Sunrise and new recipes

 

Good morning everyone ~ I hope your week is a good one so far. It is hot and humid down here, when the sun is blazing with no cloud cover, it is miserable out.  Today is supposed to be mostly cloudy.  I need to do some hand watering after I ‘break the fast’.

Yesterday morning I was feeling a bit ‘down’, and then caught a glimpse of glorious colors in the clouds.  We had a bit of rain earlier, so I grabbed my camera and headed out. Oh my. The beauty was just awe inspiring and I kept ooohing and aaahing.

Here are the photos.

I forgot to turn the flash off but like the effect of the glistening rain drops caught on the flowers.

I have been inspired by reading a post by a younger woman than myself. She could be my daughter age wise. She’s been through some rough times, but she’s a real trooper and her attitude and perseverance really inspired me. Here’s a link to her blog, Island Mother. Boy, could I learn a LOT from her. She’s done some major remodeling of her little cottage in the woods.

I learned a new definition for my gardens this week from a commenter in my last post about my tropical jungle.  The word is ‘raffish’. I had to look it up to see what it meant. Definition is this:  unconventional and slightly disreputable, especially in an attractive manner -  synonyms:   rakish, unconventional, Bohemian ~ That is definitely my style, was ‘our’ style too. Also, eclectic. Thanks Lynn and to all who commented on my ‘raffish’ gardens.

This gardening style is not for everyone, but it most certainly works for me.

Now about recipes.

On Sharon Lovejoy’s blog in her last post she posted a wonderful sounding peach pie recipe for summer. I bought the ingredients yesterday, and ‘plan’ to make it today. Visit her blog at Sharon Lovejoy for the recipe and other wonderful tidbits about her life. Her posts are always a joy to read.

Another recipe I plan to try is Mediterranean Barley Salad. I’ll post the recipe later with a photo of the dish.  It is another great sounding, healthy recipe for hot summer weather.

As to needlework projects, I started and finished one for a friend, but I won’t show and tell until after she receives it. It went out in yesterday’s mail. Another heart sold over the weekend, that went out in yesterday’s mail too.

Let’s see, another project I started on is working on straightening up in DH’s workshop so that I can ‘work’ in there. Before he left this planet he told me it would now be mine and to do with it what I wanted to make it work for me. I could hardly go in there at first because I would just cry and cry. (Hearing power tools in the neighborhood would make me cry too.) Time has blessed me, God has blessed me with the grief not being so raw and awful like it was. I can go in there now and not cry. I always loved the workshop. It was a dream come true for DH and we built it together from his county ‘approved’ plans. I started clearing off the work benches, there are three wonderful ones. I filled a large trash bag with trash and debris, still a LOT more to do, but I made forward progress and that felt good. I feel my husbands love and encouragement in there.

Well, that’s it for now. I need to get going. I found some great looking you-tube exercise videos for ‘seniors’ and I plan to start trying some of them.  They look like fun and great for me too.

Have a great day wherever you may be ~ FlowerLady

 

Being Content

Good morning everyone ~ Well, it’s morning here in s.e. FL.  It is 9:34 a.m. EST., and the temp is 84, but with the humidity, feels like it is 98.  In a couple of hours it is supposed to feel like it is 107.  Yesterday morning I got a late start and decided to mow because rain was predicted for the afternoon and next few days. I had a straw hat on, drank water, but couldn’t finish, because my body was telling me I’d done enough. I didn’t want to have heat stroke that’s for sure.  I could hear my DH telling me to quit. Oh how glorious coming into an a.c. house is. Anyway, I didn’t do much physical labor the rest of the day. I did upload more items into my Etsy shop and that took quite a bit of time up, taking pics, editing, writing description, etc.  You can see them in my link in the side bar to the right.

Thought I’d share some pics of my overgrown jungle. It tends to make me feel depressed at times, but, I am grateful for it.

Now, on the subject of being content.

In the past week, I’ve had 4 different devotional readings on this subject.  I thought God was trying to tell me something when I had read three of them, then I got a fourth this morning, which really shows me He cares.

Here are 4 scripture verses that spoke to me, there were more, but these stood out for me.

***

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."

This morning I read a great writing from Grace Gems. An  online devotional that my DH found years ago and gave me the link to because he thought I would like it. I have been blessed by many of the writings from this place.

Here’s a link to the Gem for today.

Do Not Worry

***

I want to thank all of you who visit, to new followers, to those who leave links from their blog posts to mine, and thanks for all of your comments.

