“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ESV
I still enjoy getting out and about before sunrise, but with each day, that is a tad bit earlier. As this will be the case for almost two more months, I wonder how long I will awaken in time to continue delighting in the wonders of the mornings? We shall see!
The early light, even after the sun is above the horizon, offers greetings upon the landscape with a glow that is unique to the early morn. If I accidentally sleep in, I guess it’s still not too late to get out there!
I noticed an unusual, almost autumn look to the ginkgo tree as I was returning to the house from a morning walk. A closer exam of the leaves revealed what I suspected. One morning last week we experienced a light scattered frost. It was a surprise and certainly did not appear to be widespread. But apparently many of the new leaf tips on a few trees collected enough frost to bite them and turn ’em brown. And, one afternoon it was 88 degrees…it is April in Alabama.
We experienced some very nice April days last week and a few “firsts” of the season too. Our first peony; but from the number of buds I am seeing on every plant, there will be dozens of blooms coming soon! Pam told me this was a Sarah Bernhardt peony. I can’t keep up and do well to remember “peony”.
The Apricot drift roses were almost history as I considered replacing them. Their initial blooms, like this first of the season, are always a welcome sight. The foliage is also a healthy looking deep green. As time passes each season, the plants begin to develop dark spots, stems and branches die, and flowering drops off to a few ragged blooms occasionally! I have tried a variety of remedies but so far nothing has helped. As you can see, I decided to show mercy and try one more time!
Mr. blue eyes with his blue pail appears to be ready for a nice stroll through the garden or something of that nature. But, I can assure you he would rather be in the dirt playing with a truck or tractor…and was doing just that not long after this photo was taken! A boy has to take a few minutes to make his mom and PJ happy.
After a 2 year bout with deer, we thought our only two remaining snowflake hydrangeas were done, (we had three but deer ate one to the ground and it never recovered). For some reason, deer left them alone this spring and Pam is excited about the possibilities. The blooms on these are pretty special, if by some miracle the local herd stays away and they bloom. I did try sprinkling one of those repellants around the hydrangeas which is supposed to deter all the critters and maybe that does help?? Time will tell!
For an idea of the snowflake potential, this is an example of how mature, 50+ year old bloomers looked on our dear friend’s hydrangea farm. This pic is from late June, 2019. You can see why we are hopeful ours will survive. By the way, our plants are from the farm, which also makes them special!
Roasted red snapper with spring vegetables…a super entree at Bottega Cafe. Pam knows fish at Bottega is as good as it gets. She will often indulge in the fresh catch, and not even save me a bite!
Another unusual morning last week as fog settled into one low area and no other place I could see. I could not do this justice with a camera as the sun was peering through and created a rainbow down near the ground. Perhaps you can get a glimpse of the colors!
As I returned home from an early hike, the sun on my back offered me a warm welcome to the morning. It seemed very inviting and I was preparing to sit at the fire pit and enjoy the cool breeze when I noticed a bird had dropped by and used my chair ahead of my arrival! No pun intended.
Crossvine winds and snakes its way over a stand of privet along a trail I travel frequently. The privet has begun to display white blooms which makes for a nice contrast with the yellow and orange.
Vines offer a lot of color as well as fruit…and sometimes briars. Not only was the crossvine mingled amongst the privet, but it was intertwined with blackberry vines and honeysuckle. Crossvine is a native plant but toxic to us humans. In that case, I will wait on the blackberries before I munch on anything from any of these vines!
An old Georgia barn is today’s throwback. I hope to soon take a day or two and roam about rural roads I have not traveled before. Such a trek usually reveals old barns and a lot of interesting sights and structures from days gone by.
Photography, and especially using manual settings is not my thing. I wish I knew more. I didn’t think I would have a decent pic with so little light but was surprised to find this. I thought it worth keeping!
Praying you have a peaceful and pleasant week!
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch,Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda
These early morning pictures are peaceful and beautiful. I love reading about your flowers and seeing the pictures. Thank you for the Scriptures you share. God bless you!
Thanks so much and God bless you!
Pam
Viewing your post is a Lovely way for me to start the day. Thanks
Thank you, Gail. It is our pleasure and we are thrilled that you enjoy!
Pam
Your pictures and your words are always a treat and top notch. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Ruth!
Pam
Thank you for the scriptures. Starting my day with you is always a special time. The old barn is unusual. Wyatt is so precious in his onesie. I would be down in the dirt playing with him. His big blue eyes are so pretty! Hope the deer stay away from the snowflake.
Thank you, Alice. Wyatt will stay in the dirt for hours. He would enjoy you playing in the dirt with him! Happy week to you!
Pam
What is it about old barns that captures our imagination? I have two on my blog today too. Great flower photos, we do live in a lovely world.
Yes, we do live in an amazing world! Thank you, Carole
Pam
Wonderful post! Happy Sunday dear friends.
Thank you, friend!
