Bloom

I don't have a huge back yard...but it's big enough.  Big enough for grandbabies to play in.  

Big enough to relax in.  Big enough to keep us really busy keeping up with it!!

It's big enough for growing too.  And blooming!

There's this gate in our yard that doesn't like to stay open.  There's also this pot.  

The pot has been around for years.  I don't even remember where it came from.  

It makes a really good "fence holder opener".  It's full of dirt and acorns.

It's also full of cracks.  This pot has been through hot Summer days, Autumn afternoons, 

blizzards in the Winter, and, ahhh, Spring time!  

It's been slid back and forth....and battered by small children and their toys.  

It's no wonder that it's full of cracks!

We should have thrown it out long ago.  

Sure glad we didn't, because this little plant thought it was 

the perfect place to bloom!  

I noticed it the other day.  Just growing happily right through the biggest crack in the pot.  It's certainly not the ideal growing location.  It's definitely not the prettiest pot it could be growing in.  But it's where the seed landed...so it's blooming right where it's planted!  

Hmmm....seems I've heard something like that before. 

Sometimes we're just called to bloom where we're planted.  

That can be harder than moving on to something new.  

Sometimes where you are is difficult.  But, where you are is never an accident.  

God himself put you there...with a lot of thought and care...and for a purpose.  

Blooming...and growing...out of a crack in a pot.  Not ideal surroundings!  

But don't let your surrounding stop you.  There's always purpose.   

This tough, little plant brought a smile to my face.  

I was delighted to see it thriving in spite of its surroundings.  

It made me happy!
See that!  A purpose!!

By the way...this sweet little plant is a Wild Violet.  

I looked it up online, and most websites call it a difficult or persistant weed.

I say "Bloom On" little weed!!  You're welcome here anytime!! 

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, 

give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Roots

We've had some interesting weather the past week...sunshine, rain, wind, 

a little snow, hail, sleet...a little bit of everything.

The windy weather resulted in a bit of disruption around the yard.  

The Oak trees withstood the wind.  I mean look at those roots!  

But they did lose quite a few small branches and lots of twigs.   

I think a windy day might be God's way of doing some pruning!

In addition to the "pruning" a bunch of stuff got blown around.  

Some of the "littles" toys, all those twigs and branches, some potted plants.  

One day the wind was so strong it blew a couple chairs across the deck.

This particular pot didn't get blown around.  By the looks of it, it barely budged. 

It's not that heavy so I was a little curious about its ability to stand so firm.

This potted tree has been sitting in this spot for a long time.  So long that the tree roots have grown out of the holes, in the bottom of the pot, right into the ground!  The tree is a good bit larger than when I first received it.  I don't know if you can tell in the photo, but there's a lot of new growth on this little tree.  It looks really healthy...color is good...and it's really sturdy.  

Firmly rooted.  Deeply rooted, considering its size.

It's growing, it's healthy. It seems strong. Probably has a lot to do with the deep roots. 

I think there might be a message there....

Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done.

Colossians 2:7

Sunbeams and a Smoker

Bill was out grilling the other day.  It was really warm and the Sun was directly overhead.  I noticed, through a window, how the sunbeams were shooting straight down on Bill and his smoker grill.

It was obviously pretty warm out there.

Sunbeams shooting down...Smoke billowing up.

Sunbeams and Smoke...putting on quite a show for us!

Thanks for orchestrating it for us Bill!

 

Critters

My craft room is in my basement.  I have a window in my craft room...and a window well.  Over the years we've rescued a variety of critters from the window well...including a cute baby bunny!  The window well is about five feet deep, so most of the rescuing takes place from the inside. But before that can happen, I have to clear off the window ledge.  Below is a peek at just part of what's piled on that window ledge!

I don't know what critter made the hole in the window screen, but I do know that a relative of the one peeking in through the hole has been living between said screen and the window.  It's been making a lot of noise trying to get back to the other side of the screen. 
This has been going on for a couple weeks!  
So I finally cleared off the ledge and invited Bill down to my craft room for a visit.  I am not a fan of critters...unless we're separated by glass. Since that window was going to have to be opened (there goes that separation), it was obviously time to call for assistance! 

Bill wasn't immediately available so I amused myself by taking photos of our window well guests.  Besides the one stuck on the other side of the screen, I also found these two.

Then I saw this big guy peeking out from under the leaves.

This little guy was the one that had been peeking in through the hole in 
the screen....so that brings us to four guests.

But then an even littler one jumped along side the peeker, and then there were five!  Four of them are pictured down below. The big guy is still hiding under the leaves.

Oh wait...he's getting brave.  He's venturing out...

I thought that there were only toads living down here...but I'm pretty sure this one is a frog.  Right after I noticed the frog Bill came down and cleaned all the old leaves and plants out of the window well. He relocated all the critters to greener pastures up above.  Or so we thought.

Looks like he missed one!

Upon further inspection, he actually missed three...or these guys are jumping back into the window well!I think it might be time to create some kind of window well cover!

Fizzled

I'm not sure how I managed to keep up with this blog for over eight 

years....and then just kind of "fizzled" out on it.

It's always been my intention to keep posting, not so much because I think many people stop by to visit and read, but more to keep a record of some of the things happening in my life.

I'd love to someday have my blog printed into books...lots of places do that.  I know my grandchildren would enjoy seeing themselves on the pages of a "good book"!

So I think I need to motivate, and get back into this bloggy business!  It's such a good place to share fun photos. I mean someday I may want to look back and be reminded that a cement duck (and some colorful beads) lived in my backyard!

Bloomin' Backyard and a Recipe

We have a lot of Day Lilies in our yard, and when they're in bloom they are everywhere. But there's always room for more....I'd love to get some purple ones!

"Strawberry Candy"

"Wild Orange"

"Common Tawny"

But they Daylilies aren't the only things blooming. There are pops of colors scattered here and there...including some beautiful shades of green.  I love when the green is vivid and bright...it (almost) makes a hot day feel a little bit cooler! 

"Yarrow" and "Peppermint"

"Lavender"

"Mandevilla"

"Black-Eyed Susan"

Besides the flowers that are in bloom...we also have a little bit of lettuce, a couple tomato plants, and a big pot of this.....

"Swiss Chard"

I found a recipe (on Pinterest of course!) for "Spicy "Swiss Chard Chips".  They sound yummy and easy and I have all the ingredients.  They are definitely going on my "to-do" list  this week!

Happy Monday!!