The Storms of Summer

I think everywhere in the world understand the storms of summer can be rough but here in the US summer storms bring severe thunderstorms, derecho winds, tornadoes and of course downpours.

While the rain is being enjoyed by our community garden, the wind has not been our friend. Early morning storms today played havoc for a decades old oak tree by our church.

You can see the top portion of this beautiful tree was broken off like a match stick.

The clouds, since daybreak, have been ominous as they pounded us with water.

But the flowers still prove that they can survive, maybe even thrive as long as the winds stay clear of their tender stems.

And as the clouds begin to dissipate, George, the neighborhood Red Tail Hawk, calls out to remind us that all is well and to always trust in the creator of all things to create beauty after a storm, regardless of where the storm that may be happening.

I close with a reminder to be kind especially in the midst of a storm. It will make the storm more bearable.

Playing in the Dirt

Now that I am of a ‘certain age’ the idea of a large yard is highly overrated. Who wants to cut all that grass. While I am not fond of the noisy teenagers in close proximity, I do enjoy being to pant lots of flowers in all of my yard. Last year I planted some perennials along my fence which makes less work along the fence line.

I am especially fond of the golden yarrow. I know that it can take over, but right now, I see no issue with that. Less work for beautiful flowers.

I thought I would send out to other flower enthusiast, the colors in my yard.

Petunia are always fun with so many different color options plus they can handle warmer weather. Perineal flowers are always a fun option to see if they can survive the interesting winters here in Iowa. I got a new one this year, an Ice Plant. We will see it I can keep it alive.

Other long standing perennials that are still surviving are Coreopsis, Balloon Flower and Bee Balm.

A little later in the summer, I will start putting out the mums. I love the colors of mums in the fall. That is pretty much the gist of my small yard, hope you enjoyed. Have a great summer and always remember to be kind.

Finding Calm

We all find ways to soothe the bombardment of life as it seems to run over us at times. For me, I write it all down. Some of it makes sense, some never does but writing combined with my love of nature and dogs helps me continue to go forward.

I am currently working on book 2 of Smiles from Heaven, independently published with Kindle of Amazon. It is a compilation of short stories and poetry that I hope help brings smiles to the reader. I now the stories helped me as I wrote them, sometimes laughing at my own thoughts sometimes crying at the reality of the hurt. I thought I would periodically publish one here to see what those who read my blog think. I do not profess to fully understand poetry, I am just writing my thoughts hoping to relate to others. Hope you enjoy.

Peace in Wildlife

The water from the fall mixed with her tears

Rolling down her face, joining her fears

The niche in the rock behind the fall

Made a hiding place behind a water wall

Coming here often to process and think

Analyzing her life when it would stink

The noise of the fall soothed her pain

Blocking out voices calling her name

By the fall’s edge, where the water is calm

Flowers grow wild as a soothing balm

Reminding us through difficulties in life

Peace and joy can be found in wildlife.

G. A. Neal

I sincerely hope you can find away to find that peace you need to survive this world and may you always remember some of it can be found in being kind. Kindness has a way of turning negatives into positives.

It’s Lily Time

While my daylilies have not opened yet, my other lilies have and I thought I would send those out into the blog world. Maybe Cee will see them from Rehab and they will help her smile.

We have to start with the classic white Easter lily. It remained beautiful through most of May but has now been planted to hopefully come back next year.

My favorite lily was planted two years ago by accident. I had the flower pot in the yard to plant, promptly forgot about it, but the dog turned it over for me and it grew. I covered it good last year and was rewarded this year with three stalks about 3 feet tall and multiple blooms on each stalk.

This rich maroon red lily was planted three years ago and this year had three separate stalks as well. This is a much shorter plant but still as beautiful.

This next lily warms my heart, not because of the lily but because of what it means. If you have read any of my stories or books, then you know how important my dogs are to me. This lily was placed where I put the ashes for Mimi, when I lost her four years ago. So I call this flower Mimi’s Lily. Its petals are ruffled and tinged with red.

Now that the community garden is growing well, I will start sharing the many flowers I have in my yard. For such a small yard, it is quite colorful. And as always, I remind you of the power and beauty of kindness. It is such a powerful tool, that even animals understand its purpose.

Always Be Kind!!

Community Garden

I have been absent from my blog for a couple of months because I have been super busy with the Community Garden that our church sponsors. Our church is one of a group of churches that come together to help the neighborhoods around us with food insecurities. And this year was a total redo because we moved the garden to make room for a community playground. So 10 raised beds and 8 round container beds had to be refilled before planting…lots of work. Fortunately we have some amazing help in getting the garden started.

Here are a few pictures to show you how well the garden is doing this early in the season. The first picture is an overview of the garden layout.

You can see the edge of the playground on the right side of the picture where the garden used to be. We moved it about 50 feet and rotated it 90 degrees.

This picture is of the lower raised beds on the right-hand side of the garden. These four beds have our 13 tomatoes and onions scatter around them. They make good companion plants.

Two of the raised beds on the left-hand side have potatoes – one bed is red potatoes and one is white potatoes. The two beds further down are the green beans and the petite lima beans. They are not doing great because Robins evidently like beans too. But what has survived is flowering and producing. I planted more beans this morning.

