FOTD, August 26, George

Cee’s Flower of the Day gives us smiles in abundance as we share the fun that we see. Today I am sharing yet again, a sunflower…but not in my yard. If you remember I hoped to plant a sunflower circular garden at the church but due to the early heat and drought of the summer, the rabbits and squirrels were especially hungry so the majority of the seeds either did not grow or were eaten. But all is not lost…for there is George.

George is the only multi-bloomed sunflower. Matter of fact, there seems to be new blooms every day on this one single stalk. George told me today when I was taking his picture (yes, I talk to my flowers) that he was going to make up for me not getting to have my circle of flowers. So, he is taking it upon himself to make up for no flower circle by producing as many flowers as he possible can. Current count is over 50. Fifty buds on a single stalk is a lot! Each limb has at least one flower plus a bud but some have 3 and 4 extra buds.

The bees love these flowers…

Here is George’s closeup 😊…

As you enjoy the flowers around you, remember they are trying their best to make you smile. Also, remember that smiles are a great way to show kindness, so smile often and be kind as much as you can.

Weekend Sky #113, 8/26

Hammad Rais gives us the opportunity to share the lovely skies we see with the blogging world with his Weekend Sky challenge. Today I am sharing photos from early this morning that people in this area took and sent to the local TV station, KCCI, journalist Eric Hanson. I have never seen this phenomenon before and wanted to share these with you. These are Gravity Wave clouds. The rest of the pictures are even more amazing, I just wanted you to see this one to show how close to the ground they are without getting to the ground. Click on Eric’s name to go to his FB page for other pictures.

I will try to explain this the best my poor understanding can. In the Midwest, we have been experiencing extreme heat and high humidity, typical for the South where I came from but not for here. And on top of that, you have the heat coming off of the corn that is ready to harvest, raising heat pressure against the cloud not allowing it to come down to the ground like fog. This long cloud rolls horizontally as it moves through the atmosphere in front of the front. At least the front will cool us off.

Early morning shots taken by Ashley Thompson

This picture was taken from on top of a wind turbine by Blake, a contractor for Vestas. I think we all know how tall those turbines are so it gives you some height reference. Below is a shot taken by Corey Lehman of this same bank from ground level. Kind of scary in my book. It remind me of the dust storm cloud pictures I have seen that cover the land in find dust.

Weather’s power and beauty keep us all looking toward the sky wondering what is next. As we study the beauty of the skies around us, remember to share that beauty in kindness. Kindness has a beauty that surpasses anything we may see in the sky.

Christian Perspective

We who are of the Christian faith have a strong sense of belief that God does indeed love each of us. Our part of the relationship is…to believe it. And with that belief, there is assurance of His love. He never leaves us, never stops caring for us…we are the ones who do that. We are the ones who walk away from His unfathomable love.

Recently I have been faced with the horrors of losing yet another sibling to a dreaded disease – ALS. While my oldest sister was a believer in God, I don’t believe my brother is and it is profoundly heartbreaking. I am praying that deep down in his heart, he remembers God’s love for him.

I am in the process of writing another book of encouragement and this morning after reading my devotions, this story came to me so I am sharing it with you. If you are a believer then you will understand her peace. If you are not a believer, then I challenge you to prove me wrong. For in both scenarios, we could all win.

Renewal

She stared deeply in the mirror at her withering body, her earthly tent. She glanced around her room and turned to walk slowly through her house. It was simple and comfortable, not expansive like some of her friends. She smiled as she walked over to her plants. Their bodies were rich and full, some had buds ready for fragrant blooms.

Fragrant, thought Sarah. Yes, that is what we are told it will be like. Heaven is fragrant. Maybe from the many flowers that are there. It’s a beautiful place filled with love…because He is there.

Sarah’s attention was broken as sweet Daisy wrapped her velvety tail around her frail leg.

“Oh, Daisy,” she said as she picked up her orange tabby cat, “It will be a beautiful place of no more pain, no more disease, and no more fear. Only love.”

“Only love,” she whispered setting Daisy back on the floor. Sarah walked over and sat in her favorite chair. She picked up her bible and turned to 2 Corinthians 5. She read…

For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down, when we die, and leave these bodies, we will have wonderful new bodies in heaven, homes that will be ours forevermore, made for us by God himself, and not by human hands.

Sarah closed her eyes in quiet prayer. “Thank you, Lord, for the promise of blessed renewal. By G.A. Neal

I hope this reminds you of God’s gracious love for each of us and that even when we can’t see Him, or can’t feel Him, He is still there. Breathe in the peace He offers and remember to be kind to those who may not know kindness.

