Tag Archives: Nature

The Benefits Far Outweigh Anything Negative!

03 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by in Attitude, Beauty, Choices, Gardening, God, Lessons, Life, Nature, Outdoors, Peace, Positivity, Seasons

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I’m enjoying all the nature sightings of recent weeks and months, the benefits of these creature sightings far outweigh anything negative! There is nothing like experiencing wild animals among us when we’re in our own yards or visiting other locations! And although I have had a few inopportune moments with critters and bugs recently too, I focus on the positive impact the sightings of less pesky creatures have upon my life rather than the imperfections we can often face when human beings meet the wild! Just last month, I had a scare when I found a live scorpion in the upstairs guest room in which I was staying at my sister’s house! It was not pleasant whacking it with a shoe and praying there were no others for the few days I was visiting! But, it was a one-time sighting in a slew of visits, so I let it go and enjoyed my visit. And on that particular visit, I went whale watching on a trip in which I experienced seeing humpback and minke whales, as well as seeing a super pod of common dolphins! That and several other nature-oriented experiences made the scorpion sighting less memorable for sure!

Just yesterday, I saw a family with sixteen baby quail in my front yard! It was delightful to watch the brood scurry and scamper beside their parents. Quail are common visitors to my yard, but their families are not often that numerous! They’re so tiny when newborn, yet so proficient in their quail duties! This sighting came just hours after I had to remove the rather stinky rotting carcass of some poor dead creature laying in the backyard. Perhaps it had fallen prey to some other animal’s attack. Again, the benefit of the large quail family sighting far outweighed the nastiness of removing the stinky corpse! I’ve also recently had numerous rabbit sightings, with plentiful baby bunnies being born in the last few months. The sightings of the tinier babies more than make up for the nibbling older rabbits which insist upon gnawing my plants to stubs or to dust! Babies in my yard are always welcome, even when I realize how voracious they’ll be as adults one day soon!  

With Summer in the desert, we get an influx of several types of bugs which aren’t prevalent the rest of the year. Those include pesky mosquitoes which seem to thrive in the heat, big 2 – 3″ paloverde beetles and cicadas which buzz incessantly from their perches in trees throughout the landscape. The presence of these bugs is a nuisance often, as they creep around in places which are unexpected and the mosquitoes bite all the uncovered flesh which is more prevalent with the heat of Summer! I’ve even been bitten by mosquitoes while swimming in the pool! Short of swimming underwater only, I’m not sure I know how to evade those pests entirely! And everywhere I look in the yard, ants are busy doing whatever it is ants do! They’re usually not an issue, until I stop in their pathway in my sandals, often getting bitten for my error in judgment.

 

It’s always the case in Summer that I wish for a bit of relief when it comes to nature’s more pesky creatures. Bugs and creepy crawlers, snakes and lizards are not my favorite things. But this morning I was overjoyed to return a tiny gecko to the outdoors after finding it indoors on the carpeting by my front door! Those little things are cute, but they’re not meant to live indoors! I’ve already seen enough cuteness watching the common species of birds, the lovebirds which have naturalized, the lizards, squirrels and the bunnies running around while I watered this morning! Anything which seems negative at first with the creatures around me is always balanced out by something wondrous and fascinating to observe! Nature is a diverse, fantastical showcase of God’s miraculous handiwork and design! It’s both uplifting and at times, overwhelming and/or scary! It is just a part of living in this magical world which God has created!

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Old-School Tools . .

21 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by in aging, Attitude, Change, Gardening, Lessons, Nature, Outdoors, Patience

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I have a love/hate relationship with yard blowers! I can see the need for them, really I can. But they also create a lot of noise and racket in lieu of using the quieter, slightly less efficient rake. I am usually a rake person, choosing the quieter and less efficient means just because it’s an old school tool and doesn’t make so much racket! On mornings like this, however, I could have pulled out my leaf blower and gone to town!  

