FOTD- October 6, Marigolds

Cee has a wonderful challenge where we share the beauty of the flowers around us. This spring I was told that if you plant marigolds it will help deter the moles you have. Well, I have never cared much for marigolds for their smell is not pleasant but if that smell gets rid of moles…I am there. Flowers with a purpose…other than being beautiful.

This is my favorite of the four varieties I planted. The leaves are red but outlined with the same yellow as the center.

These are opposite in color with a red center inside petal but yellow petals and center.

These are an orange with a wider spaced petal and some blooms only have 5 petals.

The yellow ones seem to be the most popular. They are slightly larger and have eight petals to the 6 petals on the other varieties. All in all they are quite lovely and all of them stink. But they are effective in reducing the amount of moles. The dog even stinks because she gets in them barking at the cat next door. If your dog eats plants, don t plant these. They can be poisonous to dogs. Maybe that is why the moles don’t like them.

In closing I remind you again of the beauty and power of kindness. It reflects the power and beauty of you as well as making a difference in the world. And it is a gift, given from above.

CMMC October Close Up & Micro

Cee’s fun midweek challenge usually makes you think outside the box but close ups and micros are a favorite. Since I was out taking pictures for today’s FOTD, I was able to capture some close ups.

Every spring I promise myself that I will save all the little tags so that I can properly identify the flowers that I plant. And every fall I cant remember their name. 🤔

So for now I am calling this a red daisy. Its in that family somewhere. But I love the tiny white fuzzy stamen type things on this particular flower.

Here we have a bee enjoying the nectar from a marigold. He was so still I thought he was dead but no, he flew off fine, he was just busy and not bothered by me.

I love the red marigolds with their yellow trimmed petals and rich yellow center. Their fragrance is not pleasant but we plant them for that purpose. The moles don’t like their smell either, so it keeps them mostly out of the yard.

Another great capture is sharing the beauty of kindness close up. It may start with that one kind act but the affects reach past you on to others.

Tuesday Writing Prompt

Devereaux Frazier and Beth Amanda are currently hosting the Tuesday Writing Prompt Challenge which was started by our star writer Christine Ray. We hope to offer all of you something that will spark your creativity and willingness to participate.

Todays prompt: Write a poem using the words “notes”, “memory”, and “knife”

The Bestest Knife

With a white plastic handle it doesn’t look like much

But Mom said it was the best for such and such

I never really knew what such and such meant

But hours of its use in the kitchen were spent

I watched my mom as she studied her notes

Mumbling, she change them making new notes

Once changes were done, the busyness began

With energy and banging of many a pan

The kitchen grew warm and smells filled the house

We all watched from the doorway, as quiet as a mouse

Memories of those times still linger in my mind

As smells fill my kitchen of similar kind

I don’t use the knife, could never figured how

But refuse to toss it, as sweat drips from my brow

Memories from our past can have a powerful touch on our hearts even though sometimes they may make no sense. Enjoy those tender memories and make new ones for others and in all that you do, be kind. Kindness bring about the best memories for all of us.

FOTD, October 4, Coreopsis

Cee’s challenge of Flower of the Day always keeps me looking for the floral beauty around me. This beauty is in one of the raised flower beds at the church. We put in 4 raised beds by the community garden for people who have trouble bending over but still want to play in the dirt. Then we put two more between two parking lots for those on walkers who still want to plant or just enjoy flowers with easy access. These coreopsis are large and beautiful.

This one bloom evidently got some extra fertilizer as he was a good 4-5 inches across and shows who is boss of the flower box.

Flowers have a personality too as they share their beauty with us. They seem to smile at us as they sway in the breeze. Take a note from their beauty and smile at others. It shows amazing kindness when you do.

And So It Begins…

The change of the season is upon us. The cool evenings have seeped into the leaves of the red maples making them the first to change and my favorite fall trees.

Unfortunately some of the best trees with the widest spreads are in our cemetery. So that is usually my first stop for pictures.

Once the reds are done, the yellows follow making a bright contrast from the reds. Enjoy the season, our last colorful season of the year. While the whites of winter are beautiful in their own way, I do miss the colors of the other three seasons. And in closing I remind you that Kindness never has a season. It should always be spread where ever you can to all kinds of living creatures.

FOTD – October 3, Portulaca

Cee’s FOTD challenge reminds us of the beauty we see in the little things around us. Today the raised boxes outside the church with the portulaca, moss roses, was very colorful. These are very hardy plants that bloom all summer well into the fall and are very drought tolerant. That means they can withstand careless care taking.

