Today is Outdoor Wednesday hosted by our gracious hostess Susan of A Southern Daydreamer, and today is the day when we all tour outside vistas.
Even though we've had some cold weather that has done a number on many people's bougainvillea plants and other tropicals, there were still some beautiful blooms on Tuesday as I drove to and from a meeting I had to attend. So I hopped out and took these shots in a couple of friends' yards. It was a little bright for taking pictures, but the flowers were just too pretty to pass by without speaking.
First I spoke to some golden yellow violas...
Then a flock of white petunias...
Followed by a bevy of beautiful white azaleas...
And their cousins gowned in a lovely pink shade...
And look, there's George Tabor himself...
George has such a sweet face...
And speaking of faces, ever notice how pansies have little faces...
With each one...
As pretty as the next...
These must be siblings...
Or at least members of the same club...
And see that little blue one on the left? He's telling his girlfriend a secret. Do you think he might be proposing? His family thinks so. Hers, however, are oblivious...
These two pansies are the best of friends...
And these are two opposing football teams. Can you tell which ones are the refs?...
Looks like the blue team is rolling over the yellow...
And the crowd goes wild...
Have you ever noticed how the faces of some pansies look like butterflies...
And if you're like me, you can never decide which one is your favorite... the rich deep purple...
Or the bright golden yellow...
Hmmmm...purple...
Yellow...
I can't decide because I love them both, and I love the ruffles of a petunia...
Almost as much as I love my viola and pansy friends...
What do you think about it, Mr. Gander? After all, you hang around here all the livelong day...
Oh, I see. You prefer the purple ones...
Well, we thank you very much, and I've got one more personal question for you. Are you trying to mimic those swan planters in front of that house right behind you?
Yes, those right there...
Please, Mr. Gander! There's really no need to honk!
Sorry I ruffled your feathers there, pal. Just askin', but I tell you what. Why don't I leave you with this pansy patch as a peace offering...
And you can have the best of all worlds!
That's it for my Outdoor Wednesday offering. Thank you so much for dropping by to visit, and I look forward to visiting with you as well. Please join me for a walk through Bloglandia as we visit my friend Susan and the other Outdoor Wednesday participants by clicking here on A Southern Daydreamer. You'll be glad you did. I know I always am! :-)
Happy Outdoor Wednesday!
Warmly,
Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)
70 comments:
Good Evening my dear friend
Hope all is well.
I want a Mr. Gander... does he really hang around your house? He looks a bit mad. I told R.J. that I would like a little duck for Easter. I've never had a little duckling and with the river right in my yard I think it might work out. What do you think? Any suggestions on this one? I should be asking about your pansies but Mr. Gander took over my brain tonight.
Happy OW ( not one sign of spring here ; (
Love to you
Claudie
xoxo
Hello dear Sheila! I just love yur outdoor Wednesday post. I've always loved pansies. They just make me smile! Such a beautiful collection of them here. Blessings on the rest of your week!
Happy Outdoor Wednesday Sheila!
Oh my! Love the pansies, petunias, azaleas....so many different shades of the colors of spring....
and Mr Gander... honked and ran me off! (oh dear)....just as well, I have other posts to visit!
Thanks for sharing your photos, my friend!
Susan
Sheila this is a fabulous Outdoor Wednesday post! Each and every photo is beautiful!
Oh Sheila you never cease to amaze me in how adorable you are ♥ That was so much fun! My hubby laughs at me because I make up stories for everything! My fish have great conversations with each other :-D I enjoyed this post sooooo much! *big hugs*
I again enjoyed your story along with the beautiful flowers. I doubt I will see pansies the same again:) I will be looking the referees and the love birds whispering, oh, I meant to say butterflies.
I adore your imagination!
The azaleas are my favorites along with their cousins...because we can't grow them here.
Does Mr Gander hang out in your neighborhood or just where you were driving by? My, his Honk could startle anyone!
I hope you enjoy your Wednesday and can get some rest. You seem to have been running very fast lately:-) I too hope all is well. I missed you today.:)
Hugs, Beth
Sheila, those flowers are gorgeous! I can't believe y'all have the blooming like that already! You must be loving it. :)
Thanks for sharing all of that pretty flowery goodness. love & hugs to you!