My neighbors aren’t as timely in leaf removal, so often times, what I am raking up is actually the leaf debris from trees on their side of the property line. This morning, I realized I have raked up leaves on one side of my property repeatedly the last few months. Today, it finally dawned on me that the majority of those leaves were from my neighbor’s tree. Upon examining the situation, I came to the conclusion that I would be raking every couple of weeks given how windy our Summers can be. The only solution is to rake up their leaves as well!

I would never tell my neighbors (who are also my dear friends) that this was my plan, as I wouldn’t want them to feel bad about any additional work I’m doing because of them. Since I have to rake up my yard anyway, why not take the extra time to rake up the leaves hovering nearby under their plants?! Those leaves would eventually find their way into my yard, so it just makes sense for both my neighbor and me! I’m raking the leaves up on my side anyway, so I might as well do theirs too!  

But as I started, I realized how much my leaf blower would have made efficient work of the effort. Leaves were piled high underneath several plants in the watering wells where the rake wouldn’t fit, and a blower would have done the job in mere minutes! Unfortunately for me, it was too early and far too quiet on our street to make that much racket! And so, I have again renewed my love/hate of the yard blower! I have one, but almost never use it because of the loud din it produces when doing so. My metal-tined rake is one of the most used tools I have! I’m sure all the landscaping crews working for all my other neighbors never give such things much thought, they are paid to do their job and use the tools necessary to do that work efficiently. I hear the sounds of lawn mowers and blowers almost daily on our street! But I obviously over think the noise produced by that pesky leaf blower to the point that it gathers dust on my garage shelving! 

I really hope to make peace with that gizmo, as it probably does make a gardener’s life easier and work more efficient! It’s the same inner turmoil I had last month when I borrowed my neighbor’s battery-powered pruning saw to make some quick cuts through a large fallen tree limb after sweating for a while on it with a hand-held tool. My manual pruning saw was a lot more fatiguing and time-consuming! One day, perhaps I will go new-school and realize how much easier my life will be in the process! Some day. 

A Welcoming Habitat . .

20 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Beauty, Blessings, Commitment, Creativity, Escape, Gardening, Growing, Happiness, Life, Nature, Outdoors, Seasons

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I’m glad I have several water features in my landscape for the sake of providing not only the soothing sound of coursing water but also to provide for nature a refuge from the intense Summer heat like we’re presently enduring here in the desert Southwest this week. Nature struggles in such intense weather just as we humans do. Today’s high was expected to be 120 Fahrenheit. Now, that’s intense! It’s evident when I look out my window to see several birds taking advantage of cooling down by sitting in the shallow birdbaths or taking a drink from a fresh, clean fountain. Water is important, as is providing safe places for all creatures to find shelter at all times of the year. In the desert, Summer is the most crucial time of year for provisional needs such as water, shade, protection, and food. Having a landscape which offers a variety of plant material as well as sources of nutrients and shelter for all the regular creatures which visit is a great way to make a daily theatrical show of nature’s best for you and your family!  

I was noticing some burrows being dug around my front shady border plantings. It’s from the quail, bunnies, and other birds which have realized how much more cool the soil is at the base of those regularly watered plants. So, I leave the burrows alone, knowing that the birds and rabbits which hunker down in them are finding some necessary relief. It doesn’t always look as nice with those burrows dug around the plants, but I let them be. And I keep all my water features full and clean during the Summer, which with birdbaths means that I am filling them each new morning due to evaporation and consumption. It might be simpler to not worry about such things in the heat of Summer, as the intense heat shortens my tolerance and time outside too. But, I realize how much the creatures which visit my yard have come to rely on the extra provisions I make available and I value having the chance to see them throughout the day! Each new day, as I water my potted plants early in the morning, I see to refilling the precious sources of water which keep the critters content!  

