Karyn Johnson

Words in Bloom: A blog about life, change, and finding the joy in every day

Category: Uncategorized

  • My passion for gardening extends to houseplants. Before we moved into this house, the previous homeowners asked if they could leave their split-leaf (tree) philodendron behind. It apparently went crazy in the corner of the Florida room, so they didn’t want to relocate it. But once we got the keys to the house, I understood…

  • I’ve been a freelance writer and editor off and on since 2005. It happened by accident. We were living in Germany at the time, and I had a travel blog to keep friends and family updated on our adventures around Europe. Because of that travel blog, I was approached to write some travel guides for…

  • Six years ago, just before we moved into our last house, I spotted this outdoor cooler while we were out shopping. I thought it would look great on our patio, so I talked my husband into buying it. We bought it, and he assembled it and stained it. We used it once or twice. It…

  • I love experiencing our first spring here. The yard seems to always be muddy and the weeds are out of control, but I love witnessing the changes in our woods, our pond, our trees … Living here is hard work, but I have no regrets. It’s rewarding, tremendously peaceful, and quiet. Right now, I’m focusing…

  • In January, we spent $17K on this. And here we are, in late April, and it sits in the garage because we’ve had SO MUCH RAIN and the ground is way too soggy to mow. (Also, a lot of rain tends to make the grass grow very tall.) OK. So it didn’t sit in the…

  • Well, May flowers, yes. But also flooding. The biggest downside to moving here so far is just how much the yard floods. And we’ve had A LOT of rain since we moved here. I have had to be more accepting of mud getting all over everything, especially Blitz. That dog loves to be out in…

  • ** Disclaimer: If you are looking for craft instructions, keep searching. I am not an expert! ** When we moved into this house, I noticed the previous owners left a lot of mason jars of various sizes in the basement. I didn’t think a lot of it until I noticed that a few of them…

  • There is something new to see almost every time I walk around the yard, especially now that Mother Nature is waking up from her winter slumber. I took Blitz out for a walk around the yard during my lunch break. I was shocked and delighted when we got to the pond. Blitz wasn’t paying attention.…

  • Life has been a whirlwind these past few months. In a good way. Yesterday, I bought the first new car I’ve ever financed on my own. (I’ve financed cars on my own before, but they were always used.) Actually, it’s an SUV — a 2022 Hyundai Tucson SEL. The need for an SUV became apparent…

  • Well, it’s more of a tip-toe, really. But the days have been warming up, and I can definitely see the shift in the seasons. The fun part has now begun where I get to see what pops up in the garden beds. Yesterday, I also noticed hyacinths starting to emerge from the dirt. Two of…