Opportunities Everywhere

Embrace the wonder and excitement 

each day brings.

For tomorrow affords us new 

opportunities.....time to

experience....time to create....time to reflect 

and time to dream. ~K. Williams

I like that.....time to create, for today I am

making sweet necklaces .

Found image on Google......I love this sweet

and oh so feminine necklace. 

Off to Michaels and Joann's to shop.....

Have a sweet ole' day, everyone.  Dee Dee

Storm's A Comin'

For the past few weeks, the meteorologists have been giving

out instructions for hurricane preparedness. June l begins our

hurricane season here in Florida.  That means we keep

plenty of water on hand, lots of batteries for the radio, and foods

that need no refrigeration.  If and when the warnings come for 

evacuation, we have our route memorized and will get out of town

quickly. Most folks living on the Gulf Coast of Florida are at ready for

just such occasions, having gained bits of wisdom from past storm

threats. Seems these days, natural disasters can happen just about

anywhere and disaster ready is a good idea for everyone.

The weather is not ours to control, but God's.  We need to give

thanks for the daily blessings God offers us...rain that keeps wells

and reservoirs filled or sunshine for a special outing.  When the

weather doesn't go "our way," we can still thank God that 

He's in control.

Sweet Blessings......Dee Dee

Oleander

The Oleanders are in full bloom all over the county.  Especially

noticeable on the drive out to Honeymoon Island.  Each time

we've seen them, I've  had no camera or the time of day was wrong.

The photos seen here were taken a while back, and worth another look.

The last photo seen here, is a favorite.  Notice the various

colors.....they were absolutely gorgeous. 

If you see the Oleander along the beach, use caution......

for the blooms are poisonous and not recommended for home gardens.

Have a sweet ole' day everyone!  Dee Dee

Mandevilla Plants

I've been in the garden quite a lot this weekend.

The temps here in Florida have reached to the mid 80s

and promise to reach 90 sometime this coming week.

To have any kind of garden with extremes in the weather,

I've discovered one has to keep a close eye on every little

thing.....such as watering needs, fungus, pest etc.

I water the garden daily, sometimes twice, depending

on the heat index.  Today I sprayed a Knockout Rose

with a fungus treatment.  Just crept up on me and having taken

 no notice, it had made quite a coverage on the leaves.

I've selected photos of the Mandevilla hanging baskets that,

as you can see, are flourishing. 

 By mid summer, they should be cascading

quite a long way down the sides of the baskets.

These are heat tolerant and  a good thing. Here, you can

see how lovely they are and, that they are covered with

new buds. I have no favorite between them, both the

the white and pink are  "beauty exceptional."

I'm glad you stopped by and......I hope you have

a blessed summer day!  Dee Dee

They Fought And Died For Our Freedoms

Guard against the impostures of patriotism....~George Washington

God bless America, land that I love, stand beside her and guide her.....

Have a blessed Memorial Day, sweet family and friends.  Dee Dee

Accomplishments From Divine Guidance

Once upon a time, America elected a great leader,

a great President named Ronald Reagan.

When's the last time you heard this kind of language

from America's leaders?  It's been a long time for me.

How long will this way of life go on in America before the mistakes

are realized? How long till America recognizes the consequences

for these mistakes?

Ronald Reagan knew the consequences of immorality

when he said....   "We must have the courage to do what is

morally right."  

Where did Ronald Reagan find his strength?  I'm encouraged as I read 

that Reagan's greatest virtue wasn't allegiance to country,

BUT ALLEGIANCE TO GOD.

I'm encouraged as I read, how Reagan bravely fought

for school prayer, pro-life initiatives and other controversial 

issues. How I admire this beautiful man, whose

 greatest political advisor was the one true, living God.

In these troubled times, I recommend for peace of mind,

Hand Of Providence by Mary Beth Brown.

Have a blessed weekend.....Dee Dee

Satisfaction

I can remember a time when we couldn't wait

to join the many others on the beach.  When 

weather permitted, we drove to the beach

and literally raced to the warm Gulf waters.

These day, however, the Mister and I are 

contented to sit beneath our beach umbrella, 

watching sweet families and children.....

I love the sea of blue and white umbrellas seen

in this photo taken last summer at Clearwater Beach.

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not;

but remember that what you now have was once among the

things only hoped for. ~Epicurus

Have a sweet ole' day, everyone.  Dee Dee

Pink Peace Lily

Early spring, I brought this beautiful Peace Lily home

with me....my intentions were to have it in our living room.

It looked amazing, for a while.  I knew the symptoms 

as it's beauty faded. It needed more light.  So...out to the porch

 it went and in no time at all it regained it's rich green 

colored leaves and.... began producing new pink blooms. 

 I've learned that the Peace Lily likes it's rooting

system damp and the leaf colors fade if not kept that way.

The first image seen here is a new bloom.....I love watching

the progression as the bloom develops.

When completed, the Peace Lily bloom looks like this......

You can see how sprawling the Lily is while producing

tall lanky stems.  Perhaps the porch is the better

place for Peace Lily, after all.

Glad you stopped by today.....have a sweet ole' day.  Dee Dee

Think Yellow

We've had afternoon rain showers for the past

few days, and the flowers in  our garden are loving it!

New to our garden this summer is a lemon colored Hibiscus.

It had several blooms today and plenty of buds that will

keep the blooming continuing.....a good thing.

In between raindrops, I took photos.  Hard to believe

mid May and we are still having cooler breezes each evening.

With Hibiscus blooms waving around, I was glad for stop action

setting on my camera. The lighting after the rain was perfect.

Early spring, I planted a Croton, surrounded by

pansies in a large pot. Normally, the pansies would have dried

and faded away by now.  My effort to keep them

alive by placing them in filtered light has allowed us to

enjoy them a good while longer.

