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Flora photos for spring
I took these photos last week when I visited the Woods. I usually work there but because we’re sheltering in place, I work from home. I took these photos, uploaded them and forgot about them. Several staff took photos for our website and several of them were almost exactly the same. I guess we all know the beautiful spots in the spring! I did have a few that others did not, and vice versa.
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A new normal?
So, a lot has changed since October, when I last posted to my blog. I think my writing has been hibernating, afraid to come out for fear of frostbite. Is that possible? In a week, it will be April and of course that means taking part in the Blogging A to Z blogathon. I’m not sure I’ll make it – okay, that’s not the right way to go into this event. Yes, I’m sure I’m going to blog every day (except Sunday) in April, fully completing the A to Z blogathon! So, Covid 19 happened. Today the first death in our county was reported. The only data that we have…
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“P”ansies
Pansies have been one of my favorite flowers since I was a child. I love the color combinations (deep blues and purples with dots of yellow and white). These pansies were just planted at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods where I work, and a few days later, we received a cold, wet snowfall. I walked by them and they were all curled up, as if they were trying to keep warm. I thought for sure they were dying, and that our late-spring weather had done them in. Several days passed and they sprung back as hearty as ever! The weather warmed up again, spring has continued, and so have these pansies. Although they…
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“G”rateful for daffodils
Like in life, sun-loving daffodils sometimes need to have obstacles removed for them to reach their full potential.
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“D”affodils
Daffodils, as one of the first flowers that bloom, are virtually synonymous with spring and new beginnings. We inherited some in our backyard around one of our trees and while there are some years that they don’t bloom, most of the time they do. Once they burst open and “trumpet in” the changing of seasons, it’s only a matter of time before our other plants, bushes and trees bud out. They are a perfect reminder of God’s grace and blessings to come. Daffodils make me happy! They remind me to be present in the moment, since they are so visible and beautiful, and then they are gone. They are exceptionally…
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#AtoZChallenge: Zee end!
Okay, I might be cheating a bit with this last entry. I was thinking that while the A to Z Challenge is coming to an end, and April for that matter, spring is beginning to rock! Weeks ago, I saw our pair of foxes romping through the backyard, playing in the tall grass and pausing to eat something. Since it was probably a squirrel or rabbit or other cute, furry creature, I didn’t want to dwell too much on the circle of life. I was just glad to see that the foxes were back again this year. For the past five years, at least, the momma fox has had (at…
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A to Z Challenge: “W”inter ornaments
We’re well into spring and it’s wonderful to open up my window while I’m getting ready for work in the morning. I feel the cool air, smell the budding plants and hear the beautiful songs and communication between the birds. It’s just about the best music around. I ran across these photos of how beautiful birds are, even in winter, when everything else is asleep and regenerating. Even though it must be freezing out and quality food and water are scarce, the birds still appear on the stark, bare branches of the trees and brighten my day. It makes me even more grateful for birds. No only are they beautiful…
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A to Z Challenge: “L”ilacs
The fragrance and the complex, beautiful color of the flower clusters are two of my favorite things about lilacs (Syringa vulgaris). We had a lilac bush outside my bedroom window at the house where I grew up, in Denver. Since we didn’t have air conditioning, I’d get a sweet spring breeze when I opened up my windows during the day, to smell the intensely fragrant air. Between the lilacs and the snowball bush, it was heavenly! At our home in Indiana, we have a resident pink lilac bush that has a very subtle fragrance also near our bedroom window. And, we purchase an old fashioned, deeper purple lilac bush which…
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A to Z Challenge: “F”orsythia
O forsythia, forsythia, wherefore art thou Forsythia? (I don’t know why but this plant’s name just seems to lend itself to Shakespeare!) Why are all the springtime blooms bright and cheery? I’d like to believe it’s to remind us that winter is on its way out, and that summer is coming! I talked about the daffodil in all its glory! Another bright yellow flowering shrub to quickly shake off the winter chill is the forsythia plant. Its slightly bell-shaped blooms can range from buttery yellow to warm gold. Did you know it’s part of the olive family? I had no idea. They were named after English horticulturist William Forsyth (1737-1804).…
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“A”pril means new blooms on old wood
Lilacs bloom in early spring on “old wood.” © 2011 by Diane Weidenbenner. It’s spring, or so the calendar and Almanac say. Another change-of-season indicator is the fact that my husband, Joe, has gotten out the chain saw. He’s oiled it, sharpened the blade and tested it out on a few unsuspecting bushes. I fear for our plants’ lives this time of year. I felt it necessary to mention to him that the lilac bushes seem to have buds on them and that now would not be a good time to trim them. I remember hearing that they bloom on “old wood.” Specifically, “Flowering on old wood means that a…
