In the Garden

These are just a few of the flowers and tomatoes struggling to survive our Midwest summer heat.

This morning we got five minutes of light rain -- a "dry drizzle" as my mom describes it. The gardens and yards in St Louis desperately need the water from heaven. Despite the rivers being way out of their banks, we're in a drought.

And so are my eyes. My chronic dry eye syndrome has been compounded these past couple of weeks with a viral conjunctivitis. Seems it started with the sore throat and swollen glands during VBS week. During the holiday weekend, I had to get help at Urgent Care Center with both eyes swollen closed.

The prednisone causes me to be super wired. Every closet is cleaned! The counteracting Benadryl for the hot, itching rash causes me to be in a fog and sleep more than usual. So I take it only before bedtime. My friends and family don't want to be anywhere near me and I don't blame them! Yesterday the doctor declared me non-contagious. Now I hope to be on the upswing. I miss seeing the grandgirls!

My mind wants to accomplish so much. I miss paper crafting and being at the lake with the family.

But my eyes and rest of my body just need to heal. And so does DH's body. Yesterday he had to begin meds for phlebitis in his leg. Thankfully this new clot is superficial.

We may have ripe grape tomatoes in a week. They're coming along with these hot, sunny days. A friend started these plants from seeds. It's so fun to watch them grow and produce. I'm so glad we have the gardens to enjoy, and so thankful this kind of dumb stuff is temporary!

My Corner of the World

Last week I finished writing creation lessons for a grade 1 parochial school curriculum. When I look at such simple yet profound things such as a flower or a bee, or a spider in a web, I wonder how anyone cannot believe in a loving Creator God--one who not only made everything good, but still cares for His creation, even though we who are part of it fail to love, care for, and respect it at times! And God said, "It is good." And I say, "Thank You, God."

A big part of my "gramma's garden" includes pink coneflowers--they attract the butterflies and bees so well. And I don't have to plant them. The birds do it all for me. Here the bees are feasting.

Daisies--all varieties--are one of my favorite flowers. These are plants that came from my mom's garden, and maybe from my grandma's before that, 500 miles away. This morning we had rain--I love taking photos in the rain and the raindrops on petals. Hmmm...sounds like a song coming...

My DH calls daisies weeds. What does he know? I'm glad he plants grass.

I carried a basket of daisies, blue cornflowers, and pink coneflowers at our wedding 39 years ago. It was a very old-fashioned grandma's garden combination. And now I am that gramma. I've grown into her.

Dear gardening friend Shirley gave me this most beautiful rain lily plant. Hers bloomed a month ago. She'll be so proud that my green thumbs kept this one alive and happy! I'll divide it after it finishes blooming, and share with another green thumbed friend.

Cats & dogs...no, dinosaurs and elephants...that's what it's been raining here! We got 6 inches of rain in about 6 hours. I got this shot by placing a large towel over me AND my camera. Let's call it the towel effect.

Couldn't miss capturing this rain lily bloom--a real surprise this morning! Hey, I'm not getting any shadow shots lately, but I do have a ton of very happy flowers here with all the God-sent moisture. It's the BEST.

Look who took a nap in our bird sanctuary in the back yard...maybe with all the rain this weekend, her mama brought her to higher ground and knew she'd be safe here. She was sleeping behind one of the cedar trees, and her mama most likely watched her from the woods. I failed to get a photo of her beautiful spots as she eventually stood up, stretched, and then ran into the woods.

Little Fawn is about one month old, we guestimate. She's the first offspring we've seen this year. I hope we'll see more. Her family of 8-12 grownups are frequent yard visitors. Some of them make their beds in our day lily gardens overnight where it's cool and moist. They've made dessert out of some of our hostas. When I go onto the deck with my camera, they look at me with an expression that asks, "What are you doing in our yard?"

Knockouts from My Garden

Can ya tell that I'm just lovin' the Canon EOS Rebel xsi that Santa brought me for Christmas? I'm taking a couple photography classes next week to take my photos to the next level and hope to really enjoy this even more! My best shots are in the wee hours of the morning.

This is one of the Knockout Roses in our flower garden--easy to care for, and fast growing too!

Enjoy!

Showing Off My Blooms!

Spring is just gorgeous in Missouri (however, we don't like the tornado warnings!) ...

What a lot of rain we've had to help make the grass, trees, and bushes so lush and emerald green.

As each bloom appears in my garden areas, I slip on my gardening clogs and grab the d-SLR and shoot away ... I love keeping a gardening journal of all the iris and other blooms. Some of the hybrid irises didn't bloom last year, so they must be taking turns! What fun surprises!

It's been challenging to capture the photos between the thunderstorms, and the high winds predicted for tonight might do some damage. If that happens, I'll have the slideshow to reminisce.

These are some of my favorite Bible verses about grass and flowers and His promising Word:

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear Him ... Psalm 103:15-17

All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field ... The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:7-8

See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ... Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself ... Matthew 6:28-34

Blessings and more!

MSgreenthumbs Layout

Dear gardening friend Linda took these photos of me on a day last summer after she handed me her shovel and said, "Dig!" That was right after I had enjoyed rolling down her sloping hillside to the creek bed--it feels so good to do kid-like stuff. So I was acting silly, as you can see.

We were in her beautiful botanical-rich backyard among the irises. She wanted to give me starts of pampas grass. The ground was so hard, we took turns digging, and I was able to bring three starts home. They since bloomed with pretty plumes!

Aren't the iris colors pretty with this Key To My Heart paper collection?

The stamped tabs along the top spell "free therapy". (And so it is!)

I used the "Bottom Border-title" layout in the CTMH Reflections book (page 35) with these products:

Key To My Heart papers

Dazzling die cuts in white daisy

Yellow colored pencil & juniper ink/water pen on the die cuts

Colonial white ribbon

Hemp

Spring blossoms brads

Juniper & Chocolate inks

Stamps: Amore lower case & Chocolate alpha small

I'm so anxious to get back to gardening again! I still have some daffodils to plant so I had better find my gloves and bulb planter.

Blooms Abound

White blooms on the guacamole hosta

Pink impatiens flowers

A single Rose of Sharon flower

All men (people!) are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord stands forever. 1 Peter 1:24-25

Of all God's creation, I enjoy His flowers and their beauty (next to people and dogs, of course)! And I like to photograph them, frame the art, and create nature-themed cards for special people.

The wet spring and summer have kept the yard and gardens a lush green with huge blooms to enjoy. Here are a few blooms from our garden this week. I thank God for all His creation--especially the blooms and the birds they attract. (I'm still trying to capture hummingbirds in pix.)

I especially thank Him for the living Word--Jesus--whose love and forgiveness is ours forever.