MY ENTRY FOR THE WEEK

Old Barn in Maggie Valley North Carolina

Old Barn in Florida

Anhttps://ceenphotography.com/2016/10/25/cees-fun-foto-challenge-houses-andor-barns/other old Barn in Florida

 

 

 

EARLY MORNING MIST

Looking out at the back of my back yard on a misty morning.

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RIVER OVER GRASS

AbstractJust a couple for today’s post.  These were taken years ago at two different parks

River flowing over grass at Hillsborough State Park.

Underwater plant at Lettuce Lake Park.

 

 

THE GARDEN WEEK THREE

RISK     Yeah I know that I’ve been showing you my vegetable garden but every now and then I need to sneak in a flower or two.  I just plain love gardening whether it is vegetables or flowers.  Like I said before I’m a plant collector.  The photo above is my ginger blooming.  Those little beautiful pearls will soon open to gorgeous flowers.

     I had to take the risk to show you because I so want you to see them.  Recently I watched a tv show that demonstrated how to get ginger started from a piece you buy at the grocery.  I purchased a small piece for seventy cents then I broke it into three pieces and planted those in pots (it was about a month ago.)  They sprouted and are about three inches high.  I can’t wait to see what their bloom looks like.  I’ll take pictures of them growing but I forgot to today.

     Okay; on to the vegetable garden.  Everything (except the onions) is growing well.  I planted sweet peas where the onions were supposed to be and several of them have sprouted.The squash are blooming.  We actually had fried squash blooms at supper.  They were absolutely delicious.

The pepper plants are loaded with small peppers.  They are too spicy for me so I’ll give them away but it is fun to see them grow. And the tomatoes are looking strong and healthy.

     As you can see I have been very busy outside and loving every minute.  Today we raked and bagged leaves and we’re only half way there.  I save some of them in the compost bin but there is just too many to keep them all because we have several oak trees and an equal amount of Laurel Leaf Cherry.  And on that note I will say good night because I am so tired. Please come back soon and let me know what you are growing and how it is going.  I forgot to show you my pumpkin plants but God willing and Jesus lingers I’ll show you later.  And of course my Dutchman’s Pipe vine; the blooms are so wonderfully beautiful.  One fell of the vine and I opened it and found seed sooo guess who is saving Dutchman’s Pipe seeds.

Good night.

SEASONS

SEASONS

When I work up day before yesterday the far back of my yard looked like this; fog!  Yes, it is that season of the year here; we get thick fog.  Oh we will probably have a few more what we call cold days but it is nothing compared to what some of you in the northern states are getting.  It is still winter but I’m getting spring fever.  For the last three or four days it weather has been in the 70s; just perfect for working in the yard.

My five year old grandson calls the extreme back piece of my property “the jungle” because I have banana, avocado, papaya, loquat, fig, olive and guava trees back there.  I also have my vegetables garden and several kinds of flowers. I suppose it might look like a jungle to him.

Yes, we do have seasons in Florida and there is something in every one of them that I love.  I like to sit on my back-porch and watch it rain and when it is foggy and chilly I pull on sweats and sat in my glider with my hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee.  The sun breaking through the clouds is a beautiful sight to behold.  Because I put out food  I have so many wild birds that come to visit.  I try to catch photos of them.  I’ll share some in another post.

The first of the week my son was here from Texas and we built a big fire in our large pit.  While we were enjoying it a flock of wild geese flew over; heading back north.  And yesterday my yard was full of red-breast robins.  I do believe those are sure signs that our winter cold is almost gone; or will be in the next couple of weeks.  I’m always excited for the spring season because that is when I get the soil ready and plant my spring and summer gardens.

Like I said there is something special in every season and I thank God that I am able to see and enjoy them.  Living in Florida was one of the goals I set for myself when I was just a child and I’m thankful I fulfilled it.  I love my little piece of Florida.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon.  Until then keep enjoying all the blessings God gives you, trust me they are too many to count.  God Bless

 

My Little Piece of Florida

 

     I lay basking in my bed lost somewhere between awake and the wonderful bliss of dreams.  From the dim greenish light filling the room I knew it was close to five in the morning.  I stretched but didn’t get up.  I could hear the birds singing and the whir of my ceiling fan added to the quiet noise and the quality of tranquility.  I said a prayer thanking God for where I live and all He has given me and then I asked Him to tell me what I could do for Him today.  When the coffee pot added its plop plop to the rhythm of my morning I knew it was time to rise and shine.  Besides that my bladder was screaming for relief.

     After washing my face and hands and pouring myself a cup of the dark brown brew I made my way to the back porch and my glider.  There’s a comforting hush over the world at this hour of the morning.  The sky is neither dark nor light it’s that in between dull gray. A light fog shrouds the trees beyond my privacy fence and gives a slight eerie touch.  This is my time.  The birds are chirping and hopping around the food and water I keep in my backyard for them.  My big old dog snuggles my legs wanting her ears scratched and afterwards curls up in a ball at my feet and promptly falls back to sleep.  She’s old and I know she won’t be here to share these mornings much longer.   

     I sigh and take a drink of coffee as I look out at my property, ‘my little piece of Florida,’ I like to call it.  It is not huge but it is not one of those yards that are almost as small as a postage stamp.  I have almost an acre and love it.  I do my own yard work.  A stranger can’t take care of it with the love I do.  I’m not one of those prissy, prissy girls.  As a matter of fact I don’t mind getting sweaty or my hands dirty.  I love cutting the grass with a push mower and watching the small bugs hopping out of the way of the sharp blade and the sweet smell of fresh-cut grass swirling around me.

