Wordless Wednesday 05.14.2014

Sunday Outings

Last Sunday afternoon our entire family met for lunch and then spent some time at the San Antonio Zoo.  The weather was pleasant, although a little warm, and we enjoyed our time together.  Our time was spent walking around, seeing the animals, and exploring the newly renovated section of the Zoo that now features a carousel.

 

Lions and tigers, oh my!

 

As we walked around I thought of two other places in close proximity to the Zoo where visitors have enjoyed spending Sunday afternoons for many, many years.  The headwaters of the San Antonio River attracted early native Indian tribes as a ready source of fresh water.  After the establishment of San Antonio groups would come by buggies and horseback to enjoy the lush vegetation and flowing water from the underground springs.  Brackenridge Park was established in 1899, and even before it officially opened large numbers of visitors would arrive to picnic and spend time together. 

 

 

WPA picnic bench in Brackenridge Park with San Antonio River behind. 
This is not too far from the headwaters of the River.

Several Sundays ago I visited San Pedro Springs Park to make pictures for a post on Doorway Into the Past.  There were people picnicking, swimming and walking dogs on the trails. There were people everywhere and I wanted pictures without people.  As I sat on a stone wall overlooking the pool, in my mind I saw the old postcards that I had seen of people enjoying an outing in the area that I was looking at.  Girls sitting on the bank of the lake had their skirts spread around them, gentlemen in coats, ties and hats were standing under the trees talking, and a canoe of young men were paddling on the what was then just a lake.  A hundred plus years later people were still enjoying themselves, relaxing in the natural beauty of the park on a Sunday afternoon.  So, maybe it wasn't so bad that they were there to be in the pictures!

 

 

 

Today we have television, movies, the internet and countless forms of media to entertain us.  But just like generations before us we will head out to a park, the zoo, or some walking trails when we just want to relax.  A Sunday outing is one of life's simple things, isn't it?

Creative play at the park!

And, I have to add that while I was sitting on a bench at the Zoo, guarding the girls' wagon and waiting for family to go through the Lory Landing I realized that I had been staring at....a WPA marker!  The Zoo was the benefit of many WPA improvements, unbeknownst to me until the visit last Sunday!

  

3 Things

After I had to give up my beloved flip phone and joined the modern world with a smart phone I put an e-Bible app on it.  I liked the idea of being able to read a verse or two when I wanted to, maybe while eating my lunch or when I had to wait somewhere for just had a few minutes.  A lot of people at church were using their phones to read scriptures, so it seemed like a good idea.  However, the app I chose never seemed to work right and their web site was of no help, so I never really used it. It was time to move on.

Today after some app browsing I went with Bible Gateway because I've used them online and felt they would have a good app.  After it finally loaded I opened it up and when I reached their home page there was a verse of the day:

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Three simple things to follow on a daily basis.  Be joyful, patient, and faithful.  I had to think that that's all we really need, isn't it?  If we were a little more joyful, how happy the world would be.  If we were a little more patient, how easy the day to day would be.  And, if we were a little more faithful how different the world would be.  I am reminded of my church's mission statement that also has 3 simple things to strive for:  Love God, Serve Others, Change the World.

Friday night findings

Here's a few simple things I found while outside tonight:

I found 2 little marigold plants, one yellow and one orange that had come up in this pot of petunias.  I just love little things that "come up volunteer".  The petunias were also volunteers that had been transplanted into this pot last fall. 

They are a little bedraggled, but that's okay.  They were cheerful during the winter. 

 

I have two tomato plants, one in a big pot and one in the ground.  I discovered 7 little cherry tomatoes tonight on the one in the pot.  Strangely there are no more blooms, so while I am grateful for these I do have to hope for a few more.

I'm not sure what kind of bird this is, but I've seen and heard them many times.  They are tiny, but have a loud, cheerful song. I was a little far away, but zoomed in anyway since he was one of the things I found tonight.

