Tag Archives: Landscaping

Saturday’s Critters – 17 January 2026

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I was in the backyard playing fetch with one of our dogs and I saw on our property fence a dog sweater moving along the top of the pickets. I was like uh! I saw then it was a squirrel running with a small dog’s sweater. I ran in the house to get my wife and she come running out and the squirrel had already jumped onto a tree and was trying mightily to get it up to a nest close to the top of the tree. By the time I got my good camera out it looked the sweater was stuck good on the various twigs on the tree.

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I left for a minute and came back out and the squirrel had the sweater unstuck and was stuffing it into the nest. I guess her babies are going to be nice and warm this winter. I have no idea where she go the sweater. Some years they attack our lawn furniture cushioning for nesting material.

And here is our queen B, Lizzie resting. Naps exhaust her so she has get up and rest every now and then.

Tulsa’s amazing Gilcrease Museum was shut down and demolished a few years ago and they built a new museum. The structure is complete but they are not going to open until 2027. They had a public input meeting concerning the landscaping around the immediate vicinity of the museum. They hired the same landscaper, Michael Van Valkengburgh Associates, that designed Tulsa’s Gathering Place and the Master Plan for the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness area, and they were giving a presentation for their concept of the gardens at Gilcrease. It’s a treat just listening to these guys talk. They know their stuff and one of the big things they are interested in is getting public input on the concepts. Check their web site at the link above and see some of the projects they have been involved in. (Oops, I diverge).

I got so excited about their plans that I went down into the backwoods are of Gilcrease that has recently reopened to the public to check out some of the sculptures they talked about in the presentation. I had not seen them for years so it was kind of like seeing old friends again.

So the plan is they are taking these sculptures that are scattered in the back woods and bring them up close to the museum so more people can see them. I second that plan. It was a one mile hike to see these and lots of people will not do that, or cannot do that.

I was at the At Home Store and saw these Easter Bunnies for sale. I felt they were a family and couldn’t believe they were breaking the family up for money. I guess that I could have bought them to keep them together forever but I know that wouldn’t go over well at home. So I just took a photo. Photos are still free in most stores. Some stores have signs that say no photos, but that just encourages me.

And then I ran the photo through a filter and posted it on instagram. I post everything on instagram. If you want to join me my tag is @yogiab.

Last week I brought the ebird feeder out from the garage, cleaned it out put it back up again and restocked it with bird food. I’ve had quite a few customers so far. This is a short video.

I also fired up my trailcam in the backyard and got a few stills and videos in this video. It is very short also.

That’s about it. I am linking with Saturday’s Critters.

Our World – Bellingrath Gardens and Home

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The entire property is lush and provides lots of opportunities for photographs. I loved the greenhouse.

Our family recently took a detour on our vacation to visit the Bellingrath Gardens and Home, located on the Fowl River near Mobile, Alabama. The 65-acre property, which was the home of an early Coca-Cola entrepreneur and his wife, is now maintained by a foundation. The property was beautifully landscaped and we were glad we took the time to visit. If you’re looking to keep your own garden clean and tidy, consider hiring a professional landscaping company in Adrian, MI who are well versed in this field.

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I love reflections.

This is one of those places that I have heard about for quite a while and I had high expectations and they were surpassed. The grounds are immaculate and the landscaping design is superb, especially for those of us with a camera. The gardens are just packed with great visuals wherever you go.

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We stayed several hours and still did not see it all. I took over 130 photographs.s

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The place has been maintained well and one can tell from our conversations with the staff and guides that their’s is a labor of love.

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What a great courtyard with a the wrought iron fence on the balconty, big huge windows that open, a little fountain, and archways. And I love the brick.

We paid for a tour of the Bellingrath home and it is exquisite. It was built in the 1920’s and had several features that seemed ahead of its time. They didn’t have electricity at first, but the family anticipating it coming had the house prewired and included features you don’t see today such as automatic lights that come on when you open a closet.

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A shady area with comfortable chairs.

It really looks like a place where one could relax. Lots of quiet shady spots and courtyards.

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I am a sucker for flags and gas lights. REAL gas lights.

And as in the gardens, the house is surrounded by plants.

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The guide showed us where the Bellingrath’s cooks kept the cookies.

The kitchen was superb. They have kept it as it was when it was lived in. Two big ovens and ranges, two big dishwashers, a couple of giant refrigerators. We loved the light airy feeling of the place.

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This was my favorite room. Not the main dining room but another one. Again, big tall windows with great light.

If you want to visit, check out Bellingrath’s web site. Lots of great info on planning and what to see. Being a garden, they always have something going on.

I am linking with Our World Tuesday