In the years I’ve lived here, I’ve become so used to the animals which have come to visit and to stay. There are tiny hummingbirds and predatory hawks. There are colorful peach-faced lovebirds and drabber birds which easily hide in our desert surroundings. I readily welcome the creatures, even though sometimes they provide a shock or an upset just by nature of their tenuous state as a living being. It’s all an acceptable part of living here because the beauty of having such diversity in my daily life and such a glimpse into God’s majestic hand of creation is more than worth any bother or momentary discomfort! Tomorrow morning I will again go out to water my plants, to tend to my landscape, and to provide for nature’s creatures even though I’ll have to go out early to beat the 118 F. forecast for our high temperature. Those many creatures don’t really depend on me for their provision, but they surely are offered a welcoming habitat here, especially when they may need some extra TLC! 

If you’re interested in providing natural habitats for more of nature’s critters, then I suggest you add some simple things to your yard. Just a fresh, moving water supply or one you regularly change is key, as well as food sources in the form of plant varieties and shelter in the way of plant textures and heights. These things are easy ways to offer food, water, shelter and interest for all sorts of creatures! If you do enough, you might even consider having your yard declared a wildlife sanctuary!  

 

 

All That He Has Enabled . .

06 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Attitude, Blessings, Celebration, God, Goodness, Gratitude, Happiness, Joy, Nature, Opportunity, Outdoors, Peace

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There is nothing quite as refreshing on a hot Summer day here in the desert than taking a dip in a freshly drained, thoroughly cleaned, and refilled pool! Mine has been recently given the full treatment, as it was more than ready for a surface refresh and clean water.  It took the better part of four days for my pool man to get it all done, but it finally got done by yesterday.  I looked forward to the opportunity to swim in the pool since draining it last week. And as the sun remained hidden behind a rather large pine tree hovering around 50-60 feet overhead, leaving the water shaded, I indulged in my habit of swimming laps early this morning. It was sublime and a fabulous way to begin a Summer’s day which will reach about 108 degrees Fahrenheit! 

The water was so clear and clean, I could see through my goggles the most minute particle of leaf or petal floating on its surface, rare as they were! The calm and quiet of the half-awake atmosphere all around me, at that early hour, made for the perfect opportunity to use my swimming routine as a time for reflection on other things! While slicing through the water, I focused on the gratitude I had for having such a perfect moment in life and for having such a wonderful personal space in which to dwell. Everything I have is on loan to me from God, so I want to take care of everything as best as I am able! And I purposefully want to celebrate the abundance of everything around me, and appreciate all the moments I have cognizant of those special people, things, and moments! God is so good, He provides everything for us, and we should honor Him by taking care of all that which is really His first! Even we are first His, so we honor Him by taking good care of ourselves!  

Rarely can I be so engulfed in serenity and peaceful calm as I was while swimming this morning! It was such peaceful surrender to the workout I was getting through the exertion and force my body made against the water as I swam repeated lengths of the pool with well-practiced and certain ability. It made for a wonderful chance to connect with God and to share with Him my gratitude and joy in all that He has enabled! After all, He made me able to swim each lap, He made the water, with its specific surface tension and molecular weight, and He made all the surrounding creatures and living matter in which I have come to dwell. God is so great! I hope I never forget to appreciate and to celebrate all His glorious creation and all that He enables, as well as all that He has provided in me, through me and to me!  

Tickled Pink . .

01 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in Beauty, Change, Contentment, Gardening, God, Gratitude, Growing, Happiness, Hope, Joy, Life, Nature, Surprise

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I bought a small 4″ aloe a couple of weeks ago, just to fill an empty pot on my back patio. This particular aloe stood out for its coloring and unique appearance. Named, Pickled Pink, it has distinctive pink edging on the fleshy leaves and a mottled appearance which suggests pickling. This aloe is small yet beautiful, but what it is currently doing is the most rewarding surprise of all! The wee Pickled Pink aloe is sending out a future bloom shoot which has now surpassed the plant’s own height at least thrice over and I am tickled pink by this Pickled Pink! Yes, that little beauty has a bloom shooting up nearly four times higher than the mother plant.

  

Now, for a gardener, there is nothing quite as exciting as a plant thriving and developing from the original version we purchased or found! It’s the developmental stages of a plant, meeting and exceeding expectations as well as hopes which give a gardener and plant collector like me unbridled joy! Since this little aloe seemed to jump out at me with such unique beauty and a catchy name, from a rack of numerous cacti and succulents, purchasing it was inevitable. But I never had any expectation for such a rapid developmental change like this! I await the bloom now, as many aloes have utterly spectacular and colorful flowers on the inflorescence they produce. Some are known and named for their blooming habits or those magnificent flower stalks produced normally in Spring, a bit earlier than this, the first days of June! So, my surprise at it producing a bloom after my purchase is surpassed only by my expectation as to how the bloom will look! 

If I could, I would probably never limit my plant collection! I am an avid collector and have yet to meet a plant I don’t like! Even weeds in the mind of a gardener are merely unwanted plants. Everything was created for a place and a purpose. Some plants provide food sources for animals and humans, others are medicinal resources for living creatures, and others provide intricate assistance to the overall well-being of the planet as a whole – producing seeds and substances or by replenishing the soil and air with specific essential chemical elements! Plants are important, just as is every other creative matter! And so, my appreciation for plants and for gardening is linked to bringing things to life, to support a natural and intricate ecosystem of my own making, with God’s guiding hand!  

I’m so looking forward to this bloom shoot coming to fruition on this tiny aloe clump of mine! It’s always exciting to see the endless ebb and flow of life in a garden, particularly a desert garden! My appreciation for this purchase is increasing exponentially with each passing day, as it’s developing and changing right before my eyes! There is never any real disappointment in a garden, even when experiencing a loss, for a garden exemplifies the best qualities of God’s amazing creation and design for this world. It is ever-changing, ever-developing and we are ever-learning in turn!   

The Last Gasp of Spring . .

16 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in Attitude, Blessings, Celebration, Change, Gratitude, Seasons

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I don’t wish to proclaim this week’s weather as the last grasp of Spring, but at today’s high of 77F, it is possible that this weekend’s 102F will only be the start of the Summer heat wave coming here in the South-west. It happens every year here in the desert, and after all the years I’ve lived here, I know that daily consecutive highs near 120F are coming eventually. May can be a hot month, hence today’s pleasant coolness on a mid-May day is a cause to celebrate! Most Summer days will fall anywhere between 105 and 115F on average. The sun is unrelenting here in Summer, up early and refusing to go down gently or coolly! It heats things up and keeps them heated from early morning until well after the sun has set like a typical desert. Often our nighttime lows won’t drop below the high 80’s to mid-90s. So, I cannot help but wish the days like today would linger a bit longer, as this weather seems to a gardener like me much gentler and easier than the hot days which are coming. But that is probably unreasonable just a few days away from the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The heat is inevitable, and I must savour this day and this cooler week while I can!  

The windows of my house have been open all day and I stayed home after an appointment earlier today just because I wanted to relish this weather! I began my day working out in the garden as I knew today would be advantageous for such activity! Next week this same time, the windows will be closed and the air conditioner will be running round the clock. And I probably won’t be out in the garden much past 9 a.m. in the morning. I am not a big fan of the heat that is coming, but I tolerate it and accept it every Summer because I get the great mild weather the rest of the year. Many people love the heat which closes up our houses in air conditioned comfort for months on end, but I really prefer the kind of weather like today’s which permits me to tend to the garden all throughout the day and to enjoy the songs of all the birds while breathing in fresh, cool air through open windows. That is not possible once the air conditioning days settle in, as the windows will be closed up tight 24 hours a day. Those days will then endure continuously until around October, as that is usually when the heat breaks, as the days shorten again and the nights start to cool. But that Autumnal break is months from now, and today is a gift I’m languishing in with gratitude as a swansong to Spring!  

Each year I feel the tease of Spring’s turn to Summer and Summer’s hopeful turn again towards Autumn. A desert Summer is an endurance event for my garden and for the gardener, me, who tends to all the plants! I must water potted plants daily, as to miss a day in Summer can mean a plant succumbs to desiccating dry winds and intense heat. I can’t do my usual chores without considering when and for how long, as the days heat up quickly and wear a gardener out quickly! I suppose a desert Summer is similar to Winter restrictions elsewhere, limiting and harsh by nature. Plants can go dormant, and I, in part, do as well! So today I am lingering under my open windows, out among the plants and animals,  loving every moment of this glorious return to Spring! 

