Writing

Mini-Hiatus

Hello everyone, each day I draw closer to starting my new job. It has become evident to me that I won’t have the time to write very much or very often, and even leading up to starting my new job, I don’t have very much time to devote to the process.

It’s starting to get warm and nice outside and as you know, I like to be outside with the plants. It’s staying light later and the draw to be outside is considerably greater than when it gets dark earlier.

All of this to say that I’m taking a mini-hiatus from blogging. I’ll be training on my new job for months, not just for a few weeks. I also want to get into a routine of working out again, because nothing helps the mind more than moving the body.

There are still a lot of things that I need to do this week in my home office and around my house that I haven’t done, and I need to put down the phone and the laptop and do them.

I’m not going away forever, and I may still post, but I am not putting any pressure on myself. It’s a time of transition and it has been since I lost my job in March. There have been numerous large changes, not just that one, which has equated to me not being around very much.

This is not a goodbye, it’s a see you later.

daily prompt

Braggadocio

What do you do to be involved in the community?

I don’t care for this prompt – not because it’s ridiculous like the other prompts have been recently, but because to answer it sounds like bragging.

What I’m doing to be involved in my community is not something that needs to be broadcast. I don’t need likes or views or self-promotion bordering on narcissism.

Keep your head down, contribute, build, keep quiet about it, repeat.

Eastern Redbud tree · Flowers · I love trees · Nature · Nature photography · Photography · spring · Trees

Wookin’ Pa Nub

In All the Wrong Places…

If you know, you know.

To cheer myself up, I’m going to do a photo dump of my plant children. There are a couple of surprises this spring.

My mom’s cherry tree has cherries! No, they are not edible – at least not to humans, but the birds will enjoy them.
The first light pink rose of the season – pardon her appearance, she is drenched by the rains that won’t stop. But she still smells just as sweet.
I believe these are the Sweet William variety of Dianthus. I transplanted this from the back to the front flower bed and it’s very grand. When it’s in full bloom, it will be something spectacular. I noticed these blooms today for the first time.
This is the panned out version of the above plant. I like to call this DIANTHUS (along the same line as CHRIS the cactus). This Dianthus means business!
This is a potted dianthus that never dies over winter, no matter what. I think it’s been in this pot for about eight years.
These are one bunch of Calla lilies coming up. These are bright pink and the squirrels put them here. Luckily the squirrels lined them up exactly with the post so they’re not off center. I planted a dark purple Calla lily last year, and about five plants are shooting up right now.
This is a blue HASTA. Again, the caps are necessary because this is a ginormous plant. The dark purple Calla lilies I just mentioned? They’re behind this guy. I had to trim off five or six leaves so they would get some sun. Stay tuned for more on this drama.
This is a PEONY, with an honorable mention Iris in the background. I’m not a big fan of Iris, but I found out two days ago. They actually smell really nice. I had no idea that even had a scent. 
This is a coreopsis – he’ll be pale yellow when he blooms.
This is my baby lavender. I grew him from seed starting in the fall, and he’s been hanging out in the house until today. When I removed the pot that he was in, I smelled the lavender scent. I hope he survives.
This is a Dogwood tree stump. This tree died in 2021 and was cut down, as you can see. Today, I discovered this sapling growing from the old stump. I put a cage around it and I’ll see what happens. The flowers of the original tree were white, so if this survives it will be the same.
While I was still mucking about in the dirt, I found this Japanese maple growing. It’s not in a bad spot to have a tree, so I put a cage around it. We’ll see what happens.
Last, but certainly not least, here is ERJ, with his new leaves. Isn’t he handsome?

©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved.

animals · cats · Love

Bubba

I found this video of Bubba and his brother Rafa in my phone today. Bubba had the softest belly – his fur was like velvet, but his belly was like a fluffy cloud. Bubba was a laid-back cat and liked his belly rubbed. Rafa was ticklish on his belly and didn’t like it pet. Rafa was sassy and would always backtalk. The sound he makes in this video is his backtalk. Volume up for best purring listening experience. I miss them every day, especially Bubba, my cat soulmate. 🩶🖤

Bubba and Rafa
animals · cats · daily prompt · Flowers · Photography · spring

Eh…

Daily writing prompt
List the people you admire and look to for advice…

Underwhelmed. Let’s look at photos.

This African violet used to have lavender petals, but it’s been doing this thing for the past couple of years where it has lavender hearts on white petals. I’m not complaining.
This is a random black squirrel that lived on the property next to my former employer. I’d seen a white squirrel before, but I’d never seen a black one before this.
This is my best bud, Bubba. He sat on this armchair like this frequently. This is what an armchair is for, right?
Contemplating his next chaotic undertaking, or spotting one of his siblings or mother. He was a silly boy. 
A ladybug stopped by to visit me.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great day!

daily prompt · Flowers · Nature · Nature photography · Photography · spring

Clematis in Bloom

Daily writing prompt
Do you vote in political elections?

No politics on my blog. My blog is a sanctuary for me. If I want controversy, I know where to find it.

🌸🌺🌼

Here’s a photo of one of my clematis blooming. It’s actually the only one blooming right now, and this tiny plant has never had such a large bloom. I think it might be its only bloom. I like to get artsy with the photos, so there are two close-ups.

©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved

animals · I love trees · Nature · Nature photography · Oak trees · Photography · spring · Trees · Willow oak trees · Writing

William in Spring

I wrote about William last fall. He has been doing his thing all winter, and he withstood a tornado. Although he did shed a few limbs, he seems unscathed overall.

This week William has decided to participate in the pollination of the entire neighborhood. The winds are a bit gusty, so William is trying to populate everything, basically. My next-door neighbor asked me today what kind of tree he is. I could tell she was annoyed by all of his spring activities – i.e. dropping seed pods. I told her he is a Willow Oak and many years ago, my mother thought her beloved Birch trees were dropping these pods, so she had them all cut down. It turns out, William was dropping the pods. My mother was upset about that for many years. She didn’t like William. William is a big boy, it would take a crane and many thousands of dollars to remove him. So William stays, and the bigger he gets, the more seeds drop. Everywhere. You can’t go outside without getting rained on by seed pods these days. They clog rain gutters, they form piles of tumbleweed looking things, and they get under your wiper blades. I think birds use them for their nests, though. But they can’t take a bath in the birdbath because it’s filled with William’s pods.

I was out front fussing with the clematis this morning when two (other) neighbors walked past and talked amongst themselves about these pods being everywhere. I didn’t say a word, except a good morning when the greeting was offered to me. I kept my eyes down and focused on my task. When I was done, I walked in my house and shook my hair. Twelve seed pods fell out. Thanks, William.

William’s seed pods
The man himself. If you look closely, you might be able to see him dropping seed pods like it’s a game – silly William

Oh – one more thing: for the past several years, there has been a toad living in my backyard. When I had all the English ivy eradicated last fall, I was worried that the toad might have been adversely affected. I am happy to report that Toady McToaderson is back and apparently in fine health. Today is the first day I have heard him singing his dulcet sounds to the lady toads. Welcome back, Toady.

Toady McToaderson, 2021, seen here next to ERJ II. He makes his home in this region, and he does *not* like his photo taken

©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved