I Love Spring!

Last year, our gardenia bushes (we have two of them) had only about 5 blooms together.

It may sound like I am exaggerating, but really, I am just being generous.  

THIS year, however, is a different story!  Yippie!  I cannot keep count of how many we have had blooming on the bushes.  I spoke with a man at a nursery recently, and he thinks we did not fertilize them last year.  Possibly.  Though we have not fertilized them this year either.  I honestly think the drought we had in the summer of 2010 made things difficult for the spring and summer following.  It seems like nature is making up for its difficult years.  

I am loving all of these photos this time.  I was trying to capture the gardenias in their different phases of blooming.  It seems like they stay in the green phase for ages. 

Yet, once they get to the next place, where the green, fades, and one can finally see the soft and sturdy petals all folded together, snap fast, and stick around.  You may see the bursting of the blossom as it unfolds and releases its heady perfume.  

These are just some more flowers blooming in our flower beds and tucked under trees and grasses

I think that I have other photos of these roses from last year.  These are hardy flowers.  They are tucked in our back yard and are a pleasant surprise when we walk around the corner.  

Of course, they are not the type of roses you can just go pluck.  It is hard to find a space on its stems void of thorns.  When cutting some for a vase, and not wearing gardening gloves, I have to hold on--and carry--the roses by their leaves.  

Though the photo below is a weed that I pulled from our flower beds, I couldn't help but see its loveliness as well.  Look at the small grain heads!  They are so pretty!

I do not know if you noticed in the above photos, but in several, I captured a few little visitors as well.  It was totally accidental and only when looking through the photos after they were downloaded did I see the  little legs or wings peeking between petals or from behind leaves.  Did you spot them, too?

Coming True

Once upon a time,
just the other day, D-D had  a most lovely experience at her school.  Her first grade class had a Fairy Tale ball.  All the children dressed up as characters from fairy tales....

 Most of the little girls were princesses of some sort....some being 

recognizable characters, 

while others were themselves, 

creating their own beautiful fairy tale adventure

in the imagination of their hearts.

I have seen a few articles about how fairy tales can be damaging to young hearts and minds.  

I probably should not judge the article by the title, but honestly, 

I do not read those articles in their entirety.   

I'm too busy reading fairy tales!
(wink, wink)

The premise, I believe, to those said articles is that

those tales of fairy lore tend to make children, 

girls especially, live in a dream world

and they cannot see where dreams end

 and reality begins.

I say, "Dream on, young child, dream on!"

Because, 

for the children of God, 

what the world sees as an 

impossible story of make-believe, 

we actually know 

this truth:

it is real!!!!  

We are princes and princesses.  

Their is a Savior....a knight in shining armour...

who has risked everything

to save us from the ravenous wolves

the evil witches

the wicked step-mothers

and fearsome dragons

~~~

We are children of the King, 

the treasured beloved of His Prince of Peace,

heirs to His kingdom...

(1 John 3: 1)

We can rest in the security that

He is powerful 

and by His love and might

those moments in the valley of shadow and death,

those moments where evil lurks 

and sometimes

we trip over the traps set to ensnare us 

or

we are fooled by evil dressing up in what looks good, 

His power and grace, 

His shield and faithfulness

His love and mercy

will carry us through into victory!!!

He sets us free from the death and enslavement,

He breaks down 

the walls that evil fashions to hide us from the truth!

So, we are walking with confidence and joy

secure in our 

Happily Ever After.

So, I say to you naysayers::

Fairy Tales can come true!

They can happen to you.

If you are among the very

Young at heart!

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven…”

Little Lady

My littlest lady found a special little friend the other day.  

  

D-D loved having her little bug crawl from one hand to the other. 

I was trying to get a close-up, 

but this little ladybug was not one to sit still.  She was 

ON THE MOVE!!!

That Season Between March 21 and June 21

Spring of 2011 was delightful.  I always have loved the first spring in a new place.  You are never quite sure how things will look as nature wakes up from its winter slumber, but it is certainly a blessing to be around new places when the awakening happens.

Yet, this time, the season has been different.  We have seen more things abloom this spring than we did the last.  I have found myself amazed again and again each day to find a new blossom or leafing plant.  So much more has bloomed this year than did the last, so it is like we have been given a truer experience of the Spring than what was shown us our first year here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am not sure what type of tree this is.  It does not give off any scent that I can determine, but it's blossoms are very sweet to look upon.  

These next blossoms are also pictured above.  It's scent is quite heavenly.  Often, when we have spotted this bush/tree, we have also noticed honeysuckle growing in close proximity.  The aroma from each, especially when mixed together in the air, is simply divine.  

I took this photo because there is a hosta growing in our flower bed.  This was not here last year, and we did not plant it, either.  For some reason it lay dormant for a full year.  

These are the flowers I planted in our window boxes.  I love the colors:  bright and welcoming.

Last Spring and Summer I noticed this big leafy bush and thought, "That looks like hydrangea"....but we had no flowers....none at all!

This year they are coming forth and looking so lovely.  The photo above was taken in April.  This May the hydrangeas (most recent picture below) are bright blue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have some roses blooming behind and between some ground cover.  Once found, it was like finding a treasured heirloom.  

We have also been visited by a plethora of poison ivy.  You can see some of it on the center-left side of this photo.  Roundup and I have become pretty good friends.  :)

Mid-Spring Hiking

This hike toward the end of March, beginning of April was not quite so scary.  There were slippery spots, but not great heights that we could fall from.

I love the photo below.  

Everyone in the family is in it 

Even me, since I am holding the camera

;^]

This next photo gives me a chuckle.  It looks like E is a little wood elf  resting in the crook of this tree.