Tag Archives: flowers

I Love Flowers

Hello and welcome to another Waste Not Want Not Wednesday.  I know I threatened to make this blog All Pride Stride 5K All The Time, and I did go for a long (for me) run this morning, but it was not very eventful.  Besides, I have some flower pictures!  I love flowers.

I forget who this guy is.

I pass by this statue many times per week on walks and runs.  It is Meyers Park, which is fairly close to my house.  Somebody takes very good care of the plants around the statues.  Next time I’ll get a shot of General Herkimer, who stands on the other side of the park.

Yay! They bloomed!

And here is my house, made extra cheerful by peonies and daisies!  I think the daisies may have gone a little too far this year.  I may need to get rid of them entirely and plant something else.  I also need to get around to planting something anything elsewhere in my front and back yards.

Ignore the mess, enjoy the daisies.

I cut a bunch of the daisies to make a cheerful bouquet for my living room.  I would like to cut a couple of the peonies and bring them in, because they smell so nice, but I am afraid of bringing in ants with them.  Ants help peonies open by crawling inside the buds and eating something.  That is about the only good thing I have ever heard about ants.

I still have not done much about making my own garden grow; regular readers may recall that the daisies and peonies come up with no effort on my part.  But the second week of June isn’t too late?  Is it?  Discuss amongst yourselves.

 

Will My Garden Grow?

Hello and welcome to another Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, the day when I use up some of the pictures I impulsively take as I go about my business.  Full disclosure:  I have not felt well all day, sorry for whining about it, but if this post is not up to par, so to speak, that is my excuse.  I know, what is my excuse the rest of the days? Never mind that, on with the post.

Isn’t that lovely?

I had to pause during one of my walks to take a picture of this flower.  I think it is some kind of lily, but I don’t know from plants.  My own garden, container and regular, has not progressed as planned this year.  However, it is only June.  I might still come up with something, maybe even something this pretty.

Now there’s something to aspire to!

This was outside the post office; I took the picture yesterday afternoon after I had mailed a letter to a sister-in-law and a bill.  It makes me feel bad for not doing my container garden yet.

Who could resist a turtle?

This was on Main Street in Herkimer.  Isn’t he cute?  I have a few frogs I could put out, again, if I manage to get my garden together.

Now I have inspired myself.  I can’t do much about my garden tonight, because I have a Town Hall meeting to cover, and my stomach is quite upset (I hope the meeting does not get too dramatic and really upset my tummy).  But tomorrow, I do not have anything on my schedule.  I can finish cleaning my deck!  I can visit a couple of greenhouses!  It will make a great blog post!

 

Lightheaded Lawn Longings

I missed making my Tired Tuesday post and it looks as if I am having a real Wuss-out Wednesday today.  I have that light-headed thing going on.  It is not exactly a headache, although one neurologist told me it was migraine.  Well, it is tiresome to go on about my symptoms so I will stop.

Probably the best year for these.

I throw in a picture to pep things up.  This is the rhododendron in my back yard (wow, I seem to have spelled it right on the first try!) some years ago.  I don’t think it is blooming yet this year but I would need to go out back and check.  My back yard is not in such good shape these days, although I did manage to mow it once (perhaps you read my blog post about it).

And this was a good year for these flowers, whose name I have long forgotten.

I saw some leaves from this one when I mowed, and tried to avoid mowing them down.  They moved from where I first planted them. I do not know how, but I am nobody’s idea of a horticulturalist, or even much of a gardener.

I know I’ll have some daisies!

So I guess I am just sitting here with my head spinning thinking about the yard and garden I am not currently working on.  Maybe after a nice cup of tea I will feel better and do something useful.  In the meantime, at least I have made some semblance of a blog post.  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

 

I Try to Run After the Rain

I started to go running yesterday with the idea of A. Looking at the flood damage (luckily not too much of a flood around here) and B. Making a Running Commentary Post.  I was only marginally successful. I was to begin with a little surprised it was not still raining.  A glance out the window showed me the street was no longer a river, so I suited up and went out.  I put on my Road Guard Vest (as we Army people call it; civilians call it a reflective vest) in case I went out in the road.  It also has a handy zipper pouch for tissues.

