Gigglin' in the Rain

It's been a dreary couple of days - a bit cooler, some rain, and mostly cloudy.  It was beginning to get me down.  Until I looked out back to see all of the daisies blooming, as well as the volunteer sunflower further unfolding.  How could I NOT be cheered up by these? 

These daisies suddenly were so top heavy that they are falling over!  I'll have to get something to help prop them up.  Do you see there are still a lot of buds that haven't opened yet?  More days of cheer to come!!

All of the daisies make me smile, but noticing how many, many, many buds there are makes me giggle in anticipation!

And the volunteer sunflower . . . love the geometric proportions and spiraling in the center, as well as the bright yellow against the dark green.  Should have done some cropping to get rid of the garden hose in the background, but that just didn't happen today!  Oops, also see my left shoe in the shot, as well as part of my purple top!

From the "aerial" shot, it looked more like the petals were flat.  As you can see, they aren't yet.  I liked this view, especially since the other volunteer sunflower was taller and I couldn't do the shot from above.  That was one of the times I really dislike being so short!

Slightly different angle, but I liked the yellow leaves from the redbud tree in the lawn in the background.

Not a greatly different angle, but I liked how this one shows off how the petals seem to almost swirl.  I get a sense of almost movement.  I also like the green of the leaves blending with the green of the grass as well as the yellow leaves in the background . . .

Now, would you believe I took all of these pics with my cell phone??  I am so happy to have decent pics from it since I have it with me almost all of the time.  It's a whole lot less cumbersome to tote around, but it does have its limitations.

The best suggestion I ever received (and I wish I could remember who told me) was that if you weren't satisfied with the pictures you were taking, to keep working on them with the camera you currently had until you were satisfied.  That was a good indication you were ready for an upgraded camera.  It's not the camera for the most part.  It's composition, lighting, shadow, and usually, timing.  Every time you take a new type of picture or try a different angle, composition, etc., it takes work to get it right.  I feel very blessed when all circumstances fall together and I get the picture I envisioned, or one better than I had anticipated.

I've been itching to get out and take pics, but I've been swamped again with "have to do" things that couldn't be put off.  After this week, I'm hoping it slows down a little and I can get back out on a regular basis.  I have a meeting regarding potential volunteer work with Goodwill Easter Seals, and I'm mailing in an application to be an Ambassador for Dogs for the Deaf.  Neither of those would be a lot of hours at any given time, but they'll give me opportunities to get out and learn new things and meet new people.

Volunteer?

It really shouldn't surprise me anymore when I notice some of the coincidental things in my life!  Yesterday I noticed that the daisies were beginning to bloom, so I had planned to get some more pics today, but different angles (and mostly the buds, not opened blooms).  Then I remembered I should check on the volunteer sunflower that had come up under another bird feeder.

And wouldn't you know, that sunflower is almost in full bloom, too.  Nothing odd about that, except that this past week, I offered my services for two volunteer opportunities.  Blooming volunteer sunflower, and I submitted applications to volunteer . . . bizarre!

 Yes, I have applied to volunteer for Goodwill Easter Seals as a reader for their visually impaired subscribers; they have special radios for those who can no longer read the printed word, and then offer regular radio programming of different periodicals being read (some live, some taped).

The other volunteer work would be with Dogs for the Deaf, but probably not on a regular basis (they are not local).  I found out about them from a service dog and her family that I follow on Facebook (Hattie's Helpers).  Hattie is a chocolate lab who is a hearing dog for her "Momma," Jen; Hattie alerts Jen to sounds like the phone or a knock on the door or the timer going off or the dryer buzzer sounding.  They work as a team and take care of each other.  Hattie has also picked up other sounds that she wasn't trained to alert Jen on - one being that irritating emergency broadcasting system testing alert.  Dogs for the Deaf rescues dogs from shelters and trains them as hearing service dogs.  There is typically a long wait for dogs, so the more the word gets out about them, I'm hoping the quicker they can get MORE dogs and get them trained and out for service.  Oh, and if the dogs turn out to not be the right fit for hearing dogs, they do not return them to the shelters; they take care of adopting them out!  I can't imagine what it must be like not to hear the things I take for granted.  Jen has said that she really didn't sleep well most nights because of all of the things she was afraid she might miss hearing while she slept - a smoke alarm, the phone, etc.  She credits Hattie with allowing her to relax a little and really begin to enjoy life and not worry so much.    Getting the word out about service dogs for the deaf?  Sounds like a lot of fun to me!

