A Small Primitive Rag Pumpkin

Once upon a time,

there was a

small

primitive

rag

pumpkin.

Formed by the hands

of a sweet ole

crafter,

it sat upon

a

dusty

shelf

in an

antique

shop.

Along came a lady

that frequented the

shop, having a soft heart

for old things.

"Now, my goodness!"

"Who's this sittin'

up hear all alone....

lookin' all sad?"

Standing on

tip-toes

the lady reached up high

and gently took

hold of the pumpkin.

"Well I declare,

you've been stuffed

with dried beans.

I like your style.....

and your coming

home with me."

-

You having a good week?

I hope so......Dee Dee

Solarization

I find this phenomenon

in photography

fascinating. 

My first digital camera,

a Sony,

had a solarize setting. 

 Solarize and macro became

favorites

 as I explored and learned

 new and wonderful things

 about

digital photography.

-

In those first days,

my favorite subject,

not always willing,

yet patiently

complying......

 the Mister.

-

Seen here,

he is

 solarized,

or 

 in a word.....

overexposed.

-

Mid-week and all going well......Dee Dee

Which Way Did He Go?

Everyone have a happy day!

Egret and Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge

Cinderella's Castle

Awesome shot of Cinderella's Castle.

Birthday celebration and trip to Disney

for big two year old grandson.

Photo taken at night with Nikon D3100

right before the fireworks began.

Note at very top Tinkerbell's line

where she descends .....lots of

ooooh's and ahhh's......

Enjoy your day,

and look for His blessings.....Dee Dee

click on castle to enlarge

"They Call Me Big Mike"

"They call these here fish mullet.

Cook  them just right

 and they taste  as

good as grouper." 

"Now this is a nice Flounder!"

"They call me "Big Mike" and

I've been liven'  round  these parts

all my life. I know a little bit 

 about everything.

Do you know the city tried to charge

folks for fishing on this here pier?

Mr Weaver left this property for us.

I called old Mr Weaver's folks,

 and they put a stop to charging us.

 Magin'  that, trying

to get money out of poor people.

I comes out here and catches a few

fish and sells 'em  to my neighbors,

just to make a little money now

and then. I gots to git enough

money today to pay for my prescription.

Just need  $l7.00 more and I can

go to the drug store and buy it."

Big Mike had been out on that hot

pier for almost 4 hours when we

came along.  The Mister asked about

the bait he was using and that opened

up  conversation and  a time for

getting to know a whole lot about him. 

 

"What's the biggest fish story you

can tell me Mike?" asked the Mister.

"Shoot, I caught an eighty-five

pound mackerel off this pier

not long ago.  Took me forty five

minutes to land it.  He was jumping

clean out the water and 

swooshing his tail."

"Now,...that was some more fish."

The Mister and I would comment later

on Mike's smile and

how his  eyes twinkled when he talked.

We had made a new friend, and

stayed out on the pier a nice long

while listening to his stories.

"We'll get on home now," said the Mister.

"Can't say that we need any fish today Mike,

but here's a few dollars to help pay

for that prescription. You take care now."

-

Feeling happy and blessed......Dee Dee

The Library Butterfly Garden

Gravel pathway leading to the garden....

I've admired it all summer long,

and thankfully

this time I had the camera with me.

The Garden Club ladies

do such a nice  job of tending

this sweet place.

Have a blessed Sunday....Dee Dee

Reva's Flowers

Reva is our next-door neighbor.

She travels a lot with the airlines,

so she's gone from home over long

periods of time.

She came home this past week,

and we had one of those great

ole over-the-fence conversations.

The whole time we were talking,

my mind kept  wondering away,

 fixating on her

beautiful yellow candle bush.

It is massive, growing over

seven or eight feet tall and

about four feet in diameter.

I admire it all summer long,

and early fall it takes on a

whole new look as it produces

seed pods.

This plant succumbs to the cold

weather and sheds it's  flowers

and the leaves each winter.

In late spring I watch as it comes

back to life.

"Take some seeds if you like,

and you can have

 all you want," Reva said.

"Do you mind if I take a few photos?"

"Take all you want."

