Pansy in the Snow

Springtime in the Rockies

We here, in Wyoming, at just 8 feet shy of 7,000 feet elevation above sea level, are accustomed to spring snowstorms. Boy did we get a whopper Monday & Tuesday (April 25-26). Over a foot of heavy water-logged snow. One of the best spring snows I've ever seen.

"Pansies are not difficult to grow. Good soil, steady moisture, and at least partial sun will provide the results you're looking for. What they don't tolerate is heat and humidity, which is why they thrive in spring and fall."
BHG: How to grow Pansies

A few weeks ago, even though I know better, I planted a flat of happy pansies to feed my soul and get a head start on the blooming season. Well take a look at this gorgeous maroon blossom (MAMMOTH Rocky Rose) braving the cold heavy snow yesterday morning.

Now, why do we use the word "PANSY" to suggest someone is weak or frail? Looks to me like these little flowers with their sheer grit and stubborn determination in the face of calamity are the bad-ass of the poesy patch. What do you think? No shirking violets are my pansies!

Learn more about pansies from Burpee, the well known purveyor of quality seeds and plants:

All About Pansies
"Especially when purchased as bedding plants, pansies are very easy to grow and require only a minimum of care to provide a very long flowering season. Available in a wide variety of individual colors and mixes, pansies can also be started from seed either indoors or directly in the garden."

Today Inspired: It's time to bloom

Spring is here: It is time to bloom.

St. Patrick's Day and Feelin' Groovy

Hello friends of Crafting with KeepHer and Kaye! Welcome back to our humble blog. At last our schedule has some time for us to again share with you our homey doings by way of this blog. St. Patrick's Day --a day of good luck, good cheer, and unbridled optimism-- seems the perfect time to say hello! In truth we are not zealous St. Patty's Day merrymakers with costumes, parades, green beer, and pinching. But we do consider this holiday a turning point from winter to spring. (It is snowing here today, so that unbridled optimism is essential fuel for our spring time musings!) 

In a low-key nod to the holiday KeepHer and I decorated the kitchen hutch with assorted St. Patrick's Day symbols and costumed Groovy the Sock Monkey in a green top hat and and a fringed scarf. You might remember Groovy from this post in 2014: Groovy the Sock Monkey. Today his good luck is apparent as he sits about piles of coin undoubtedly gathered at the end of the rainbow. Below is a collage of the kitchen hutch all decked out in green. I used the Silhouette Cameo to create the paper decorations including the paper pieced penguin leprechauns and lucky frogs. In our snow blanketed world the green is a wonderful respite and gives hopes that spring will indeed awaken soon.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!