In The Midst . .

11 Thursday May 2017

Posted by in Attitude, Blessings, Celebration, Conquering Fear, Gratitude, Joy, Life, Nature, Opportunity, Uncategorized

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Last week, I was so fortunate to be in the midst of a super pod of common dolphins! I am not sure of their number but suffice it to say, the numerous dozens, if not hundreds of dolphins, were feeding near our boat for a couple of hours while we were out whale watching between Santa Barbara, California and the Channel Islands.  The dolphins were just one type of sea creature we got to see while on what had to be the most exciting whale watching trip we have ever taken! And we’ve probably taken somewhere between 10-15 boat trips over the last two decades designated as whale watching excursions. We also saw humpback and minke whales (http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/minke-whale/), as well as sea lions, those dolphins, and a slew of birds. It was truly a great trip!

   

Since I’m ecstatic about being a former seasickness sufferer, every trip I get to take which doesn’t include being seasick while leaning on or hanging over a table in the boat’s cabin is a great joy! This trip was the fourth boat trip in the last two years on which I haven’t gotten sick per usual, and the first trip I actually walked outside on the moving boat to take photographs and to observe because the ocean itself was so calm! It is a welcome change to what had sadly become my status quo for years prior. I missed seeing three different types of whales on a boat trip out of Anchorage, Alaska about ten years ago. Everyone on that boat was over the moon having seen so much sea life and then also life on land from the boat. In addition to the orcas, the gray whales and the beluga whales we saw that day, we were also afforded sightings of black bears, brown bears, moose, elk, sea lions, and oodles of birds of prey from our boat! Even having to lean over the table inside the boat as I did, I would have proclaimed it a fabulous trip for those who got to actually see and enjoy the abundant sea and land life! But the trip last week out of Santa Barbara proved to me that I could not only enjoy boat trips sans seasickness, I could also revel in such great sightings of abundant sea life! I’ve now become one of the eager whale watchers and participants in the experience!  

There is a mystery to the ocean, it holds amazing riches in the form of the living creatures dwelling under the waves besides the obvious beauty held in its power, majesty, and expanse. But it is not always so easy to find those creatures or to see them in their natural habitats there under those waves! Fortunately, we’ve managed to have some truly incredible sea life viewing days on our recent boat trips. It’s been a great way to gradually overcome my residual dread of being on the boats too. After all, if I’m going to be okay and not endure any seasickness as a result, then I can focus on enjoying my trip and viewing those amazing, mysterious creatures which dwell in the ocean! Seeing the super pod of dolphins around our boat for hours the other day was incredible! Even if we hadn’t seen the two species of whales, that experience would have been enough for me. I’ve learned to be so appreciative of just enjoying the boat trips now that anything I get to experience while on those boat trips is icing on the cake! And I’m looking forward to more!  

My Version of Paradise . .

09 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in Beauty, Celebration, Exploration, Gratitude, Happiness, Nature, Uncategorized

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I am reeling from a few days in my version of paradise! I have to say, if there is a favorite activity on vacation, it’s visiting private or public gardens in the city or place in which I find myself. I have visited a lot of famous ones, and lesser known ones which I discovered by accident, including those on the road to Hana on Maui. There is even one called the Garden of Eden on that slightly treacherous descent, which made for a suitable and beautiful pause in my action-packed drive to Hana. No matter where I go, I look for gardens or plant centers to buy a suitable plant souvenir. And those with whom I frequently travel know this is my passion!  

So recently, as I visited my sibling in Los Angeles, I was treated to two separate trips to the Huntington in San Marino, near Pasadena. It’s one of my favorite public gardens on the planet, covering over 150 acres of themed gardens. The grounds of the once private estate have been routinely filmed in movies, commercials and used for various concerts and gatherings. You’ll recognize numerous locations from decades of filming! And I personally have taken thousands of photos of plants, animals, nature, and the artwork which is housed on the property in various buildings in the numerous visits I have made to the Huntington over several decades now!

