Cum Auxilio Ab Alto (Entries tagged as weekend flowers)

BEAUTY IN UNEXPECTED PLACES

nospam@example.com (Imelda S) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:54:49 -0500

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.

TULIPS

nospam@example.com (Imelda S) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:24:59 -0500

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.

CRAB APPLES

nospam@example.com (Imelda S) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:05:54 -0500

I never took a liking for them. They pale in comparison to the pink and yellow blossoms of spring. They are white. They are tiny and from afar, they look like globs of cotton balls that got caught on the branches. Them. The crab apple blossoms.

I never fancied them until I saw the blossoms up close. Going to Mass last Sunday, my husband parked near a little crab apple tree and I got the chance to look, really look, at its blossoms. That was when I realized how exquisitely pretty they are. They have creamy white petals outlined by pink at the edges, pink pistil (granting that I am naming the parts right) on white filaments, a sweet scent. They'd look lovely on a vase. But since I could not cut a spray, I had to content myself with photos of them.

Linking with .

Thank you for dropping by. Your comments are much appreciated.

Best regards,

Imelda

MUSCARI - Photos

nospam@example.com (Imelda S) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:09:36 -0500

We did not have much snow this winter and that spared our backyard from the usual spring flooding when melting snow turn our little ground into a little pond. The drier grounds allowed me to crouch down and get up close with these tiny flowers. The plant itself is no more than 7 inches tall, and the flower bearing stalks are just about the same height. The flowers are about the size of whole peppercorns.

Happy weekend.

Linking with .

SPRING - a Poem

nospam@example.com (Imelda S) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:08:17 -0500

Well, I guess winter is my least favorite season of all. :-) My husband says I am quite silly - but that is because he grew up wallowing in Maine's deep winters. He loves it, until he finds that he not only needs to shovel on the porch but to mow an entire field as well, every couple of days. And that is hardly an exaggeration on my part. ;-) While I, winter-basher, grew up in the tropics where the seasons range from hot to hotter.

So here is my little paean to spring - which is a not so masked disdain for winter. Sorry, snow lovers. I just can't embrace it.

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The air proclaims in joyful song
that life is back again
Birds in triumphant music intone
gone is the cold dark morn.

The once pale world
shakes off its ashen face
letting its colors unfurl
to the sun's warm embrace.

The earth yields its treasures
of pink and white and gold
and in its gentle breast
the secret of life, it holds.