I have always been a fan of lilies, but over the past several years, I have added more varieties to my yard. My favorite is the Easter Lily. Its delicate, yet hardy trumpet bloom, and its intense, sweet fragrance make you understand why it is a favorite at Easter. They symbolize hope, purity, and new beginnings. A prevalent theme for the season.
Easter Lily, Symbol of Hope
We have them each year at church at Easter, where members purchase them in honor of a loved one. But many don’t want to take them home, so I plant the extras around the church and bring a couple home. This particular plant has 2 stalks and currently has 12 blooms.
Close up view
This next lily was also from the church at Easter, but it was an error because it is not an Easter Lily. It is an LA Hybrid. I had to look it up. When the blooms opened, they were orange. I thought it was beautiful, so I brought it home to my yard. This year, it produced two stems, each with about 6 flowers. It is becoming a favorite.
The LA Hybrid is a cross between an Asiatic and Longiflorum Lily. It doesn’t have much fragrance, but its colors are amazing.
An early spring favorite is the Asiatic Lily. And I didn’t plant it; the birds did, three years ago. And that one single plant has more than doubled in size and beauty. They are a small, non-fragrant bloom, but the soft yellow color gives a gentleness to that side of the yard.
Below is another gift from the birds, and, given its size and lack of fragrance, I believe it is also an Asiatic Lily, but I could be wrong. Regardless, it’s pretty.
Another fun lily is my Ruffled Lily. It was a gift and different from any of my other lilies. Its bloom is slightly larger, with a faint fragrance, and its petals are ruffled. Compared to the others, its colors are muted.
Last but not least is my Oriental Lily. Due to the crazy weather we have had this spring and early summer, they are not awake yet. Their color is orange with thin red stripes.
I hope you are enjoying your spring as I am enjoying mine. Remember to share the beauty of kindness in all that you do. You may be that one spark of hope someone needs.
I think all of us have a personal place where we can relax and unwind. Now that I am retired, there is not much stress, but still, I like a place to relax and reflect on the day. My front-yard swing is just such a place for me, in the mornings and evenings. It is my little garden of color, fun, and enjoyment of nature.
These were taken this morning as I enjoyed my hot cider and listened to the birds waking up, the neighbors starting their yard work, and the occasional bark from Daisy as someone dared walk down HER sidewalk – her self-imposed guard duty.
Swing view
I invite fellow flower enthusiasts to come along and enjoy my morning stroll through the colors in my yard. Below are the flowers you can’t see well because of the sunflowers’ takeover.
Flowers along the fenceline
Below are the random shots I took of this morning’s color. I hope you enjoy.
The flowers above are meant to attract hummingbirds. I think they prefer the feeder more.
Here, the sunflowers are taking second stage, as the bees are enjoying them, and then hiding under one sunflower is a determined daisy pushing through.
Calibrachoa are a favorite for their delicate blooms and wide variety of colors.
Another summer favorite from childhood is lantana. It grew wild on my grandparents’ farm.
I normally don’t buy a pot already filled with various plants, but the colors of this one caught my eye. It is filled with various colors of pink, but a red-tinted leafy plant. Don’t have a name for it, sorry, but it’s interesting.
Always remember, the beauty of nature is something God wants to share with us. Think of the walks He had with Adam and Eve through the Garden of Eden. He still wants to share that beauty with us. So, enjoy. And remember to be kind. Kindness can open doors long thought locked.
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.
Mom Goldfinch
Dad Goldfinch
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.
I will share further photos as they continue to grow and bloom. In the meantime, enjoy your summer and always be kind.
A wonderful picture came across Facebook that I borrowed for this post because that truth is driven into why I have so many Christmas trees.
I am a firm believer that the Christmas tree represents the tree on which Jesus died for us… all of us, regardless of our nation. To me, the lights on the tree represent God’s light, shining down from Heaven to guide our way in this world. The ornaments are artistic representations of what’s in our hearts: whether they’re beautiful to see, hold sentimental meaning from a family member, or carry a saying that reminds us of the reason for the season.
I am getting older in years, and don’t know how long I will be able to carry on this wonderful tradition, but I plan to enjoy every minute of it for as long as I can. That being said, I currently have 7 Christmas trees scattered throughout my small house and wanted to share some of my joy with you. The sunroom alone has 3 trees. That is also where my Christmas village is located, as in my post “25 years Ago“.
My most fun tree is in my bedroom, as it has family connections on it with ornaments that my children made. My oldest son made this angel when he was two years old. It sits atop the smallest of my trees, on the small table by the window.
The big tree in the bedroom holds many fun memories, and the thirty-odd S’more ornaments I have collected for about twenty-five years. The train is also in this room, along with many other Christmas items filling every available space.
If you are not familiar with Smore ornaments, I have posted a few below. These, of course, are not edible.
Winter sleigh rideRoasting a hot dog over a pineconeStatue of Liberty
Two of the trees in the sunroom are themed. One is an owl tree, and one is an ocean tree. The owl tree is home to mostly owls, with a few other birds scattered about.
The Ocean tree is filled with fish, whales, sharks, and shells. A blue net hangs behind the tree, with interesting-looking shells and starfish. I chose a frocked style for this tree to represent the ocean foam.
Orca mom and child, and a coral-eating fish
MarlinHammerhead Shark
The Dining room tree is a 4.5-foot tree perched atop the table. It has mostly all white ornaments, and below are a few favorites.
Lace AngelAngel with a Lamb and Lion
The living room tree is the big tree. It holds more of the artistic ornaments, ornaments from some of our travels, and ornaments surrounding the reason for the season.
The big tree and the Christmas Rabbit with his lantern showing the way.
