Spring Hangouts

These are a few photos from a recent road trip…
and they all have to do with hangin’…
so here goes…

The first is Spanish moss hanging on a tree
at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science,
Jackson, Mississippi.

I have several other hanging moss pictures,
taken through the car window at 65 miles per hour,
but this one is much clearer to show you on the blog(!)

 Spanish moss is actually a flowering plant related to the bromeliad family.
In the Deep South, where I grew up,
the moss grows mainly on southern live oaks and bald cypress trees.
We don’t have it in our area of Southeast Texas,
so when we see it while traveling,
it always makes me feel like I’m close to “home”!

In a picturesque arboretum in central Alabama,
we came across these turtles hanging out in a quiet little pond.
They and a whole bunch of their closest friends were lined up, sunning on this log.

Then came a funny surprise –
while strolling through the campus of a large southern university.
It seems the campus bookstore sells hammocks,
and students are permitted to tie them in the trees
and hang around between classes!

Although I had already heard about the hammocks,
I was still rather taken aback when we turned a corner
and I saw feet dangling in front of me!

The boy was talking on his phone,
and when he heard us passing by,
he quickly pulled his feet up into the hammock, as a turtle retreats into its shell!
This was the clearest picture I could get before his feet disappeared!

I’m thinking of something else that also fits this category.
We’re hanging it out this weekend in memory of the thousands of brave men and women
who gave their lives in the service of their country — our country –
so that we might live in freedom and enjoy the life we too often take for granted.

I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend.

Let’s be sure to keep in mind our military men and women of past, present, and future.
Let us pray for God’s protection of those who are currently serving in harm’s way –
and offer prayers of gratitude for the soldiers and their families who sacrifice every day
to make possible this free United States of America that we call our home!

♥  ♥  ♥

Spring Collection II

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I have collected a few more springtime Instagram photos from my iPhone.
If I don’t hurry up and share them with you soon, it will be summertime(!)
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Nothin’ says “springtime” like daffodils –
one of my favorite fragrances from childhood.
They don’t grow too well in our part of Texas;
these were in the floral department
at our local supermarket.
I just had to stop several times and breathe in those memories
of another time and another place…

Next is a sampling of the “Miss Saigon” Dutch iris
we planted in one of our beds.
My mother used to grow Dutch iris,
so these also bring back fond memories.  =)
The blooms are rich in color and very delicate.
Obviously, I enhanced this one with some favorite apps
before posting to Instagram!

…And here is another “tewelip”
that was in a bouquet from special friends.
Tulips are lovely at any stage,
from tight buds to the falling-apart phase.
I have some “falling apart” ones to show you later.

…And finally, a tulip and a narcissus
bathed in raindrops…
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:7

Hope this will be a good day for each of you –
and that we all take some time
to slow down and appreciate the beauty that God has placed around us.

See ya later, my friends!

Under the Butterfly Bush

We recently purchased two butterfly bushes to add to our landscape,
in hopes of encouraging more butterflies and hummingbirds to our little corner of the world.

So far, neither butterflies nor hummers have paid any attention to the new bushes;
they fly right by on their way to other plants in the yard –
or to the feeder, in the case of the hummingbirds!!
Ha!!

However, there has been some excitement under the butterfly bushes!

My husband made a new bed for the plants,
which involved moving the grass and amending the soil.
He dug up the first piece of sod to transplant to another spot in the yard –
Had no sooner laid down his shovel
than a resident robin appeared on the spot to pick up lunch –
A double order of earth worm comin’ right up!!

“Now…
to find the perfect spot for my picnic!!”

After the bushes were planted,
while the earth was still freshly turned,
Mr. Robin continued to stop by for afternoon snacks!

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 Look at the birds.
They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, 
for your heavenly Father feeds them. 
And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
Matthew 6:26 NLT
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We’re still hoping these new plants will attract the butterflies and hummers,
but meanwhile, we are enjoying the plants themselves.
They are very graceful and bend easily with the breeze –
and have beautiful flowers!

Scanning the sky…

HIBISCUS
…scanning the gray sky for a sunbeam.
Even in stormy weather it looks up,
seeming intuitively aware that the sun is still there!

When we’re in the midst of stormy times in life,
let us remember that God still reigns –
and let us look upward and seek His face!

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For as the waters fill the sea,
the earth will be filled with an awareness
of the glory of the Lord.
Habakkuk 2:14 NLT
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Good Neighbors

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Good fences make good neighbors.
Robert Frost

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters.
But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.
Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
For the whole law can be summed up in this one command:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 5:13-14 NLT

The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping hand of a neighbor.
Hubert H. Humphrey

♥

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He Lives!

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

–Bill and Gloria Gaither

Hope in Bloom!

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