Floral Fire Hydrants and Anniversary Surprises

Kind of a funny post title, don't you think? :) I just wanted to share a few pictures with y'all today. First up, a few of you know my hubby is a fire fighter. He was able to acquire an old fire hydrant over 10 years ago. His plan was to display it in the backyard. Well, he knew I wouldn't be too keen on having it in my garden, so he spruced it up a bit. :) It's been in our backyard for years, but I don't think I've ever shared it on the blog, although some of you may have noticed it in my backyard pics.  

Here's what he did:

Isn't that sweet? He painted some of my favorite kinds of flowers all over it! I love it! I'm not sure what kind of paint he used, but it's lasted a long time out in the elements. 

I've moved it around a few times, but it's been in this spot for quite some time now. It's extremely heavy, so it's not easy to move.

Love the sunflowers...

And the daisies...

I think those on the right are pink carnations...one of my favorites!

I think it makes the backyard a little more interesting. :)

While I was outside, I snapped a few pics of the garden. Way back in the corner is my butterfly bush. We pruned it down to about knee height in early March. 

Below you can see my St. Joseph's amaryllis about to bloom.

Here's a closer look. See the three blooms just waiting to burst open? 

I ended up moving my shamrock plant outside. It didn't seem to like being indoors. I put it in this corner where it gets mostly morning sun. I just don't think it was getting enough light inside the house with our solar screens. 

It really seems to like it outside. I transferred it to a bigger pot, which probably helped. (that pot is just temporary though...I want to get something a little nicer soon) Since I took this pic, it's started getting pretty little blooms on it too. :) 

So, my hubby and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary recently. Usually we don't spend a lot of money on anniversaries, but the kids and I wanted to get my hubby a new riding lawn mower. :) And by the way, I told my hubby this was his anniversary present AND his Father's Day present, AND his birthday present. Lol!

He loves it! We had an old Murray one, but the deck kept rusting out and we kept having to replace it. This last time it rusted out, we decided it was time for a newer, better model. The deck couldn't take our heat and humidity, I guess. The John Deere deck is a lot thicker than the Murray one, so hopefully it'll last a lot longer.

The boys love having it to mow the yard with. Sure makes it a lot easier and they can mow the front and back in no time. :)

They tried it out this weekend and were very pleased with it. In the pic below, you can see the old Murray one in the background. I think it only lasted about 12 years and during that time we had to replace the deck. Twice. Ouch.

One more thing...while we were outside this weekend, I noticed a few mosquitoes flying around. They seem to be coming around a little early this year. Anyway, this is what we've always used as a mosquito repellent...

The brand is All Terrain and it's called "Herbal Armor." It's DEET free, which makes me feel better about using it. And here's the thing...it really works!! My hubby is pretty skeptical about these things, and even he had to admit that it keeps the insects at bay. I buy it at a local health food store, but I've seen it on Amazon too.

Anyway, that's just my two cents worth today. Hope y'all have a wonderful day!

~Lisa