Testing ~ using a different browser

Able to upload photos again ;-) ~ Well, one photo.

Good afternoon Friends, well, I don't know what has happened, other than not getting in my computer for a few days, but, I'm now able to upload pics again. Thanks for tips from folks, I did a couple of things but don't know what has cleared up the problem. I am thankful though. Hopefully, it was just a temporary glitch. 

 

*** Spoke to soon, I got one picture uploaded, tried to post a couple more pictures and the same thing is happening. Sheesh. I have a young friend who is a computer geek who is going to come over and see what can be done about this. 

 

This is just a quickie post.

 

 

 

The flower above is an alamanda.  I'm not sure of the variety. I'm googling and it looks like it could be Chocolate Swirl. Was given a cutting many years ago. It is growing on a little DIY arbor that goes into my clothesline area. I'll post more pictures when I can. ;-)

 It's been horribly hot down here, although not as bad as some people are having it. I try to get out early to work outside and still sweat buckets. I drink electrolytes and take breaks, then hibernate the rest of the day. 1-2 hours is all I can handle. I just checked out weather. It is 5:05 pm and it is 92 with real feel being 101. Yikes!!!

That's it for now. Enjoy each day you are blessed with. Be thankful and let others know you care about them. 

Thanks for visiting,

FlowerLady 

Help !!!!!

Hi Friends ~ I am getting totally frustrated as I can't get pictures uploaded in blogger.

Is anyone else having this issue? I've spent hours trying to figure this out.

Many moons ago I used Windows Live Writer, then Open Live Writer. Today I tried to download Open Live Writer and Blogger has blocked the app so I cannot use that program.

I don't know what to do. There seems to be no real answers with Google. I have cleared my cache and cookies as suggested. 

Posting pictures is a big part of my blog, rather boring posts without them. ;-) 

That's it from Plum Cottage today. It was very hot and sweat  was pouring as I worked outside this morning for two hours. I do take breaks and drink electrolytes. Temp was around 90 and real feel temp 95. Tomorrow is another day.

It's time to think about supper and to bring in the laundry from the clothesline.

Thanks for any help that you have with this situation.

FlowerLady 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Almond bush in my tropical, overgrown, cottage gardens ;-)

Greetings from Plum Cottage, 

 

It's been quite awhile since I've posted, sorry about that. Life is still going on here in spite of heat advisories, some stress and depression. God is good and is my strength and comfort. He blesses me with glorious blooms, friends who love, encourage and offer their help when needed. I really have much to be thankful for and hope to be posting more regularly.

 

Below is a video that recently came my way via you-tube feed.

 

It is based on the Bible verse found in Isaiah 46:4

 

Even to your old age
I will be the same,
And even to your graying years 
I will bear you!
I have done it, 
And I will carry you;
And I will bear you 
And I will deliver you.

Isaiah 46:4

 

 

 ~~~~~~

 

Yesterday morning right before I woke up, I dreamed I saw a plant loaded with blooms. I woke up happy from that and thankful for this new day.

 

A little while later I went outside and lo and behold, there was one of my 'Sweet Almond' bushes in bloom, filling the air with it's wonderful scent. I had pruned it recently and was now blessed with all of those sweet little blooms. I don't remember where I bought this.

 

My 'tropical cottage gardens' are somewhat overgrown so I will just show you the blooms, not the overgrowth. ;-)

 

 "The sweet almond bush, scientifically known as Aloysia virgata, is a popular ornamental shrub in Florida. It is native to South America and is appreciated for its fragrant white flowers and ability to attract pollinators. It has a sweet almond-like fragrance." Google search.

 

Awhile back a you tube video popped up in my feed, Christian blues. Just what I needed. My dear husband and I were/are lovers of blues music. Hubby played the electric guitar so this little cottage would rock. I miss that. When I hear certain guitar music/riffs I can just hear/see him playing here n our living room. Great memories.

 

We/I like a lot of different kinds of music. The blues are not for everyone. You can skip on down to the end of post for something more mellow. ;-)  I watch on TV with Roku and turn the volume up.

 

Here are some great Christian blues compilations from you tube. There are a lot more. 

 

 

 

 

I'll end this post with a song that was played at church recently. It touched many hearts and tears were shed. The message had been on having joy in all circumstances. 

 

We've all been through rough times, valleys. We will go through more, but, Jesus has promised to be with us through every circumstance. He is our strength when we are weak, He is our Comforter. 

 

When we see Him, we will understand all of the whys and thank Him for bringing us through all of life's ups and downs. We are in His tender care, both now and forever.

 

Well, blue skies and hillsides feel so far away
And I wrote in my notebook that I've seen better days
Than the ones as of late
I can't bear that weight

The rain won't stop pouring out my window pane
And I haven't left my bedroom in 76 days
I wish something would change
'Cause I'm losing faith

So I brought it up in a desperate prayer
Lord, why are you keeping me here?
Then He said to me, "Child, I'm planting seeds
I'm a good God and I have a good plan
So trust that I'm holding a watering can
And someday you'll see that flowers grow in the valley"

So whatever the reason, I'm barely getting by
I'll trust it's a season knowing that you're by my side
Every step of the way
And I'll be okay

'Cause I brought it up in a desperate prayer
Lord, why are you keeping me here?
Then He said to me, "Child, I'm planting seeds
I'm a good God and I have a good plan
So trust that I'm holding a watering can
And someday you'll see that flowers grow in the valley"


When I'm on the mountain and looking down below
I'll see a valley of flowers that needed time to grow
And I'll thank you for the rain
The hurt and days of pain

And I'll bring it up in a grateful prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for keeping me there
You know just what I need and you've planted seeds
'Cause you're a good God with a real good plan
And you hold my world in a watering can
So I can have peace 'cause flowers grow in the valley."

(my underlining) 

Lyrics: Samantha Ebert

 