This, most likely, will be my last posting on these sweet

smiling faces......

However many blessings we expect from God, His 

infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes

and our thoughts. ~John Calvin

I'm glad you stopped by....have a sweet ole' day. Dee Dee

Honeymoon Island Images..... Today

There's something about the Island that is therapeutic.

Could be the sound of the Gulf waves,

or just the lovely solitude the south beach offers. We have

our favorite places on the Island ......the photos I took today

offer a glimpse into our island paradise.....

Looking down as I walked, I could see new Sea Grape plants growing.....

ahead I could see how majestic is God's World.

The Gulf waters were absolutely gorgeous today......

Thanking God for happy coincidences and days when

things just seem to fall into place.

Have a blessed day, everyone......Dee Dee

Climbing Rose Blooming

When I purchased this beautiful climbing Rose,

it had clusters of gorgeous blooms.  They were

multicolored, like nothing I had seen before.

I posted on the Rose, showing the blooms off, even

before it was planted. When planting, I followed

the directions completely, using the very best

Miracle Grow soil.  Can I just say......today....

a "Star" is blooming in my garden!

and.....the camera loves what the lens are seeing.

This was taken in early morning sunlight......

The Mister counted 14 buds on this small Rose bush.......

As it grows, I will train it to cover an arched trellis.

Stay tuned....this will not be the last posting on 

our new climbing Rose showing.

And everything is worth its while if we only grasp

it and its significance. ~Charles Cherbuliez

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee

click on images to enlarge

Pink In The Garden

Now that the pink Hibiscus are blooming, we seem

to have the color pink scattered from one end of our

garden to the other. You can see how our plants

are much congested....this is intentional, allowing 

for a lush tropical garden.  The White Bird of Paradise

was trimmed early spring, and already they are 

growing to extreme.

Originally we planted a "fountain" Hibiscus

in this location.  Years of growing has allowed

the branches to drape all throughout the other

plants.  I love how at random I can see pink

Hibiscus blooms.  Here they are draped over 

a Nandina bush.

For a long while, we watched the Knockout Rose

bloom.  It was lovely to see, however, it remained

small.  Perhaps the elements during the winter were

exactly what the Rose needed, for it has grown lovely,

much fuller and as you can see,  taller. 

These photos I took early this morning. The

day began with a gorgeous sunrise....

Mid-day the pool and garden were filled with

the laughter of children.....

Evening and the garden was quiet once again......

Take one thing with another, and the world

is a pretty good sort of world, and it is our duty 

to make the best of it and be thankful.

~Benjamin Franklin

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

Blooming In My Garden

Late afternoon I walked in our small garden.

So many things beginning to bloom and I 

love the new colors added this week.

The climbing Rose is producing clusters of blooms......

I've planted new Thryallis .  Soon

the pink Crape Myrtle will bloom next

to it and the combination will be beautiful...

It's called Princess Flower (Tibochina) and 

should bloom year round here in Florida....

I'm grateful it is an evergreen shrub......the 

first ever blooming in my garden.

And, of course the Coleus are making

a wonderful presentation this years.  You

might see me posting on them for as long

as they remain so pretty.

Glad you stopped by....have a most perfect day!  Dee Dee

Osprey

Dear Osprey.....how majestic you seem perched in the tree.

You are blessed to live in this island paradise, protected

by laws of the land.  How beautiful are your natural

surroundings and how I envy your view from the tall pine.

This time of year mated Ospreys are providing for 

newly hatched little ones.  Fish is their mainstay.

Honeymoon Island is a most perfect place for a family.

This fine bird sat for several photos....such a beautiful creature.

Click on photos to enlarge.....

Have a beautiful day, everyone.  Dee Dee 

Spring Baby

Baby birds born in Florida, sometimes look a

little different......

Such is the case here.....a young

 Roseate Spoonbill. 

 I've become quite the

bird watcher thanks to Cornell University.

www.allaboutbirds.org 

will take you to a

newly hatched Blue Heron, Red Tailed Hawks

hatchlings and nesting Ospreys.

Warning.....you will love watching.

Have a wonderful day.....Dee Dee

Kalanchoe

I've noticed this plant before, but never

brought it home with me.  Mother's Day, 

I was presented with a lovely Kalanchoe

by young daughter.  

The succulent leaves produce flowers in 

shades of red, pink, salmon, white, orange and

yellow when it blooms and interesting foliage

with the blooms fade.

The blooms are delicate and small....just like her.

Given with sweetness and love, 

I'm hoping to have this pretty plant around for 

a long while.....

Lovin' the moments.....Dee Dee 

click on images to enlarge

Stopped By To Say Hello

Our front door, from top to bottom, is 

made with beveled glass window panes. 

 In the center of the door is one clear beveled 

square. From the outside, one's reflection

can be seen in the door panes. 

This morning, we had visitors enjoying

their reflections in our front door.

Our initial view from inside, was the face of

one very curious peacock.....and then 

there were more.

These beautiful birds, four in number,

were fascinated

with their own images and stayed at our

door for quite some time.  Eventually

they flew up to the roof of our cottage,

then into other neighborhood yards.

Seen here, are photos taken through

the clear square in the center of our door.

Note the beveled areas around photos,

making for interesting images.

We determined there were two males and

two females.  Impressed with their

colors, we thought them absolutely gorgeous.

I'm glad you stopped by today as well.

Sweet blessings for all.....Dee Dee

Love

Mother's Day love came packaged in long

stems of lavender Roses.

All the flowers God has made are beautiful.....

The rose in its glory and the lily in its whiteness

do not rob the tiny violet of its sweet smell, or 

the daisy of its charming simplicity.

~Therese Of Liseuux

Have a wonderful week....Dee Dee