Well technically we are stretching the title a bit – Sun(flower) and moon. I was out very early this morning. The dew was still heavy on the grass and I saw the giants were blooming.
Sunflower with moon in background
I started not to take the photo as the flower was still in the dark but then I saw the moon and had to take the picture. For some of us its the little things that make us smile.
Once the sun got over the hill and trees behind us, I took another picture. It really is the bigger of my sunflowers this year. I have two single bloom giants, and the blooms are huge.
This picture gives you a good idea of their height. My fence is four feet high. So these are over ten feet high. The sunflowers on the other side of the yard all had multiple blooms. The blooms are not as huge but the plants still top out over ten feet.
This shot was taken early morning with the sun just breaking through the trees behind the hill. The second one is the same shot but with good sunshine.
There are only four stalks here with well over fifty blooms. Nature is an amazing way to see all of its variations of life. The birds and the bees have really enjoyed them and due to the seeds they have already dropped, I will probably have sunflowers again next year.
I close as normal with a reminder to always be kind. It can lighten someone’s day.
Those of us who spend money to be able to enjoy the birds, we don’t always appreciate the antics of these pesky thieves.
🙄
Some love to watch the antics of these creatures but they keep the birds from coming close so I have learned that if you only feed Safflower seeds, the squirrels don’t like them and stay away. But when someone donates a 12lb. bag of birdseed for your enjoyment you don’t complain.
🐷 Guess I should be glad its not a Racoon.
I gave you food on the ground. Stay there!!
They can be greedy little pigs as they will empty the feeder in a short amount of time.
But they are quite amazing hanging by their feet!
So I guess I will try what I did at home. Not sure if it really works as I changed to Safflower seeds at the same time. But we will add this to see…
The squirrels don’t like the movable slinky…supposedly. We will see.
While I wonder if a paint ball gun would be unkind in this instance…I always try to be kind.
Sundays during the summer are busy for me as I help with the riverfront concerts. We only have one left for the summer as school starts soon but this Sunday I was reminded of a childhood poem.
The Riverfront Band Stand
It was a still windless night but the sky was amazing. I was reminded of a silly poem from childhood about “I see the moon and the moon see me” but I don’t remember the rest.
If we take the time, we can really see how beautiful nature can be if we will just look. Have a great week and remember to always be kind.
In a world of confusion and mixed ideas of laziness vs work ethic, I think we can all take a cue from the animal kingdom. They have one goal in mind – take care of family and make sure there is enough food for everyone.
As I was out today taking pictures of the giant 12′ sunflower at the church’s community garden…
And the 10′ giants…
I noticed an extremely determined bee, trying to get to the richest part of the nectar of a misplaced marigold flower, with it’s head buried deep in the flower with a back leg sticking straight up in air for balance.
The bee was enjoying this accidental planting inside the raised tomato planter and I was able to snatch a timely macro photo.
Nature can teach us a lot about life is we stop long enough to see its beauty. And with all of the beauty you may or may not see, I remind you to share kindness in all that you do so that others see the beauty in you.
While I do agree with Cee on the beauty of nature, but it can also has a fun whimsical side. My case in point, I give you the story of the potato family members where mother potato refused to let any of her children go out on their own. This family was pulled this morning from the community garden of my church.
The balancing act mom had to do did not bode very well so she used my juice glass from this morning to help stabilize herself. Even her other children stuck close to protect the baby in the center…
All in all, they are a very loving family. They must have been watching how elephants come in close to always protect the younger ones in the herd. And I am sure they will be tasty with my string beans tonight. 😊. Always remember the beauty of nature even when it looks funny.
Thank you for stopping by for a moment of silliness. I hope it made you smile. Remember that smiles are contagious so share them often.
It took me a couple of years of trial and error to figure out what food works best for the majority of the birds in my area that also detracts from squirrels. I don’t mind squirrels that much except for two years they ate holes in my feeders. I tired Crisco on the feeder pole. I tried a baffle and I even put a slinky around the pole like in the picture below.
That seemed to work…somewhat, but mostly I changed their food. I now mostly have safflower seed which is a variety the birds enjoy and the squirrels don’t. YAY! The doves love the platform feeder and sometimes you will see the other birds wait on them to leave then they will eat.
So I added other types of feeders to help everybody get some. Here is a sparrow enjoying some basic wild bird food from a feeder that I got at Hobby Lobby and painted myself.
The most fun this afternoon came from the House Finches. The males are a beautiful red and I think who came by was a father and son. The larger of the two was showing the smaller bird the feeder. At one point he walked over and handed some seed to the smaller bird.