Beautiful pansies! Love the other flowers too...Christie
Hello Sheila!Such beautiful pictures!and the pansies are pretty too.Between the purple and yellow though i think i'll go for ....yellow.B'coz thats my favourite colour,Bright and cheerful :D
I adored your OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY post of yellow and purple pansies. So many gorgeous faces!
Joyce
What a fun post Sheila! I've always thought that pansies looked like pretty little girls in easter bonnets. Never thought of them playing football lol. Beautiful photos, thanks for this morning brightener! Kathy
What a beautiful and creative post, Sheila. I loved your "stories" behind the pictures, especially the "pansy football game."
Your imagination and way with words never cease to amaze and inspire me.
Hope your Wednesday is filled with sunshine and flowers!
Sincerely,
Janie
I'm all smiles while reading this post. I enjoyed very much the stories you made with the pictures.
My favorite? The one where someone is proposing to her girlfriend :-)Aaawww and he even brought his family with him.
The flowers are beautiful - they truly brighten --- can brighten one's day. The story on the other hand is funny and cute!
Sheila~
All those colors are stunning! I have some pansies and violas (?) in my garden that are hanging in there, in spite of a few cold snaps we've had. Any glimpse of springtime I can get is a really GOOD THING for my soul! I am so ready for it to return!
Steer clear of Mr. Gander...I think he means business!!!
What pretty flowers...I love the purple ones, too!
~Sandy toe
Your cute commentary and pretty pansies, made for a delightful morning wake up. Thanks, Mrs. Magpie.
Morning girl...beautiful post and I loved Mr. Gander!!!!! Girl those azaleas just make me drool...they are one of my all time favorites...whenever they are n bloom down here and were are out riding around I just have to stop the car and sit at the curb and stare!!! Ohhhhh Glory they just call me! lol I can't wait for something....anything to bloom around here...take care sweetie and have a great Wednesday!
Love the flowers; great choice! Those pansies are so beautiful...
Carolyn of What Now? Tablescapes
http://whatnowtablescapes.blogspot.com
Oh...that lucky Mr. Gander! Enjoying that beautiful sunshine! I can hardly wait for SPRING to arrive here in the midwest..thank you Ms. Magpie for a peek at the pansies...yeah...spring is near!
sheila,
this is my favorite post yet! i adore pansies...all their smiling little faces....and i love how you brought them to life for us.
i wish i could show something--anything---for outdoor wednesday! all you would see is a bunch a dried ornamental grasses and PILES of leaves i need to rake.
my christmas rose hellebores should be blooming soon!!! i'll be so excited.
have a wonderful day.
xoxo
chasity
Hi Miss Sheila! I love this post! Your pansies are so pretty! You are making me want to plant some now! I didn't even bother with our drought. :-( The football teams complete w/ refs are my favs...you are so clever! Love Mr. Gander! Hope you are having a great week!...hugs...Debbie
PS...Our friend showed up!! Yaaaay!
Hello Shelia,
I am sooooo jealous!!!!! lol pansies are one of my favorite plants, of course I love all plants.That Mr. Gander is so cute. I always enjoy visiting with you.
Have a very blessed day.
Sue
Hi Sheila...even if you didn't have beautiful photos, your post would be the BEST! Lady, you can tell a story!...I love visiting your blog & seeing what makes the Magpie tick... ;-) Bo
Ahh, so much beauty! Thank you for sharing it. I have to admit, Mr. Gander is my favorite (no small thing when he's competing with so many lovely flowers!)
Such beautiful flower photos...I love to see them! We still have cold weather and nothing is blooming yet! Makes me want to come down to Florida and see you:-)
Sweetest of Days!!!
And what a delight to behold...Pansies (a special little flower to be sure)...penser, to think to ponder... thoughtful... memorable...
I feel so drawn to them...and add to the mix that game of sport...and yes this Muse could settle in most comfortably...for I know that Mr Gander has it ALL under control! :)
Sure do love your adventures with a pen (ok, keyboard) LOL
Good morning Sheila
I love pansies! They always look like happy little people to me.
Looking at all your flowers is like a preview of spring and summer...both still a long way off here in NY.
Have a happy day!
Oooh what a lovely post. Such beauty. Thank you Janis
I LOVE all those beautiful flowers....I am ready for some of them here!
What a fun post! I think the red one is the ref! Yes, I've noticed that pansies have faces and they smile!