IrelandBagpipes of ScotlandEdinburgh ScotlandHand blown glassNativity scene w star
I hope you enjoyed my fun at Christmas. I wish you all the very best Christmas filled with love, kindness, and joy.
The winter solstice, the first day of winter, is December 21. That’s a week away. Yesterday we got another four inches of snow, bringing our total close to two feet for the month. And the temps are down into negative numbers. Very much like February, not early December.
So, as I sat on my sofa, enjoying my living room Christmas tree, I snapped shots of the birds at the feeders in the falling snow and thought I would share them with you.
I made sure the feeders were filled before this latest snow came, knowing how spoiled they have become for easy food options. The upper feeder holds suet filled with seeds for energy and needed for warmth.
Since this feeder got low, I had to shovel a path this morning to refill it.
This morning, with the sun shining, it was a beautiful day despite the -1 degree temperature. The mourning doves fluff their feathers for warmth in the sun as they wait their turn to feed.
The red-breasted woodpecker is a favorite and one of the larger birds that visit the suet feeders. The mourning doves prefer the platform feeder.
Tomorrow, the temps will rise to normal December levels, and hopefully, this snow and cold will not be the norm for this year.
As we approach the Christmas season, remember the value of kindness and share it often.
In the summer of 2000, a friend of mine and I took up the new hobby of painting miniature plaster houses to create our own Christmas village. We thought that by Thanksgiving, we could have about five or six houses complete…yeah, 50 houses later, we were way over of our goal.
For the first few years, I gave some away, but then I saw others I liked and bought new ones. Today, of the plaster houses that I painted, I have 41. I have purchased a few that were already complete, that were totally different from what I had, like the observatory for stargazing, a large cathedral, and two different covered bridges.
I will share a few pictures of my favorites, plus the ski mountain I created out of Styrofoam, which includes the abominable snowman, Bumble from the Rudolph movie. If this interests you, I hope you enjoy it.
We will start off with the Christmas Ski Mountain, complete with skiers and snowboarding bears.
Bumble is on top of the high peak.
Some of the buildings I painted had details and character that made me smile.
Joe’s Burger Shack is shaped like a hamburger
City Hall has a copper roof
This group of buildings reminds me of my dad, as he was a lawyer. Conveniently, the lawyer’s office is next door to the police station and across the street from City Hall.
Library, Fire Station, and Post Office are at the top of the hill above the Salvation Army toy drive
Out of view is the firetruck that I got on our trip to New York. There are several vehicles I picked up on our travels, like the NYFD fire truck, the San Francisco streetcar, and pickup trucks from the Coca-Cola store in Las Vegas.
Moose Lodge, complete with a pair of moose
There are several homes of various styles, along with shops such as department stores, a toy store, a clock shop, a candle store, and more. I have several styles of churches besides the large cathedral. A fun house to paint was the rock house, and up the hill from it, some children decorate a Christmas tree while others are having a snowball fight.
And of course, every Christmas town needs at least one gas station and one Christmas tree farm.
As we enjoy the fun and festiveness of the season, let us always remember that holidays can be very hard for some. So share an extra smile, a friendly hand, and lots of kindness.
Hello friends. It has been a while since I posted, but I wanted to share my winter wonderland photos. Many of us living in the Upper Midwest are being hammered by snow. Current totals are over 8 inches with another 3-4 expected. In preparation for the coming storm, I overloaded the bird feeder, which they fully appreciated. Most of these pictures came from this morning, when we only had about 5 inches. I hope you enjoy.
The Outdoor Christmas Tree
The outdoor tree was planted about 10 years ago. It’s finally big enough to decorate; its lights are hidden under the snow.
The feeder before they found it
There is a large platform feeder, and on the pole is the suet they need for colder weather.
Downy WoodpeckerA second Downy woodpecker
The larger red-breasted woodpecker came by, too, but he refused to let me take his picture.
The cardinals are always beautiful when it’s snowing. Their bright red stands out nicely. Most bird pics were taken from inside, so you get a glimpse of my Christmas decor.
Daisy is not so sure she cares for the snow.
Always remember to share kindness wherever you go. It can easily spread to others.
Sometimes, it’s our memories that help us move forward in life. The memories of love shared with family, the memories of fun and eventful experiences, and even the difficult events we encounter give us memories.
I want to share a memory of my family before we’re all gone. Of my original family, we are now down to 2. Below is a picture of the last time we were all together at my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. You can see the small children up front – they are now married with children. A picture of a wonderful memory.
Some memory makers are items that belong to those we love. My mother and I are big collectors of trinkets. Many of her trinkets were Hummel figurines; my trinkets are various animals, including both land and water animals. I even have a Christmas tree that features many animals from the ocean. Below are pictures of a few of my animal trinkets. Elephants have always been special to me, thanks to a memory of a favorite red stuffed elephant that my grandmother gave to me when I was very young.
My animal trinkets even get into my planters for the living room.
Last year, I lost my brother to ALS. The second sibling lost to that horrid disease. My brother’s disease was attributed to dementia, evidently a common occurrence. Today, I received a package from his partner that contained a trinket of my mother’s that my brother had taken when she died because of what it meant to her. I don’t remember much of why it was important, but it stayed prominently on her shelf in the living room. I do remember its name, “Bluto”, because one of the children could not say Pluto. I think it was my oldest sister, but I am not sure.
This is Mickey Mouse’s dog, Pluto.
You can see he is now on the shelf with the rabbits, foxes, and bears. Some of the rabbits and other dogs are in miniature form.
We all have things that remind us of wonderful memories. May they always be fun and loving memories that show the world can always be kind if it will just try.
For the Love of 