The fun part came after this feeding lesson. The younger bird went to the bath and had a good time. I don’t have a super good camera (or expert technique) and while the picture looks a bit fuzzy, that is actually water being slung everywhere. I thought this would bring a smile to someone, for that is the purpose of blogging, at least to me it is; to share the things that make me smile.
Well enough of my armature photos. I hope they made you smile. Remember the power of a smile. Even without words, a smile can show kindness and relieve someone’s hurt.
Wow, how this month has flown by. Thank you Cee for making us slow down enough to enjoy the beauty around us.
I have always loved today’s flower, Lantana, and it comes in several colors. This particular group is located in a raised flower box at my church.
And here is another bloom along with a special friend. Even though bees get a bad rap sometimes, we would be in a heap of trouble without them.
As we explore all the different aspects of nature, we must remember that everything fits together with a purpose and a beauty. Let’s respect that beauty and purpose by being kind. At some level, all of nature understand the beauty and purpose of kindness.
I enjoy watching the antics of the birds and squirrels our my windows. It is amazing how animals can adapt to the humans who have invaded their areas. We could probably learn a thing or two from them.
Twice now I have had to call animal control to come get the ground hogs who are bound and determined to dig tunnels in my yard. Guess that is better that porcupines.
Then the squirrels became creative in getting to the suet feeder at the office. I later added a slinky to the post so they can’t climb up it. It a gentle and effective way to keep them off certain feeders. They have their own feeder further over.
Then the antics of the sparrows was amusing when the suet cake got to small. I would think eating from the side of the cage would be easier…no, he climbed down inside it where no one would bother him…smart bird.
The woodpeckers we are used to seeing hanging upside down, which is why I have the bottom feeders. But they like the regular ones better. The nuthatches like the bottom feeders but are very skittish of movement.
Guess its time to pull up the dried up sunflower. All the birds enjoyed eating the seeds from them. Well, I guess they should have, they planted them. Having nature come into your yard is a fun way to help you relax. You can actually learn a lot about the hierarchy of the different birds. Think of putting out a feeder, you would be amazed of who may come by.
And as always remember to be kind…to all kinds. All of nature understands kindness and are part of God’s creation plan too.
A week is only 7 days but man, the things that can happen in such a short amount of time. Good Friday evening friends, I hope your week was good, as eventful as you wanted it to be and above all safe.
I have been exceptionally busy this week but have approximately 75% of my Christmas decorations up. I know its early but like the commercial on TV says, its only too early if you think its too early. Plus, Hallmark Christmas movies started on October 22, so the house has to look right to watch Christmas movies. Just sayin’.
Because of the amount I like to put up, it takes 2-3 weeks to get it situated like I like it. I takes me a week just to build the village. I added a train this year, a cheap one but it still choo-choos, has a whistle and goes around the track. That’s all I needed. Once everything is up and running, I will start sharing that part of my fun.
I am all about being happier.
I explain all of that because I have not had time to post all the beauty I have seen this week. Coming from the deep south and now living in eastern Iowa, I get a taste of all four seasons. Fall though is probably the shortest, lasting only a few weeks – like 2 weeks max. Summer lasts forever and then winter is a sneeze away from fall. But there are 4 distinct seasons here. What happens with such a short fall is like in a cartoon – poof, the leaves change, sometimes overnight. This last week was fabulous with temps in the upper 60s – its November y’all, In Iowa.(Two years ago it snowed on Halloween.) Then Sunday the temp dropped into the 40s and poof…
Monday and Tuesday were alight with rich color. And because I am not an expert photographer, these picture don’t really show the beauty of their color. But I am sure where you live, the colors are just as striking. And the clear evening skies were amazing.
Wednesday showed more beauty but the cloud cover started moving in and today, Friday, its in the 30s and snowing…Yep, welcome to Iowa.
So thanks, fall, for stopping by with a quick hello. While I love spring, fall to me has the most dramatic colors. Maybe because they have such short lives pushing all their beauty out at once. They they turn brown, turn loose and go to sleep for 5 months. Five months is a long time to not see the rich colors of nature but if we look hard enough, we can also see the beauty of nature as she sleeps. I think the evergreen and its deep green color is a symbol of life and hope and maybe why we put evergreens in our homes, real and artificial, with multicolor balls and lights to remind us the importance of color, smiles and happiness in all that we do. My hope for you this season is to feel the happiness as the lights of Christmas start to come out. Share that joy and remember to always be kind. Being kind, especially at this time of year, can really help a struggling soul to believe in the hope that the struggles may soon be soften in not completely go away. May we all share the kindness this season gives us with the chance to do more.
For the Love of 