Floats and Flowers

Tea time!   The water's boiling!  Speaking of hot water, we were at Belknap Springs this week.  The water was very hot, but a lovely place to visit especially when there are flowers to enjoy in the summer.
 

The weather man was correct this time. I woke up to snow on Thursday! How beautiful to watch the giant flakes drift down as I sat in the library, but I know it will not last long. It is getting brighter outside now, so maybe that is the end of the snow.  I was raised in snow country, but I prefer to watch it instead of be in it.

As the dried leaves fell off the Star Magnolia tree last fall, the flowers buds of the white spring flowers appeared immediately. I have enjoyed them all winter. The flower buds are covered with long hairs, but to me they look like giant pussies on a pussy willow tree. I can see this small tree from my library window. As I am relaxing in the library today, the buds look much bigger. It is not my favorite tree, but it speaks to me of the future. The flowers buds say, “Spring will come in spite of the seemingly long, cold winter.” It has been saying it every day this winter. Very encouraging!

This reminds me of all the promises of God that we have in the Bible. They are completely dependable just as spring follows winter. Keep your faith – the reward is great!

Just past this magnolia tree, I can see the bank of the meandering stream which empties into the fish pond. Just as some of us like to decorate our homes with art, I like to do the same in my garden. On this bank of the stream, I have placed the two large Japanese glass floats. They are the size of basketballs, so I can plainly see them from my library window. One is olive green, the other is bright aqua blue. You should see the blue one when the sun shines on it! In the summer, they are in the pond, floating around with the current.  I can barely see them from the library. When I took them out of the pond and cleaned them this winter, I decided to display the balls instead of storing them in the pump house. What a brilliant idea – now I can enjoy them all year. Can you guess where I put the five little ones for the winter? No, they are floating in the stone birdbath near the library #2 that I told you about last week.

The large olive green float mysteriously appeared in the pond about three years ago. We had put them all away for the winter and suddenly, there was one more floating around the pond. It was about a week later before our neighbor, Scott, said he wanted to give his float a new home. What a blessing!

So, what have you been inspired to do this winter? Please share with me on the 'comments' button or at folks777@aol.com.

See you next week!

Juanita

Brightness & Bunnies

Good morning!

If there was one thing I wish I could see from my big library window, it would be a direct view of our sun when it rises. What I can see is the colorful results in the scattered clouds above, but not the brilliant sun itself. Right now the sun has been “up” for a few hours and making an amazing picture in the front yard.

Let me explain. On the east side we have a row of ugly pine trees. I call them ugly because all the trimming I do will not improve their appearance. We have removed the lower branches, making it easier for my husband to mow under the trees. You should hear the noise when he mows in that area. It sounds like he is mowing rocks, but it is only little pine cones.

There are two advantages of these 20-foot, ugly trees. One, they make a tall privacy wall and two, the odd-shaped branches allow streaks of sunlight to fall across the lawn. I wish you could enjoy the scene with me now. There are long, black shadows on the lawn; but in other places the green lawn also glows with long, yellow stripes of sunlight. In the far background by the pond, the three white birch tree trunks are shining so very, very bright. It appears a spot light is on them. Right outside my library window, the red twig dogwood looks on fire because of the brightness of the sun. The effect isn't the same when the sun is high overhead.

Wow! What I just said would make good material for a sermon. Darkness, Son, Brightness, Sun.

My husband has always said he wished he had wild rabbits in our yard, but we know our dog wouldn't allow that very long. I wish you could have seen the two bunnies in the front yard last night. They were black and white with long, fluffy fur. We didn't get a second look because the mother rabbit and the bunnies hopped away very fast as soon as we saw them or they saw us, whatever happened first. I hope they come back again. It is strange to see rabbits after all the years we have lived here and never seen them before. Years ago we had a red fox with a long bushy tail living in the neighbor's barn. He wandered around our filbert orchard, but he only stayed for a couple weeks. That thought just reminded me of a lady in our church in the '50's who wore a 'dead' fox cape or stole. Poor fox! I guess I better not say that I have a mink jacket.

