Tag Archives: garden

A Stroll in the Garden

“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” – Henry Ward Beecher

Cornflower aka Batchelor Button

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

Daisy

Daisy

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer

Marguerite Daisy

Peony

“In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Peony

“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” – Mary Davis

Rose

Jupiter's Beard

“There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” — Ralph H. Blum

Foxglove

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” ― Melody Beattie

Phlox

Phlox

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

Rose

“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Rose

Stay healthy!  Stay safe! 

A Stroll in the Garden

The first two photos were taken at Wonderwood Park…one of my favorite places to go when visiting the kids.  It is a very easy walk from their home.

Wonderwood Park - Fern

Wonderwood Park - Fern

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

Peony

Patrick Henry
Give me liberty or give me death!

Peony

Nelson Mandela
For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Peony

James Bryce
Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.

Peony

Henry James
I think patriotism is like charity — it begins at home.

Delphinium

Ronald Reagan
Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.

Calendula

Abraham Lincoln
Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.

Peony

Robert Frost
Freedom lies in being bold.

Bell flower

Harry S. Truman
America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination.

Allium

Woodrow Wilson
The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history.

Allium

Happy Independence Day, America!

Stay healthy!  Stay safe! 

A Stroll in the Garden

I thought I would share a few of my garden neighbors with you.

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

There is the common and beneficial garter snake.

Garter Snake

“Well, then, let it go, let it go, if you’re so bull-headed about it. We can get you
some garter-snakes, and you can tie some buttons on their tails, and let on
they’re rattlesnakes, and I reckon that ‘ll have to do.” Tom to Jim in The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Garter Snake

Garter Snake

Garter Snake

This is a discovery that my Hubby made when he noticed grass sticking out of the old abandoned barbeque and opened the lid to investigate.

Squirrel Nest

Turns out Mrs. Squirrel has a rather comfy home here.  We could not determine if there were babies by looking through the front door, and this nest is deep.  So we left well enough alone and closed the lid of the barbeque.

On another day, Hubby decided to take a second look.  Turns out that Mrs. Squirrel turns into a hell cat when the lid is lifted while she is at home.  Hubby is a good ducker, and we will leave the family in peace.

I wish I could get Mrs. Squirrel to pose for you, but she is in perpetual motion when I see her out and about, and I don’t seem to have the time to stalk her for a photo.

It’s easy to smile when you have a squirrel’s intellect. -Dylan Moran

Squirrel Nest

Mr. and Mrs. Flycatcher moved to the neighborhood back in 2013.  I have shared their family in several posts, which can be found under the Home and Garden Galleries 2013 tab2015 tab , and the 2016 tab at the top of this blog.

Western Flycatcher

One year, the resident bully hawks (Cooper Hawks, I think) destroyed the family, so Hubby built a bird house for them to reside in.  It seems that Mr. and Mrs. Flycatcher prefer to nest in the open (perhaps they are claustrophobic).  The barn swallows, however, love to reside in the bird house, and the two seem to make good neighbors.

Both residences are right there by the porch light…next to the front door to my residence.

Western Flycatcher

“Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” -Henry Van Dyke

Western Flycatcher

I do not know where the residence of the Hawks is, but I do know that it is nearby.  They have left the flycatchers unmolested since the birdhouse was put there.  Hopefully, it shields them.

That seems to be the way of life…the bigger and more powerful preying on the small but courageous.

Stay healthy!  Stay safe!