Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Decisions

Making decisions is a lifelong endeavor. Sometimes they are lifechanging and sometimes they are trivial. Sometimes they are very easy to make and sometimes they are heart wrenching. The secret, I believe is to keep perspective. You have surely heard the saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff; and it's all small stuff."  I would agree that most of it is small stuff. Obviously those most successful in making decisions are those who have been able to line up those decisions with their destiny (Jeremiah 29:11). Recently (check date of post) those of us who spend any time watching television (at least in the midwest) have come to pretty much disdain a certain guru who is training some gullible kid in making meaningful decisions. Steak and Shake.


The other morning, I had finished my "bidness" in a clean public restroom and was faced with a decision. I realized as I contemplated my choices, that I had been at this same crossroads many times before and had made different decisions, depending on my mood at the time. When I was feeling conservative, which is most of the time, I found that I choose to help finish the nearly used one. When I felt tidy (not often), I would choose to use the one that someone had left hanging down, so it would be neat for the next person. On the rare occasion when I felt selfish and in an "I deserve the best" mood, I would open a new one. If you haven't peeked at the picture yet, you might be wondering just what decision was causing me such concern.  It's like when you are in your own bathroom and there hangs a clean, folded towel, a brand new unused towel, and a rumpled, but dry one that has only been used a couple of times to dry hands. Which one do you choose??? And more importantly, why do you make that choice? I have been known to skip that particular decision and wipe my hands on my pants as I leave. When you are driving on an interstate highway and approach an intersection behind a slightly slower vehicle. Do you go ahead and pass that car so you don't have to disengage your cruise control, or do you wait til you are through the cloverleaf area so you don't "trap" that driver in the right lane? I find that I am one of the few who pay attention to where I am while driving. I do lay back so that the other driver can get into the left lane to make room for merging vehicles in the right lane. I do believe that is the courteous thing to do and remember that is actually what the "Rules of the Road" or whatever other driving instruction you may use tells us to do.. However, I am overwhelmed at the number of times I am the driver in the right lane and some jerk comes whizzing by me or rides my left rear fender so I can't get over to make room for vehicles trying to merge onto the highway. I don't say this so you think I am such a wonderful guy; only to remind anyone to be courteous when making those decisions.
Which brings us back to the original proposed decision. Next time you are ready for it, stop and think about why you chose the one you chose... That should make the next person waiting to use the "facility" a little more uncomfortable as you ponder the important things of life.



Friday, July 12, 2013

July Flowers 2013

The joy of perennial gardening is to see each new wave of blooms come forth as the past one fades away. Now in mid July, the first wave of roses and even the hollyhocks recently posted have faded along with the first crop of lavender blooms. To replace them, the Russia Sage is now in full bloom in back and out front, the tall garden flox, taller than they've ever been, are strutting their stuff along with various lilies. The coneflowers and blanket flowers are blowing away the few daisies that remain. and the first little tomato is red, just waiting to give that burst of juicy pleasure.  Nasturtiums are hanging in there, waiting to adorn a salad and the zinnias are just beginning to take over their spot in the continuum.
The neet thing about posting here is that now I can roll through the different posts to enjoy compare the ever changing beauty of gardening.













Thursday, June 20, 2013

Blooms of Spring 2013 Ushering in Summer

June 20:
Glorious Hollyhocks







Yarrow


See the Bumblebee gathering pollen?

Lavender, Roses, and Lilies






Blanket Flowers


Coreopsis



Honeybee circled in upper right.

Sage just beginning to bloom.

Blooms of Spring 2013 Early June

And a couple of weeks later:
Roses with Lavender just beginning to bloom.


Japanese or Siberian iris.. Not sure which.







Spiderwort around the fountain.


Primrose; Start from Yelton Manor B&B in South Haven,Michigan; 2008. http://www.yeltonmanor.com/ .


Yellow roses. The little peach rose on the right was in front of the front porch when we moved in.



Clematus on birdhouses through Rose arch.


Sedum acre?