These daisy buds are so compact, it doesn't seem possible that they can hold the bloom that eventually unfolds.  How?!?!

I'm hoping that my new volunteer opportunities will also bloom into wonderful experiences that I enjoy in addition to helping others.  I'm looking forward to learning all kinds of new things and meeting new people, starting Tuesday, October 16th.

Sunflower Study

It's been a beautiful day in southwestern Ohio!  Dreary as all get out, but not insanely hot, no major storms, and not all that humid.  I'll take it especially since I got to turn the AC off and open the windows.  Nice fresh air.  Ahhhhh.

I have to admit that I was more than a little surprised to go out back today and see how nicely my volunteer sunflower was doing.  I thought for sure the birds and the squirrels would have decimated it by now (as they have in the past for any that got close to flowering).  I am very pleased and thankful they have decided to leave it alone.

Considering the weather and lack of sun, this rather tall but unplanned beauty made the back yard much cheerier.

I quickly found myself captivated by the symmetry and geometricity (I'm pretty sure that's a made up word, but ya know what I mean by it!) of the flower, not to mention the contrasting and complementing colors.

As I moved slightly to study the change in light and perspective, at times I felt as if I were looking at an optical illusion.

A quarter of an inch move brought different sections of the plant into the focal point.

Each section is utterly awesome and amazing on its own; different from the other parts, but so necessary for the bloom to exist.

The more I looked and the closer I zoomed, the more I felt as I was being drawn into a vortex of amazement.

So many views.  So many different focal points.  But all combine for a beautiful flower.

I think I'm going to go back and slowly go through them again.  And try not to smile.  What about you?

Re-blooming (Honest!!)

FINALLY.  I am submitting my photographic proof that my re-blooming lilac truly is re-blooming!  You can see there are buds past their prime, a few in their prime, and several waiting to bloom.  Hopefully in a few more years, more than one branch will re-bloom at any given time . . .  it's still a   young'un . . . only planted about 3 years ago.

I've been thinking about perennials lately, and have come to a couple of conclusions about myself.  It's already well established that I'm lazy efficient, but there are plenty of other reasons that I enjoy perennials much more than annuals.

I swear this picture should have been part of my Crafty Nature post - all I see when I look at this is a cartoon drawing of a purple female camel w/ thick eyelashes!  See it??

Sorry, that was a complete non-sequitur, but I had to include it!

Why do I like perennials so much better than annuals (aside from the obvious efficiency perspective)?  I like watching them grow year after year, not just for a short season.  They're almost family after a while, with some sentimental attachment to them.  We're in it for the long haul together.

They are survivors.  They do not easily fall victim to the weather, and while at times beat down by  sun, wind, rain, frost and/or ice, they often come back of their own accord when things return to "normal."  Other times they may need some TLC and extra efforts, but they live and thrive.

If planted appropriately, they require little maintenance.  Planting flowers that need huge amounts of sun where you only have shade doesn't work, and to have even minimal success turns those plants high maintenance.  I'm not a fan of high maintenance under any circumstance (and you can leave the drama out, too!).  Nice, dependable plants that do their job in the ecosystem.

The potential for them to live on long after I'm gone exists.  They do not count on me to provide their nourishment; they seek it out for themselves as nature provides.  When the time is right, they no longer grow or bloom for a while, but reduce their needs to the minimum of existence.  They rest and prepare.

Sometimes the startling truth is they are just as beautiful, or more beautiful, when the bloom is gone.  That flash of color was pretty and beautiful, but look what's left behind that lasts even longer!  Open your eyes to different.

And while this sunflower is NOT a perennial, it's growing because the seed fell from the bird feeder.  I did not plant it; I have not watered it.  And yet it grows.  I doubt the squirrels will allow it to get much further along in blooming, but I have to respect it's tenacity and durability.

There are so many lessons we can learn from watching nature.  I've decided to be a perennial sunflower, figuratively speaking, of course.  I am a survivor (but can always be more tenacious), relatively low maintenance, and I try to continue to learn and grow in experience and knowledge.

I also know that when the body is no longer able to function, I will bloom in a new garden with annuals and perennials of every type, and each of us will be perfectly happy in the presence of the Son.