Love the post. I think pansies are so happy. I had a small party with some on my front porch this weekend and lucky me they stayed. Thanks for sharing, Maryrose
Well, I think "George" looks like a girl. LOL And sweet-faced pansies lend themselves to stories and tall tales. Great post!
The white with the purple faces are definitely my favorite, and I do agree that their faces look like butterflies.
I can hardly wait until we have blooms here. Spring is just around the corner.
Mr. Gander reminds me of a goose that chased me when I was a little girl. Mean ole goose. ;-)
What colorful flowers Sheila - I love the blue/purplish ones. And lol @ Mr. Gander!
MUSE! Can you see me doing a happy dance here????? Yipppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Excuse me to everyone else, but I have had search and rescue out looking for The Muse, and she's back after a month's leave of absence!
Now, to all of the rest of you... it's lovely to see you as well! Thanks for all the sweet comments. Glad you like the flowers and the stories. I risked life and limb when that goose turned on me. But I told him "no," and he obeyed, which is kind of rare for a goose. They can attack. I know, they've stapled themselves to my fleeing backside before! LOL!
Oh, I'm a happy camper today!
XO,
Sheila :-)
All the flowers were so pretty! I need to get out in my yard and start planting!
-Kim
Stopping by from gina's blog. So glad I did. I needed flowers after the two feet of snow we received this weekend.
Hi Sheila, your flower photos are gorgeous. I am longing for our flowers to get started here but it is still too cold. So often we get a bit of warm weather and blast! Cold weather kills the new blooms. It is especially hard on the fruit trees. I love your flowery post today. It makes me hppy.
Love and hugs to you sheila.
Jeanne
What beautiful flowers and a fun day outside. Mr. Gander is so cute.
Happy Day!
Hugs,
Donna
They're so pretty Sheila!
I didn't get any pansies planted this year, and I'm still waiting for my daffodils to bloom.
Thank you for sharing with us.
Lisa
I love all those flowers, but the blue pansies and yellow violas are "magnifique! Oh là là Linda
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog. I enjoyed your photos! Happy WW to you too!
Sheila, you just kill me with your commentaries! I love love the yellow viola's. WOW!
I always love your comments on mine!
JudyBug
LOL What a fun post :>) Thank you for giving me a smile today. The flowers are just lovely. I just can't wait for spring to see all of the pretty flowers again. I think Mr. Gander was a hoot. Priceless photos. I hope you have a great day!
What pretty flowers especially the pansies. They are great for cold weather. The cold did a number on our bouganvilla too. It will be back soon with a vengeance though.
I love love love pansies and have ever since I was little. They always look so happy!! And of course it is Azalea time in Florida!! So beautiful and such a fun whimsical post, Sheila!!
You really have a knack for this type of post...and I adore reading them!!
Thanks again for adding joy to my day!!
Blessings,
Becky
Love the birght colored flowers! Thanks for sharing...gives me hope for spring!Paula from Idaho
Such beautiful flowers. I grew up living at a lake and we had a duck like Mr. Gander who we named Filbert. We later had to change that to Filberta!
I'm so glad you hopped out of you car to take these photos. Each and every one is beautiful. Pansies are just so cheerful.
Kathy b
Sheila,
Your wonderful comment brought tears to my eyes and chills.
Thank goodness for the kindness of your G~~grandfather.
I too LOVE doing geneology and finding my roots. Family history is such a love. I have come to know some of my ancestors as if we were in the same room. I love doing research about them. John Howland was an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower. He was also Mr. B's ancestor!!!
A G~~~Grandfather had a huge plantation in the south in South Carolina.. There are many stories of his kindnesses to his slaves... You are right we could go on and on.
Our sons are going to VCU where the Confederate White House stands. One evening Kevin took us over the river to a island and we walked though the grounds where they kept the union prisoners during the war in horrid conditions. I wept for my countrymen.
The history of standing on those battlefields are so sobering and humbling to me.
The beauty of Harpers Ferry is seriously some of the most spectacular and gorgeous scenes I have ever witnessed. It was fun to stand where you could see three states:)
The town has a very special feeling to just wander around the town. I do hope you have the opportunity to visit some day.
Much love to you dear Sheila!
Good Evening! I'm so glad all of you dropped by to visit! Thanks for all of your sweet comments. I also enjoyed visiting you!
