First, let me preface this post by saying my husband and I are fine. Our house had no damage. The pictures I’m sharing with you of our yard show minor disruptions, compared to the destruction many other people are suffering as a result of this storm. I feel a touch of “survivor guilt” when I … Continue reading SIX ON SATURDAY: HURRICANE SALLY AFTERMATH
We've had plenty of rain in our part of the USA this summer. Now hurricane season adds more moisture to the soil - but I'm not complaining. It's better than dealing with drought, unless we get hit by a big one, as Louisiana has suffered recently. Keep them in your prayers and help if you're … Continue reading Six On Saturday: Soggy Summer
Today is September 1, 2020. August seemed about three months long. This year has seemed to go on forever, hasn’t it? We’ve been through a lot this year already, and there are four more months to go. Perhaps this year has been hard for you and your family. It has been for us. Think of … Continue reading When Does Summer End?
I must confess to envying the pictures of English gardens that abound in a riot of colors and blossoms. I see large swaths of your flower beds that seem to have many things blooming at the same time. They are spectacular. With a very long growing season, my Coastal South garden spreads thin its blooms … Continue reading Six on Saturday: Late Summer in the Deep South
Among my many disappointments during this Coronavirus pandemic, the Blue Lake Christian Writers’ Retreat for 2020 was cancelled. For the past several years, it has been instrumental in moving me along in my writing journey. Our director Marilyn Turk and our leadership team for the retreat inaugurated the Living Water Awards contest in 2019. I … Continue reading Can I brag a little?
I love our mostly shady backyard. Over the course of the day, dappled sunshine spreads across, giving light to different areas. However, this filtered effect comes at a price. The tall oaks frequently shed horizontal limbs. Can you see the "widow maker" hanging in the picture above? When it cracked, it didn't fall immediately. We … Continue reading Six on Saturday: The Risk of Falling Limbs
It has been a while since I posted a blog. Life's priorities change sometimes, and we just have to go with it. My husband has made remarkable improvements since he fell in our kitchen back in May. He spent almost a month in two different hospitals following surgery to relieve bleeding and swelling of his … Continue reading In the Details: Six on Saturday
In the midst of shattering changes, it helps to look for the constants. I wasn’t going to post a “Six” on this Saturday morning but decided to go ahead with it. My husband has been out of ICU for almost a week, but still on the Trauma Floor. His head injuries will require a long … Continue reading Six on Saturday: Constants
Ten days ago, my husband and I worked in the yard, trimming, burning leaves and debris, and mowing the grass. I took this picture of him in action. This past Tuesday evening, he fell in the kitchen. I found him on the floor unconscious, with some serious injuries to his head. He was taken to … Continue reading Six On Saturday: Just One Today
I’m in need of some wisdom. Circumstances are pressing in on me that require a decision. Sidestepping won’t work anymore, so it’s time to act. What do you do when you’re in this kind of situation? You have the knowledge you need, because you’ve done your research and looked at options. You sought wise counsel … Continue reading Who Needs Some Wisdom?
This week has been pure joy for me. Among many reasons, the weather has been perfect, and I was able to do some serious work in the yard without physical limitations hampering me. Thanks be to God! It’s not as often as I’d like that the two conditions coincide. Did you see the supermoon? It … Continue reading Six On Saturday: Pure Joy
Today is the first Saturday of May. For many years it has been the traditional date of the Run for the Roses, better known as The Kentucky Derby. Like most scheduled events, this horse race has been postponed until a later date. I'll settle for listening to the Dan Fogelberg song, "Run for the Roses." … Continue reading Six on Saturday: Recovering the Roses
There is great variety with foliage in the garden. Flowers may be the real eye-catchers, but a closer look shows leaf color, shape, and texture providing interest too. A good example is the new growth on these nandinas, seen in the top picture. The new growth on this gardinia is a beautiful bright green, and … Continue reading Six On Saturday: Just Foliage
What day is it? That’s a common question these days. If you’re among those who are abiding by the Stay At Home order, most days have a certain sameness that perpetuates a mental dullness, unless you find things to differentiate the time. What do you do to keep the days from running together? I doubt … Continue reading Diary of Days
I love that first walk around the yard every morning. Sometimes I have a cup of tea or coffee with me and sometimes I take the camera. I loved the way the sunlight was coming through the trees this morning. I deadheaded these roses yesterday and saw plenty of new buds for upcoming blossoms. Salvias … Continue reading Six On Saturday: Morning walk
Throughout my life, I’ve had opportunities to visit many of the forts along our Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coasts. It’s not a particular interest of mine, and rarely has it been something I consciously chose to do. My parents took me as a child. Then in adolescence and adulthood, I happened to go along … Continue reading Thinking About Forts
I'm grateful to have a nice sized yard with interesting textures, foliage, and flowering plants to keep me from being bored in this time of social isolation. I don't need much to keep me entertained. Every new day brings something different. Let's start this week's post with Oakleaf Hydrangea. The panicles are just starting to … Continue reading Six on Saturday Mid-April Blooms
I started this blog in earnest last May in 2019, after a couple of warning shots in 2018. My goal was to do at least one post per week, but most weeks I managed two. Last week broke my progress toward that goal. I could not stay comfortable with my laptop long enough to put … Continue reading The World On Pause
Six on Saturday pictures should be a relief from the serious news around the globe. More so are the actual flowers blooming in our yards, neighborhoods, and regions. My top picture is a gumpo azalea that's just beginning to bloom. I think the name is "Frosted Orange." It reminds me of the Dreamsicle frozen treats … Continue reading Flowers In The Time Of Coronavirus
The trees are greening up pretty quickly now. The view from our deck is a jillion shades of green, as we look into our woods beyond the fence. My husband said this week, "The Lord must love the color green, since He made so much of it." We aren't venturing out of the yard much, … Continue reading Six on Saturday: It’s Officially Spring
These are surreal times in our world. How often have we watched the reports lately and said, “I can’t believe this is happening.” I try to avoid too much television news but want to stay informed. I think we have what we need at our house to carry on with some normalcy, but I have … Continue reading The Scattered Church
I’m disappointed with my azaleas’ performance this year. They haven’t made the big “ta-dah!” that they’ve shown in the past. Some haven’t fully bloomed yet, and some have already faded. Well, I’ll share what I’ve got with you because, in the wake of this virus thing, we need some beauty to remind us that all … Continue reading Six On Saturday: Azaleas etc.
