June 2026 – For the Love of

Surprisingly, I still have sunflowers. Over the last two weeks, we have had some rough storms with high winds and heavy rain. Because these are accidental plantings and not deep-seed plantings, they don’t have a good soil base. Therefore, wind is not their friend. We have more rain coming in tonight. These flowers are currently propped up with snow markers (those tall sticks that mark curb locations so the snowplows won’t hit them). But these sticks are helping them be steady, sort of.

You cannot really tell, but this sunflower has fallen forward, and is supported by the flower pot on the white base.

This grouping, in the center of the yard, is falling into the flower in the above picture. It is currently being supported with snow sticks and a bird feeder pole. It has the second-most blooms per stalk, at 32.

The sidewalk flower, called that because it blocks my sidewalk, has the most flowers at 65; most are still green, but all this rain is only helping them to create more blooms.

The reason I allow them to grow wherever they are is that they attract Goldfinches, a favorite bird of mine. These birds will start eating these flowers before the seeds fully develop, but they do love the fully developed seed pods as well.

They come to my yard each year, knowing I usually have sunflowers. The house finches with their bright red heads love the feeder, and don’t mess much with the flowers.

The surprising things about sunflowers are their determination. They remind me of mankind that can get knocked down but stands up again, determined to survive, reaching for the heavens and their creator.

Even though this stalk is broken, it can still feed and is creating a bloom bent on the other end, where it is reaching toward the sky, determined to survive.

Sometimes life is hard, and it is our determination that keeps us going. That being said, it is the kindness of others that helps sustain that determination. Always be kind, as you never know what light you may shine for others.

Good morning, all who read, for I am back online. My heart was not in it as I was healing from dual knee replacement surgeries over a 9-month period. Whoever made the statement that growing old is not for sissies made a very true statement. Getting older and losing your ability to move as you did 20 years earlier is just as much a mental battle as a physical one. But we are healing.

I have to get “mostly” agile because my daughter and I are going to Rome in December. Hopefully, I should be in good shape by then.

In the meantime…there are flowers. When I had my first surgery in June of last year, it ended my yard work for the summer. So, I tried to make sure everything was done so I could enjoy my flowers through my windows. I did not take into account the storms we would have. But those storms made for interesting sights this year… sunflowers. I had one big 10-foot flower that got knocked down last year, and he scattered his love everywhere.

There are over a dozen inside the fence and 5 outside the fence. The tallest so far is over 6 feet but still growing. I am letting them grow as it’s less grass to cut, bonus! The first bud is beginning to open.