06-06 ~ Rainy day

Good morning everyone ~ It is a very wet and gray day here today.  This is the third week of rain. Tropical Storm Andrea is to the south west of us bringing us even more rain. I was able to get out and mow a couple of days ago and that’s a good thing.  This place is quickly becoming overgrown though, and I hate to go out and look into the ‘back 40’.

Here are a couple of pics looking out the windows this morning.

It will be another indoor day.  Yesterday I moved around a couple of bookcases, went through books making a pile to give away, threw away a few, and more to go through today. I also cooked up a nice pot of black-eyed peas with ham.

This week I’ve also been working on another blog.  This one is for the widow’s group I belong to Friends Needing Friends.

The founder and creator of this group, Dotti Ackerman, called me last week to see how I was doing.  We had a nice chat and then she asked me if I would like to interview the ladies so that we can get to know each other. It will be a 3 column page for our monthly newsletter, with the interview and a picture at the top of each column of the lady being interviewed.  I was thrilled that she asked me and told her, YES!

So, I worked on setting up a template for the newsletter in Open Office and then on a whim, and unbeknownst to Dotti, I started a blog.  I used yellow roses as the background because they are special to her, and I sent her an email telling her I had started a blog and hoped she liked it.  Well, she loves it and says it is an answer to prayer as she has been praying about a blog, but didn’t know how to go about it.  We’ve been talking on the phone daily, laughing, with some tears on my part, as we look at the blog together and talk about ideas, etc.  She has lots of material to get up on the blog and I am enjoying doing this and adding some of my own bits as well.  This group has been an answer to prayer to me and I am so thankful God led me to it.

If you have a spare minute you might want to stop by and check it out.  Or tell a widow friend about it.  Thank you.

It is raining pretty heavily right now. I hope this passes over us rather quickly instead of lingering around.  Andrea definitely has a lot of rain in her, and the east coast is going to get it as she moves upward.

Here are some blooms taken from the past few days when it wasn’t raining.

Blanket flower

 

Bush daisy

Cosmos

Rose-leaf sage

Sunflower

Granada

Maman cochet climber

The McCartney Rose

Unknown

Zebra with hamelia paten blooms.  A favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds.

Zebra on purple top verbena.

Hope you all feel God’s love and peace surrounding you.

Look for the beauty in each day,

count your blessings.

FlowerLady

More winter blooms

 

At 6:26 this Monday morning, it is 49 degrees and feels like it is 47. For us that is COLD. I don’t know what the temperature is inside the cottage, but I’ve got a flannel shirt on, my fingers are a bit chilly as are my feet, which are bare. I just put the coffee pot on and the heat from the stove will add a little warmth in here. The heater is still in the attic as it’s not been cold enough to bring it down.

It’s been beautiful out during the last few days. Yesterday I worked on cutting back some jasmine that was about 3’ higher than it should be. Trying to get everything down to a certain level on the front hedgerow. It’s been months since we did it last. I’ve still more to do, but that’s for another morning. It felt good to be outside working in God’s beautiful creation.

I had some overwhelming moments yesterday but made it through another day and am thankful to God for ever being present with me. You can read more here.

Today is a new day, may I rejoice and be glad in it.

Here are the blooms. I sure wish you could smell some of them. Especially the one below.

This next is a beautiful orchid, a gift from my friend Nanci.

This is my climbing Maman Cochet rose. The scent of this is so wonderful.

And here is something I made for a new little grandniece. I didn’t want to show it earlier because she hadn’t received it yet. It was a joy to make for this new little life. They have it hanging on the mirror over her dressing table. The lace butterfly, the bird and the center heart/flower on the trim are laces I won in a give away from Nicki Lee at Ravioli Dreams.  The white lace flowers, the trim with pink edge were in the boxes of crafts that DH found curbside a few years back. I had the flower button in my button collection, and I crocheted the little baby girl. The little white enameled heart was also from Nicki Lee’s give away.

That’s it from Plum Cottage this morning. Have a wonderful week.

FlowerLady

***

Life holds so many simple blessings,

each day bringing its own individual wonder.

John McLeod

More January blooms

A little color to brighten and cheer your days.

Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity. 

John Ruskin

***

Sunshine, wind, roses, and thank you

Good Saturday morning Folks,

The sun is shining and we are having lots of wind.  The temps are cooler too. We are thankful. The wind chimes are making their sweet music.

My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and homes. in Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba. I hope and pray Sandy does not turn into the storm that they are predicting.

My post was so long the other day that I didn’t get to put all the roses plus a couple other plants in it, so I’ll post them here today.

Ti plant and it’s sweet little flowers.

Shrimp plant.

Climbing ‘Maman Cochet’ rose

‘Maggie’ rose.

‘Prosperity’ roses.

Please accept our heartfelt thank you for your prayers and thoughts this past week. They mean so much to both of us. I broke down crying reading out loud to DH, (dear husband). We don’t have it as bad as some people do, but when we all go through different things in our lives, they seem big and bad. Prayers and good wishes never hurt any of us, so thank you, thank you.

Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady Lorraine

***

If instead of a gem, or even a flower,

we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend,

that would be giving as the angels give. 

George MacDonald

***

All that we behold is full of blessings. 

William Wordsworth