The first visit of my recent travels fell upon the day set aside for free admission. We had no idea we had timed our visit accordingly. The crowds and the heat made for a rather brief visit that day, as both considerations made our visit more complicated. We did our best to enjoy it though, and lingered mostly in the Rose Garden, as the roses were at the height of their blooming season seemingly that very day! It was lovely to behold the hundreds of varieties, new and old, in full and glorious bloom! I took as many pictures as I could around the crowds wandering along the rows of beautiful blossoms. Unfortunately, we all ran out of steam early on in the day because of the heat and humidity which prevailed. So we left and promised a return if possible on the weekend, even though rain and the significantly cooler weather was forecast. After all, this day’s visit hadn’t cost us a thing!   

By Sunday the weather had turned enough to allow us to revisit the Huntington again. This day was about 30 degrees cooler and rain threatened from the dark clouds hovering nearby. Determined not to let the threat stop us, we walked around the much emptier garden pathways, taking in all we hadn’t been able to on the prior visit just a few days earlier. We were greeted by families of geese, protecting their young, and we reveled in the glorious lighting provided by the puffy clouds moving overhead. There was a gentleness which hadn’t been there just a few days prior, as the weather and the number of other visitors were less frenetic! I again took hundreds of photos, which is my normal behavior given so much perceivable beauty all around me!

We visited the Rose Garden anew, although the heat from a few days earlier had taken some of their strength and beauty away. They were past their prime in many regards, but still lovely. The Huntington is so rich with beauty that no matter what is blooming and when you visit there is always something glorious to behold! And so I was in heaven for having had two visits in a long weekend visit to California. The final grandeur came with a day trip to Santa Barbara in between the Huntington visit days, on which I was able to buy a souvenir plant to bring back home! It’s an absolutely beautiful Bambino Bluey Bougainvillea, bursting with bluish-lavender bracts and bright green leaves. It’s a new cultivar and will make a great addition to the varieties I already have growing in my desert garden. And so, I happily accept the weather highs and lows, the plan “B” mentality we had to adopt and the explorational flexibility which came accordingly. Every day is different in a garden, every moment varies by what is blooming and what nature has to offer at that particular moment! And I love every single minute of it all!

 

A Banner Year . .

22 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by in Beauty, Blessings, God, Hope, Life, Nature, Patience, Seasons, Surprise

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This is truly a banner year for plants blooming! I found two plants in my yard today which haven’t bloomed in a really long time or ever. The joy in seeing something finally blooming which isn’t a common bloomer is significant. It took a patient mind, heart, and soul to wait for those plants to bloom! A gardener has to be patient though, for gardening is rife with uncontrollable uncertainties and living matter, including plants, has plentiful imperfections. The lifespan of plants isn’t really in our control, though we like to think we have a significant part in the health and well-being of our plants! There are weather extremes, irregular rainfall, disease and pest problems to worry about. Each day and every season bring new challenges, especially in a harsh desert environment like this!  

One of those plants blooming this Spring after a long period sans blooms is my Jacaranda tree, which just a few years after planting, suffered from a Winter of several touches of hard frost, requiring that it had to be severely cut back. After a slow, prolonged renewal, that Jacaranda is blooming once again! When I noticed the vibrant purple blooms, I ran outside to get a few photos. It’s been something I waited a long time to see, with hopeful expectancy! And this morning, there they were, glorious purple trumpet-shaped flowers in clusters upon several branches! For me, those blooms were answered prayers! That Jacaranda tree is one of my favorites, and I truly had to endure several years of waiting to see its beauty renewed. My patience was rewarded today for sure.

