.....I named her "Minerva"

I bet I know what your thinking.

Could it be that you never

quite know what to

expect when you stop by the

cottage?

I love her hair and think it very

Victorian .....so

I named her Minerva.

-

I've had a great Monday,

and tried using my time wisely.

Early morning gardening and

evening Bible study left

me feeling pleased.

-

Okay....so maybe Minerva might

have been a little frivolous

(showing carefree disregard

for serious things)

Just having a little artistic fun.....

time well spent on "entertainment."

Good blessings for the week....Dee Dee

......doodling with purpose

.....one never knows where a bit of

doodling will carry them.

What is doodling you ask? Well, it's

what I've been doing much of the

evening....scribbling aimlessly I suppose.

No, not aimlessly, but with purpose,

and set goals in mind.

One day, I will put pen to paper

and place sweet children,

that have appeared on my drawing paper,

in exciting adventure stories.

I continue working on my journal,

saving my drawings and

writing story ideas as they

come to mind.
Time is of the essence....

.....making it count....Dee Dee

.....time

Don't say you don't have enough time.

You have exactly the same number of hours

per day that were given to

Helen Keller, Pasteur,

Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa,

Leonardo de Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and

Albert Einstein.

~H. Jackson Brown Jr.

-

I can just hear myself saying the words

"I would like to, but I just haven't the time."

You know....I don't think time, has a whole

lot to do with our failures to accomplish

certain tasks, or succeed in our goals.

At least in my case, I have a

list a mile long of "wanttodos"....

I really think those I've mentioned, had

their priorities straight and great organizational

skills. A couple of them are great role

models. In their day and time

you might say they were on the list of

"movers and shakers".....those, when asked

to do something would get the job done.

So....no more excuses. I do have the time!!

I will set priorities, organize, limit time on computer

and rejoice as I reach old goals and set new ones.

.....feeling confident

Dee Dee

......swept crumbs or feast

A small vase of white roses

from the garden

placed on the bistro table....

.....a large umbrella overhead

is allowing for filtered sunlight.

....spring is lasting longer than usual

....I'm feeling cool breezes

on my neck as I lean over to read

I'm impressed with the writer's first book...

I do wish he had left out the bad language.

-

.....day by day we are given not what we

want but what we need. Sometimes it is a feast

and sometimes....swept crumbs, but by

faith we believe it is enough. ~Barbara B. Taylor

-

.....today is a feast and for this I am thankful

Dee Dee

Old Friends and Sandhill Cranes

We set the alarm and got up early this morning. Old friends

for many years, were camping along the east coast

of Florida, not far from Disney World. A two hour

drive for us, we get together with them,

at the same location each year,

right after Easter. Like family to us, our friendship

beginning in our youth, has lasted for thirty three years .

-

Upon our arrival, she came up on a bicycle, pedaling with

all her might. Seeing her sweet face, brought

a few tears to my eyes. After the initial

greeting embrace, we just stood looking at one another

for a moment or two.

We were most likely thinking the same thing....we'd

both aged a little bit more.

We sat outside, beneath an awning, in comfortable

camping chairs and began talking.

What do old friends, that see one another once a year,

talk about?

"Everything!"

The Misters talked "guy talk" and the

girls talked non-stop, sharing about our lives, our families

and of course our grandchildren.

No longer having photo albums, we

brought out the Laptops and looked at grown

children and grandchildren.

"Three boys and they

they all play baseball?

Why it seems like yesterday......"

-

Late afternoon, after saying our goodbyes, promising

to call and write emails, we drove away.

The campground speed limit of 15 miles per hour

was fine with us, allowing us some time

to reflect on our time together, before

getting back into the Orlando traffic.

-

"They looked so good,

didn't they Honey? It was as though

time had stood still for us, don't you think?

We will always be such good friends."

-

"Oh look at the Sandhill Cranes!!!

"Ugh.... great, I forgot

the camera!"

-

Counting these dear friends as a blessing from God......

Dee Dee

photos borrowed fom Google Images

...a place to walk

Seagrapes along side the Gulf of Mexico...

a peaceful place to walk.

Click on the photo....for a closer look.

This is a favorite place of solitude,

sounds of seagulls,

and the noise of waves crashing

onto the water's edge.

It's all so beautiful....Dee Dee

Beware The Lovely Nandina

They've grown in my garden for

quite a few years.

With all their beauty and splendor,

they come with a warning.

All the way from eastern Asia, from

the Himalaya east to Japan.

Imagine my surprise in finding

this plant, in it's entirety is

poisonous....

...can be deadly if ingested.

So beware the lovely

Nandina....

and keep children at a distance.

Blessings.....Dee Dee

Click on photo for amazing close up

Sweet Roses and One Serious Critter

He hath made everything beautiful in His time. Ec. 3:11

I see these little "knockout roses" just

about everywhere these days. They are

perfect in my landscaping around the pool.

Drought tolerant and disease

resistant, they need no special treatment,

unlike "Hybrid Tea" roses.
Around President's Day, I pruned them

back, and this spring, they have come

back strong and healthy. As you can

see, they are blooming profusely!

I can hardly

keep up with all the new and exciting

things happening out in the garden with

"Mother Nature"

I could have done without that ole

"Stink Bug" that showed up this

afternoon. It was some serious "critter."

Loving it all.....Dee Dee

click on the roses...so pretty

Courtyard Views...Featuring "Snow Bushes"

....just doesn't get much better than

walking in a garden early morning.

I examine each and every plant this

time of year.

One of my favorites is "pink"

I want to be in on every little bud that

pops out and welcome it to the world,

promising to do my best in providing

water and other nutrients necessary

for their well being. For a while now,

the Snow Bushes have been dorment...

bunches of sticks that I clipped back.

.....sitting and waiting..

My header is showing nature at

it's best as these beauties have come to life at

the exact appointed time.

I love the colors...nothing has any

prettier combination...various shades of

pink and greens...sigh....

My week is going fine,

and I'm feeling really blessed by God.

I hope your life makes you feel the same way.

Dee Dee .....click on photos

Morning Skies

Tops of the palms....One lone Banana Palm coming through the Philodendrons....
Filtered light exposing the Moon....
As I walked in the garden this morning, I began
looking upward. What a beautiful blue Florida sky.
-
The Philodendron plants, damaged during the winter,
have recovered nicely and are about ten
or twelve feet tall now.
-
Years ago, the roots
from a Banana Palm crepted under the fence
from the neighbors yard, right into the midst of
the Philodendrons, and produced a
small tree. It is still comes back each year,
and stands alone.
You see, in order to produce bananas or another tree,
there must be cross pollination.
The neighbors trees, long
gone now have done so in the past.
We were fortunate enough to see one
beautiful bunch of bananas.
But now....
we enjoy the lonely little tree, in all it's splendor,
as it reaches high up toward the sky.
so.....I'm thankful for it all.
Blessings....Dee Dee