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.
Red Daisy
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
George and Chippy…again
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…
Dummy!!
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…
Best feeder
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.
While I have tried to have different colors of violets, these are the ones that seem to thrive.
My front window gets about 3 hours of direct sun early in the morning but the brightness of the day still comes through the windows making it a perfect place for house plants.
This macro shows the fuzziness under the leaves and along the leaf edges while the light seems to shimmer off the purple color.
There are many ways to be beautiful like a flower but the best reflection comes from the kindness we show to everything we come in contact with. Kindness shows an inner beauty we should always have.
We, who play with Cee’s challenges of FOTD, understand that all things growing are allowed for this fun challenge. So today I give you a really pretty flower, looking similar to a morning glory but is a larger and thicker tube shaped flower.
This is the flower of a sweet potato. Due to the crazy spring we had in the midwest, these were later getting in the ground and they are still blooming like crazy. Today was the last hold out for summer – it was 96 today – so with cooler temps coming, we are hoping these vines will slow down their growth and begin to turn yellow. The notes I read said wait until the vines start to turn on the ends. Well, these vines are in four foot high planters in our community garden and the vines cascade down all four sides to the ground. They are quite beautiful but I cant wait to see it we really have potatoes. Its our first time planting those.
Can you see the sparkles of color on the tuber?
Fun stuff. While we are having fun, I remind you of the easiness and powerfulness of kindness. It can make any situation sparkle brighter.
For the Love of 