So today, I spent some time with

the candle bush, inspecting  all of

it's nooks and crannies.  You can

see by the photos that I got up real

 close and personal.

The candle bush

is not your ordinary flowering plant,

seen here in these photos.

I took Reva up on her offer, and

brought home a few seed pods.

However, I'm in somewhat

of a quandary

about where I can

 plant something that will require that

much growing  space.

What to do, what to do.......?

Have a blessed weekend.....Dee Dee

Seasonal Change

It's a beginning.....today I placed a small

fall wreath on the front door of the cottage,

my first step in changing my

seasonal decor.....

-

Autumn is strutting our way once more.....

Fall flowers are blown aslant by the wind,

Chrysanthemums are a delight to the eyes....

God sends us beauty that is unparalleled

When Autumn's colors arrive on the scene...

~Barbara Cagle Ray

-

Good blessings for all.....Dee Dee

My beloved mountains.....

.......have been taking up a lot of

thought space in my mind lately.

"You can take the girl out of

the mountains, but you can't take

the mountains out of the girl"

.....or something like that.

Each year about

this time, I begin  talking to the Mister

about our annual trip to

North Carolina and my home town.

 This year, I'm more excited than ever.

Can't wait to feel the mountain

breezes on my face, and walk

through piles of colored leaves.

Seems when I return to my

homeland, I find renewal, rebirth

and rejuvenation.

I suppose it comes from being

with family, saying and

hearing out loud,

the names of loved ones

no longer with us,

swapping stories and sharing

so called legends.

In short, it's just plain ole fun.

This quirky little painting

motivated by my feelings today.

Hope your having a good week.....Dee Dee

Beverages For Children's Party

No longer is it acceptable to serve

sugery drinks at children's parties.

This past weekend we celebrated

a birthday for a rather rambunctious

little boy, and these were the choice

beverages served along with cake.

Remember Kool-Aid?  Is it the dye

and the sugar that parents are

concerned about now? Ah, but

we questioned so little back in

the days....

Offered on this occasion, were

two milks...chocolate and white....

raspberry tea and water.

"Nicely done," I said to the mother....

noting a display of vintage

glass containers placed in an old

galvanized tub. "Composition is everything."

I then took the photo you see here.

-

Enjoying these sweet  moments.....Dee Dee

Fall Colors Signifying Seasonal Change

Ragged Zinnia

Fall colors, as seen in my

neck-of-the-woods.

Our season is slowly changing,

evidenced  by the sun's shadows.....

they are different, somehow.

Temps still in the 90s,

but the calendar is telling

me cooler days ahead.

My BSF Bible study

started back last week,

and our church choir is

soon planning

the Christmas music program.

-

Shops with 

bales of straw stacked high,

piles of orange pumpkins,

and cinnamon scented straw brooms

tease my brain with holiday thoughts.

-

Have a blessed day......Dee Dee

Pelican Reflection

On this day,

at the Safety Harbor pier,

we were looking for manatees,

had a few sightings and then I

snapped a few pics of this

fine Pelican. It's as though

the old  fellow was posing,

and showing us

his best side....

The water at that moment

was calm and 

the pelican's reflection

mirror-like.

Have a blessed Monday.....Dee Dee

Homeschool Art Class

Matthew l9:l4

But Jesus said....

Suffer little children

to come unto me and

forbid them not:

for such is the

Kingdom of heaven

I'm impressed with  the art

program for the homeschoolers

very dear to my heart.

PreK through 3rd grade.....

they have taken newspaper,

 cut, pasted and colored,

 to come up with this

masterpiece.

Displayed in the

classroom  window for

all to see,

it sends a real clear

message.....

"Happy Children"

at work learning.

Dear friends and family.....

have a blessed Lord's day....Dee Dee

Gardening.....A Labor Of Love

Heliconia Plants

Once upon a time we had a nice bed

of these in the garden.  In no time at

all that were out of control spreading

into areas not wanted. We dug them up

and replanted with something less invasive.

Similar to the Bird Of Paradise plant,

and  so beautiful.....we've decided

to try them again, preparing

a controlled area for replanting the

Heliconia plants.