Thank you for prayers and encouragement. I have days where missing my husband really gets me down and I need to keep focusing on God and that my husband is with Him at this very moment. That’s reason to celebrate. Continue to pray for me as I walk this journey of widowhood.

FlowerLady

 

Blue jay, blooms, bartering

 

Good evening Folks ~ I hope you are all doing well. We got a short, heavy rain yesterday and that was good.  We could use some more and it is predicted, time will tell.  Predictions do NOT always come true.

This morning as I was washing dishes I looked up to see a blue jay just sitting on the rim of the huge bird bath.  It just kept sitting there, so I raced into the other room for my camera, praying it would still be sitting there when I got back. It was. While taking pictures, I realized that this was a fledgling. The parent was in the palms nearby.

The first two photos were taken from inside.

Blooms

Fernleaf Lavender, Lavandula pinnata

Penta

Tahitian Gardenia

Unknown miniature rose

Bartering

I have been following the blog Hartwood Roses for quite some time now.  Connie grows around 600 roses at this time. Her gardens have a “special emphasis on rare and historic varieties, and popular classics that are well-suited for modern gardens.”

You can visit her website to read more. Hartwood Roses. She did close the public nursery in 2012, but still grows roses. She loves roses.

You can also visit her blog Hartwood Roses. You won’t be disappointed.

Besides her love of roses, she also loves restoring her lovely old home and she loves Greyhounds, and has other sweet critters that she loves dearly as well.  I think her latest addition to her family was adorable Winnie.

Anyway,  this past Sunday she had an open garden and in a blog post told about roses she was going to have for sale. I thought, oh my gosh, I want at least one, so I emailed her and said I would like to buy two but under my present circumstances, couldn’t really afford that.  Then I got the idea to ask her if she might do a trade. She emailed back and says she loves to barter, so that’s what we did. She told me to pick out a heart to send her and she would send me two roses. I was thrilled!

I had picked out a ‘Cemetery Musk Seedling’, and she suggested ‘Ruth’s Wavy Leaf Noisette’. Both are ‘fragrant’ which is something I love in a rose. A rose just doesn’t seem right if it doesn’t have a wonderful scent.

In trade, I sent her this heart, which is covered in ‘roses’.

Bartering with Connie, inspired me to create another heart. I crocheted a rose using a new pattern I found online. The rest fell into place as I stitched. This will be going into my Etsy shop in a day or two.

Wednesday was 30 months since my dear husband left this planet for his heavenly home. It seems like yesterday sometimes, other times it seems like  how can it be that many months ago. I miss him every single day. Being a widow is lonely, especially in the evenings. But, I am getting into my own little groove and am enjoying all that I am blessed with.

As I was getting breakfast ready, I took a big fat juicy strawberry to cut up on my oat cereal, and what a treat it was. The shape was no coincidence on that morning, it was a God-gift to me.

With that, I will close. Be thankful for birds, blooms, and bartering when possible. If you don’t ask, you won’t know.

FlowerLady

P.S. I also sold two more hearts. I have to keep creating to fill my little shop. Working from home, you have to ‘keep at it’ and not procrastinate. It’s not as easy as just going to my job and collecting a paycheck. I’m trying to get into some kind of rhythm.  I really enjoy working from home. Thank you all for your encouragement and kind words.

P.P.S. Last night I stumbled across a BBC series called Rosemary & Thyme, on you-tube. I’m in love with it just from the first show. It is about two gardeners turned sleuths.  Anybody who loves to garden will enjoy this. Click on the link below.

Rosemary & Thyme

Two things that made me smile this morning ;-)

 

As I was sitting here at my computer desk, I heard a strange bird song.  My attention was drawn to the window and lo and behold, I jumped up and grabbed camera and put it to the window and zoomed in. (I need to wash my windows for better viewing/picture taking.) The first photo I took was the best.  I do hope to see this lovely bird again.

It is the Spot-breasted Oriole, Icterus pectoralis. What a treat!

I had to do a google search on orange and black birds in FL to see what this visitor was. I read that besides berries and insects, it likes nectar and there are quiet a few of these trumpet flowers are in boom right now.

Below, he/she is with the vanda orchid ‘Miss Joachuim’ in the background.  This Oriole was introduced to FL in the late 1940’s.  I am blessed to have had this one visit Plum Cottage Gardens. Hope it comes back.

The first thing that made me smile this morning was getting an email from Etsy telling me that one of my hearts sold.

It was this one below. Thank you Leslie.

That’s it for now. Later I’ll post a recipe and pictures for strawberry bread. It just finished baking a little while ago and smelled wonderful.

FlowerLady ~ who is thankful for many blessings, big and small.