Friday Finds and Randomness

 

This week has been a very difficult one. As many of you have read and seen, Arkansas was hit last Sunday night with devastating and deadly tornados.  A massive storm system dropped several tornados and cut a path of destruction across the state for at least 80 miles. One of those tornados was rated at the upper end of an EF4. The tornado started about 20 miles from us and we had nothing but a little rain and some scary skies. We weren't the only state affected, at least 16 states were hit by the storm system in some way; tornados, wind, hail, and flooding. The pictures, the reports, and the stories have just been unbelievable and so heart breaking. Every day I counted my blessings and prayed for those who had lost so much. I found myself feeling guilty because I still have everything. I felt guilty for going on with my life. I took my camera and went searching for a little peace. This little vine in a planter on my front porch caught my eye. First, the comfort of so many heart shapes and then the restfulness of the color green. I read a post this week at Focusing on Life about the color green written by Leigh Love. Leigh wrote that "you can look at shades of green and instantly feel calmer and more at peace."  She's right. It worked for me.

 

Linking with Kim's Friday Finds.

 

 

 

 

I turned to nature for my randomness this week.

It does sooth the soul!

 

 

#1

I was playing in Picasa and decided to use the double image feature to add a different look to the flowers I was photographing. In Picasa there is no way to fade one image more than the other, so you have to search for at least one of the images to be fairly light and transparent.  The image below was my favorite; the flower and the seed pod of a dandelion.

 

#2

We had several stormy and cloudy days that made me stay inside. I had picked up some seedpods of the maple tree a few days before the storms wanting to use them to create a little nature art. Between the rain, I ran out grabbed some clover leaves and a dogwood petal.  I did discover that one must have a steady hand with tweezers, have patience, and have the ability not to hold your breath and let it out all at once! When you do that...everything blows away!!  That's where the patience kicks in!

 

 

#3

Most daffodils have only one bloom per stem, but the heirloom daffodil, best know as "Twin Sisters" usually appears two to a stem. Narcissus x medioluteus is a very late bloomer that opens weeks after most other daffodils have finished.  I did see one stem with three blooms (shall we call it "triplets") but the blooms were already quite wilted.

 

#4

Several years ago, we were given a small buckeye tree. We planted it in the pasture and have lovingly tended and watered it.  We watch it each year, but so far...no buckeyes. I've read that it may take six to ten years for the buckeyes to develop. Ours isn't quite that old, so we just enjoy the pretty stalk of trumpet blooms it produces each spring. Just in case you should want to know, buckeyes are supposed to bring you good luck.

 

Indulge me for a family story about buckeyes, please. Gramps (Mr. H as you know him) gave a buckeye to our oldest grandson, who at that time was very young, probably around five. Jake carried it in his pocket or kept it by his bedside so that it would bring him good look. Several months later Jake brought the buckeye back to Gramps and said he needed a new one. Gramps questioned him as to why.  "Because this one has a hole in it and all the good luck leaked out!"  Sweet little boy wanted all the good luck he could get!

 

 

#5

I don't think my wisteria liked the unusually cold and rather crazy winter we had. This bush is very large and most years it's loaded with sweet smelling clusters of flowers that the bees really love. This year...there were only three clusters and I almost missed them.  They were so well hidden in the greenery!

Hope you have a wonderful May!

Please pray for all those who've lost so much in the recent storms.