Azaleas.........

I love them!  I have tried to grow them through the years............

starting off with a pretty, healthy plant,

then within weeks, the blossoms drop off........

the plant dies.
Friends have told me that the grounds here are too acidic and the heat
in our area is too intense for Azaleas to withstand. 

In the photo above.......these Azaleas

are now on my front porch...........

                                     

yet, these will never drop their blossoms, 

and they will never die........

they are made of silk!

This lovely arrangement arrived at my door today

from the 

Commercial Silk Company  (click on to visit)

Aren't they  the prettiest??

They came in a lovely box as well!

I love to send flowers........but when these arrived to me

in such a pretty box.........I realized I love to receive flowers 

as well!

And  I can just imagine the reaction of someone if 

I were to send a box of these lovelies to them! 

The Commercial Silk Company specializes in creating lovely lifelike 

silk flower arrangements

with decorative containers.........

( I chose a vintage metal container above) 

They also have artificial trees, bushes, topiaries,  succulents, 

boxwoods, and much more!  

It took me a few cups of coffee and and hour or two to 

look through all that they have to offer!

They also have a good varying price range to fit anyone's budget. 

I had the hardest time making a final decision on 

what I wanted..........everything was beautiful.......I wanted it all! 

As you know, I have posted about our front porch before,

and I love to spend time out on it on lovely days.

I have been wanting to freshen it up a bit........

that is why I chose this Azalea arrangement.  It gives 

such a nice touch to any area of the porch...........

I then had a hard time deciding on the right spot 

to place it. 

I tried it here first............the sitting area

then I placed it here.........so that it could be seen

when one approaches the porch

but I finally decided here.........when

walking up to the door,

it can be seen 

and the right amount of light shows

off the color of the blossoms.

Now the front porch has a 

welcoming touch to it.......

don't  you think?  

and I now have lovely Azaleas.........to last!

These flowers and the container are of such good quality!

I tugged at the flowers as I was spreading them open...........

not one petal or leaf came off.  

The metal container is also very well made and sturdy.

I know that this arrangement will last and  stay lovely on my

front porch for a long time.

So grab yourself a cup of coffee and visit 

Commercial Silk Company  (click on to visit)

  

Now tell me.........do you love to 

send flowers and revel in the 

excitement and surprise that the person 

you sent them to feels..........

or do you love being surprised 

when someone sends you flowers?

What would your favorite silk flower be?.....and what color??

I would love to hear!

In the early morning hours, I sit quietly with my morning coffee,

 and watch the busy traffic.......... streaming from the woods...

large groups of shell quail............in a constant flow and hurry

to the local watering hole

The bobwhite quail also hurry in, 

the long billed and short billed birds

all flying in for a drink and a bite to eat.

The small owls who have taken up residence in the trees 

watch from their tall perch

as a hungry and thirsty rabbit hops along the patio

to come to the same spot,

to the small cement feeders and shallow water containers 

  After the road runner enjoys a cool drink, 

                                            

it spots a cement planter and decides to make a bed

enjoying the moist dirt inside

constantly scratching to make it just right.

Then it hops out

and enjoys the warmth of the sun 

that is making the cool of the morning disappear. 

In no time, it is up and on it's way. 

Throughout the day, there is always some kind of bird

or creature, stopping by to rest at the feed and water.

A constant flow of traffic...........but 

one that is without honking horns, road rage or stress.

A road much traveled........

but much more enjoyable!

So tell me,

what traffic is running past your back yard?

I would love to hear!

She has been here for a few years..............

guarding the gardens........

(2013)

withstanding the harshest dirt storms, extreme heat, 

freezing snow

the scariest thunderstorms, with blowing rain and lightning,

and once had a nest of wasps in her head.

(2014)

But each year I find a new outfit for her to wear

(purchased at the thrift store)

(2015)

as you can see from the photos.....

she started out skinny as a stick

(2016)

and through the years, she has filled out. Her body has dropped 

and sagged and her head has cracked..........

and she has needed some repair............

(2017)

now here is Gertrude

she has moved from the back gardens, to the front

pumpkin patch.  I love to be able to look out the window 

and to be able to see my flowers and pumpkins growing!

Now, it is nice to also see Gertrude looking like a country

gardener , in the shade of the crooked and twisted mesquite

tree.........always keeping watch on whatever I choose to 

grow.  

So tell me..........who is keeping watch over your garden?

I would love to hear!

A brand new day

Tis sweet as the day begins to dawn,

When the lark her song is singing,

To wander at will through the grassy lawn

Where fresh flowers around are springing.

’Tis sweet at that solemn hour to go

O’er the rocky slope, all alone,

Where the scattering streamlets freely flow...

’Tis well to inhale the earthly gale,

As it sweeps the green hill’s side...

Or to look on the wood in its leafy pride,

In the glen or on the grove, the dawn is fair,—

Morning is beautiful every where!

~Thomas Furlong, "Morning Meditations"