I hope you see something unusual this week that you can share with me.

Juanita

The Green Library

Welcome! Please come in.

Spending time in my library with the just-my-size red overstuffed chair, all my books neatly lined up on the shelves, and the brass overhead lamp is a pleasure indeed. Have I told you that I have another library? Where, you ask? Craig's greenhouse will make a great library. It has just now been designated as my second library. It is in the back yard, so it will give me a completely different view that I can share with you. I just love this idea! So when I'm there, I will tell you. It has four glass walls, heat lamps for freezing weather, and shelves for potted plants. Daisy and I just went outside for a tour of library #2. There are nine geranium plants still blooming, the tomato plants gave up the ghost, and the wild grass on the floor (ground) has dried up. Even though it is a sunny day, it is 32 F. degrees and no one would want to read in there today, but maybe I will in the early summer before it get too hot.

Oh, I just remembered that I have the perfect books to put in the Green Library. First, let me give you a warning. Never store old books in a shed or barn. They will smell very musty and you won't want them in your house. We have our smelly books that belonged to Grandma outside in the gazebo. Now I can put that bookcase in Craig's greenhouse. I wonder if I should ask him first?

One of those old musty books is, “The Furnace of Gold”, by Philip Verrill Mighels. It was written in 1909 and is an excellent romantic mystery book in the gold rush days. I'm so glad I didn't throw it away. I'm known for doing that from time to time. By the way, I just discovered you can read the complete book on-line for free.

Do you remember the old song, “What's Behind the Green Door?” Recently, I painted the door on the greenhouse a bright green color. That's appropriate, right? Now you know what's behind the green door - plants. I just thought of one thing I need in library #2. I need a chair and a foot stool. Our lawn furniture will work just fine in the greenhouse. It is a good thing Vic make the greenhouse as big as he did.

While I was in the mood of painting doors green and had the brush loaded with green paint, I found another door that needed painting. When the neighbors built their 70-foot barn wall down our east property line, they added a door to nowhere (like that bridge to nowhere), but without a doorknob. So, of course, that door had to be painted green also. Now when my friends ask what's behind that green door? I say, “I don't know because I can't open it.”

You already know about the White House; now you know about my Green Library.

I enjoyed your visit. See you next week...

Juanita

Circus Act

It is just a perfect day to stay indoors today and read my most favorite book in my library, the Bible. I looked up just in time to see a flock of geese flying somewhere. Not sure where, but they look determined to get there. This might be a good time to ask ourselves what are we determined to do this coming week and are we going to follow through with our plans? Reminds me of the Scripture, “Whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God.” (NLT) They are in perfect formation with the point man leading the way. I’m glad they never stop at our pond. We only have room for the plastic yellow ducklings that keep the Koi and gold fish in good company.

I see a Steller’s jay bird is busy planting filbert trees again. Fourteen years ago, we cut down our filbert orchard, but those trees still come up in the most unwanted places, thanks to the jays and their habit of preparing for winter by burying filberts. But I do enjoy watching those busy blue birds from the library window. They are such a pretty bird. I love their beautiful bright blue feathers. If I were in charge, I would give them a different name like King Jay to compliment their pointed crown of feathers.

The word is out! The robins have just returned and are competing with the jays for lunch. The robins flap their wings fast when they fly, but have you noticed how the jay birds seem to sail or glide through the air effortlessly.

Oh my goodness!!! A brown tree squirrel is going crazy!! It is twisting, jumping, and rolling over and over like a dog. Wow, he is excited! Great back flips! Really! I hope he stays around my yard. That was a laugh-out-loud performance. Maybe he fell out of his tree and bumped his head. Whatever the reason, he was very entertaining. It is too late to get my camera. Come to think of it, I have seen this little guy before doing silly acts. He deserves a name. You have just been introduced to Charlie.

I better keep one eye on my book and one eye out the window because today has been very exciting already. I hope your day will be exciting also!

Thanks for the visit.  See you again next weekend.  I am having so much fun with these visits.  If you know anyone else who might like my style, invite them too.