They are small blooms only about 2″ in diameter but they create multiple blooms of varying colors; rosy reds, oranges, pinks, yellows and whites.

As we zoom around being busy, let’s not forget the small beauty around us. It can be in flowers, birds or the smile of a child. And as we enjoy this beauty, let’s not forget to be kind. The tiniest bit of kindness we share can sometimes break through the tremendous cloud of misery that may surround someone.

Moonwashed Weekly Prompt – Thunderstorm

Though now safe from the monstrous hurricanes of the gulf

I still remember their furry as they crash into the land

wreaking havoc on everything it touches…everything.

Natural disaster comes to us wherever we are on this planet. We must always remember to be prayerful and kind for people and wildlife when nature is releasing its fury upon them.

FOTD- September 29, Petunias

Fall is now coming in, so my summer flowers are fading. But Cee’s “P” FOTD challenge fit right in with my yard. The petunias are still hanging on even though we have had a couple of frosty mornings.

The stripped varieties have always been a favorite as well as the purple…

The yellows and whites are sure to make you smile…

Then the old standby pink is never out shinned…

I hope you enjoyed a walk through my fading but still colorful yard. As fall continues onward, I will focus on the marigolds and mums. Have a great day and remember to always be kind.

CFFC: Birds

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge fits right in with my yard this week…birds. I have learned a lot about birds this year as in the birds you wants verses the birds you get. There are two major things that dictate that, the type of food and the type of feeder. Some of these pics are repeats but they tell and explain the reason for their repeat.

**Platform feeder with red** ***house finches***

This feeder above had belong to my sister so it has sentimental value as well as interesting feeder options. The platform feeder draw those birds who usually feed on the ground.

I enjoy the mourning doves but not so much the chipmunks. Also a big fan of the platform feeders are sparrows. Since they are also ground feeder, they love the platform feeders as well. What a lot of amateurs’ like me don’t understand is that sparrows, while they are cute, they are take over birds, meaning they run everyone else off with their sizable gathering. So I changed feeder types…

But I didn’t read the fine print of my research. To distract sparrows, you need tube feeders with less perching options. Then maybe they won’t end up inside the feeder. Silly bird. Food type is also important. Your basic mixed bird food also draws in other non-bird feeders to you station.

So I learned that squirrels don’t like safflower seeds and other birds do, so we swapped to that and at least eliminated that particular pest problem. Now to be rid of sparrow problem or at lease tone them down. Switch to thistle seed. This seed is a favorite for finches, juncos and chickadees. The seed stackers are also an option and they come in “hot” flavors to distract squirrels.

So the drawing paper is out for new yard design for next spring to add in other types of feeders while still allowing the sparrows to come play. The air is cooling (finally) so the thistle seed will come out as it adds for the energy nutrients needed for cooler weather. When it really gets cold, we will add out the suet feeders with the extra fat needed for warmth.

But we cant leave our bird story until we also show our zippy friend…

Of all the hummingbird feeder I have tried, I like this one the best. I have one at the house as well as at the church. So regardless of the birds you enjoy watching, remember they are also a gift of creation, so remember to always be kind to all kinds.

Some other pics of birds…

Morning Encouragement

I want to share with you this morning the thoughts from Steven Scott’s devotion “Jesus Speaks”.

It is one thing to read and try to understand the scriptures of the bible and a very different thing to believe the words as truth. Jesus knew that understand the words was not enough. They needed to believe in the words and who they said he was, and to also believe in the relationship between him and the father. It is no small task and it is the same for us today. While we need to understand the words of Jesus, we must first believe in the relationship between Jesus and the Father. Believing in this relationship alters everything you do. For the evidence of this belief is demonstrated by our behavior. Jesus explained to his disciple that if you can’t believe in who he is from the things he tells them, to at least believe in him because of the works he was doing.

When we believe in this truth, our entire lives are changed. Everything that we are and that we do are changed for the better. And goodness will flow out from us to others because of this belief. So believe in Him and watch him work in you.

I encourage you to close your eyes and envision Jesus walking into the room where you are standing. Can you feel His love radiating towards you? This love that He is sending your way is stronger than you can imagine and He wants surround you in it as He takes care of you. Allow Him to be part of your life.

Have a safe and blessed weekend and may to feel the love and peace of Christ in all that you do.