I looked again and saw the three sections of ferns had unfurled and were now about ten inches high. Last year someone planted them for us. I, also, noticed the black eyed Susans had doubled in size the week I was gone. When they finally flower it will be the tail end of summer. And among the black eyed Susans plants there was one small star shaped white flower that somehow made its way through that bed. These were just a few discoveries I made this morning in my short walk around our garden.
Tags: black-eyed susan, discoveries in our garden, end of summer, ferns, flowers, garden, plants, star shaped white flower
Posted in beauty, flowers, knowledge&learning, local, nature, seasons, time |
After a week in New Orleans I was cold here. I went out to inspect the garden and had to put a sweater on. It really was not too cold as far as a May day but I spent seven days in Louisiana and got spoiled. It was high fifties and sixties here and damp and all I wanted to do was bundle up a little. These temperatures here were really were (???) not that unusual.
Tags: garden, Louisiana, May day, New Orleans, spring
Posted in local, nature, seasons, time |
Tilla gave me a wonderful greeting. I had been gone seven days. My dog jumped up and down frantically licking my face repeatedly. And when we went to bed, my wife took the right side and Tilla jumped up and sat on the left side. He had not been on the bed the days I was gone. I got in and fell asleep cheek to cheek with Tilla.
Tags: dogs, fell asleep with my dog Tilla, licking my face, my dog, pets, Tilla, was gone seven days, wonderful greeting from Tilla
Posted in local, love, pets, relationships, time |
It will be fun walking around my yard. I will have been gone a whole week. It will be interesting to see the changes outside and also in my plants in my office. Sometimes you think your plants and flowers are not growing much but I have been gone a week so I want to see what new flowers have bloomed and have buds. I will leisurely walk around and study each inch of the ground. Inside and outside. I know my wife planted three large tomato plants. When I left, some already had tomatoes on them. I am anxious to see how our strawberry patch is doing. By now the wild black raspberries have flowers as well as the wild black berries. I will not be able to take in all the changes at once. I will have to walk around my property several times to notice all the changes. To me, this is all exciting. It is rare I go away.
Tags: flowers, garden, my wife, plants, return from vacation, strawberry patch, tomato plants, walking around my yard, wild black berries, wild black raspberries
Posted in beauty, flowers, knowledge&learning, local, nature, seasons, time |
This is the final hour of my visit with my friend and his wife. Before I know it I will be transported back to my house. I wonder if the familiar will appear “new” at least for a short time. I will have to rediscover my house, my music and books, again. And I left out my mate and my garden. Before I know it everything will appear the same. As if I never left. What an illusion?!
Tags: familiar will appear "new", my books, my garden, my house, my mate, my music, visit with friends
Posted in balance, beauty, knowledge&learning, local, marriage, nature, relationships, seasons, time, wisdom |
Enzo was one of my friends’ dogs. He reminded me a bit of my dog Tilla. Both were definitely characters. And full of energy and mischief. Enzo, though, loves the whole world and is extremely sweet. Tilla could be timid. When my son visits us, he usually runs in the opposite direction. And my son is good with animals. Both, though, are mutts and probably rogues. And both want to play more than their fellow companions. In fact, Tilla teases his dad. He will have a bone in his mouth and run along side him eliciting threatening barks from his dad, a Rottweiler mix. He knows how far to push him. Enzo wants Scotch his companion to play with him. And sometimes she wants nothing to do with him. I will not forget my visit with Enzo too quickly but certainly will be glad to see Tilla who I miss terribly.
Tags: dog bone, dogs, dogs want to play, Enzo, full of energy and mischief, mutts, my friends' dogs, pets, rottweiler mix, Scotch, Tilla
Posted in animals, children, pets, relationships, time |
The surprising thing about all the public beaches in Biluxi, Mississippi is none had any rest rooms. I had to use a Marriot Hotel to use the facilities. We looked at the water line (of the high tide) and realized there really was not much beach left at high tide. I walked along the beach and found a large head of a fish (I had no idea what kind of fish it was) and also a big jelly fish at least eight inches long and five inches wide. Otherwise my walk was uneventful. I did see a dozen plover play tag with the tide. They would run around the waves and stick their heads in the sand. I had no idea what they were eating. I did get wet completely but the Gulf was not that deep. It was a pleasant afternoon.