-

Crotons

-

Through the years, I've posted on the

Crotons growing in our garden, more

times then I can count.

I suppose they are some of

my favorites when it comes to

landscaping here in this

tropical climate.  They

are colorful and hardy plants.

The photos seen here, were

taken a couple of years back

and you can see how vibrant

the Croton colors were then, and

 and the time  was mid winter. Since that

time, we've had some cold

winters and the Crotons have

been affected....now fair to looking

a bit cloudy.

So, the Mister and I are off

to the flower nurseries tomorrow,

 looking for these young

 colorful  plants to place

in designated garden areas.

This gardening thing is an

on-going ritual....

a labor of love,

and well

worth all the effort.

Have a blessed weekend.....Dee Dee

....Suggested Movie

 " Dolphin Tale" 

starring Ashley Judd,

Morgan Freeman,

Harry Connick Jr.

and of course

WINTER

premiers Sept 23rd.

-

Things have been exciting

around Tampa Bay

with this kind of star power

hanging out with the locals.

This is a must see

 family movie, about

Winter, a bottle-nose dolphin

who gets a prosthetic tail.

An amazing 

 story of one

little dolphin who learned

to swim again.

Filmed right here in our

community, home to

Winter......

the Clearwater

Marine Aquarium.

Enjoy!  Dee Dee

In My Wildest Dreams....

Painting by Stephen Darbishire

"Teatime at Hill Top"

-

Images that bring about  all sorts

of  lovely thoughts of Beatrix...

"It would be very nice to

sit with you  Ms Potter and listen

to stories, 

about your  

little friends."

"Yes, I would love

to have tea  at your table,

here by the fire."

"What's that you say?....you've made

shortbread that is  still

warm from the oven?"

"Would I like mine served 

with delicious  lemon curd?"

"I would indeed...you are

much to generous and kind."

"Yes!"

"I would love to take a

walk about your beautiful 

farm house

and may I, or would you mind

terribly if I take a  peek at

your paints and drawings?"

-

In my wildest dreams.....!

-

Enjoying these

sweet imaginative

moments.....Dee Dee

This Eden

A serene place of natural beauty.....

eighty acres of pine forest...mangrove swamps,

marsh, tidal flats and sea grass beds.

I have but walked a short distance

down the trail.  Along the way,

 I am drawn to the wild flowers,

the trees, the colors...the sky.

On this day, we walked an hour

before sunset.

Small and nearly hidden from view,

the flowers I found were tiny, delicate

and unusual.

-

The island and all that

it has to offer is our santuary.

We never tire of this

beautiful place,

this Eden.

-

Have a blessed day....Dee Dee

Gathered Shells From The Island

We brought the shells and bit of

seaweed home, placed them on

the bistro table and .....washed them

clean of salt water and beach sand.

The day was just beautiful....

not a cloud in sight.

I've left the shells where they were

originally placed...on the table.

I suppose they add a little

something to the ambience.

The ocean has been in constant

tumult these past few weeks

with first one storm after another.

As luck would have it, we

chose  the  right  time to visit

the island....the beach was

strewn with seaweed

and shells.

In no time at all, we had

gathered all we wanted of

 lovely and unusual shells.

Wish you had been with us......

Have a blessed day......Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge

Fishing At Sunset

 One lone fishing boat....

bobbing and rocking

in gentle evening waters of

 the Gulf of Mexico,

close to the  shores of

 Honeymoon Island Florida.

I once read that after a storm,

when the clouds have an

accumulation of stirred up

dust and particles,

one can see a magnificent sunset.

Such was the case, this

weekend....

The small boat of fishermen

blanketed by some incredible

heavenly skies.....

remained anchored in place

to the very end.

Come to think of it,

so did the Mister and I.

Blessings.......Dee Dee

-

click twice on photos to enlarge

Lurking In The Garden

The Crotons are just beautiful

this time of year.

A few leaves placed

in a fall arrangement

....very nice.

A closer look

 in the morning garden

 yielded an

 interesting sighting!!

Lurking in the garden,

one fine primitive,

shabbied tortoise.

"I am king of the garden.....

out of my way lizards!"