Our cucumbers, squash, and bell pepper are planted in round containers in the center between the high-rise planters. Only one of the high-rise planters is filled and those are our sweet potatoes. We have help coming next week to fill the remaining three high-rise planters and will have to figure out what to plant there.

My fun plantings are also in the center of the garden – sunflowers, watermelons, and pumpkin.

So now we water and wait to see what all we grow. Last year was good and we expect even better this year. I will keep you posted as thins grow – especially the sunflowers.

Enjoy your summer, or if you on the bottom of the world, buckle in for winter. And as always, remember to grow kindness. It the best possible thing you could ever grow.

Enjoyment in the Swing

Recently I had a friend put up a yard swing for me. A little gift for me from my tax return. Yesterday and today were gorgeous days so I got a lot done in my yard, for tomorrow we are expecting rain. Thought I would share my views from my swing.

You can’t really see the flowers much from these pics, so I will include a few.

My lilacs are in full bloom and the yard smells amazing. The bees and butterflies are hanging close to them but would not be still enough for pictures. Guess they are a bit camera shy.

This is a new flower for me – Lavender Stream Lobularia. A small light-scented cluster flower with 4 tiny petals on each tiny flower.

I have always been fond of Verbena and this rich purple is really nice. Evidently the squirrels like it too. I had to move it to a place where they could not climb in to it to nap. The cool colors of spring are still the favorite. Once summer gets here, we will change to bright yellows and reds.

The downy woodpeckers have been fun to watch, hanging precariously before learning how to stand on the thin wire stand.

The beauty and enjoyment of spring I can now enjoy as I slowly swing and relax. Have a wonderful week and remember to always be kind.

Morning by the Feeder

I did finally get a reprieve from the sparrow swarm at my feeders. I put the platform feeder, their choice type of feeder, on the opposite side of the house out of my view from the couch. While they still visit the hanging-style feeders some, the other birds now have a better chance to enjoy treats. But I do miss the Mourning Doves. They also prefer the platform feeders.

The Downy woodpeckers have returned and are such a cute small bird.

The house finches were having fun this morning.

The Nuthatch is always fun bird to watch and really loves the whole peanuts.

Hopefully, by the end of summer, I will have my new windows which will allow me to birdwatch easier, and maybe I will get clearer pictures. But for now I will enjoy them the best I can.

Remember to enjoy nature that surrounds you. You might be surprised at the little things that may you smile. And as always, remember to be kind.

Silly Moon Poem

Last night before the sun was fully gone, the moon was rising in a clear sky and was beautiful as it shone through the tree. I took its picture and thought I would try to write a little poem about it as I work on my writings for book 2 of Smiles from Heaven. See what you think.

The sun loses the last of its light against the tall tree,

You, dear moon, shine your light for all of us to see.

It comes through the branches which softens your glow

Bringing a smile of hope and peace to us below

But you, dear moon, don’t show a face of cheer

Do you sing a sad lament while your eyes shed a tear?

Come now, our dear precious moon above

God has created us all to feel His precious love.

G. A. Neal

FOTD, Purple

We had a decent day today and when I got home from work I was able to spend some time in my swing. As I surveyed my spring flowers, I noticed I sure do have lots of purple. No that that is a bad thing, it just shows I like purple. So I thought I would share some of my pictures with you. Its getting that time of year where my phone is more of a camera than a phone. 😊

I did not realize that all the tulips were purple. I could have sworn they were a mixed bag of bulbs, guess the purple won out. But they are varieties of flowers – some are single with green stripes and some are doubled that look more like a rose than a tulip.

One section near the house is now filled in with periwinkle that dropped from a potted plant over 5 years ago.

A new plant for me this year is Nemesia, they come in pink, white, and purple. Of course, I bought all three.

The Wind Flowers has always been a favorite but I had not see this color before.

Well, I guess that is all the Flowers of the Day for today. Cee, I hope the pollen lets up soon for you. It would be a shame to miss Spring’s beauty. I found that the face mask helps with the pollen as well.

Enjoy the colors of spring or fall wherever you may be and try to always be kind.

Fun at the Feeder

Our spring here in Iowa is taking another nap allowing winter to re-dip his cold fingers back into our season. With an expected hard freeze, I took the liberty to move what plants I could into the sunroom. This room is not heated but it will not be as cold as outside or allow the chance for frost. The remaining plants I have covered with towels or sheets. While this will not protect them much from the cold, it will protect them from potential frost.

So I restocked the feeders and let the birds entertain me. We saw the familiar family of mourning doves with their feathers fluffed up against the old.

Another frequent visitor, especially with fresh peanuts available, is the Blue Jay.

The Red Breasted Woodpecker is always a fun bird to watch but they stay more to the feeder with the nuts already in pieces.

Other birds were available like Wrens, House Finches, and Sparrows but I was not quick enough with my little camera that is on my phone to capture their fun.

Hopefully by Wednesday, we will revert back to normal springtime temperatures. I hope it settles soon as its time to start thinking “All Things Garden”. In the mean time, let us think warm thoughts and be kind to all things.