I had forgotten that this plant was a poinsettia until it surprised me by suddenly starting to turn red a month or so ago. Amazing how it is always in full coloration by December 25. I’ve had this plant for many years but just moved it to the front garden a few months ago and had forgotten what it was as it was totally green at that point. Now it greets me every time I leave my front door or enter by the street entrance. Come visit, and it will greet you, too!! Merry Xmas.
For Cee’s FOTD
For Cee’s FOTD
I hope this is the correct identification for this flower. I couldn’t find a common name for it. If you know, do tell!!
For Cee’s FOTD
I can’t find the name of this flower photographed in my friend’s yard. Any suggestions from Google don’t have the exact shape of petals or leaves. Do you know what it is?
For Cee’s FOTD
Welcome to “The Numbers Game #51.” Today’s number is 172. To play along, go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number and post a link to your blog in my Numbers Game blog of the day. If instead of numbers, you have changed the identifiers of all your photos into words, pick a word or words to use instead, and show us a variety of photos that contain that word in the title.This prompt will repeat each Monday with a new number. If you want to play along, please put a link to your blog in comments below. Here are my contributions to the album.
Click on photos to enlarge.
Click on photos to enlarge.
It took me two days to take all the ornaments off my tree to replace the light strings that had burned out and to replace the ornaments again! Hopefully the lights will last for another 5 years or so before I have to untrim the tree again. In January, we will cover it in plastic and restore it to its 11 month retirement in the laundry room. R.I.P. Xmas!!
for Cellpic Sunday
Snowfall
My breath leaves footprints on the window as I watch the fallen snow
holding as its prisoner all that lies below.
The wind shrieks out a warning for humans that might dare
to brave the ever-deepening drifts that they should beware
the captivating mounds of flakes that have drifted down
to spread blankets of reverie over the silent town.
For now, all problems frozen, covered up, put out of mind,
for how can we worry about that we cannot find?
The gale now howls release as it blows the snow away,
removing all that festers to return another day.
For the Sunday Whirl Wordle the words are:
human captivating drift fallen release now shrieks howl festers reverie breath prints
Johnbo, who is the creator of this “Winter” Challenge, lives in North Dakota and you can find his photos HERE. Since I grew up in South Dakota, I should have fabulous photos of snow that sometimes got so high that they dug a tunnel under it down main street with tunnels into the various stores. I remember one storm where the snowbanks around our house were so high that I could open the window of my second story bedroom and step out onto the snow! Later in my life I lived in Wyoming twice…first for 5 years and then again for 7 years, and although I have stories of snow, I don’t think I ever took any photos. What snow I experience now is when I visit Wyoming, so I”m off in search of possible snow shots there. Click on photos for captions and closer views.
The prompt for the Lens Artists Challenge is “Winter.”
A demonstration of the barro bruñido art of Tonala artists Angel Ortiz and his son Jose Angel Ortiz showed their incredible control and mastery of their art. The photo above is of Jose Angel executing his intricate artistry. Below are photos of father and son and their completed works. Some pieces can take two months to form, paint, burnish and fire. Click on the photos below to enlarge and see details..
For more information on these fine artists, go HERE.
In case you missed Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American yesterday, about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, as well as the Fascist strategies of Mussolini and Hitler, here is a link: .:https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-6-2024
Fascinating, as usual, although the parallels to what is happening in the U.S. today are chilling.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 