First things first, thank you to the folks in Tina's Picstory for the nice words they have for my flower entries last week.  I got so busy with things at home that I did not even know about the vote results until Sandra of Letters of Muse gave me notice.  

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I do not like Barberry bushes.  They are thorny.  I have been poked by their sharp thorns too many times that I am wary of them.  

One day, while I was out in the yard, I noticed that their  overgrown branches extending to our little path and, excuse me, making a nuisance of themselves again.  I made a mental note to have them trimmed as soon as I had the time.  Then I noticed how the sun shone on their leaves and made the latter glow.  And then I noticed the little yellow things arranged neatly in a row on the branches.  How pretty those little golden nuggets were as they caught the sunshine.  For the moment, I forgot about the thorns, drew closer to the bush, and admired the yellow delights. 

More than the flower, I suppose it was the joy of unexpectedly finding something beautiful  in something I always thought of as a nuisance that made the difference.  It brought to mind that time from long ago when I was a young and harassed lawyer.

One morning, as I was walking to the bus stop to catch a ride to work, my head clouded with all things that needed to be done and with the tedium of the day,  I saw a young mother with  a little girl in her arms.  Somehow, I looked at them and caught the girl's eye.  I was about to look away when she gave me a bright bright smile.  I did not know what that smile had, but it brought sunshine into my very soul and lifted the gloom shrouding me.  I walked with a little more spring on my steps.  My mind opened in prayer of thanks and joy.  

I suppose that is where the magic of an unexpected beauty lies:  it is a gift from God, an assurance of His love all around.

So today, I pray that you be blessed with beauty from unexpected places and delight in it.  

Have a great day.

Best regards,

Imelda 

P.S.  The overgrown Barberry  branches still need to go though. I am linking again with my favorite Friday place .  And I hope that I post the trackback properly this time.

Well, I was glad that the Northeaster only brought us  rains,

Snow in late April was much too uncomfortable, 

the plants have grown. 

I suppose I sound too whiny. 

I just want those flowers.  Sorry. :-) 

After a day and night of heavy rains, we had a little pond.

I thought we'd miss it this year.  There was not much snow during winter.  

I'm glad it came.  The ground was a little too dry. 

Except for some fallen tulips .... 

..and broken limbs, there were no casualties.  

Nature is taking care of our rotten tree.  Little by little.  

Tree service costs a fortune.

Of course, there was mud! 

What is so irresistible about mud... 

..and puddles?  May I ask? 

Yeah, there was not much casualty.

If you do not count the dirty clothes,

and a mommy's sanity.  

And the following day, it is the same story.

Thank you for visiting.  Have a lovely day. Linking with  PROJECT ALICIA , In Him We Move and Have our Being,  .

~Imelda 

When I was still living in Manila, I always coveted the tulips on display in florists' shops.  I looked at their pictures with longing.  I even chose them for my wedding bouquet (granting that they were the only available flowers on wintry February).  So, when, about three years ago,  we got a place where we could plant, tulip bulbs were the first ones to go to the ground. 

Last week, I had the joy of watching the flowers bloom, mature, and die.  This is a gallery of the pictures of our tulips in various stages.

As though what I already have were not enough (one can never have too many flowers after all!), I bought a new one, a different colored one, when we visited Home Depot.  I took dozens of pictures of it  and here is my favorite of the lot - 

I hope you enjoyed your visit.  Thank you for dropping by.  :-)

Have a beautiful blessed day.   

~Imelda 

P.S.  This is linked with   .  Head on over to their pages for great flower photos. 

At least that's what I think.  Like water, its particles always flow, always follows where the wind blows them.  I will believe this until somebody tells me otherwise.  :-)  So long as the earth turns, there will be always a different sky.  And different beautiful reasons to take its photos on a more or less regular basis.  It is almost my excuse for having usually the same spot for my sky photos - our backyard! 

We've had several days of sunny weather, and yesterday was one of those.

The blue skies and the white clouds remind me of the poem that my children learned in homeschool -

Clouds
by Christina Rossetti

White sheep, white sheep,
On a blue hill,
When the wind stops,
You all stand still.
When the wind blows,
You walk away slow.
White sheep, white sheep,
Where do you go?

May you all have a great  blessed day. 

This post is linked to   .