props.

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  17. Stunning vases and a beautiful thrush! I love your imagination with this week's vase. Wishing you a wonderful new year!

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    1. Thanks, Donna, I don't know if I can count on a repeat visit or not, it's fun to see the usual birds but exciting to see a new one.

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  18. I love the red berries in the pot of snow - how I wish we had a little snow here in the UK. It was also lovely to see your previous vases showing such creativity.

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    1. Thanks, Ann, I get a lot of inspiration from all the gorgeous arrangements I get to see in IaVoM.

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  19. I loved the arrangement in the snow...in made me smile. You have managed to take some good pictures of your rare thrush. I just love to watch the birds in my garden..

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    1. Thanks, Noelle, the snow was cool as a way to just have the little branches supported, of course after it melted they went all catawampus. I was happy to think of a way to use the cute horse and bowl. The thrush looks very exotic to me, I found one image of its wings spread-

      https://www.flickr.com/photos/121795831@N02/16544428299

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  20. I love all your flower arrangements!

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  21. Thanks, Tina, it was fun making them. I'll be glad when I have some flowers outside again.

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  22. All critters act bravely in winter.
    I rather prefer to take shelter at home.

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  23. How true, Rainfield, I also like to stay home a lot in the winter, though in younger days we did take off on some ski trips.

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  24. I love the deer and the thrush is very pretty. Looks like you're very busy preparing for spring.

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