Social media is primarily skewed by our own choices. We pick who we follow. We can block or mute those who follow us, who seem to put out objectional content. I'm glad that's an option. I do follow some people whose opinions and worldviews are different from mine. I've got several reasons for doing that, … Continue reading Choose Your Fuel
Last fall, I did a blog about a wildflower walk and posted photos of some autumn-blooming native plants in my area. Since spring is popping out all over, it's time to do a new wildflower post. Of course, you can call them weeds, but not today. In March, we turn our attention to Irish lore … Continue reading Six On Saturday: Spring Wildflowers
Last night, I wrote an eloquent blog post. Then, I put it aside, to edit this morning. A nagging little sense of unease kept telling me that was not what I was supposed to post today. But I kept trying to ignore it. This morning, I’m doing what I felt I was supposed to do … Continue reading Have A Little Talk With Jesus
We all love the idea of potential. Whether it's the dream of a starry eyed girl looking at her future husband, or when we are buying a "fixer upper" house, the hope of what will be is a motivator. I see early spring buds in the garden like that. It's that "almost" stage before the … Continue reading Six On Saturday: Best Buds
My dentist found a cracked tooth the other day. That's a first for me, and I'd say that's pretty good for a person my age. As I wait for him to install the permanent crown, I'm very aware of the temporary's alien presence in my mouth. I've never had a crown either. The process is … Continue reading In Stages
"Behind every dark cloud there's a silver lining." The idea behind this famous phrase may have originated with seventeenth century writer John Milton. The optimistic Victorians popularized it in the nineteenth century. If we were doing a small group together, I might ask you, "What are some things in your life that obscure your vision … Continue reading Glimpse of a Silver Lining
As the sun was just coming up through the trees, I walked around the yard this morning. I'm sure most of you gardeners do the same thing. Every day there's something new to see, if you look closely enough. My little camellia shrub is blooming profusely now, but mainly around the middle. I planted it … Continue reading Six on Saturday: Walk Around the Yard 2.15.2020
Ebenezer Scrooge is famous for responding to others' greeting of “Merry Christmas,” with his trademark, “Bah! Humbug!” Many people feel this way about Valentine’s Day. I get it, with our cultural commercialization and high-pressure focus on an idealized romantic love. But, far be it from me to throw cold water on this holiday. After all, … Continue reading Valentine’s Day: What Love Is This?
It may still be winter, but February is not without interesting color on the US Gulf Coast. Last week, I was breathlessly anticipating the opening of the first bud on my back camellia. It finally happened on Thursday. I think the name is Crimson King or something like that. These big blossoms are truly royal. … Continue reading Six on Saturday: Early February Flowers
Infectious diseases can be scary, especially one that’s new and has no vaccination. When illnesses are introduced into a population that hasn’t built up an immunity, it can spread rapidly, becoming an epidemic. You never know if you’re standing next to a carrier in a public place. Early Christianity spread like an epidemic. When Paul’s … Continue reading Are You a Carrier?
Tomorrow is Groundhog Day, February 2nd, where, according to tradition and superstition, if a groundhog comes out of his hole and sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. Never mind that spring is already on the calendar on March 20th. Groundhog or not, I'm already anticipating spring. Our last frost occurs, … Continue reading Six on Saturday: Anticipation
Thank the Lord that we live in an age when we can still hear firsthand memories from the people who suffered through the horrors of Hitler’s regime. Thank God for technology that has been preserving those memories for generations to come. It was real. It happened. Human beings committed atrocities on other humans beyond our … Continue reading Our Dark Human Heart
Throughout the winter months, we depend on many varieties of camellias to provide color and interest to Gulf Coast gardens. In fact, it is Alabama's state flower. The first five pictures I'm showing today are not from my garden. Only the last collage is the camellia from my frontyard. These three beauties you see above … Continue reading Six On Saturday: Just Camellias