     I turn and look along the privacy fence at my flower gardens.  It seems the weeds grow faster than the flowers.  By the time I finish weeding all the way around it is time to start all over again.  I have quite a collection there; roses, sunflowers, zinnias, Joe Pye weed, dog fennel (yeah I know some call that a weed but I think they are pretty and it’s my yard) periwinkles, Berbera daisies, lilies and many, many more.  Several my husband has adamantly told me are weeds but I tell him ‘one man’s weed is another man’s flower.’  If I like the way it looks I either keep it if it comes up on its own or plant it myself.

     A reddish gold ring is appearing on the horizon so I know the sun will be here soon.  I down the rest of my coffee and go get dressed but the tranquility and peace I found this morning out on my porch just me, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will last me all day.  Unless someone tees me off.

     This blog really has no rhyme or reason it is just some of my thoughts.

      Thanks for stopping by and until next time if you have a porch slip out in the early morning hour just before daybreak and sit on it as you count your blessings.  You’ll find that they out weigh your hardships every time.  God bless.

Surrounded by Beauty

     I have been laid up with the flu all week even though I took the shot in the fall.  My doctor said this is a different strain, so what do I know?  Only that I was very sick and I am glad to once again be back with the living.

     The weather here has been in the high seventies the last couple of days and so beautiful.  I sat out on my back porch enjoying the sunshine.  At the far rear of our property a large Laurel Leaf Cherry tree was bustling with robins as their “cheerio cheerio” call filled the air.  A few wrens joined their sweet melodies to the songs with the occasional chatter of a gray squirrel.  This is nature’s music and so pleasant to the ear.

     I took a stroll around the yard and discovered some tiny wildflowers.  Yes, to many they are weeds but their blooms are still beautiful works of art.  Several small yellow butterflies flirted from plant to plant and up in the clear blue sky a hawk circled and squawked.  My banana trees are coming back, along with the Angel Trumpet and several other trees and plants that I was certain the cold had destroyed.  I am so blessed to live in such a beautiful peaceful place.  I thank God for it.  Yes, I love to travel and see different things but one of the most serene places I have found is sitting on my back porch or taking a stroll through my yard.

Thanks for stopping by.

God bless.

Singing Wires

     It is such a beautiful day here in Florida.  It started out cold, in the high 30s which I know is not so cold to some but believe me I stay snuggled in when it gets that low.  But by midmorning it had warmed up.  The sky is a clear blue so sharp and beautiful it tugs at your heart to look at it.  I took my dog for a walk along one of the paths where we go quite often.  Never before had I noticed this.  Don’t ask me why, maybe because I’m in my own world over half the time or so my husband says.  Anyway, we have to walk under some electric power lines in one place.  As we trudged along, my dog sniffing and me constantly saying “Off”  I suddenly noticed the humming coming from the power lines over our heads.  Yes, absolutely, it made me pay attention now.  I began to wonder if I was doing us more harm than good by taking this particular route.  Like I said we’ve gone there so many times before and it is one of our favorites because the course really gives us a good workout.  I’ve heard stories how people living under and close to high power lines get cancer but then that might just be an urban legend.  I know one thing I will definitely have to give it some thought and research.  But in the mean time we did enjoy our walk and I believe our hearts are saying “Thank you, thank you.”

I must run now and go over and play with my precious grandson.  He is eleven months old and crawling everywhere and getting into everything so I’ll get another workout from being with him.

Thanks for stopping by. Please come back soon.

God bless.

Soon To Be a Memory

     When I started this blog I wondered what I should write about.  Oh trust me I would love to be spurtting out wonderful information about how to create strong characters, outline a manuscript, the best way to get published or any of the informative blogs on the business of being a successful author.  But you know what?  There is probably at the very least a million people already blogging with that kind of talk and they most likely know more about it than me.  And besides it just isn’t my forte. Instead I would rather write about more interesting subjects, like how long it takes for a black wall to fade to gray or how tall grass can grow in a year.  You know?  The truly interesting stuff.  When you read my blog you  might never be able to guess what subject I will write about next.  Soooo… let’s get started with the story for today.

     Remember a couple of weeks ago when I felt I really needed to go and take a picture of the little house on Main Street (pictured above) before it became history?  I am so glad that I followed my feelings and went because today I rode past there and they are demolishing the little house.  I’m thankful that I have the pictures to show what used to be there when they decide to build a large housing development in its place and the little house will be forgotten.  I like to think that if it could talk it would have had some wonderful stories about a happy family.   So I will keep looking for abandoned and forgotten houses and buildings and keep taking the photos so at least someone will remember them.

Have a blessed evening and please come back soon.

The Sun Doesn’t Always Shine On Tampa Bay

     Hey y’all,

     Come on in, sit down while I get you a nice hot cup of coffee and then we’ll chat.

     I was going to write about something else this evening but since it is such a nasty, misty day here I’ll save that subject for another time.

     Most of the time we have absolutely beautiful weather in Tampa Bay; the reason so many people move here.  But now and then we have days like today.  The sky was gray and overcast.  We had a nice rain this morning, which we definitely need, but for most of the day it has just been misty.  I had to run a couple of errands and missed my beautiful blue sky.  But we must accept the gray with the blue.  I told myself that this is nice for a change.  The buildings did look pretty standing in the mist.  I believe no matter what kind of day we receive it is a gift from God and we should accept it for what it is.  This is unquestionably a good day to settle in with a nice cup of coffee or hot chocolate (with a huge marshmallow on top) and read.  So that is just what I did after my errands.  I even took a nap, which is one of the benefits of being retired.

     Tomorrow we should have our blue sky back although the temperature is supposed to only get in the 60s.  I’ll accept it for what it is and think of the people up north who would most likely welcome a beautiful day with blue skies and the temperature in the 60s.

Thanks for stopping by.  Please come back soon.

God Bless.