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By Lisa, on May 17th, 2012 
Textures by Kim Klassen: Oh My and Cherish
I’m test driving a new site that looks like a lot of fun. I’m not sure I can commit to it every week, but I’m sure going to give it a shot. It’s called Flower Art Friday and is hosted by a lovely lady named Leanne. So, as a site newbie, I’m still getting my feet wet for the types of photos the group likes. Hopefully this one is a good beginning.
A few weeks ago I splurged and bought two pink Mandivillas for the front porch pots. They’re climbing the trellises and have the most gorgeous pink trumpet-like flowers. The hummers like them and so do I! This is a hummer’s eye view of one of them.
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By Lisa, on May 16th, 2012 Although we live in a “subdivision,” it’s in the county and, therefore, we don’t really consider ourselves “citified.” We don’t need any pesky permits to have impromptu neighborhood bonfires; the homes are close enough where we can yell if we need help, but not too close for us to catch a cold when someone sneezes. We may forget someone’s name, but we always remember the name of their dog…because it’s probably been loose in our yard at some point.
The yards are well-kept and all the plantings are maturing nicely. But, within those nicely manicured lawns are areas that remind us there are still a few wild things that resist being tamed. From the cardinal show playing out in our back yard, to the herd of does, that snack on various plantings, we’re a hybrid mixture of the best of both worlds.
But even though the neighborhood is firmly outside the city limits, there’s a few things I no longer hear on a regular basis. One is coyotes yipping in the distance at night. I guess the distance is more distant now that the neighborhood has expanded. Once upon a time, I could listen to bobwhites and whip-o-wills outside my windows, but they have retreated to less populated areas now. We still see a random wild turkey crossing the road from time to time, and I still hear a hoot owl in the distance some evenings.
But here’s a few wild things Tanner and I discovered that are still here, and have successfully escaped the confines of suburbia.
Enjoy!
Yellow iris growing randomly in the weeds an unkempt area along side the road.
Having not quite made it to the wild perimeter, this box turtle found himself crossing our path.
And I heard him say, “Oh $#!%, that’s a big dog! I’m outta here. He turned around remarkably fast for a turtle.
But Tanner was too quick for him and Mr. Turtle retreated until we were safely out of sight.
Back to the wildflower tour.
Not quite open enough to be Queen Ann’s Lace, so it must be Princess Ann’s Lace for a few more days.
If you know what these next three flowers are, please tell me. I think they’re adorable.
Thanks for touring with me. What’s wild in your neck of the woods?
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By Lisa, on May 15th, 2012 
Wouldn’t it be silly for someone to build a ship and then keep it tied up in the harbor? Many people could see it and think, wow, that’s one beautiful ship! Day after day it could sit there, tied to the dock, never venturing out into the water. It could stay that way forever…safe and sound…but what would be the point? The ship’s captain would never discover how well it navigated the waters; would never know it’s real capabilities; would never know to extent of its features.
And that would be a total waste of a good ship.
Aren’t we like that sometimes? Don’t we think it better to play it safe and never take a risk? After all.…
If we try something new, we might fail.
If we forgive someone, we may appear weak.
If we admit our hopes and dreams, we may be disappointed.
If we take the chance on loving someone, we might get our heart broken.
If we reach out to someone else in need, we may be expected to stay involved.
Sometimes it’s just easier to tie ourselves safely to a dock and never venture into uncharted waters. But, when we pass up things with significant potential up-sides, we miss out on amazing opportunities. What we learn from our failures is sometimes more beneficial than what we gain from our successes.
However, not all risks are created equal. Some risks are just plain stupid, and we would be wise to second-guess those decisions before it’s too late. But let’s face it, life is full of risks. Pretty much everything worthwhile in life is a risk. If we don’t take them occasionally, we’re just like that beautiful ship sitting in the harbor, wasting away without any purpose in life.
The person who risks nothing, gets nothing in return.
Linking up with ABC Wednesday
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By Lisa, on May 14th, 2012 A few weeks ago, during the worst of the spring storms, I discovered this in our backyard viburnum bush that grows close to the house…strategically built on the back side of the bush and under the roof’s overhang.
Mom and Dad don’t really like it when I peek in on the family, but I had an insane desire to find out if they’d weathered the 40mph winds, hail and torrential rain of the storms. Bracing for the worst, this is what I saw! Yay! The viburnum bush proved to be a good real estate investment after all. Honestly, I don’t know how the nest and it’s residents survived some of the weather we’ve had.
Yesterday after we returned from Mom’s Day with my mom and sister, I was vegetating on the patio and talking with Army Wife on the phone. I saw a lot of cardinal activity in one of the trees so of course I ran to get my camera. I didn’t want to miss what I thought was happening.
This was happening.
A fledgling up in the tree with Mom and Dad splitting their time between the tree and the bush. Coaxing and feeding, feeding and coaxing. I’m now inside rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for extra suet cakes to hang. Unsuccessful, I throw what is left of winter’s birdseed around on the ground for hungry parents, and try to follow the progression through the trees.
They tolerate my presence and continue their work. Mama flies in and out of the trees jut out of reach, chirping encouraging words to her baby striking out on his/her own.
Most of my shots are blurry attempts to capture the moments, but I did catch this one that I absolutely love! A moment between parent and child that really drives home that “parenting” is not just for us two-legged creatures. It’s an instinct we share with many others.
The parents continue to flit between trees and bush and I’m wondering if there’s more to this story. With Tanner safely (for the fledglings) behind bars in his outside kennel, I navigate the yard down to the viburnum, checking for other sojourners. Nothing. Mom and Dad are brazenly scolding me as I get closer to the bush. And for good reason.
Not quite ready to be out on his/her own yet, there’s at least one more who thinks the soft safety of the nest is just fine…for now.
And somehow, even though my own fledglings are not around this year, my heart is warmed this Mother’s Day.
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By Lisa, on May 11th, 2012 
What makes someone a “mother”? Biology? Certainly. But what about the rest? It’s one thing to be an egg donor and a mom by default. It’s quite another to be vested in the role and embrace it with everything you’ve got. To those women…whether you have kids of your own or not…I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day! After all, “kids” come in all sorts of shapes and sizes…and species. 
And whether it’s ma, mom, mama, mommy or mother, if you see yourself as a caretaker of younger things, then you get to wear the crown and sash. Because being a mom means willingly giving up a part of yourself. It means going where angels fear to tread. It’s unselfishly putting the well-being of another before our own comfort. It’s the mother bear or lion instinct that kicks in when we sense danger to someone we love. And pity the person who gets in our way when that happens.
Mommyhood is a special kind of love we hold in our hearts and give away to anyone who needs it. Biological or not.
Linking up with Quotography: Motherly Love
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