Tortoise has called the garden home

for quite some time, weathering the storms

of small grandchildren.  He has

one chipped  foot battle scar, as

proof of being loved to pieces.

-

Our temps have dipped on

the side of cooler this week,

and we

are quite content.

Have a blessed Lord's day....Dee Dee

Fall Colors In The Garden

However, they belong to

our Hibiscus plants...

We've had so much rain

this summer....

everything has grown by

leaps and bounds.

The new Hibiscus plants

we set out late fall,

are now four feet tall.

So pretty.....

Have a beautiful weekend.....Dee Dee

The Rising Creek Waters

Sam (short for Samantha)

the dog, stops for a

drink in the rising creek waters.

She is unconcerned with  the

flooding conditions caused by

hurricane Irene and

recent  torrential rains....

Photo taken in the

Adirondack mountains

yesterday....sent to me

via Internet.

-

The most affectionate creature

in the world is a wet dog.

~Ambrose Bierce

-

Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

An Enchanting Place

Our walk along the wooden trail,

 led us through an

almost magical Cypress Swamp.

Tiny round green leaves

blanketed the still water, giving a

clean natural woodland carpet affect.

The further into the swamp

we walked, the more eerily

and out of the ordinary

things seemed  to be.

Why was the swamp so quiet?

Where were the wildlife,

and why no bird sounds?

Could the inhabitants be hiding?

But for an occasional butterfly,

nothing stirred. All was perfectly still!

-

"Just living is not enough, said the

butterfly fairy, one must have

sunshine, freedom and

a little flower."

-

An extraordinary,

 enchanting place, 

I wondered at the small

clusters of cypress needles.

I  deemed them  to be

  "swamp castles,"  ....

Were they, afterall

home to fairies and elves?

Had they closed their windows

and doors and pulled up the

drawbridges?

I wonder......hmmm

Sweet blessings for all......Dee Dee

-

click twice on photo to enlarge

Oh Glorious Place.....

Cloudy skies reflecting in lake water.......

I wanted  to explore

the park and take photos. 

The day promised rain,

but we were hopeful for 

 sporadic splashes

of sunshine.

"Oh glorious place, how

magnificent!"

......my heart rejoiced.

I thought even further,

 "Here, in this natural

God made

environment,

mid-week,

 we are quite alone."

The clicks of  my camera,

 the sounds of our shoes

pounding the wooden trail,

and the occasional bird calls,

were the only sounds offered.

Thankful for a

 break in the clouds,

we had time for 

 wonderment and

exploration.

Discovery!

Of the many times we've

visited Chestnut park, this

time would be different.

Never before had it

 been practical, or safe,  to

walk through the thick jungle

foliage that surrounded 

 the beautiful and natural

 lake Tarpon.

Recently built, were

sturdy wooden nature trails, set

high above the swampy

waters. They lead  into the

thickest wooded areas winding

in no certain pattern.

Alone on the trail,

we passed by signs that read...

"Beware the Aligators"

and

"No Feeding the Squirrels."

We saw beautiful butterflies.....these flowers

grow in the shallow waters, along side the

wooden trails.....so beautiful.

-

...... enjoying ourselves greatly,

 alone with nature

until we stumbled upon this

odd bird.

I think he was as surprised to see us

as we were to see him.

-

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand

everything better."~Albert Einstein

Have a beautiful day.....Dee Dee

click on photos twice to enlarge

Sight-Seeing In Our Town

We were sight-seeing when we

came across this beautiful

 Fountain Hibiscus tree. 

That's what we

do, when family 

comes to visit.

On this day,

we discovered all sorts of

beautiful homes. One in particular

we especially liked. 

The black wrought iron gate on a

side entrance,

we thought especially beautiful.......

and, the tall palms and landscaping.

.......and then we saw the front gate.

A lot of workmanship went into that

bit of metal art. Love the tropical birds.

Note  newspapers in the drive....

seems  the owners were away.

-

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the

things there are to find out about?.....

it's such an interesting world. It

wouldn't be half so interesting if

we knew all about everything, would it?"

~L M Montgomery

-

Sweet blessings.....Dee Dee

click twice on photos to enlarge