Touch Of Happiness

taken:
day seven
06.27.2013

In the shade, out in the backyard, grow these pale johnny jump ups, tender and small. Another little wild flower that springs up, adding a surprise where mother nature thinks we need a touch of happiness and color.

Sprinkling Of Sweetness

taken:
day six
06.26.2013

I spotted these little lavender spiderwort blossoms this morning growing wild along the outskirts of our yard. Although they're a common prairie flower in this area, I've never seen them growing there before. It's always fun to come across a new sprinkling of sweet wildflowers. 

Petal-less

taken:
day five
06.25.2013

Today I was captivated by this petal-less poppy. It's one that I had on my kitchen windowsill that I shared recently here. It dropped all of it's petals a day or two ago but I still kept it on my windowsill. I wasn't ready to let it go.

Today I brought the vase outside in the yard so I could take some photos of it and have a pretty green background. I snapped and snapped and snapped away, as if I were photographing a lovely petal-filled rose. 

The wind shifted and twisted it which gave me different angles to admire it from. Then I reminded myself that this was a flower that's missing all of it's petals, on it's last breath, soon turning brittle and dry. But for some reason, I still found it so exquisite and attractive, worthy of observing it's beauty. 

Have you ever felt petal-less? I have. All too often, in fact. It just occurred to me that in those moments, I wish I could treat myself the way I treated this poppy, with admiration and dignity, not comparing it to what it once was, but rather relishing in what it is now. An interesting analogy to think about in those times when feelings of defeat and weakness set in. If nothing else, it's something to remember and strive for. I would love to say farewell to those in-adequate feelings forever!

Glorious

taken:
day four
06.24.13

My yellow honeysuckle vine is dripping with glorious brightly colored flowers right now. I'm in love with their rich golden color and overflowing blooms this year. They seem so much more lush and bountiful than usual. 

I've noticed that because of all the rain we've received this spring and early summer, that everything is thriving as a result. Especially after a few years of severe drought. I guess that's one nice thing about enduring many cloudy and wet days, we get an abundance of beautiful robust plants and flowers as a reward.

One Lonely Bud

taken:
day three
6.23.13

This single solitary peony bud is swelling with pale pink petals. Before long it'll be a billowing puff of ruffles and heavenly fragrance. Unfortunately this lonely bud is the one and only bud of all 4 peony plants in my garden. It makes me a little sad but at the same time I'm thankful for this solo bloom that'll be breathtaking all on it's own.

Soft And Delicate

taken:
day two
06.22.13

The beautiful 'blue false indigo' I have growing in the center of my garden is exploding with bluish-purple blossoms right now. Darling blossoms, that remind me of 'sweet peas', line each stem. I love how soft and delicate they are.

Grand Entrance

taken:
day one
06.21.13

It rained hard last night. Hard, with whipping winds and gushing rain.

A lot of people lost power and a lot of people had storm damage and trees down. Summer has definitely insisted on making a grand entrance!

When I walked through the yard this morning to see if we had any damage, none thankfully, I took a close look at some new stargazer lilies that I planted the other day.

I noticed that the golden pollen that usually coats the stamen was washed clean off. The tips were smooth and bare, but by afternoon they were pollen coated again. 

The busy little lilies worked overtime today to replenish their precious pollen supply. Now the tips are fuzzy and golden. Just in time for another round of storms tonight.

Summer Solstice {Pretty Poppies}

It's the Summer Solstice.

The first day of summer.

The longest day of sunlight.

These cheerful poppies are new to my garden this year.

They're now blooming, bright and bold.

Some of them I've brought inside to spiff up my kitchen windowsill.

Even when they drop their petals they are pretty and lovely and happy.

I'm overjoyed that summer is officially here!!!

And I'm excited to kick off another 'Days of Summer' photo project.

Cheers to a happy summer!

Welcome June

Welcome June!

School is winding down and summer vacation is within our grasp.

It's about time!

I could have a year full of Junes.

I love this month.

Something about June is so exhilarating and promising.

My mind is always full of hope for a fun, warm and abundant summer.

Right now it's all about nurturing seeds in the garden.

I thrive on the satisfaction of their growth and prosperity.

It's almost addicting.

I could never grow tired of the wonderment of June.

It's my favorite.


HAPPY JUNE TO YOU!!!

Hello Monday!

Hello Monday!

There's loads of new life happening around here. 

With lots of rain and sparkling sunshine things are really coming alive.

Hello fuzzy baby willow buds. They almost shimmer when the sun shines from behind.

Hello cheerful baby crab apple blossoms. They're pink now but when they bloom they'll be bright white.

Hello unfurling baby ferns. They seem to unfold several inches a day, growing taller and taller by the moment.

Hello baby dogwood leaves, looking so sturdy and bold in the morning sun.

Hello delicate baby oak leaves. They're so adorable and tender.

Wishing you a happy and lively Monday!

{ linking up with the lovely Lisa Leonard for Hello Monday }

Tulips On A Rainy Day

Tulips are finally making their debut around here.

Revealing loads of vibrant color and texture.

I'm so happy to have some cheerful beauty in the garden again.

It was a rainy day today. 

I love fresh raindrops on flowers.

They always seem to look prettier drenched in droplets.

A Tissue Paper Flower And A Tiny Lemon Tree

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day on Sunday!

I love giving gifts and wrapping them in pretty paper and bows.

So I was intrigued when I recently stumbled upon a step by step tutorial on Pinterest on how to make tissue paper flowers.

I couldn't resist, I had to make one to decorate my mom's Mother's Day gift.

It was incredibly easy and so fun to make.

Check out the tutorial here.

I also gave my mom a baby lemon tree from my own Meyer lemon tree.

It produced 2 tiny lemons earlier this year and I was able to harvest 4 seeds.

All 4 seeds sprouted. So exciting!

It took about 2 months for the seedling to finally emerge. I almost gave up.

But one day in April they began to peek up from the soil.

It'll be fun to see if they survive and if they end up producing their own lemons someday.

Little Lilacs

Here they are, tiny little lilac buds, finally making an appearance.

They would be blooming by now if it weren't for our late spring.

This year mother nature is giving us a lesson in patience.

Patience, hoping, waiting.

For these lilacs, the wait won't be long now.

Soon they will bloom to reveal soft lavender flowers and fill the air with a heavenly scent. 

The wait will be worth it!

Welcome May

Welcome May!

Spring is here and I couldn't be happier.

Even though ... we're still experiencing some questionable weather.

Some rainy and snowy mix with cool temps for the next few days.

But that's ok.

Because the past 4 days or so were beautiful, sunny and warm.

It was heaven!

I spent every extra minute I could in my gardens.

My hands and nails have never looked worse.

But I don't mind. In fact, it brings me joy. 

Who needs sparkling perfect nails anyway?

Spring, it's bursting everywhere.

Asian Beetles, they're everywhere too.

Life, it's vibrantly emerging.

Thank goodness.

May, it's such a welcome sight!