Weekend Sky #112

The weather here in Iowa is exceptionally hot. This week is to be a real scorcher right as school starts. Some schools are only doing half days – 101 is just too hot with crazy high humidity. But the temps Saturday night were not too hot and the sky was amazingly clear with a bright sliver of a moon reflecting off the Mississippi River. I could not get that picture as they frown upon you stopping on the bridge. However, I did get the “main” shot…

The moon was so bright you could actually see the outer edge of the entire moon. When I got to the other side of the river, and more in suburbia, it was still just as beautiful.

It’s no wonder dogs bay at the moon for it has many beautiful phases. Beauty is always in the eyes of the individual so I remind you to be beautiful by being kind. Being kind has a timeless beauty and proves the power to make things better.

Be beautifully kind!

And Then it Was Winter

I did not write this, don’t know who did, but its thoughts needed to be shared. I did add the photos. Some are mine and some are googles.

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, that was eons ago and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But here it is…the winter of my life catching me by surprise. How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years thinking those years were far ahead of me…that my winter was far off. But here it is. My friends are retiring, getting grey and moving slower that before. Some are in better health conditions than me, some are worse. I see the great change in them, their winter. Not like their earlier vibrant selves…but like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now the older folks we thought we would never be.

Each day now, I find that getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is no longer a treat but mandatory like when I was a small child. If I don’t do it of my own free will, then I will just fall asleep where I sit.

So, now I enter this season of my life unprepared for all the aches, pains and loss of strength. I no longer have the ability to go and do the things I wish I had done…but never did! But alas, though my winter has come, and I am not sure how long it will last…one thing is certain. When my life is over on this earth, it’s not over…for my Lord and Savior is waiting for me with open arms. A new adventure will begin! Yes I have regrets. I have things I wished I had done, things I wish I had done better, and happy for the things I did get to do, people I got to love, beauties I got to see. It’s all in a lifetime.

So, if you are not yet in your winter season yet, let me remind you…it will get here quicker than you think. So, whatever you would like to do in this life, do it quickly. Don’t put it off too long! We are only promised today, so do what you can today. Say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember and hope they appreciate and love you for all the thing you have done for them.

Life is a gift and the way you live your life is a gift for those after you, so make it fantastic.

And I remind you, regardless of whether your winter is close or far off, to live this gift of life with kindness. It gives you more wonderful memories to reflect back on.

Do You Not See??

This is the look I get every day, several times a day, especially when it concerns the mailman. It starts with an ear piercing, multiple word dog bark…

This is proof of dogs teaching other dogs good or bad lessons on how to behave. Mimi, who passed away about two years ago, evidently taught Daisy that the mailman is bad…very bad.

Before I had the yard fenced in, Mimi was on a steel cable that was fastened to a concrete block that was buried in concrete in the yard. This particular mailman’s temperament was poor on a good day and he would taunt Mimi if she was outside knowing she couldn’t get to him. I have always said how you treat animals is a true testament to your character.

One day this mailman was running late and I thought he had already been by so, I let Mimi out. Oops, I didn’t see him and he was coming up the sidewalk and Mimi went after him. Fortunately for him, he was still further out than the chain would reach but he didn’t realize that. He turned so fast he tripped over his own feet tearing up both elbows as he fell face first to the sidewalk. I checked on him and saw he was okay – just bad scrapes. He had nasty things to say to me in his thick foreign accent and I told him I was sorry. He threw my mail in the yard and I chuckled as I picked it up. Karma will get you.

Later that afternoon his boss called me to get my side and I explain to him that he is the only person I had seen Mimi get upset with. I also told him I had photo evidence if he needed copies of the way this particular gentleman was treating my dog. Dogs remember! Shortly after that, I had the yard fenced in and put the mailbox out beyond the fence.

Daisy has never had a chance to get near this mailman but acts the same way as Mimi did – she evidently was trained well by Mimi. LOL.

So, I just wait for her to quit barking before letting her out. Then whoever may be out there is gone. But still, I get this 5 minute growl complaining to me – “Do you not see what I see?”

You can see that I put a cover over the stool to protect the stool and the window. The stool keeps her off of the table. She still can reach the window sill some so I guess it’s time for a repaint.

The learned message from Mimi is – animals remember. So be kind to all kinds and maybe one day they will be kind to you.

FOTD, August 11, Garden Circle

At the beginning of this summer, my church tried to plant a sunflower circle but the elements and the pests(rabbits and squirrels) were in disagreement with that happening. We were hopeful for one plant trying to make it but an early storm broke him off at the base. So I bought marigolds, daisies, and other plants to at least fill in some of the outer ring of the circle with hopes for next year. Thanks to Cee’s fun challenge, we are able to share these beauties.

