Author: Flower Roberts

The Dawn of the Day After

| Flower Roberts

Helene lived up to the second L that I gave her. It was hard to sleep after scrolling photos of all the devastation and wondering what was silently floating past in the darkness.
I crept out at dawn to a glorious sky full of stars and a moon that looked like a smile. The calm after the storm is both un-nerving and comforting, like chit chat at a funeral.
The insects were singing. I could see the silouette of our local deer herd grazing on the wet grass.
What will the sun expose?
I will share some photos of the unmanned boat and boathouse parade of yesterday evening.

This is one of many boathouses. If you are missing one, head south. Watch out for massive amounts of debris. It has been mayhem on the river.
Loose Pontoon

This pontoon came by three times. The island splits the flow of the river. We saw it pass, circle back up river, then get caught in the  main current again.

We are thankful to be safe, high on a hill. Our power was restored after only twelve hours. Grateful for every little thing as the sun rises on a new day after Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

I will add my thoughts that not only do I believe in death and gravity, but I am a firm believer in the power of weather and water.

FLOW SAFE & DRY

Hellene in Swing

| Flower Roberts

We are being visited by Hellene with her wild wind and crazy rain.
The river is high, brown and choppy. This ribbon of water will be a parade of debris, loose boats and boat houses later.
We have been here a long time. Long enough to not be surprised by the power of water and wind.
What happens is beyond our control. All we can do is watch the show and clean up the mess when its over.
I will have my camera ready for action. Until then, I will watch the trees dance wildly then stop abruptly…like the music ended only to begin again suddenly.
FLOW

Just One Butternut

| Flower Roberts

It happens every summer without fail. One appears in my garden from the place where I buried compost. If more show up, they are removed. It takes just one you see.

Butternut on the move.
Butternut hanging around in the garden.

That one butternut vine winds its way around the garden, over and under the fences. It will not be contained.

Its gorgeous leaves hide its treasures. First they are a lovely green. Then they ripen to a color I call babydoll beige.

This year’s haul from one butternut.

That is when they are ready to be removed. We harvest all the butternut squash and haul away the massive vine, about the time of the equinox.


We store our stash in a cool, dry place. These are the winter’s vitamins and sunshine soups. All from one butternut.

FLOWER  is still trapped on the deck and using a walker.

RAILING ARRIVES TOMORROW!

Stay tuned.

Our Bop Loved Blue

| Flower Roberts

Not just any blue, bluebird blue.
I have refurbished two things that belonged to my daddy.
One is a metal file box. I have cleaned it and sprayed it with the perfect blue paint. This will be my writing box. I can carry my supplies where ever I wish to write.

Label ripped to remove the key.

The other object is my daddy’s sun hat. I soaked it and it still was yellowish around the band. So I dyed it…blue.

Bop’s hat.

We will leave this refurbished blue hat in the mountains for whomever forgets to pack a hat.

Bop had skin cancer on top of his head.

The cancer was removed and skin from his thigh was grafted over the spot.

Then the surgeon sewed something that looked like a chalkboard eraser or an ice cream sandwich onto the top of his head. We called him Eraser Head until it was removed.

Eraser head in his blue chair.

When the bandage came off, he had wispy thigh hair on top of his head. This made my sister and me squeal when we combed his hair.

Daddy showing some thigh.

My daddy is still helping us out. He would be pleased that these possessions of his are still useful.

Our Kiki. Still cute at 92.

Daddy loved blue and he loved Kiki too, no matter what color she wore

FLOWER

September is Pink

| Flower Roberts

The early fall color in my yard is pink. 

Pink Muhly Grass will stay gorgeous through all of fall.

I know when the Pink Muhly and sedums bloom pink that cooler weather is on its way.

Sedums in hypertufa trough.

One of my favorite pink bloomers is Jewels of Opar ‘Limon.” It is a magical sight with its tiny, shiny seed pods and delicate pink blooms.

Jewels of Opar ‘Limon’

Flower is still trapped on her decks waiting for healing and railing. Stay tuned. Next week is the week!

