Beauty and the Beast

     

        We have a new Hibiscus bush, planted this spring.  I've never had one before, and have been patiently waiting and hoping for blossoms before fall!    The first bloom I saw just took my breath away.  The blossoms are probably six inches across.   Now, I go out first thing in the morning to see the new blossoms,  which only last for a day.

        This morning I went out with my camera to take a picture of the two beautiful blossoms!  When I took the picture, I noticed something moving off to my right.   Lo and behold,  there was a snake.  It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing.  A snake was slithering along carrying a frog that surely seemed much too large for the snake to consume.

    The picture is not very clear,  but it dawned on me pretty quickly that I had just encountered the beauty and the beast!

    We have large hosta plants all around the house.  I've always been quite queasy about stepping onto or into one of those when I am tending other plants.   And the "beast" is exactly the reason why!  Yuk!!!

    

The Silos of Cortland County

 

The Silos of Cortland County

 

During the Pandemic isolation,

Just for somewhere to go,

He took pictures of silos;

He wanted me to know.

 

  He traveled all the county roads--

The ones that he could find

In search of the silo structures—

Back to another time.

 

Some came in ceramic tile,

Deep orange against the sky.

 They were often next to barns,

  abandoned bales of hay nearby.

 

Far out in the wilderness

A Harvestore stands alone

   monument to another time;

A lifestyle now long gone.

 

A rusted old tractor

Silent now, no more complaints

Stands guard at a wooden silo,

With its skeletal remains.

 

Beautiful scenes surround them,

Rolling hills; skies so blue;

  an occasional cow you may still see, 

Though only just a few.

 

Through the middle of one silo

a single tree makes its home.

The monuments still persist

though the farms themselves are gone.

 

Ivy climbs an abandoned silo,

Tendrils reaching for the sky.

The barns fall, the silos stand.

Ancient reminders of a time gone by.

 

 

By Nancy Rehkugler

 

 

Flowers and Politicians

     

    I spend a lot of time with my various flower gardens during the spring and summer months.   I love every stage of the flowers development,  from relishing the buds emerging from their winter's sleep,  all the way to removing all the dead flowers that are past their time.

     One thing is very clear to me when I tend my flowers.  When I remove the dead heads,  it allows for many newer blossoms to spring forth and come to life.

    Years ago, I remember that we were driving through national parks out west.  At the time,  there had been a number of wildfires that had swept through the area.   Yes, it had killed a lot of trees,  but enough time had passed so that a whole new generation of infant trees had emerged from the ground, now exposed to the light.   The older trees had kept the baby trees from being able to receive the sunlight they needed to grow and thrive.

    This year in particular, due to the way politics is going,  I would say that I can see a clear connection between gardening and politicians.   The old ones who have been there a really long time and are in their 80's or 90's really need to be removed to make room for new life, new ideas, new blood.

    I believe that could be as life-giving for our country as it is life-giving for my marigolds and daisies!  Those not removed use up all the nutrients and space that should be there for new flowers.  

    Perhaps the best solution is term limits!  I'm all for that!