Lacey is my little garage kitty.  When I go out she is always right where I am, rubbing on my legs or whatever I'm working on.  What a sweet little girl!

I love chrysanthemums!  These have bloomed for years in planters by my front porch.  They bloom, I cut them back, and then they bloom again.  They are most prolific in the fall, but I usually have a few blossoms year round.  A few weeks ago I had cut these back, and tonight I have the first blooms. These same plants were what inspired me to start this blog.

Finally, I was playing around with the aperture on the camera and snapped this just messing around.  It had such a neat effect, that I thought I would share it, too.  The amaryllis are just about done; I will be sorry to see them fade as they have greeted me every morning and evening with their cheery red blooms.

If you stare at something long enough

I was trying to get the camera situated on the tripod and totally unprepared to make a picture when I realized that Bentley had been intently staring at the television for quite a while.  Baylee briefly joined him, then left.  I was not really surprised when several minutes later Shadow walked out from behind the television.  Then they had an eyeball to eyeball stare off. 

So, how did it end?  The spell was broken when I knocked over the tripod and they both scrambled for cover. No winner, no loser.

Nasty oak trees

I have five big, beautiful live oak trees around my house, plus a struggling Monterey oak.  I love the shade from the trees; the first time I walked out into the backyard, I fell in love with the trees.   So cool and shady on a hot summer afternoon, I knew I wanted this house.  But little did I know about live oak trees and their nasty habit.

The leaves seem to fall year around, but in early March they go into a major drop.  Some years are worse than others, this has been a moderate year.  Some years I've come home to a carpet of leaves that have accumulated in just a few hours.  I haven't decided if it is better to clean them up frequently or just let them fall and then have a major back-breaking clean-up day.  In early April (later this year) this stuff starts to fall along with the leaves.  It is pollen, ugh!  Not only does it make you sick, but it turns everything a sick yellow.  Like the leaves, it falls for weeks and some years are worse than others.

That's bad enough, but add in four long-haired dogs that bring this stuff inside the house.  No matter how often I clean the deck, this nasty stuff comes right back.  Same thing with vacuuming inside the house.  If fact, I almost think vacuuming is making it worse because it seems to explode into tiny little dots.  It is almost impossible to get off the dogs; I've had to resort to using a "flea" comb that has teeth that are very close together and even then it just seems to explode and then the little dots are impossible to get out of their fur. 

So, what is the dogs' favorite thing to do right now?  They go outside and roll in the stuff until they are covered!  Ugh, nasty oak trees hurry up and finish doing your thing.

Easter 2014

Easter Blessings to all! 

 

 

Sadly, I only made one picture this Easter weekend and that was a chalk drawing done on my driveway that I posted on Instagram (mysmallthings if you want to follow).  But I still had a blessed day.  Church in the morning, an afternoon of cooking/prepping for family, and family time tonight around the table.  God is good, and I am blessed.  I hope you are, too.

 

Although I have no pictures from today, I did think of several past pictures that are appropriate to share on Easter night.

 



 

 

 

It's over, done finished, until next year

I'm eternally thankful tonight that April 15th is almost done.  Yes, another tax season has come and gone.  Every year I swear up and down that I'm not going through this again, but here I am proclaiming that I have survived another season.  No, I'm not an accountant, but still closely involved in the process.

This year was brutal.  The guy I work for was busy and I had many things to do, but our business is orderly and we head off problems before they start.  I will not discuss here the others in the office that contributed to the chaos today.  Instead I want to focus on why people procrastinate and why they don't keep up with their affairs.

Now, granted I didn't finish my own taxes until Sunday.  I had them almost done, and had other priorities until I knew on Sunday that it was time to get it done.  But I had everything I needed to do my taxes.  Even in the years that I paid someone I took him an envelope that contained everything he needed and that information was complete.  I know it is human nature to procrastinate, but please people don't wait until the last minute and then expect me to be a miracle worker and produce what you need immediately.  Or fix what you messed up during the last year. 