Brilliant sedum

FLOW

It is Friday the Thirteenth

| Flower Roberts

My dahlia post that I published on the wrong blog in the middle of the night is now lost in cyberspace. Sometimes it is easier to start over than backtrack.

Many strange things have happened since my hip replacement. My head is still spinning. When I tell folks about the events they ask if I am still on pain medication. The answer is no. The craziness could be from the eight nights of insomnia. I am laying low today since it is Friday the 13th. I feel like the universe is messing with me!

I am stuck on my decks for a while longer until I am more stable and all the railing has been installed. My daughter fell up some steps last week. We live on a hill, so there are few flat spaces and steps are everywhere.

I have watched my dahlias from afar. No watering, weeding , deadheading or feeding.

Here they are. Their success is a testament to the soil prep and the staking I did in April before my right hip gave out and I jarred the whole left side of my body stumbling down some steps as I wrestled with a hose.

Firepot dahlia
Snow Country dahlia
Thomas A. Edison and Katydid

I hope this post makes it to you. Thanks Susan for letting me know that the booboo was worse than anticipated.

FLOWER is going back to bed. I am too tired to handle any more mischief.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Excursions in Costa Rica

| Flower Roberts

We planned one excursion every other day. We did not want to get worn out. On the off days we swam in the pool or sat in the cabana to chat and plan. It helped to stay balanced between adventures.

Rawhide rocking chair

One trip was to ride a catamaran to an island to snorkel the reefs. We enjoyed meeting our fellow passengers.

Another was to hire a skiff to see wetland and marsh wildlife including crocodiles. Our guide was very careful and respectful of the creatures we were stalking.

Young crocodile

Our tours of two rainforests also included a trip to some hot springs in the evening.

Our guide,  Andrey Salazar, drove so we could relax and enjoy the sights. The locals have a secret route to avoid tourist traffic. That was a wild ride!

We did not shop for souveniers much so we stopped here on the way to the air port. It is a wonderful shop with gorgeous artwork.

We were sad to leave this wonderful place. It was a dream.

FLORA

Animals of Costa Rica

| Flower Roberts

Seeing different animals in their natural habitat was the thrill of a lifetime for me.

Toucan

There were also domesticated dogs and cattle wandering through the streets. Driving was a bit like an obstacle course due to animals and motorcycles zipping between traffic.

Dogs were loose everywhere and would wander through restaurants without begging or bothering anyone. This pup came in while we were eating during a rain storm.  He politely curled up near our table and took a nap.

It was nothing special to the residents to have giant lizards and monkeys in the trees above.

Bees are tiny dots in the sky.

Our apartment had a collassal nest of millions of tiny bees that had been up there for years.

We enjoyed watching lizards climb up there to catch some snacks.

Butterflies fluttered through the skies between many flowering trees.

Ants marched along carrying flowers.

Ant in a flower parade by the pool.

I spent a lot of time with my eyes wide open in amazement at the many differences in the flora and fauna. It was like visiting another planet in some ways. 

We rented a lens for the trip so we could capture images from a greater distance. It was totally worth it but heavy to carry.

We passed the camera back and forth as we saw wildlife everywhere. I even spotted monkeys from our porch. I heard a crash in the trees and the compound’s dogs went crazy. One of the dogs looked just like one we had years ago.

Destiny reincarnated.
This squirrel and green lizard were in the tree above our table at an outdoor restaurant.

Things were different, but also the same. I LOVED the colorful chaos of Costa Rica.

FLORA

Plants of Costa Rica

| Flower Roberts

I held up the group over and over because of spotting a crazy plant.

Many that I saw were giant, wild versions of our houseplants.


Color was everywhere. I really need to spend more time there studying the wildlife.

The thrill of my life occurred when we toured a private rainforest with two biologists. Mr. Flower arranged this adventure on the third year anniversary of my daddy’s death.


During the tour I spied the famous blue morpho butterfly. It was bluebird blue. I felt like my daddy was sending me a sign. I had to stop and weep.

It was hard to choose what to look at. Everything was different and interesting.

We will return when we are able. In a craxy way, it felt like home.

FLORA