A Daily Life

Occasionally I’m asked about my blog or how to reach me, so a few months ago I had some Moo cards made up.  They are soooo cool.  They’re a bit pricey, so if you give out a lot of business cards, they’re not the best option.  For someone like me who gives out 2 to 4 […]

This is the fourth year the passion flower has bloomed on our mailbox.  The flowers don’t last but a few days, but they are downright spectacular when open.  The bees love them, getting between the yellow stamens and purple fringe.  I’ve seen as many as three of them, always going clockwise in a circle. Word […]

I’m thankful today to have my job.  It supports my favorite boy toy and myself, I am talented with it, and I have passion for it. Just like the passion this bee had burrowing itself into this hollyhock and emerging covered in pollen.  If you can’t see the pollen grains, double click the picture and enlarge it. Word for […]

I have no particular topic for today, so thought I’d just throw out some loose thoughts. I love doggy daycare.  It’s the best way to wear out the dogs and ensure a few days of somewhat more obedient dogs.  They love it too – they know that if I’m up before dark, they’re going out.  The daycare […]

One of the biggest frustrations my favorite boy toy had with his orchid business was a condition called bud blast.  It happens for a variety of reasons, from a rapid change in temperature to incorrect moisture in the greenhouse to just reasons unknown.  All that work, all that effort, and you now have to wait […]

Once upon a time, my favorite boy toy had an orchid business.  Because we lived in the Midwest, he grew them under lights rather than a greenhouse.  It was amazing what a healthy root system these babies developed.  Of course, it wasn’t just the lights – it was also the humidity, plant food, reverse osmosis water, […]

There is so much to see in Williamsburg!  I enjoy going there and am blessed to be less than an hour drive away from it, making it accessible without advance planning. The gardens there are beautiful.  They are done in the style you would have expected in the 1700’s, with a mix of vegetables and various flowers.  […]

I’m heading home today.  Undoubtedly,  I will see a lot of these along the way.  Tomorrow, it’s back to work. Word for tomorrow – RESISTANCE.  If you prefer to work ahead, see the list for the week under “A Word A Day”. To see how others might interpret today’s randomly selected word, check out other […]

I was happy to see the brown eyed susans flow by my window in Virginia.  The trees were brilliant green and so dense, the sky was a narrow blue strip. I was happy to see the yellow daylilies out my window in North Carolina, the sky now wide open with a never ending road. South Carolina’s palm trees gave way to Georgia’s pines, and […]

Albert Einstein once said, The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Science explains so many things to us.  But no matter how much it is explained, I think it is still mysterious how the natural world works.   I’m amazed at our bodies ability […]

The local botanical gardens are flush with roses.  There seem to be every kind of rose there – big ones, small ones, pink, red, white – at all stages of open, budding, and spent.  It’s just beautiful, especially with the small brick buildings in the middle of the rose beds.  This picture barely shows all the roses […]

I planted the salvia last weekend and by today, it was starting to bloom.  And a bee showed up to extract pollen.  Just one, although it was enough to entertain the dog for quite a while, the same as last year.  I don’t want to have bee hives in my yard due to the close proximity of […]

Thanks to everyone for their recent comments and new subscriptions!  I’m running a little behind in responding, but I do appreciate them all. One of Gretchen Rubin’s favorite sayings is that the days are long, but the years are short.  At various times over the years I’ve kept a nature journal.  There were several reasons – to […]

Henry David Thoreau once said, Alas! how little does the memory of these human inhabitants enhance the beauty of the landscape!   When my favorite boy toy and I go hiking, we sometimes find clumps of daffodils in middle of the woods.  Usually it’s from a house that used to be there and if we look carefully, we can often see a […]

This is the only crepe myrtle in our yard.  We planted it a few months after moving in, replacing a rather ugly weeping cherry tree that was shaped and growing poorly.  Crepe myrtles are common in Virginia and when they bloom, they are gorgeous.  The colors vary from bright pink to light pink to white to a […]

Discontinuing (from Wiktionary) – To stop producing, making, or supplying something. Once upon a time, my favorite boy toy had a thriving orchid business.  He was very good at it and he loved it – growing them, taking care of them, selling them to customers.  Unfortunately, the bottom fell out of the market.  Energy costs […]