SkyWatch Friday - Great Sunday Morning

As I opened the curtains to my patio door Sunday morning (12/14/08), I was surprised by the full moon staring right back at me high in the early morning blue sky.

I quickly got my camera and began to snap pictures. What made this so exciting for me was the fact that I had been practically bed ridden for the past 3 or 4 days. I had recently injured the bursa sac on my right knee and was in a splint up to my thigh and hobbling around on crutches.

I suppose I had been down in the dumps, not so much about the injury, but because I could not get outside to tend my garden or just to sit in my garden.

The view from above cheered me right up. Got me outside in no time at all. On crutches I took these awesome photos. The moon shots were what I saw to the south of my house. The clouds were my view when I looked to the north. Vastly different skyscapes from nearly the same area on my property.

What a beautiful heavenly display. For a little while I forgot about the knee and just enjoyed the moment. It was a great way to start my Sunday.

TODAY'S FLOWERS - MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM TEXAS

This is my first entry on Today's Flowers. I am an avid gardener and somewhat new to blogging. I am so happy to have found this site. I thoroughly enjoy it.

In celebrating the Christmas Holiday, I would like to share a few photos taken during the season. I hope that you will enjoy them.

Merry Christmas!

I took great pride in decorating my home. Take a look.

Next take a stroll with my Red Hat Society Sassy Sisters through The Gaylord Texan at Grapvine Mills Mall in Grapevine, Tx.

The buffet was delious !



The Texas Santa uses cows to guide his sleigh!


The Sassy Sisters pose with a magician!

Of course a carriage for the Princess !

Back home our Brave Nutcracker guards the doors to ensure a safe & Merry Christmas.

SkyWatch Friday Nightlights

I was trying to get a moon shot but ended up taking this cool picture of a car speeding down the street at the corner intersection of where I live. I like it !

I did get this beautiful picture of a rainbow letting me know I should keep trying. Keep looking up. There are great shots up there.

My Knockout Roses Collection - Earth Kind Roses

These beautiful roses brought me many days of joy during this past spring and summer. They are Knock Out Roses. Because I so enjoyed these roses, I began to think about planting a rose garden for next spring. During my research I learned that the Knock Out rose is a member of a group of roses called Earth Kind Roses. Earth Kind is an important designation given to select roses by the Texas A&M University Agriculture program. Others include the Marie Daly, The Fairy, Caldwell Pink, and Belinda's Dream , just to name a few. Check out this interesting web site for more information. http://earthkindroses.tamu.edu/EKroses.html






The only thing that I knew about these roses was that they were pretty and easy to grow. Now I've stumbled on to a whole new rose culture.

I am very excited about planning my new rose garden. I can hardly wait to decide which Earth Kind Roses will become my new favorite rose.

If you are interested in learning more about Earth Kind Roses, please go to the following web site.

http://earthkind.tamu.edu/EKnew/EKTV.html

Happy Gardening !

Heavenly Sunset

This photo was taken at sunset in Randol Mill Park
in Arlington, TX. Very majestic!

SkyWatch Friday Dawn, Dusk, and a Monarch Moment

Just before sunrise in my front yard.











An early morning visit from a Monarch Butterfly!











A quiet moment at the end of the day.

The White- Lined Sphinx

I would like to inform the readers of this blog that all pictures and videos on this blog were taken by me in my gardens.

The White-Lined Sphinx Moth

One October in late afternoon, I gathered my book, a glass of tea and of course my camera and headed to my favorite swing in the garden to get in some reading before the sun set.

Before I could get situated and get my book opened, I saw what I thought was a hummingbird hovering over the flowers around the pond. I called my daughter because we had been anticipating the arrival of hummingbirds all day. By the time she got outside, I had figured out that what I was seeing was not a hummingbird. But what it was I did not know. I had picked up the camera and started filming. Now mind you my camera is a Nikon Coolpix L5, so I was just hoping for the best.

Once my daughter saw it she knew what she was seeing and she told me that it was a moth but she wasn't sure what kind. Well I never knew that moths got that big. I certainly never knew that they could maneuver like this one was doing. We did a little research and identified it as a White-lined Sphinx Moth. It would be an understatemet to say that I was excited.

When I planned my garden I expected to attract birds, and butterflies. I must say this moth was a pleasant surprise. I hope you enjoy the video. It is my first attempt and I'm thankful that I had a chance to capture this experience on tape.

Attributes of Hyles lineataFamily: Sphinx Moths, Hawkmoths (Sphingidae)Subfamily: Macroglossinae (Macroglossinae)

SkyWatch Friday Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

My First SkyWatch Friday Entry!

A view of the Texas sky from inside the Texas Rangers Ball Park in Arlington.

Finding My Passion And Myself

Anyone who knows me will be surprised to know that I am the author of a blog. I have always been a private person. Keeping most at bay, not wanting to give too much of myself for fear that more might be asked of me. I kind of floated along, not really caring about the needs or wishes of others. I thought that I was happy. That was my way of surviving.

And then one day I found myself sitting in a doctor's office listening to the words "you have stage 2 breast cancer" ! In shock I asked the question, "how life threatening is it?" I was told maybe 50/50. At that moment my life was changed forever. I went from being a keep your distance kind of person to being an Onion whose layers were slowly peeled away. There were no more secrets, no more hiding, no more being locked away inside myself. For once in my life everything about me had to be out in the open in order for my doctors to help save my life. Not only was my life saved but my soul was saved in the process.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with gardening. And why do I need to go there? I need to go there because now 6 years later I'm still cancer free & I have a whole new outlook on life. I've grown like a plant. For years was just a pretty little bush hanging out in the garden of life. But now I'm blooming!!! I'm blooming with love, hope, trust, honesty, respect & loyalty. I feel like a tree reaching toward the sky. I'm growing new branches daily and I want to extend my branches to others.
I've learned that we can not live in this world alone. We are all connected. We must stay connected if we are to survive as a human race. This is my attempt to reach out and get to know others who have a need to be connected to someone with like experiences.

Once I came out of my cloud of depression and started living again I found gardening. I have lived in apartments for most of my adult life and always had house plants. But a little over a year ago I bought a house and that's when I found my passion. It's a modest home, big enough but not too big. What I found exciting was that the front and backyards were almost totally void of any plants except for grass. Blank canvases. Since I'm retired, I had all the time in the world to devote to transforming my front yard and my backyard into gardens. And that is just what I have done. In just about a year and a half I have created a living paradise. I call it my enchanted garden.

Not only are there flower gardens, but I've installed a 2 tier pond, bird feeders, fountains, chimes, sitting areas and stepping stone paths throughout the gardens. It is truly my sanctuary... I read, meditate,visit with my friends,or just sit and enjoy the beauty of nature. The birds & butterflies are my constant companions.

My goal here is to share my gardening experiences in the hope of making someone else happy. If I can do that, then I can share my blessings and my love with the world.

BlogLog Verification

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

First Entry

I'm excited about creating my blog. This is my first entry.