Pam
Good Sunday Morning. You need to make a beautiful published book of all your beautiful pictures. What a beautiful coffee table book that would be. Mr. Blue Eyes is adorable as usual. They say you can see into the soul through someone’s eyes. He has the most gorgeous bright soul. Have a great week ahead. Hugs. Kris
Thank you, Kris for your sweet comments. Wishing you a lovely week!
Pam
Your sunrise shots are fantastic and so enjoyable. That’s the only sunrise I ever see as I’m not a morning person. Your peony is gorgeous. Those snowflake hydrangeas are so pretty. The sunset shot has so many rich colors. The foggy morning pic is so good. We have a frost advisory tonight! Enjoy your day. Clara ❤️
Thank you, Clara. We have several nights in the low 40’s. Our high today was 64. April has been cooler than usual. I hope the frost doesn’t do damage to your flowers!
Pam
I can’t get up early enough to see the sun rise, it must be such a rewarding way to begin the day! Is the last photo a sunset? Either way it is gorgeous! Little blue eyes certainly is a cutie! The peonies, wow, how wonderful to have those beauties in your garden! I hope you both have a wonderful week!
Thank you, Jenna. We are early risers and also stay up too late. The last photo is actually a sunrise. We had several days this past week of stunning sunrises! Happy Week!
Pam
Spring has certainly come to your world, hasn’t it? And beautifully! Peonies are a June bloom for us northerners. I love them! Your world is beautiful — from sunrise on!
Thank you, Jeanie! I love peonies, even though they are short-lived! Happy week to you!
Pam
Would love to know the secret of getting up with the dawn…although I often open my eyes on it, but turn over and resume the Lord’s blessed rest. The pictures this week are so beautiful and the snowflakes and peonies attest to Spring’s glory. The
little blue-eyed wonder itching to go digging in the dirt managed to pose respectfully adorable until the camera clicked. He is a sweetheart. Hopefully the frost and deer will be observant and allow your beautiful gardens to thrive for more superb picture-taking this coming season. A very blessed Sabbath, dear ones.
Thank you, Mary! We are early morning people and late at night, also. Wishing you a joy-filled week!
Pam
Your pictures and narratives are lovely and attest to your appreciation of God’s beautiful creation. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your kind comments, Hilda!
Pam
Poor Ginkgo tree. I hope it recovers. My 3-year old olive tree was smashed to bits by the cold snap last December and now looks pitiful, but so far, is hanging in there. Gardeners and Hope. Hand in hand.
We are also having a cool April! We haven’t gone straight to summer, yet!
Pam
Nice scripture choice for today, and lovely visions of nature! I love the peony bloom!
Thank you, Mary!
Pam
I enjoy your posts and look forward to the scriptures and beautiful pics.
Thank you so much, Kay!
Pam
Thank you Pam for the photos of your sunrises/ Mr.Blue Eyes is adorable.
Marilyn,Joan and Marion
Thank you sweet friends!
Pam
Lovely as always, those sunrise & sunset photos are absolutely breathtaking!
Bless you both, Jennifer
Thank you, sweet friend!
Pam
Happy Sunday, Butch and Pam! I so enjoyed today’s post. I can see why you like the snowdrop hydrangeas. They are gorgeous! Deer are my Achilles heal. They are so frustrating! We are experimenting with motion activated sprinklers right now. Finger crossed they work. Wyatt is a doll! He has the most gorgeous blue eyes. I hope you both have a most wonderful week!
Thank you, Shannon. I haven’t heard of the motion activated sprinklers. Let me know how that works. Have a wonderful week!
Pam
Another beautiful stroll. I enjoy your descriptions of each image.
Wyatt is so adorable, and those blue eyes get me every time!
Thanks so much for the lovely stroll.
I’m a bit late as my son and his fiance are staying with us. We are having such a wonderful time!
Have a great week!
Thank you, Nancy. I know you are enjoying your son and future DIL!
I enjoyed your walk in pictures and commentary this morning. I have loved the cool and pleasant mornings and the sunrises recently too. I know the sweet coolness won’t last much longer. Mike has had a fire in his chiminea many mornings and wishes it could last longer also.
I am excited about your peonies! How wonderful.
“Mr. Blue Eyes” is adorable!
Thanks for the beauty and the great scriptures.
In the last few minutes MIke was able to fix my internet problems on my laptop.
Thanks so much, Bonnie!
Pam
Such beautiful pictures – the sunrises are gorgeous and definitely worth getting out of bed for! I’m so loving all you flowers coming into bloom and oh my, those peonies look like they will be stunning! I’m crossing my fingers that the snowflake hydrangeas make it this year – they are soo pretty and sorry about the frost nipped leaves. Hope they recover. My blue eyes is adorable! Wishing you both a wonderful week!
Thanks so much, Kim! Wishing you a lovely week.
Pam
Such an interesting post, as always! I especially love the early morning foggy picture. So picturesque and almost has a haunted feel to it. Just beautiful! God bless you all.
Thank you, Cheryl!
Blessings,
Pam
Such peaceful looking pictures and as a foodie the red snapper with spring vegetables obviously caught my eye. Delicious looking
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