Flowers

When I was just a little child I developed a fascination
with the beauties of nature, especially flowers. It was always
a source of wonder to me, that such a tiny inconspicuous thing
as a flower seed could produce something as beautiful as the
blossoms which developed as the spring and summer seasons
progressed. I remember roaming the alfalfa fields near our
childhood home looking for special little alfalfa blossoms that
I could fashion into a small bouquet which I hoped would
please my sweet mother. I even remember creating bouquets
out of the brightly colored thistle blossoms which were
abundant in the pasture where the family milk cows grazed.
Mom was always pleased, even if my little flower bunches were
sneeze weeds or covered with thorns. She returned the favor by
making birthday cakes with bright green frosting and decorated
with beautiful little dandelion blooms of May, one for each of my
tender years. I loved to hike the mountains and meadows and
always marveled at the beauties which God had so carefully
placed there for me to enjoy. Those special moments must have
created a desire in me to try to make my little corner of the world
a little prettier than I found it. It has not always been easy, and
sometimes the frost would take my newly planted plants
more than once in some years before they were able to become
established. I was always over budget, when it came to buying
bedding plants. Perennials generally were not my thing because
most of them have such a short blooming season. My first thing to
do outside every morning is to check the flowers and other plants
and take the best care I can of them. When we move, I'm sure I
will miss that little routine as our yard will be so much smaller,
but as I grow older it will become more of a chore for me and I
will have to smell my roses etc. elsewhere. I love flowers so much
that I even married an Iris. On occasion even she has been a little
difficult to cultivate, as the picture below might indicate.
Nonetheless, I love her, and all of you beautiful people who are
the real flowers in my life.


Flower photos 2008 to follow. in next post.