Another plant which is beginning to bloom today is a variegated Duranta which had never bloomed before. The foliage is stellar, the plant has been thriving and growing like gangbusters, but there were never any blooms prior to now! I’m not sure why this variety has never bloomed before. I have other Durantas which have bloomed every year and even several times a year. But I didn’t mind, as the foliage and shape of the plant have been very pleasing over the years. I almost forgot what the plant’s flowers were supposed to look like. But seeing the buds opening up now, I realize that the flowers of this variety are as special as the unique foliage! The smaller purple flowers on Wisteria-like clumps have white ruffled edges in this cultivar! I am so joyful after years of waiting to finally see this plant fulfilling all the expectations I surely had when I purchased it. 

Earlier this Spring, I wandered around my garden and took photos of whatever was blooming! I did that again today, although a lot of different plants are now showing off instead of the plants which had been a month or so ago. This has been a truly rewarding Spring for beauty, fragrance, and variety in desert gardens so impacted by significant Winter rainfall and now, seasonal warmth. Things are bursting with life and most landscapes around the city, both man-made and natural, are filled with flowers, flowering shrubs, and trees heavy-laden with blooms! It’s absolutely beautiful! Each new day is surprisingly promising for my landscape’s evolving beauty. And I take great joy in witnessing each and every beautiful transformation unfolding, especially those which required a bit of my patience to behold!  

Like Paradise or Eden!

20 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in Attitude, Beauty, Escape, Happiness, Joy, Life, Nature, Peace, Seasons

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Yesterday was another idyllic day in my garden, like paradise or Eden! In the morning, I awoke and opened the window coverings as I usually do to reveal all sorts of creatures doing what they were created specifically to do! There were bunnies, including two fairly brand new baby bunnies so tiny and cute! There were bright, lime green lovebirds, donned in their accent colors of red and turquoise, with their peach faces. Other birds, including quail and regular desert nesters such as wrens, robins, doves, and the small yellow finches were too numerous to count! Then there were the flitting hummingbirds, buzzing about with seeming effortless ability from bloom to bloom! All these residents and more were seen amidst the backdrop of flowers and blooming plants galore! It is truly a prolonged Spring of beauty, wonder, and abundance in a desert garden.  

In watching all this life unfold, I couldn’t help but be drawn into a silent, secret observer’s role! That role requires quiet acquiescence to the living creatures just doing what comes naturally to them. My direct interference would have silenced them all, they would have scurried off to hide had I been out there among them! But in quietly watching from the windows of various rooms, especially during the active cooler morning and evening hours when the sun isn’t so intense, I am able to witness all the wonders of their lives play out before my own eyes. And it’s magical! I’m often out there with the various creatures doing my outside chores and watering my plants, but to truly witness their antics, I must watch them from the other side of the glass, within my house.   

I wonder how many others would notice the fledgling dove’s efforts, uncertain in its own abilities, trying to take a drink while perched on the side of a water feature near my front porch? Would others also feel such joy for the young dove having conquered the physical limits of the container’s rim, finding an ease in drinking from the rocks sitting lower into the water? Maybe such joy is my natural reaction because I placed that water feature in my yard, as well as several others, specifically to draw such creatures and to accommodate their water needs during our intense dry, hot Summer. I keep the water levels high, the containers clean and filled just so the birds and other animals needing a drink will find water easily and readily within my yard as they need it. Their presence in my garden brings me such joy, that it surely is worth any bother or effort!   

Nature is wondrous and magical! The many bunnies in my yard are often pests, but the first time I lay eyes on the new season’s crop of baby bunnies, I forget the ravenous desires they will have for all my specialty plants as they grow and develop! It’s a delight to give all the players in this life’s performance their freedom and access to my garden as part of my care and responsibility for it. I plant knowing that things will be nibbled away. I rake around the freshly dug out burrows. I water with the awareness that I’m nurturing not only plants but the animals which nest and feed upon them. I feel a responsibility towards keeping up with the needs of all those creatures, even though they don’t belong to me, they aren’t mine nor are the wild creatures my pets. I’m merely assisting in their care and feeding while enjoying infinite, idyllic moments with them each new day! And it’s a welcome gift from God each new day I pull back the window coverings, which I perceive as a reward for helping to create such an Eden in my own yard!