Right away I saw running in the road was ineligible.  It was all mud!  As I ran down the sidewalk, I encountered a lot of mud, too, then a bit of debris, mostly sticks of varying sizes.  The main problem I had was when I got to the corner:  the mud was super concentrated where I wanted to cross the street.  I turned a couple corners where I hadn’t meant to.  Sometimes I ran in the grass to avoid the mud. I don’t mind getting dirty, but I try to avoid falls at my age.

As I turned back onto my own street sooner than envisioned, I saw a cavalcade of two mothers and several children of various ages, some in wagons, on their way to the corner to catch the bus.  I have seen them before.  I almost always greet my neighbors.  Sometimes I accuse the groups waiting for the bus of having a party and not inviting me.  These neighbors were just setting out for the corner.

“It’s the parade!”  I said.  I have called them a parade before. They warned me to watch out for the slippery mud.

I made it across the street and around another corner before I admitted defeat.  I had gone something over 17 minutes (too lazy to go get my Garmin and check), and I just had a failure of resolution.  I turned and walked back towards home, a thing I almost never do.  When I got to the corner, the parade had almost reached the bus stop.  They only had to cross the street.  Some boys already at the bus stop hollered at two girls about to cross to wait, because cars were coming.  We look out for each other in my neighborhood.

I called across to one of the mothers, “I gave up!”

She gestured to one of the girls and said, “She fell down twice!” The girl ruefully displayed her muddy legs.

“Oh NO!” I said, with great sympathy.  I said that falls could be dangerous at my age, to which the mother agreed.  I managed to reach home without mishap.

Some of the May flowers I hope the rain will bring!

No, I did not take a picture of the mud.  However, for the sake of including an illustration, here are a couple peonies and a few daisies from last May.  I guess this wasn’t an April shower, but sometimes one must make do.

 

A Few More Pics, Another Pedestrian Post

I continue writing about my walk, because I have four more pictures I did not use yet.  I particularly wanted to open with the funniest one.

The little picnic table wins my heart.

Considering I AM the nut, I felt I had cause to worry, so I took the picture and moved on.  I suppose it would take a pretty big squirrel to crack me, but you never know.  They might decide to gang up on me.

I am always happy to see them, although I cannot address them by name.

I see these flowers everywhere but do not know what they are.  If anybody does, I would be grateful for the knowledge.  I think there are apps whereby you can take a picture and your phone tells you what things are, but I rarely download apps.  I might possibly get a book out of the library on the subject.

Not quite the shot I had hoped.

I took this shot on the footbridge over the stream behind the high school (so you see I am using the photos out of the order that I took them, if you read yesterday’s post).  I had wanted a shot of the water but soon became more concerned with the green on the branches.  It is a little difficult, because I have to contend with the chain link fence. I suppose other people handle these problems easily (you know who you are).

It’s hard to see the color.

One more tree caught my eye.  I took a picture from each side, and this one turned out the best.  I guess neither one is all that great, but you’ll have that.

I really did enjoy my walk.  I ran yesterday, which I also enjoyed, but I think I will take another walk today.  Will this blog become All Pedestrian Posts All The Time?  Probably not.  For one reason, rehearsals continue for Recipe for Murder Royale.  I have one tonight.  I may take some pictures and do a Post-Rehearsal Post (preview of coming attractions).  Won’t that be fun?

 

Last Winter Walk on a Wednesday

I decided to take a long walk instead of run this morning, taking my cellphone with me to take pictures of any flowers I might see.  I figured it would make a decent blog post, and I just didn’t have the oomph to run (in my defense, I ran the last three days).  It has been a singularly oomph-less day, so I had a hard enough time getting myself out the door for a walk.

The first thing I saw were some buds on a tree on German Street.  I was doubtful of my ability to get a decent photo, so I walked on and was soon rewarded with some flowers.

Aren’t they pretty?

No, I don’t know what they are.  I think there are some apps that tell you what flowers are, or you can find books on the subject.  I certainly don’t know from apps, but I might seek out a book.

I think they’re called snowdrops.