We did have two sunflowers make it to ‘maturity’, but the drought stunted their growth to about five feet in height but at least they are blooming. YAY!!

They are such an interesting color, kind of burnt orangey red. The rest of the flowers in the circle are low and trying to survive from the crazy crabgrass invasion. This fall we will do a better job of laying grass and weed stopping cloth and a new layer of mulch. Enjoy some of the rest of our flowers in our circle of hope as they show their beauty to all who walk by.

A six-petaled yellow daisy. I so love the daisies and mum type flowers because they have many tiny flowers as the center.

I also love the many variations of marigolds. We put the bright yellow ones around this circle to help with insect control and to bring in brightness like the sun.

And last but by no means least, the orange and pink lantana, always a favorite. I think they are supposed to be yellow and pink but they have a definite orange hue to that yellow.

It is still just August, so plenty of time to share your flowers. Share them often to help all of us smile. A smile is the least expensive way to share kindness and joy, so smile often and always be kind.

A (silly) Sad Day

There are many things we eat in our childhood that become favorites. They remind us of fun times, favorite gatherings, and foods we prefer because that is what we are used to.

In May of 2012, I moved from the heat of the deep south to the Quad Cities of Iowa/Illinois. When we got here (I remind you it was early May) we had to dig out light sweaters for the evenings. Now that we are acclimated here, we are still in short sleeves in the 60s. It’s funny how we change. I would probably pass out in the heat of the south – oh wait, we are having that heat here in the Midwest this summer. 🥵

But the thing I miss the most is the food I grew up on. Even the taste of food when eating out (at some of the same chains) doesn’t taste the same. One of the things I get teased about here (beside my southern accent) is my preference in bread. I don’t want wheat bread, whole grain bread, or other fancy breads (although rye is pretty good with ham). I want plain white bread, but not just any white bread – but batter whipped Sunbeam bread.

The batter whipped process creates a soft smooth slice of yumminess.

When I was young, we had a Flowers’ Bakery in our town (which makes Sunbeam bread), and when you drove by there the smell would just make you want to stop the car and sniff the sir. The plant closed while I was in college but the plant in Thomasville, Ga. is still going strong.

In June when I went down to Atlanta to see my brother, I brought back four loaves of bread and put them in the freezer. I was not disappointed by the smell, taste, and texture of my memory. Sadly, yesterday, I pulled out the last loaf. 🥺

I tried looking everywhere here for this iconic bread and no stores here carry this brand. They used to, as several I have talked with remember it but now it is among the missing.

So that will be a staple for every trip south to buy this bread. I thought of buying it online but can they really guarantee its freshness and keep it from getting squashed? Do you have favorites that you remember from childhood that you can no longer find? I know for some it is certain candies.

Oh, well. I will savor this last loaf because fresh tomatoes out of the garden that are made into a sandwich using this bread…absolute heaven.

Smile and laugh with me and always remember to share the kindness bug. There are so many ways to be kind to all kinds and we need to do it often.

Always be kind!

Nature Photo Challenge #23

Denzil Nature posted a challenge about the important side of nature concerning the things we call pests – Flies. If you have not seen his site, do check it out for some amazing photos. For my addition to this post, I am including flies and other things that buzz in my yard – some louder than others.

I do have in my yard a similar fly, possibly a bottle fly, that I was surprised that they hovered around my flowers…instead of something less pleasant.

But I also have other things that fly, maybe hoping to catch a less cautious bottle fly.

Then there are many swirling bees enjoying the nectar of my sunflowers. proof that bees don’t care if the petals are bright yellow, light yellow or no petals at all.

But my favorite flyer is not an insect, although he is not much bigger than some insects. And I don’t really have the equipment to capture him properly in photos, but still, he is a favorite – the hummingbird.

All of nature is important and has a purpose in being, so enjoy it often. And as always I remind you of another beauty in nature – kindness. For if all of us can show kindness to all of nature, kindness will continue to grow.

FOTD, August 5, Hopeful

Cee’s Flower of the Day allows you to pick most anything that grows, so today I give you hopeful.

This beautiful flower came up by accident because I forgot about it but my dog dumped the pot upside down allowing the bulb to grow by itself.

I was sad when I saw that all the flowers were gone and that no seed pods came in their place like daylilies do. I had hoped it would expand and I was willing to let it continue to spread. But upon closer inspection yesterday, I saw the buds were there, they were just now forming.

So I am excited for next spring to see how they will do. I will modify the bed giving them more ease of expansion. Nature is a magnificent force of survival that not only takes care of vegetation but also man and animals.

So enjoy all parts of nature and remember to treat it with kindness. Kindness has a beauty and power that we all need to share to help all of us enjoy natures bounty.