Happy 4th

Good afternoon Folks ~ I hope those here in the US are enjoying this day.  It is hot and humid, with a nice breeze down here in s.e. FL.  We’ve had a few sprinkles too. I was going to putter indoors today, but it was cooler out this morning than it has been, and since my cold is just about totally gone, I did some tree trimming and then mowed.  I also got a load of laundry washed and hung out on the lines to dry. For my holiday lunch I opened a can of Bush’s baked beans, heated up with all beef hot dogs, and I made some potato salad.

It was 47 years ago today that a teenage boy took a teenage girl to her home after a church youth group beach party. He gently kissed her on the forehead, as she wasn’t feeling too good from so much sun.  That was the start of the romance that blossomed and grew and that fills my heart today with so many memories.

Yesterday morning I had pulled up the blinds in the living room and looked up from reading my Bible and there was a rainbow.  Wow, how cool is that and what a great way to start the day.  I grabbed my camera and took some photos even though it was lightly sprinkling.  When I edited them to put in this post, I saw a ‘faint’ second rainbow above the first.  Rainbows are symbols of hope and faith, and I am always thankful when I see one.

This is a spider web hanging inside the screened room off the back of the cottage.

It looks like a lacy diamond necklace.

Here is our state butterfly, the zebra longwing.

A longview.  I have 1/4 acre that I take care of and lately it has seemed daunting to say the least.  It didn’t seem so bad when DH was here with me, because we both handled it.  I’m going to have to find someone who will trim the trees from the neighbors that is hanging over the fence into the driveway.  I can only trim up so far.  DH used to take his sawsall and cut them off at fence line, and I would then cut them up smaller to cart out front for pick up.

This is looking north.

Looking north west.

The caravan garden patio area has weeds all grown up in the cracks of the patio stones. I need to get out the weedwacker, but I can’t do it all in one day.

This is some sort of thistle that I bought at a yardsale the other day.

Does anyone have any idea what it is?  I thought the lady told me it was a Mexican thistle, but I don’t know for sure.  She had cottage style garden beds in her front yard, roses and anything else that grows well for her.  I also bought a So. African foxglove, and a variegated periwinkle.

I love the heart shaped leaves and the blooms of the clock vine.

Aren’t these buds neat?

Here is the hibiscus ‘hugs-n-kisses’.

I’ve been working on my creative space, trying to get it more organized as I want to get things I’ve made listed in my little Etsy shop again and I want to do more creating. Losing my best friend knocked the winds out of my sails.  I feel his love and encouragement as I move along with each new day.  I miss him terribly, that isn’t going to go away, but I am getting into my little groove, and looking to and thanking God for taking care of me and for my many blessings and for lessons I am learning.

Each day is a gift.  Love, forgive, encourage, laugh, learn and be thankful.

FlowerLady

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"There is no season such delight can bring,
As summer, autumn, winter and the spring."
  William Browne, Variety, 1630