I was happy to see some flowers putting on a better show than the ones in my yard which I took a picture of the other day (perhaps you saw that blog post).  Unfortunately, my walk was not rewarded with many flowers.  Still, a good walk is its own reward, and I enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air.  I carried a bottle of water with me and refilled it at the spring.  When walking through Salvatore’s parking lot (and thinking that would be a good place to eat soon but perhaps not conducive to reaching my weight-loss goals), I saw a bent stick that caught my eye.

You can see my fat shadow.

Perhaps I am the only one who is fascinated by such things.  I continued my walk, comforting myself that I had at least three pictures for the post.  Then I saw two patches of purple flowers across the street.  Yay!  Of course several cars happened to be going down the street at that time, not even that busy of a street in the general way, to add to my sense of ill-usage.  However, I finally managed to cross and got my shots.

I think these are crocuses.

There were fewer brown leaves to discourage these blooms than there are in my yard.

There were even more than the pictures show.

As I finished my walk, I once again noticed the tree with buds.  Well, why not make the walk just a little longer?  I went by my house and tried to get a shot of the buds on the branch.

Love the blue, blue sky!

It has gone on to be a beautiful sunny day.  I took another short walk a little while ago.  Now I need to prepare myself for tonight’s rehearsal.  This blog may soon become All Prescrition: Murder All The Time, but long-time readers probably expected that.

 

A Spring-ish Post

Hello and welcome to another Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I still have no Mohawk Valley Adventures to blog about, but I have a few spring-ish pictures that I can share.

First spring-ish picture.

I have been taking walks almost every day, in addition to my runs, and I have been appreciating the return of bare sidewalks.  I was even more delighted when I looked down and saw these blossoms.  I don’t know what they are; I don’t think they are crocuses, usually the first blooms we see.  This was yesterday afternoon.  Today I wondered if any of my crocuses were up.  I ventured out to see.

They look a little sad.

There was nothing but last year’s grass out front.  Out back I saw these white flowers, but I think I saw them too late for a good picture.  I don’t know what these are either; I didn’t plant them, they just showed up (kind of like me at the Elks Club).  Then I saw some green poking through last year’s leaves.  I left all my leaves, because I read somewhere it was a helpful thing to do for certain bugs and critters.  Any excuse for me to be lazy!  However, this was where I had planted some daffodils a few years ago, and they usually come up.

Yay! Daffodils!

I pulled away the leaves and was delighted to see green and yellow.  I walked around the yard, looking for any other bits of green trying to poke up but did not find any. However, I am encouraged by what I saw.  Oh, I KNOW it will get cold and probably snow a couple more times, so you can just stop shaking your head at me with that superior smirk (you know who you are).  I am enjoying the here and now.

And I am enjoying the fact that I am over 300 words with this blog post.  I think that makes seven days in a row.  I wonder what else I can accomplish.

 

Best Lame Plans for Blogs and Gardens

So I did Wednesday’s post on Thursday then neglected to make Thursday’s post on Thursday or Friday, and here I am Saturday morning thinking I might just make a Lame Post Friday post.  Full disclosure:  I am feeling a bit lightheaded (cue jokes about how I am always somewhat dizzy).  This could be from the last remnants of my cold or it could be from the decongestant I took earlier (it was the kind with the D on the box, that you have to ask the pharmacist for) or it could be a kind of a migraine.  My head does not lack variety, I’ll say that for it.

What my head feels like sometimes.

I throw in a picture to pep up the post.  I do not remember where I saw this skull, but I like it.  Studying the picture, it appears to be on my stairs.  Is this skull somewhere in my house?  Maybe if I continue my efforts at cleaning, I will find it.  Just a little motivation to brighten up my day.

THIS is what I need!

I go a different way with my next picture, showing the rhododendron in my back yard one of the years it was especially beautiful.  I am SO looking forward to spring and hoping to plant many more flowers in my yard.  And maybe a few vegetables.  There are some flowers that may show up again on their own:  the above pictured rhododendron and forget-me-nots, some black- and brown-eyed susans, a few daisies…

From a more ambitious year.

