FOTD, July 16, A Redo

A few days ago I posted a flower that was upended before opening by a storm. I was hoping it would bloom inside. So today I thought I would show you the bloom as it did finally fully open. I give you a burnt red-orange sunflower…never seen this color before.

I tried several angles to show off the color but this seemed to be the best shot. The petals almost look brown but looking close you can see the orange. And the pollen is bright yellow and long. You can see in the closeup below how long the pollen stems are plus it gives you a closeup of the petal color.

Flowers can be an amazing journey as you visit gardens or try “mystery” seed packets like what this one came from. The bloom size is not huge but its effect is.

Have a beautiful quiet Sunday and remember to be kind.

Beautiful Family

While Goldfinches do not mate for life, they do stay within their flock and remain as pairs for a season.

While I do not have the equipment for amazing shots like Nat Geo, I do enjoy sharing what I can. I assume this is the same pair that frequents my sunflowers but if it’s more than one pair, then I am doubly blessed.

The male is striking but very bashful or more cautious that the female.

The beauty of nature that God shares with us should always be appreciated. It gives us a glimpse of the beauty of Heaven. So watch for it and share it with others. And always be kind – that has a beauty all its own.

Always Be kind!

FOTD, July 13, Death Storm

If you have been reading my post this summer you will know that due to heat, dryness and squirrels, I have not been able to get my sunflowers at the church sunflower circle to grow. Finally three plant were able to emerge and Wednesday one was starting to bloom. It was a color I had never seen before – kind of sunset red-orange.

Then about 11:00am a storm came through and toppled her to the ground. It broke off at the base. It had 12 blooms on it which didn’t help its weigh ratio against the wind. So I took the blooms off and put them in a vase hoping that some of them will finish growing enough to open.

This has not been a year for sunflowers, however, the tomatoes are loving this dry hot weather. Last year they were pitiful because it was too wet. Well, maybe next year we will have a full sunflower circle.

I close with a reminder to always be kind. You never know when your one small act of kindness will be the encouragement someone else will need.

Of Flowers and Flying Things

I am always amazed at the types of flying visitors that visit my yard and the flowers that I plant. I think I am most amazed at how many house flies seem to like flowers…at least I think they are house flies. I looked up flies and was amazed and the number of types of this little pest. I think that is why this one visitor is there…waiting on a fly to land so he gets a meal…

But the flies seem persistent with their blue-green color. When I was a kid we had a name for these but being online, we don’t want to use that kind of language, but I think you get my drift.

But we also have many types of bees that come visit, bumble bees, honey bees, and some type of tiny bee. This sunflower has a small bumble bee and one of the tiny type bees. This little guy’s legs are covered with pollen crystals.

Then we have the flying creatures that always bring about a smile…

Goldfinches are loving my sunflowers this year and then the Mourning Doves are always stopping by the feeder. Having a pair that visit you regularly is a sign of Love Peace and Hope. I am always up for those feelings.

Other visitors are around as well…

The nature that is close by in our yards should be enjoyed and not forgotten about for their presence is what makes our gardens flourish.

And as always, I remind you to be kind. Let it flourish from you as well and see the vast difference it can make.

Always Be Kind!

Photo Challenge #472

What Once Was

Sun’s rays are bright breaking through the trees

Where could I hide, I am down on my knees

The lights from the house are all going dark

The beauty that once was now just stark

Memories of a life that was once filled with joy

Now filled with meanness for that is the new toy

Will it ever return to what once was

Only if we forget the mindset of because

Sometimes we forget how hard life can be for others and instead of judging, we should be listening with a careful ear of kindness. For even if the story is too far fetched to believe, there is still a shred of truth in there somewhere.

Words of Hope

All people everywhere have some tangible evidence that they hold onto which guides them to the intangible belief of their hope. For Christains, it is God’s Holy Word – the Bible. Then there are song that are in the bible, the Psalms, and song written about the stories of the bible, that help us stay true the the truths written in this ancient manuscript.

One of my all time favorite artists of Christian music is Michael W. Smith and he sand a song about this magnificent manuscript called Ancient Words. Here are some of the words that show the heart of the song.

Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world
They resound with God’s own heart
Words of life, words of hope
Give us strength, help us cope
Ancient words will guide us home

Ancient words, ever true
Changing me and changing you
Holy words of our faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
Oh, heed the faithful words of Christ

This song is on YouTube, if you would like to hear it. My goal for this post is to share the knowledge of how very much you are loved. For Jesus did not come to condemn but to love, and to bring us all to the place where we share in the beauty He has to offer.

May you all have a blessed weekend and are fully aware of the beauty and love that surrounds you. And as always, be kind. Kindness has the power to change the worse day into something sweet.

FOTD, July 6, Yard Fun

This first part of the summer, here in the Midwest, was excessively hot. so many of the seeds planted have not shown their beauty, specifically the sunflowers. What the heat didn’t kill, the squirrels dug up. So no 12 foot tall sunflowers this year. However, I do have some dropped seeds the birds left behind from last years crop that are trying to come up, so we will see. So far 5 foot height is the standard.

A fun one is coming up through the slinky I put on my birdfeeder post two years ago to discourage the squirrels. That works by the way.

This is the one the goldfinches love because they can sit on the slinky. The one in the middle of the yard is light yellow. I think it was called a lemon sunflower.

The front of my house is filled with various types and colors of flowers. A mixture of lilies, petunias, impatients, coreopsis and verbena spread their smiles of happiness as they sway in the breeze.

The smiles of summer through the flowers we see are good reminders to share our own smiles with others who need to see them. Smiles are infectious and a good way to share kindness. So, smile often and share kindness.

Monday Windows, July 4, Non-Square

I have always loved interesting shaped windows or architecture around windows. Monday Windows gives us the opportunity to share the beauty we see with windows.

Older architecture has always fascinated me. When I went to San Francisco earlier this year I loved the windows I saw.

Then closer to home we have some more interesting architecture and non-square windows.

And last but not least, we have many beautiful church windows. This is just a sampling.

Just as our eyes are the windows to what is deep inside of us, windows on a building have the same correlation. From the outside, you can guess the beauty from within but when inside, and God’s light is shining through them, the true beauty is seen in any building.

And remember that inner light can reflect our kindness from within – whether it be a person or a building. So, remember to always be kind.

Why Sunflowers?

There are many reasons people choose certain flowers for their yard; their color, the way they bloom, or maybe their fragrance.

For me, a large component is what they bring to the yard. Some of my flowers bring butterflies and some bring in certain birds. It has been two years since I have seen the goldfinch come to my yard, but they are enjoying the sunflowers.

I had a pair today, male and female, both very interested in the sunflower blooms. They were beautiful but very skittish. I was not able to get a good close shot but wanted to share their beautiful yellow color.

Now my sunflowers…well, they had a rough start. First, they were planted by the birds from last year’s flowers. While this particular flower is standing about five feet tall…it has a good two feet crawling on the ground where the drought, heat, and a dog trampling through them when they were young plants that affected their full potential. Yet they are still beautiful. Nature’s resilience is always amazing.

Hopefully, we can all understand nature’s strength and resilience and use that knowledge to make this a better world – maybe a little kinder.

Always Be Kind!

FOTD, June 30, Happy Flowers

The wonderful benefit of spring and summer is flowers. While to some, the allergies kick in, to others, they make us smile.

Sunflowers and coreopsis are some of my favorite happy flowers.

From the sunflower’s first start of opening with thin tiny petals…

…to opening its face wide to soak in the sun, and sharing its beauty with all of us. Now we just wait for the seeds to start to form and feed the birds.

The coreopsis if another happy flower with many varieties of color – even in the same plant.

Some have more orange and some have more yellow coloring on their petals. But regardless of their color, they are quite striking with their showmanship.

Even the ones who have no orange at all. This one has a friend helping himself to its nectar.

These happy flowers really show off their flowers within the flower. The center areas are even called disc flowerets. So, enjoy your flowers and the smiles they are sharing with you and always be kind. Kindness has the power to make all things better.