Flowers do not die ... they become more beautiful

Stolen

I confess, I stole this from a restaurant parking lot. 

Rose of Sharon

I want to buy a new camera but I need to find out if my photographing-flower-passion is still in there some place. I have not felt up to it much in the last year. I saw this Rose on Sharon on my walk today. So playful with all of that springing from the the middle.

Poppy, make mine a double

It is that time of year that I can not pass up a little plastic pot of poppies. I know they will not  make it in my wet and rainy yard, but that does not dissuade me from bringing them home to admire and love. Many years ago, my friend and neighbor, Laura and I planted double poppies and they came back for a couple of years ... only to vanish later. But I love those double poppies. I have never had luck starting poppies from seed. My solution now is just to enjoy what I can buy at the store in a pot and dream of the double poppy.

The Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule, syn. Papaver croceum, P. miyabeanum,[2][3] P. amurense, and P. macounii) is a boreal flowering plant. Native to subpolar regions of Europe, Asia and North America, and the mountains of Central Asia[4] (but not in Iceland), Iceland poppies are hardy but short-lived perennials, often grown as biennials, that yield large, papery, bowl-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers supported by hairy, one foot, curved stems among feathery blue-green foliage 1-6 inches long. They were first described by botanists in 1759. The wild species blooms in white or yellow, and is hardy from USDA Zones 3a-10b.

"The Matilija Poppy must be conceded the queen of all flowers," wrote Mary Elizabeth Parsons in her charming 1897 book, The Wild Flowers of California. What caught her eye were the huge-four to eight inches across-chalk white, uniquely fragrant blossoms. This stunning flower has six petals that seem to be made of soft crepe paper that has been crumpled and then pleated. The center, a golden cluster of dozens of pollen bearing stamen, elicits the descriptive popular name 'fried-egg" plant.
Matilija (pronounced ma-til-li-ha) is the lovely name given by native Americans, who appreciated its beauty and value as a medicinal plant. In The late nineteenth century, the renowned botanist Alice Eastwood named it trichocalyx-trico meaning "hair" and calyx meaning "sepals" for the three leafy parts covering the bud. (Below)

  
Beautiful poppy images below found at The families of flowering plants by L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love these stylized poppy illustrations, so light and airy. 

 

Poppy mandelas

A little sunshine

We have had sunshine for the entire weekend! Instead of cleaning, I opted to garden and plant a few plants hanging out on the porch. I almost cut the end of my thumb off with a new gardening tool. ;0 I keep wanting to buy flowers, I think I am really missing summer and shooting. Some day soon I am going to invest in a new camera.

Ranunculus!

It is that special time of year that Ranunculus are for sale at Trader Joe's. I scream with delight. 




 

The smell of spring!

It is tough for me not to have time to drink in the sights and fragrances of spring. I miss having time to document beautiful things, nature (coming and going) but that is the dilemma I find myself in now. Strapped for time and lacking the energy. On my way home tonight, I forced myself to stop at a church and smell a blooming cherry tree. Took a couple of branches for fun. Stopped by the abandoned house and grabbed a couple of Magnolia blossoms. 

 

That does not mean I don't use my iPad to snap up photos of Mason all weekend. ;) I have traded a camera for an iPad and a flower for a baby. You can follow me on Instagram and keep up with our Mason story. ;)

Spring forward

My poppies can't seem to hold on to their petals! So much rain here that I can't plant any of the flowers I bought two weeks ago. 

Happy Valentines, late

I went to the flower show, then to Sky Nursery. That might have been a mistake. I am so ready to see some flowers.

Dreary day

It is a very dreary day here in rainy, windy Seattle. But the Seahawks are playing and winning. I managed to make dog food and clean the refrigerator while watching some of the game.

Purple is the color

I made some cards, just purple flowers. And someone asked for a THANK YOU card, so I made two more. 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby watch

We have been on baby watch all week. Due date this weekend. ;0 Are we ready? I guess we are. 

I have not even received my second paycheck and it feels as if I have been at my new job for 2 years. Lots of work going on! Fun, but stressful.

Have not been in my yard in awhile. Found a few violas still blooming. And lots of stuff that needs to be trimmed and cut down. I put it on my list! Changing bed linens today and trying to power through the dirty clothes taking over the bedroom. 

Here is the last my sweet violas. See again next spring?

 

Cchhh, ccchhh, ccchhh --- changes!

 

The weather went from summer to fall in one night! 

I thought my new job would allow me a little mental downtime. But with all learning new things, I still feel like I am a step behind. No time for fun blog stuff! I saw these on the way home and thought I would shoot it if I still had some light when I got home. 

I know I have not been blogging much but that does not mean I don't still have lots to share. I think about it but when I get home, life gets in the way. I think you all know that we are going to have a granddaughter, Mason, here with us next month. So lots of planning, cleaning and such for that miracle. 
 

So on the bright side, Robin's book, hoop: the american dream (the summer trip I took last year) was released yesterday. I have been checking her blog to make sure everything is working ... and then Tuesday, she had a segment on King 5 Evening Magazine. I am sooo excited. 

My worship place

Been too long since I wandered around my backyard! 

 

 

 

Discovering

A very busy weekend. I am hoping to get my schedule down soon so I can figure out what days/hours/minutes I have to clean, or organize or just iron some clothes. 

In the meantime. Sometimes I discover blogs or sites that just send me into a wonderful mental space. I found this post about Cottonwood from Wild Olive Branch: 

"A Moment of Hope 

Hope drifted gently on the wind on a sunny Anchorage summer day recently. Hope in this case was encapsulated in millions of cottony seeds filling the air and sky from thousands of cottonwood trees. I sat suddenly awed by the meaning embedded in that commonplace annual event. The tiny seeds of the cottonwood are surrounded by feathery material. They almost float. With a little dry warmth that breaks open their natal seed pod they burst into the wind carrying the hopes of the cottonwood tribe." 


And this wonderful, visually beautiful blog called Still. With wonderful imagery. Like this entry:

"familiar expat 

one of the benefits of STILL blog has been a growing awareness of my everyday environment. there are certain subjects like cattails and milkweed that have always been been favorites. but as a result of looking around me more carefully, a few new favorites have climbed quietly up near the top of my list, including cottonwood trees, willow, and, maybe least likely of all, mullein, a naturalized immigrant from Europe.
mullein rosette in late may rice creek regional trail, saint paul, minnesota" 

"useful decoration 

these linden blossoms caught my attention as i pulled into to the bank today.  the yellow-green ribbons looked like party decorations. i learned that they are called bract, and they are there to launch the ripened seed-clusters just a little beyond the parent tree.
linden leaves and blossoms
saint paul, minnesota"

I wish I could describe with such emotion the way my flowers make me see the world! I know watching flowesr grow and giving everyone so much pleasure, then see them in the process of dying, making seeds, dispersing seeds, then renewal ... always make me hopeful.

And for my last note. Tonight, I saw a bunch of crows chasing an eagle from the neighborhood. The eagle scooped down so low to the ground, I thought I could touch him. Brave crows. And what do you think that big, fierce eagle is thinking? With that, goodnight!

Flowers keep me sane

Grabbing the shot at dusk

I realize I have not taken many flower photos in case I want to make a calendar this fall. The peonies, almost gone ;(. I haven't been on Flickr in awhile, and I have to say, I do not like their new interface.