Tales of the Traveling Tote Edition # 38

Rabbit, RabbitWelcome to March and a new edition of Tales of the Traveling Tote.Thank you, friends, for all the good wishes after my recent surgery.It feels good to be out and about once again.Miss Merri Mac and I haven't been traveling, so come alongon a brief outing in the neighborhood to welcome spring. 

Flowering Quince is one of the first shrubs to flower 

here in Austin, typically blooming for the month of February.  

One of the oldest landscape plants, it is drought tolerant, prefers 

full sun, and like this particular one growing in a 

neighbor's garden, it delights year after year.  

The quince shown here is one of three original to 

a historic property in my neighborhood.  

The grandson of the original owners, now living on the property, 

said his mother remembers these plants from when 

she was a child growing up in this home.

Flowering Quince is a perfect flowering branch to 

snip and bring inside to brighten our home.

Spring appears to have arrived overnight here in Austin.One day we are dressed in sweaters sitting by a cozy fire, and the next day it's 90 degrees and the perfect opportunity to entice Miss Merri Mac to head outside and see what's blooming.

Mother Nature brought us a severe freeze in January that left things in a mess, and now she wants to switch to an instant spring with bluebonnets blanketing the roadside in full bloom as seen onerecent morning on our "flower run" trip to Trader Joe's. 

Back in the neighborhood, this tulip garden is bursting forth in full color with tulips and pansies in beautiful spring hues.

Miss Merri Mac spotted one lone 

hyacinths still in bloom.

The gardener does a nice job of planting the tulips in color groupings and mixing in an abundance of pansy plants.

Delicate white blossoms are blooming on 

the branches of plum trees.

The Tulip Magnolia trees are just beginning to bloom, but will soon be covered with lovely tulip shaped pink blooms like this one photographed a previous spring.  

Another sure sign of spring is this Texas Mountain Laurel.Soon ours will be covered with these delicate lavender clusters with an intoxicating fragrance that reminds me of grape soda.

Miss Merri Mac and I spied this one at a nearby shopping center.

Here is a close up of the blooms on the tree above.  See how they cluster and almost "drip" down the tree.

Redbuds are one of our first trees to bloom, with branches covered inmagenta or hot pink pea shaped flowers that cluster along the bark.As with the Flowering Quince, I like to cut a few low hanging branches and bring them indoors to fill a vase.

Another prolific and beautiful spring bloomer is the Loropetalumwith its striking fringe flowers that appear in clusters.

Not all of our sightings were blooming plants and trees.

Thought you might enjoy seeing this unexpected 

and fun scene ~ resident alpacas out grazing!

Meet Chocolate and Milk.

This lovely feathered friend is a Northern Mocking Bird.Mocking birds are the state bird of Texas, and are known fortheir ability to mimic the sounds of other birds.

Needless to say, I miss the company of my own little friend who loved to stop and smell the roses.

Over on UT campus the flower beds along the south mall, are always beautifully planted.  

Miss Merri Mac and I stopped 

to photograph the sculpted beds.

It's difficult to show the beauty of these beds.  

I think this one is meant to be a nod 

to Bevo, the UT mascot. 

Blooming tulips, pansies, and dusty miller

make a beautiful mix to celebrate spring. 

To conclude our outing, we stopped by Starbucks for an 

afternoon Frappuccino, and look who we met!

 The esteemed singer-songwriter, actor, 4 time 

Grammy Winner, and native Texan, 

~ Lyle Lovett ~

kindly posed for a photo with Miss Merri Mac. 

Thank you, Lyle Lovett!

February 29, 2024, our first leap day since 2020, offered

Miss Merri Mac and I an "extra day" to do a little

garden shopping to gather some plants for the spring garden.

Austin has some wonderful locally owned garden centers.

Barton Springs Nursery is one of our favorites because it is so welcoming, offering free coffee or tea while one shops.

Jackson is available to offer suggestions from among the 

many beautiful gift ideas within the charming boutique.

Yesterday, the last day of February, was a bit on the chilly side with Mother Nature offering up gray skies and temps in the 40s. 

Even bundled up, I was icy cold as I shopped the rows of new plants, so this outdoor fire pit was a welcome sight to warm my hands.

Enjoy the adventures of my 

Traveling Tote Friends at the links below.

Don't forget to leave a comment!

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths (Give Away Here)

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul (You are here)

Jackie @ Purple Chocolat Home 

A new edition will post March 1, 2024 Please join the fun.

Love Your Creativity @ Life and Linda  Sundays on Silverado @ House on Silverado 

You're the Star @ Electric Red Barn
Inspire Me Monday @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia     Over the Moon @ Marilyn's Treats 

All About Home @ Common Ground Vintage Charm @ Our Hopeful Home 

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop @ Electric Red Barn
Share Your Style @ French Ethereal  Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner Farmhouse Friday @ Country Road 407

Saturday Sparks @ Pieced Pastimes