I also hope to have a container garden on my deck.  Flowers, herbs, definitely some basil!  Then I’ll have some people over and we’ll sit amongst the plants and have some iced tea or wine or something.  Won’t that be nice?

 

Keep Lame and Blog On

When overly flustered, pour yourself a large glass of iced coffee (or other beverage) and make a blog post.  Perhaps I should get myself a t-shirt that says, “Keep Calm and Blog On.”  I actually get a little tired of seeing those “Keep Calm” memes, t-shirts, etc.  Sometimes I put as my Facebook status, “Stop telling me to calm down!!!”  As another Facebook meme says (yes, I spend entirely too much time on Facebook), In the entire history of calming down, no one has ever calmed down as a result of being told to calm down.

That was a digression, but what else can I do on Lame Post Friday? I am off work today for a sad reason:  I must go to a funeral.  Perhaps “must” is a strong word.  I want to be there to support friends and family, and to pay my respects to a nice lady who left us too soon.  Getting the day off was no problem; my work is nice that way.  Of course, being me, nothing else can be easy.

The flowers are for a cheery note. The glove is because I am about to talk about dressing up.

That is a photo from the past.  I think things go down better with an illustration.  So I had some problems getting ready for today.

Find something to wear?  That should not be a problem:  look at all the clothes I have.  Yes, I have gained a little weight, but how much difference can five pounds make?  Really four, because I think I took off a pound this week (my scale is ambiguous).  It seems I am also bloated, possibly from salt intake.  I crave salt when it is so hot and I sweat my (insert body part of your choice) off.  I made a nice bowl of popcorn last night.  I tried not to put too much salt on it, but of course one needs a certain amount.  Anyways, there is fiber in popcorn. Shouldn’t that help?

Apparently not so much. I tried on several outfits to no avail.  The only thing that sort of worked was a skirt that would only fasten up under my boobs. The blouse I had picked would cover that.  Then I turned sideways and saw how fat I looked.  Anyways, the skirt felt too tight even where I had fastened it.  By now I was getting sweaty and irritable.  Calm down, I told myself (as stated earlier, it did not help).  I took a few deep breaths, sat in front of a fan, drank some coffee (hot at the time), played a little solitaire (with an actual deck of cards as God intended), then headed to the store.

Long story short (I know, too late):  I found a dress that fits, is comfortable, and does not look too bad.  That decision made, I proceeded to get flustered gathering accessories, deciding on jewelry, and getting together my overnight things (I am going to the funeral with my parents and intend to spend the night at their house).  What about the dishes?  What about that bill I had meant to mail today?  What about my blog post?

As I often say, it’s not easy being me, but at least it is entertaining.  And I hope my blog post has been entertaining.  Tune in tomorrow when Mohawk Valley Girl is confused about what day it is, because she had Friday off.

 

Tired But On Time!

At least it is the end of the day Tuesday.

I promised myself I could use this picture if I made my Tired Tuesday post on Tuesday.  Bribery often works with me.  Unfortunately, just because I log onto WordPress and start typing does not mean I have anything to say.  I know, when has that ever stopped me?

I typed that in (I once again quote Truman Capote: “That’s not writing that’s typing”) then could not think of another word to type.  Perhaps I should not have put both the play and dinner in the same blog post for Sunday.  Perhaps I should be having more Mohawk Valley adventures to write (type) about.

They were pretty.

I threw in a picture before I got any more bogged down in “shoulds.”   This is a shot of my Black-Eyed Susans from August 2018.  The patch has since overgrown with weeds and stuff.  Not a yellow bloom to be seen. I plan to cut the whole thing down and start over again.  Not today, of course, but possibly by the weekend.  Then I can have another Lawn Order post.

 

Where will the road lead me?

Another kind of post I have not made lately is a Running Commentary.  For one reason, I have not been running.  I hope to begin again soon.  In the meantime I have been walking every morning.  Perhaps a Pedestrian Post is in order.

For today, however, I am over 200 words.  It will have to do.  Full disclosure:  I have been fighting a vague headache most of the day, and I think it is winning.  However, it is the end of the day.  We shall see what tomorrow will bring.  I hope you will stay tuned.