~~~~~~

Thank you for visiting. May God bless you and keep you.

 

FlowerLady 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Two Orchids from the Miami Orchid show and other bits

Good Saturday afternoon ~ I thought I'd finish up the Miami Orchid show posts with the two orchids I got from the show. One Sarah bought for me and the other I bought myself. Orchids are 'expensive'.

Sarah and I walked around looking at all of the booths. Some I could tell were way out of my financial league and we passed them by. Near the rear of the show there were some orchids that were less expensive, but NOT less beautiful. The rare, more exotic ones seemed to be up front, fancier booths, etc.

We came across a dainty orchid that was very fragrant. The spray was full of tiny orchid blooms. They had the two samples that we saw, they weren't for sale, they were just so that you would know what the non-blooming plants would look like. They had a couple small pots left of this orchid and the price was $45. Yikes!  We both couldn't get over the scent of this orchid. The lady said she would let it go for $40 as it was the last day of show. Sarah told the lady 'I'll take it, I'm buying this for her. I wanted to buy her an orchid and when she saw and smelled this one, her face just lit up." So, I looked over the pots left and the one I picked has two flower spikes. 

Not knowing anything at all about this orchid, after getting home I did some research and it is a wonderful one to have, easy to grow. It's called 'Sharry Baby ~ Sweet Fragrance'. There are a few different SB orchids. All of the descriptions say the blooms smell like chocolate, but I didn't think so at all. I'll have to wait to see what mine smell like when they open and let you know then.

Here is a link for this orchid. Sharry Baby Sweet Fragrance

It is their photo that I'm sharing here.

The scent really is amazing. Some have said that the scent can fill a room, that the scent may be too much for some people. 

I will most likely have mine outside with other orchids that I got cheap or were given to me.

 

Next link is for photo below: orquideasnantli.com

 I can hardly wait for mine to bloom. 

To me, it seems like it has grown since bringing it home 6 days ago.

'Sharry Baby Sweet Fragrance' is on the left and her 2 spikes have definitely grown.

Below is the orchid I bought. It was $25 and was marked down to $18. I don't know what type it is, Phaleonopsis? It did not have a tag, and the gentleman selling it was swamped with people and by himself.  Had I more available funds, I'm sure I would have been tempted to buy more. People were walking out with carts, bags and arms loaded with orchid plants.

I am a novice with orchids. They are a joy to behold. I have some that just bloom like weeds in my overgrown gardens, they are really easy. I've been watching you tube videos on growing orchids and some of mine outside need to be repotted and better taken care of.

Sweet Sarah has volunteered to help me in my gardens. She has been around gardens and butterflies, watching them grow from chrysalis into butterflies since she was a little girl. She grows and sells micro-greens at a huge local green market on Saturday mornings. She is also a pickleball coach.

Last Saturday she texted me a photo of a plant she saw at the market and asked me if I knew what it was. I told her no.  She said it was called a Chinese lantern. I googled and found it sending her the info. Well, lo and behold when she pulled up to pick me up for the orchid show she had this in her car. She said when she had seen it she said to herself this would look good at Rainey's.

It's also known as a flowering maple. 

There is plenty to do around here and now that I've had cataract surgery done on both eyes I look forward to getting things taken care of. Hopefully before summer's heat and humidity get here.

That's all for this post, I wanted to finish up about the Miami Orchid show. Someone asked if I got any orchids there. ;-) Plus share my Chinese Lantern. Sarah also treated me to lunch at a place I'd never heard of, Burgerfi, where we had a burger and fries. I also had a rootbeer. We were tired, hungry and happy from our adventure, it was a late lunch, I brought home half of burger and fries for another meal. We have a lot in common, even with a 50 year age difference. Thank you dear Sarah for a wonderful outing and for my plants.

