This Information Clotheslines & Gardening News, Read Now

It is just 11 a.m. and close to 80 degrees out on the patio. Strange weather. 
I went outside, as I do every morning, to check and see what is coming up in my containers.

The sedum autumn joy is coming up. I love the way it looks like little miniature rosettes.

Look at how the mint came out of a crack in the big piece of driftwood and attached itself to a pot.

The mums have been flowering for me both in the spring and fall. Double the joy! You can see mint in there as well.

The white tulips are coming up. When they first emerged a few weeks back, I put more soil over them, encouraging them to go back to sleep for awhile. It is not yet your time, little tulips! But they have other ideas.
This is what happens when I go inside to grab another camera lens...

Anxious dogs looking for mama.
I have something new. Brabantia sent me this clothesline. It's called the WallFix. Israel put it up for me.

You take the cover off and pull it out...

And I dried my laundry outside...

Not terribly photogenic, laundry hanging outside. But it sure dries a lot faster than being draped over furniture inside! My laundry was dry in just an hour or so.
Thanks Brabantia!

I'm so enjoying being able to open the door and get all this wonderful light! So glad I had that threshold fixed. 
For that amount of money, I could probably have bought the patio some sort of a gazebo, or some such thing with a roof overhead so I can sit outside when it rains. Which is something I'm really going to want as the weather inches toward spring and summer.
Many of you remember my gorgeous structures in Texas. I won't ever have anything that fancy again. But I'm hoping I can get something on a different scale to enjoy. 
On the white trunk, you also see a box. That is from GianiGranite. They have sent me a counter top kit. For some reason after I painted my counters white, yellow came up in many areas. Israel said maybe because I didn't use Kilz first. So I'll probably put on Kilz before I try this. This is the color I chose: 

 So I'll be showing you befores and afters of this kitchen project.
In other news...

I've also ordered a periwinkle raised garden, 3 feet by 6 feet (the one above is 3x3), from Gardener's Supply, and I'm anxious to get that down by the gate end of the patio. 
It will serve two purposes: One to plant annuals and plants that won't need deep root structure, as it's not even a foot tall. 
The other purpose is to give the pupsters a more natural way to do their thing instead of jumping into my containers to do it!

I also ordered my favorite water sprayer. I must have dropped the one I have because it is dripping in the wrong places. Next year I'm bringing it inside for the winter instead of putting it under the potting bench.

I have the purple coiled hose to match I bought from Gardener's Supply. Since I am just watering on a patio, I get the one that is 50 feet long.
No affiliate links. I just love their products!
And I'll be well on my way to being ready for spring and summer. I want to thank you all for your kind and supportive comments yesterday!