XO,
Sheila :-)
P.S. Beth, thanks so much. I know what you mean about wanting to weep. Mr. Magpie and I each had relatives who were in northern prisons in equally squalid conditions. Mine walked home on foot, and Mr. Magpie's didn't live much longer after the war. It wrecked his health. Many of the southern boys were barefoot and starving from lack of rations and had contracted dysentery before they ever even got to prison, and prison life just made their conditions all the worse. Many of the health practices back then were wretched at best, and they were short on supplies in many prisons (north and south).
My northern relative who was a doctor during the war had to delouse the troops when he got there. They had called for him to come south, and when he arrived, the Union troops were itching to pieces. This was all recorded in his war journals. He was commended for the cleanliness of his hospital tents and was promoted accordingly. He gave high marks to the boys from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia in terms of manners, and he flunked one of the other states which shall remain nameless. LOL! ;-)
I missed OW this week but I already know what I will blog about next week.
Sheila,
This was just the best, I love it. The close up of the purple pansy looks more like a painting than a picture. Wow, your neighborhood must be in full bloom right now~how nice!
Love poor Mr. Gander. Do you know swans detest geese? They will flap and squawk and scare the geese to pieces! I never thought I'd feel sorry for a goose but you have to see a huge swan when he's mad! Maybe that is why Mr. Gander isn't closer to the porch...
xoxo
Jane
Hi Dear One! Oh, how I love all these flowers and I have to admit, Mr. Gander takes the cake.
Hope you're week is going well.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
Sheila, I love the pansies. And the petunias. Mr. Gander is too cute. This post brightened my day. You are so sweet.
Hugs, Terrie
Dear Sweetness, I'm back! Oh, you're making me cry with your kindness to me, Sheila! I appreciate you so much and all you mean to me! Yes, we're sisters in every way!
Now, as I'm wiping my tiny tears, you're entered in my giveaway!
You are a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
Hi Sheila,
I'm rooting for the yellow team... let's see now, it's been a few years... "Push 'em back, shove 'em back, waaaaay BACK". Come to think of it, pansies probably wouldn't be very good at football. Maybe the drama club?
Cute post!
I loved the walk through the garden. I loved your pansy's I think because they remind me of my precious dad!! Loved your Blog ...
Oh, what a gorgeous, gorgeous post. Pansies are my absolute favorite flower in Spring, next to the Daffodils. I love how hardy they are, and the colors are beautiful. Mr. Gander is the cutest.
Karen
Hi Sheila, I know you must be really busy with the wedding. I just wanted to tell you I read your most interesting person on Beverly's post from yesterday. I think it is amazing that you were able to meet and chat with Princess Diana's brother. I have admired him since he gave Diana's funeral memorial. It was so beautiful and fitting for his amazing sister. I would have like to be in your shoes that day.
Don't tire yourself Sheila. You put your ALL into everything you do. I love that about you.
Love and hugs...Jeanne
LOVE your goose! Pansies are the most adorable, happy flowers! They sooooo remind me of my grandmother! Thanks for sharing lovely photos!
ENJOY!
Fifi
Balm for my soul! Those flowers are LOVELY, and I've very much enjoyed catching up with your blog after my little break! It always makes me smile...
Jen :)
Ah, pansies are the sweetest bloom.
What another fun post!!!! You are just a kick and must be just as wonderful in "real" life! Here in Colorado evverything is dry and brown, so I was amazed when I saw green grass in your post! The flowers and grass look so inviting!!!! Enjoy this beautiful time of year! BTW, do you make sweet tea? If so, could you share the recipe?!? One day I want to visit the south and drink real sweet tea, for real!!!! :-)
I definitely want to plant pansies this year! Your post and lovely photos are making me long for warmer weather and the happy faces on those fabulous little flowers! :-)
I was just coming to tell you that the Muse is home and I see you found her.
She was the mystery guess...now I had NO idea.
Hope your having a great weekend...
Love Claudie
xoxoxo
Wheila, You have such a wonderful imagination and your photos are sublime! I loved it all! ♥ Diane
Thank all of you so much! I have read and appreciate your sweet comments SO much! Sending much love your way...
XO,
Sheila :-)
Have you heard of the new breed of Violas coming out this year called the Velocity series? Should be really lovely in the garden :)
No, I haven't Tamara, but I appreciate the heads up! Thanks so much!
XO,
Sheila :-)
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