Just Buzzin' By...

To get some sun last weekend, it was a delight to go to my daughter and son-in-law's backyard.

They have done a stellar job of planting hundreds of flowers, bushes, and so on in the years since purchasing their house.

After spending a half hour in the hot sunshine, I pulled out my trusty cell phone to get some photos of some of the flowers to show you.

A friendly bee must have wanted her photo taken because she landed right on the flower being photographed. Joy!

That was an extra perk on a lovely, still summer afternoon.

Signs of Autumn

Tiny signs of autumn are being spotted every day.

Morning and nighttime air is cooler.

Small patches of colored leaves are showing up on some bushes and trees.

Hummingbirds who were coming faithfully to the feeder in the teeny front yard are no longer sipping their sugar water.

One gift of Mother Nature that will be terribly missed in the coming cold season is the sound of birds chirping in the trees in front and in back of the apartment.

It's wonderful to hear their chirpy chatter which is just about silent when the snows begin to fall.

The framed image of birds that now sits on the dresser will be switched to something more reminiscent of the fall or winter season.

That image is shown in today's blog post.

It's good to thank the Heavenly Father for the birds, the flowers, and all the other pleasures of spring and summer that we have so richly seen, tasted, and enjoyed.

The image actually comes from a thank you card that was simply cut and framed.

Pretty soon we'll be appropriately singing, "Bye, Bly Birdie" and that will be a sad tune til next spring.

The Blooms Keep Coming

In late spring, one of my sisters gifted me with a hanging plant that had more than a couple of would-be different flowers in its pot.

None of them bloomed. 

It seemed like a kind of hopeless situation.

The plant got watered regularly and had plenty of sunshine, just no blooms.

Consquently, being a lover of color, some artificial pink flowers joined the plant in the hanging pot.

Near the hanging plant, a pink petunia bloomed like crazy from the get-go.

Well, it happened to be just a matter of time for real flowers to blossom on the hanging plant.

At first, there were just a few buds but then more and more.

That little plant now is a super duper bloomer.  

The silk flowers are no longer needed so they got plucked out.

Today, the plant, which perhaps is part begonia, enjoyed some water with plant food mixed in.

Hopefully, this late but proficient bloomer will last until fall arrives. 

Snowbabies in Miniature

   THIS IS A TINY SET OF SNOWBABIES, FOUND AT A CHURCH YARD SALE THIS SUMMER.

Snowbabies are totally adorable porcelain figurines that look like little children in winter.

At the mother lode of church yard sales this summer, it was almost magical to find a Snowbaby figurine in miniature!  

It's no more than two inches tall!  

The bigger Snowbabies are also all white and have expressive faces.  

They look like they are covered with snow and are shown doing all kinds of winter activities.

There are dozens of the figurines available to buy from the company, Department 56, which has been producing them since the late 1890s, according to Wikipedia.

Yes!  Cost of the tiny Snowbabies was an amazing buck.

Snowbabies were originally manufactured and sold only in  Germany and then were made in the USA, as well.

Pen is placed in front of the Snowbabies to show how little they are!

While the bigger Snowbabies are made of porcelain, the miniature purchased at the church yard sale is made from pewter!

Snowbabies, both the big ones and tiny one found at the yard sale, make people smile as soon as they see them!

Zamioculcas Plant Is Growing

 

A year ago for Mother's Day, I bought zamioculcas, or ZZ, plants for three of my local sisters, and one for me!

Now, more than a year later, the ZZ is still going strong as are those of my sisters.

My ZZ needs some plant food, though, since she's not as big as hoped.

Just like a little pet, she gets to go outside in the sunshine for part of the day.

However, come nighttime, back into the little apartment she comes.  

No night outside visitors are going to get the opportunity to eat her for a late supper.

Her thick green leaves have a nice sheen to them.

Sometimes, if she doesn't go out, she joins other plants in front of the open door. 

They love to bask in the late afternoon sunshine.

I love ZZ and am so glad she didn't bite the dust. 

(Actually, the same can be said for me,too! ha ha)