~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting. 

FlowerLady

Orchid Show part 3

Good morning Folks ~ low when I got up this morning 44 and real feel was 38. The sun is shining brightly in a big blue sky, first time since last Sunday when Sarah and I went to the orchid show.

Now, here's the final post of beautiful orchids from this show.

Well, as Bugs Bunny used to say, 

"The bea, the bea, the bea, 

 that's all folks."

~~~~~~

Enjoy your weekend.

FlowerLady

 

Orchid Show part 2

Good morning ~ this morning is colder than yesterday, it was 49 real feel 41 @ 8 this morning, tomorrow it is to be colder. I finally had to get out my old radiant heater which we found dumped roadside probably between 40-45 years ago. It heats up this little space nicely. It has 10 numbers and we've always used it no higher than 4. I am thankful for it. It's not pretty, but it works and it was free.

 Now for some more orchid  'eye-candy'. Enjoy.

 

As I was editing the next photo my heart was moved almost to tears while listening to a you tube video of Ennio Morricone's symphonies from cinema. The song La Califfa started playing as I was editing. It has to do with perseverance. My God helps me to persevere, as does His lovely creation. This video is filled with lovely instrumental music. My dear husband and I loved Ennio's music in the spaghetti westerns we saw in the early 70's while living in Spain, while he was in the US Navy. I think our favorite was 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'.

This one makes looks like it's made of velvet.

That's it for now. I need a break from editing/working on this post. 

I need to get up and 'do something' physical, instead of sitting in this chair. 

Neck aches, right hand aches & something else aches from sitting too long. ;-)

~~~~~~

Enjoy your day/night wherever you are and remember God loves you.

FlowerLady

 

 

Orchid Show Adventure

Hi Folks,   My goodness, this month is zipping right along. We are having some chilly weather down here in zone 10 s.e. FL. It started Monday with light rain and has drizzled off and on through earlier this morning. More 'liquid sunshine' is to happen around 11-12 today then no rain is predicted for the next 9 days. Low temps in the 40's for the next two nights. Highs have been around 60. Some areas could see frost this weekend.

Sunday a new sweet young friend, Sarah, and I went to an orchid show in Miami, her treat. It was a respite from every day life and stresses for me. We took the turnpike, traffic was not bad because it was Sunday morning, coming back was a little busier. I don't travel very far from home, so this was truly an adventure, about an hour's drive.  It was a sunshiny day, lots of clouds, and warm, around 80. On the way I saw the iconic Hard Rock guitar hotel. Amazing.

There was a very long line and slow moving traffic when we got near the expo center, but we talked and laughed about people cutting in line, truly amazing how they feel no shame in doing that. We were directed to a very nice spot, close to entry of show. A blessing for our patience?  ;-)

I only got two pictures of the people and booths set up. There was just too much going on, LOTS of people around all of the orchid sellers booths. Thousands of beautiful orchids in every shape, size, color imaginable. Exciting and wonderful!! It was the last day of the show so buyers were filling carts and their arms were filled with bags of beauty. My focus was on taking pictures of orchids along with lots of others with their phones or wonderful SLR cameras. I'm an amateur photographer with my phone.
 

Now here come the orchids. I just took the ones that were part of the main display for the competition. Didn't take any of orchids at the booths. It was almost overwhelming.

I will probably do this in three parts so as not to overload everyone, and run myself ragged doing the editing and uploading. 

I don't know any of the names or types of orchids. Some have tags. I didn't do so well on taking pics of some of them. Sorry.

 

 

 

 

 

That is all for now, there are about 40 more pictures. ;-)

I am so thankful to God, Yahweh, Jehovah, Jesus our Great Creator, 

who created all of these beautiful orchids. 

For inspiring man to hybridize adding more beauty into this world.

~~~~~~

In the Bible we read:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good."
Genesis 1:11-12
~~~~~~
Then we have these words by Francis Bacon:

"GOD ALMIGHTY first planted a garden. 

And indeed it is the purest of human pleasures. 

It is the greatest refreshment to the spirits of man..."

~~~~~~

His words set creation in motion and His beautiful creation speaks to our hearts.

God's words refresh our souls, 

and draw us close to Him 

when we open our hearts to Him. 

In these troubling times where negativity reigns in the media, 

for our health and well-being,

we need to be out enjoying the beauty all around us. 

There is beauty everywhere we only need to stop and look. 

Even in starkness, there is beauty.

~~~~~~

Enjoy the rest of your week 

and

thanks for visiting.

FlowerLady