Tags: beach, Biluxi, bird-watching, birds, fish head, high tide, jelly fish, Mississippi, plover, public beaches, sand, the Gulf, waves
Posted in knowledge&learning, nature, seasons, time |
It was amazing to me that neither of their two dogs flinched when it was thundering while they were both lying on the couch. During a thunderstorm all four dogs of mine crowded in the bathroom with my wife–over three hundred pounds of dogs–and it is a small bathroom. All four dogs of ours get very nervous during thunderstorms. They pant heavily and during the night my wife had to close the door to the bedroom during a storm otherwise she would get no sleep.
Tags: big dogs, dogs, dogs nervous during thunderstorms, four dogs, pets, thunderstorm
Posted in animals, knowledge&learning, nature, pets, relationships, time |
The hospitality I was shown by my friends will remain with me for a long time. Long after my visit was complete and I was back home. Both my friend and his wife were very gracious towards me. I did not want to infringe upon them and they did give me some space. Their hospitality toward me is what I remember. I did realize I was a guest but I did not try to take advantage of that. He did his best to make my stay a memorable one. He took me on a boat trip down the Pearl River. And that over two hour ride was lots of fun. We saw at least a dozen alligators and many birds. Our guide was a real character. We ate at different restaurants. I never had a sandwich of fried shrimp before. There are so many memories it will take me a while to process them. But long after they are gone what I will remember the most is how comfortable both of them made me feel as their guest.
Tags: alligators, birds, fried shrimp sandwich, friend and his wife, gracious hosts, guest, hospitality, Louisiana, my visit, Pearl River
Posted in animals, birds, life, love, nature, relationships, seasons, time, wisdom |
I will fly back tomorrow and this area will fade in my memory rapidly. I will share my pictures I will develop right away with my wife. With a little luck I will have, at least, one good shot of a alligator and I will be able to share the beauty of my friend’s yard. I will forget the humidity quickly. And the causeway whose length was twenty-five miles along “the Lake”. What I won’t forget so easily is the red headed woodpecker still plentiful in this area. You don’t see those in our area. I got a real kick out of seeing them for the first time. The trip to the French Quarter was memorable and so was the walk down Bourbon Street. I did see the Mississippi River. But before I know it, I will be back home. I truly did miss our four dogs. And my wife. And I will be surrounded, again, with my familiar things–my music, my books, my house and yard. It is always good to occasionally venture out to an area unfamiliar to you. There is always another way to do something. And a visit to a different area reminds you of this.
Tags: alligator, birds, Bourbon Street, dogs, French Quarter, humidity, Louisiana, Mississippi River, my books, my friend's yard, my music, my wife, our four dogs, pets, red headed woodpecker, visiting friends
Posted in beauty, birds, life, nature, relationships, seasons, time |
Tomorrow I will see my sister and her husband. It will only be over a quick meal. What is unusual about it is it will be in New Orleans–a place neither of us have been before. It is plain serendipity. We will meet in New Orleans proper. For an hour and half at the most. Then my friend will take me to the airport at Gulfport. An hour and half is only a kernel of sand in this vast universe yet it is our time. And time can be so fleeting. Last year it was Easton, Pa we met for a few hours and that visit included my other sister and my wife. You never know for sure when it will be the last time. Each moment has to be savored and treasured.
Tags: family, family visit, Gulfport, my friend, my sisters, my wife, New Orleans, savor and treasure each moment, time can be so fleeting, vast universe
Posted in death, God, life, love, marriage, relationships, seasons, time, wisdom |
There were some highlights today. My friend stopped the car twice and got out. Once to make sure a turtle made it safely across and another time he grabbed a king snake that was probably two feet long and deposited it across the road. I was aghast at this. I don’t like touching any kind of snake. Another highlight of today was when two wild pigs crossed the road right in front of us. One was bigger than the other. I had never seen feral pigs before. These were only three highlights of this day but it made the day memorable.
Tags: feral pigs, king snake, Louisiana, my friend, turtle safely across the road, wild pigs, wildlife
Posted in animals, life, nature, relationships, time, wisdom |
