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.

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.

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.

Mimi’s Lily

This is Mimi, a wonderful protector that I lost in August of 2021. It was her loss that prompted me to write another book – Our Real Home. I am a firm believer in the Rainbow Bridge and that God created animals for us to enjoy here on Earth…and in Heaven. I believe that all the dogs I had throughout my life I will see again in Heaven when I get there. In the back of Our Real Home, I quoted Randy Alcorn from his book called Heaven, page 381, copyright 2004 by Eternal Perspective Ministries. He said…

Adam, Noah, and Jesus are the three heads of the three Earths. When Adam was created, God surrounded him with animals. When Noah was delivered from the flood, God surrounded him with animals. When Jesus was born, God surrounded him with animals. When Jesus establishes the renewed Earth, with renewed men and renewed women, don’t you think he’ll surround himself with renewed animals?

YES, I do. Why else would so many people be interested in working with animals, saving animals, photographing animals…animals matter, not just for food. Their lives matter, their beauty matters…

When I lost Mimi, I had her cremated for two reasons. One, I am just too old to dig large holes and two, I don’t have the large yard I used to have. So, I placed her ashes in a new flowerbed and a friend gave me a bulb to plant where her ashes were placed. This year the bulb bloomed and it is a beautiful lily.

For those that may be visually challenged, the lily’s main color is a light pink, a salmony pink and the inner color is a rich reddish-pink fading to an orange. Then the very center is bright yellow. The petal edges are ruffled and tinged with the same reddish-pink color. The size leans more to the Easter Lily size but the petals are wide. It is truly striking.

Thank you for reading today and helping me one more time honor Mimi. She will always be remembered as a very special dog…well, they are all special. Enjoy your pets and remember to be kind. They understand kindness and one day we will all be kind together.

Always be Kind!

FOTD, June 28, Calibrachoa

Cee’s fun challenge, Flower of the Day, is always a great way to share the beauty we see all around the blogging world.

Today, I share various colors of Calibrachoa which look like miniature petunias. They are prolific bloomers and seem to tolerate the side of my house that get sun all day. They even do better than the petunias.

These come in solid and two tomes but most of their centers seem to be yellow.

And they usually always have friends drop by for a taste of their nectar.

I am partial to the two-toned purple. While even the solid purple is beautiful, the two-toned seems to have a little more pop.

The pink this year seems to be the most hardy as this plant is full of blooms.

The pink two-tone have points in their petals making them more graceful.

However the yellow seems to be the happiest. Yellow is such a happy color and this pot is surrounded by sunflowers making it even happier.

As I look back at these flowers, I see that color is not the only difference. They also have different petal shapes from round, to pointed, to indented. It shows the beauty of all things created, even man. We are all different but all beautiful as God does not make junk or mistakes. There is always a divine nature in what he does. So embrace your beauty and reflect the kindness from within.

FOTD, June 23, Lily

Last year we had beautiful lilies at the church for Easter. Several of them were left without homes so I brought one to my house, left it out in the yard, forgot to plant it, but my dog took care of that for me when she got to messing around in the area and turned the pot upside down. In the fall cleanup, I notice the pot and remember I was supposed to plant that bulb. So I threw away the pot thinking I missed the opportunity to plant a gorgeous flower. But nature is more resilient that we give her credit.

I did not remember it being this beautiful.

May we always remember we are beautifully created and amazingly loved. Have a great day and shine out your kindness with your beauty.

FOTD, June 18, Rose

This past week I drove from Iowa to Atlanta, Ga. to see my brother who is very ill. His yard is an oasis of greenery and flowers. The roses are in the first section of his yard but later I will post a yard tour with Sadie, their dog, as she reminded me of its beauty.

Roses always share their beauty and love for life. May we always remember to share in that beauty and be kind. I saw this Pooh poster on facebook and thought it needed sharing. Even though we may not see the results…

Always Be Kind

FOTD, June 15, Zinnia

I am currently on “vacation” where the intent is really to check on family. My first stop was my youngest and his family. We went to the zoo and while it was great, the entrance was covered in zinnias. They were really beautiful.

I love how Zinnias are actually clusters of tiny flowers surrounded by larger petals.

They seem to smile at you letting you enjoy their beauty.

All living things want to feel the kindness of life that is around them, even flowers. Share their smile with others and watch them smile back. A smile speaks volumes and is an easy way to be kind.

FOTD, June 6, Petunias

Flower of the Day, what a fun challenge each spring and summer. So much color to see. Today I am focusing again on petunias. They are a favorite throughout my yard. I am more partial to the variations of purple, but this year I saw a purplish-red I had not seen before. The picture shows the flowers more pink than red and the purples look more blue. Regardless, they are lovely.

Slow down enough to see the beauty around you. You might see something you never saw before. Enjoy its beauty and share it with others and as always be kind.