And, for Pete's sake, people why can't you keep up with your affairs.  We send you statements and tax forms, where are they?  Don't tell me you didn't get them, I know you did.  They come in a big, clearly marked envelope, have you ever thought about setting up a place to put all that stuff so it is together when you need it?  Or, wait, did you just throw it in the trash because you knew you could call me and I would reproduce it for you and then send it wherever it needed to be?  Remember the drill from last year that I need your authorization in writing, with your signature, to send it to a 3rd party. And, why are you calling me?  You can pull them up online now, and don't tell me you don't know how as you are standing there with your cell phone in your hand.  If you can work a smart phone, then you can figure out how to get into your account on line. There are no excuses in my book for waiting to the very last minute and for not having your documents.  So, listen up for next year my fellow Americans!

Scenes from the garden center

A nice surprise

What happened while I was gone to work today?  Well, the amaryllis did its thing and opened up.  What a nice surprise to greet me when I pulled into the driveway! 

this was the amaryllis yesterday

and today

Here's the real surprise - I now have 5 stalks that are growing.  These 2 and 3 more, how about that!  I think I will have amaryllis for Easter!

Bottle Trees

I've read about bottle trees and seen pictures of these captivating works of fun art, but until recently I had never seen a real live bottle tree.  The first one was discovered by total surprise, stumbling through the open doors of a business in Fredericksburg, Texas while walking around there one Saturday in early January.

This indoor tree had been created in an effort to make the public aware that Fredericksburg's glass re-cycling facility had been closed.



I don't remember how many bottles are in the tree, but it is many!

 

My second encounter with an actual bottle tree was on my recent road trip.  While in Jackson I visited the Mississippi Craft Center where they had various forms of art displayed outside the main entrance, including a bottle tree display.

 



The history behind bottle trees is as interesting as the trees themselves, going back to around 1600 B.C, shortly after hollow glass vessels first appeared in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Stories started circulating about spirits living in them, an idea that is attributed to the whistling sound made by blowing over the mouth of the bottle..

 

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/08/30/3147890/bottle-trees-branch-out-from-south.html#storylink=cpy

Legends are told that the bottles lure and trap evil spirits to keep them from entering a house; the roaming spirits are thought to be destroyed by the morning sunlight. Glass used on early bottle trees was often blue because of the color’s association with water, which was thought to repel spirits.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/08/30/3147890/bottle-trees-branch-out-from-south.html#storylink=cpy

 

Along Mississippi roads you'd now and then see bottle trees; you'd see them alone or in crowds in the front yard of remote farmhouses. I photographed one - a bare crape myrtle tree with every branch of it ending in the mouth of a colored glass bottle - a blue Milk of Magnesia or an orange or green pop bottle; reflecting the light, flashing its colors in the sun, it stood as the centerpiece in a little thicket of peach trees in bloom.

Eudora Welty, One Writer's Beginnings, p.85.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/08/30/3147890/bottle-trees-branch-out-from-south.html#storylink=cpy







How many?

For the last two years (maybe three) I've chronicled the blossom of an amaryllis in front of my house.  This year will not be an exception to the continuing tale.  I started with one bulb, a Christmas gift from a co-worker.  By last spring the pot was full of amaryllis plants.  I dug them all up, divided, replanted and gave away many.  I put two large bulbs back in the original pot and scattered several others in various pots.  Over the summer, fall and winter they multiplied into many amaryllis.  I wondered if they would bloom and if I would get multiple blooms.

The speculation came to an end on Sunday afternoon when I realized that two large stalks had shot up from the large pot. If I remember correctly, last year there were four trumpet like flowers on the stalk.  What will happen this year waits to be revealed.

But wait, there's more.  After I made the pictures I got closer, just looking around to check for more blooms.  And, yes, there is one more!   There will be three this year!

This bud is still small, so I'm wondering if its bloom will coincide with Easter.