Tag Archives: Flowers

Mosaic Monday ~ Rhododendron Bushes

 

These are photos of our two large rhododendron bushes in our back yard. I think they really need to be pruned but I need to call someone over to show me how to do that without killing them off!

Coast Rhododendron
Rhododendron macrophyllum

In 1892, before they had the right to vote, Washington women selected the coast rhododendron as the state flower. They wanted an official flower to enter in a floral exhibit at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Six flowers were considered, but the final decision was narrowed to clover and the “rhodie,” and voting booths were set up for ladies throughout the state. When the ballots were counted, the rhododendron had been chosen as the Washington state flower.

For more Mosaics please visit Mary at Little Red House.

Ode to Summer ~

 

Summer, oh summer

You skipped in quite late

and left us in haste

and now we are left to ponder

Will you reappear

when winter is near

and cause us once more to wonder….

Summer, oh summer.

Hint: Read this ode as if you are a Beatnik giving a reading at the local coffee house…or as Mike Meyers in So I Married An Axe Murderer…

I’ll see you all in the Fall!

It Was a Great Day…

…for a walk in the neighborhood.

 

The hydrangeas are really blooming dramatically right now. This one is such an intense blue.

 

Beautiful lilies blooming.

 

A lighter blue hydrangea. I really enjoyed how the sun was shining on these blooms.

The next photos are from my own yard when I returned from my walk.

 

My blueberries are getting ready and I have to be fast to beat the birds to the ripe ones!

 

Our pears are getting bigger. They usually aren’t ready until late August or early September.

 

I didn’t plant this Foxglove but it’s blooming in my yard. Such a pretty flower.

It’s wonderful when the weather encourages us to get out and about and enjoy the scenery. I really need the extra exercise and I’m thankful for the motivation I get from the good weather we are having in the Northwest right now. Tomorrow I’ll share the great Yard Art I encountered on my latest walk!

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.

Oops forgot to link up to Susan at The Southern DayDreamer for Outdoor Wednesday!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Flowers in Mosaics With Blue?

It’s a stretch but I think there is some blue in the mosaic of my Hydrangea so please click over to Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday and Sally at Smiling Sally for Blue Monday. But wait, I’m also linking to Today’s Thrifty Treasures hosted by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. Don’t I sound like one of those awful commercials that are selling super duper Magic Cloths or something?

 

My little potted Hydrangea that I planted a few years ago is really showing well this year. I think I got a total of 5 blooms last year. My friend Beth gave me this Hydrangea a few years back for my birthday and it was pink. When I re-planted it here in this spot it bloomed purple and blue.

 

On a river trail walk with my sister we did a lot of stopping to take pictures. These are some of the wild flowers we found growing. I’m calling them wild because they seemed to grow on their own with no help from any human being. LOL with that definition all the flowers in my yard are wild. Thank goodness the Master Gardener keeps them alive.

Now for my Thrifty Treasure. I bought this Villeroy and Boch pitcher at Goodwill for $5.95. I decided to bring the outdoors in and use this pitcher as a vase for my hydrangeas. It also will qualify for Blue Monday with it’s blue motif.

This week I’m getting ready for an onslaught of visitors from Southern California. The first group arrives next Monday with overlapping guests arriving the following week. At one point during those two weeks we’ll have 9 out of  state visitors together. Half will be staying with my sister who lives a couple minutes from me and half will be at my house. Whoohoo time to partay! I will probably be a random blogger  during this time.

Dear and I are saving our big trips for the Fall. In September our daughter Katie and I are traveling to Parris Island via Savannah to attend her boyfriend’s graduation from Marine Boot Camp. In October Dear and I are headed to Dallas to visit my brother, SIL, and little Hope. Do you have any travel plans?

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

You’ve Got to Love…

…a Farmer’s Market for fresh bouquets of flowers.

 

I wanted some bouquets for our 4th of July gathering on Sunday so I zipped over to Country Village in Bothell on Friday to see what flowers were available. Every Friday from noon there is a Farmer’s Market held there. They did not disappoint and I was able to get a bouquet of Sweet Peas and a larger bouquet for a total of $10.00. Costco had one of the larger bouquets for $14.99. I really like a bargain!

I’ve got an auto post for my hymn tomorrow but I won’t be around because of our celebration.

Have a Wonderful 4th of July everyone!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

June Blooms…

It’s time for Outdoor Wednesday with Susan at The Southern Daydreamer. I’ve been enjoying my June blooms in the yard.

 

The lavender is blooming which makes weeding in the beds an olfactory delight!

 

Lovely splashes of crimson are welcome in the planter. This rose is so prolific and I cut it back aggressively wondering if it will bloom again…and it does.

 

Last but not least my new addition this year a Sarah Bernhardt Peony which has stolen my heart. I will be planting more Peonies next year!

What’s blooming in your yard? We are so happy here in Western Washington to be enjoying some nice sunny days. We still have promises of more rain coming but we’ll enjoy the sun while it lingers and entertains us!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Summer?

 

Oh where oh where is our summer?

I hope it’s arrival comes soon.

The flowers are bright.

But the weather’s not right.

Hope the sun will arrive by noon!

So how’s summer starting where you are? We are cloudy and a bit drippy with some wind. Instead of barbecuing yesterday for Father’s day we celebrated inside with breakfast for lunch since we had steady rain for much of the day. The kids honored Dear and we had a nice relaxing time together. What are your plans for summer? We don’t have any trips planned this year. We do have visitors coming in July and August and we’ll plan some summer activities with them. Thanks for stopping by for a visit. Hope your week is a good one!

The Rhodora ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Rhodora

On being asked, Whence is the flower?

In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,
I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,
Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,
To please the desert and the sluggish brook.
The purple petals, fallen in the pool,
Made the black water with their beauty gay;
Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,
And court the flower that cheapens his array.
Rhodora! if the sages ask thee why
This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
Tell them, dear, that if eyes were made for seeing,
Then Beauty is its own excuse for being:
Why thou wert there, O rival of the rose!
I never thought to ask, I never knew:
But, in my simple ignorance, suppose
The self-same Power that brought me there brought you.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mother’s Day 2010 ~

 

Mother’s Day was such a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest! We took a drive to Camano Island in the morning to enjoy a Mother’s Day Brunch together. My daughter’s boyfriend was here from Florida and joined us. The views from the Inn where we had our Mother’s Day Buffet were spectacular!

 

We are looking across to Whidbey Island and the Olympics beyond.

 

Later in the day my son and DIL arrived and the kids and Dear each had a hand in preparing dinner for all of us. Don’t you just love to see men working in the kitchen! I was showered with gifts and thank God for His blessings of  love and grace that He gives me through my family.

 

Thank you Dear, Josh, Laura, Katie and Dan for honoring me….

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

See The Shining Dewdrops ~ Hymn

See The Shining Dewdrops

See the shining dewdrops,
On the flowers strewed,
Proving as they sparkle,
“God is ever good.”

Hear the mountain streamlet,
In its solitude,
With its ripple saying,
“God is ever good.”

In the leafy treetops,
Where no fears intrude,
Merry birds are singing,
“God is ever good.”

Bring, my heart, thy tribute,
Songs of gratitude,
All things join to tell us,
“God is ever good,
God is ever good.”

author unknown