I see my hawk friend about every day,
but not usually this close up. It looks like a broad-winged hawk.
Luckily, I was wearing my camera when it decided to land in the tree nearest the house.
I watched it glide toward me and land on the branch covered in snow.
It stayed for a few moments. Notice the snow on its head.
I was thrilled to finally get a good look at my flying friend.
I fly in my dreams.
FLOWER
My training is in science, but I believe in signs.
I watch for them. I wait for them. I pray for them.
When we toured colleges with my daughter,
I wondered how we would know which one was right for her.
I liked all the places we went, but which one was the one?
In the last building on the tour of a college was a huge lobby with two giant pots of blooming Bird of Paradise plants.
That was it for me. Of course my sign would be a flower.
That is a plant with a long history with my family.
When I was seven, my family lived in Santa Monica for a time. The courtyard of our apartment building had Birds of Paradise. I was fascinated by them.
My dad’s mom had a huge pot of Birds of Paradise in her carport. I get my “flowerness” from both sides of my family tree.
I have a Strelitzia reginae. It has never bloomed. Maybe it will now.
Will that be a sign, too?
Maybe it will just be in the right conditions to finally bloom,
like my daughter.
FLOWER
I am so happy to have anything blooming in January, even if it is inside.
My lovely Apple Blossom Amaryllis/Hippeastrum is blooming again.
The second stalk has produced six more blooms.
The last bud has not opened yet and is sticking up to give its five sisters space to spread out.
I love the delicate white petals and pinkish veins, but what I really admire is the shimmer.
The petals look as though they have been dusted with a fine glitter.
When the sun hits the blooms they truly glow.
Apple Blossom Amaryllis is amazing!
FLOWER
Sometimes the strangest things inspire prayer.
I had one of these moments while photographing this heron.
I saw it fishing, so I decided to wait in the cold, to catch a photo
of the heron catching a fish.
So I waited and waited, the wind began to blow, I waited.
My hands got cold, still I waited.
My feet began to numb, although I was not the one wading through the frigid water.
My nose got really cold…still no fish.
I began to be grateful that God had not made me a heron.
All that time standing in cold water to get its lunch…a cold fish.
Fowler
Sometimes I change my name from Flower to Flow on my blog,
but this is the first time I am calling myself Floe.
We have been experiencing some unusually cold weather here in NC.
While eating breakfast, I noticed patches of ice flowing down river.
I had to bundle up fast before the sun hit it.
These ice doilies don’t last long.
If you are having trouble seeing them, look at the places in the water without reflections.
Stay warm people.
FLOE
Have you ever seen coffee beans growing on trees?
I had this experience recently.
My adventure started out as a trip to a new little Colombian restaurant, Orobi Cafe’,
just outside the town of Troutman, NC.
They had large photographs of coffee trees and some small coffee trees in the cafe’.
This lead to an exciting conversation about the family growing their own coffee beans.
I was invited to come to the greenhouse to see the indoor coffee plantation.
Lovely Maria is the grower of the non-genetically-modified Arabica bean trees.
All her plants come from one seventeen- year-old “mama tree.”
I have been invited back to witness the days of flowering in May.
Now, I have another reason to look forward to spring.
Just in case you were wondering, yes, I came home with my own little coffee tree.
FLOWER
When the Orchid Queen has a New Year’s Eve party,
all the orchids arrive in their delicate finery
to dance through the kingdom warmed under the glass.
Skirts of velvet or satin,
with stripes, spots or splash marks.
Each twirls through the branches to greet other beauties.
All colors so vibrant, with intricate markings.
The tiniest of orchids perched high to observe them
as colors of royalty parade through the rooms.
Showy slippers and ruffles
and streamers
and bonnets.
Spots of brilliance revolving around every tree.
What was she wearing you ask of the Queen?
She rang in Two Thousand and Eighteen in green.
FLOWER 2018
If you want to see the magic as it appears, you must pause at dusk.
As the sunlight splits into its various colors and those fade and darken toward grey,
there are moments of both light and darkness combined
that show the shape of things as they shadow.
That is when lights give their first magical twinkle.
I saw it all last night at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont.
I was there for the holiday lights, but got a glimpse of magic
here and there among the gardens.
Happy New Year
FLOWER
I have a new neighbor.
I have not seen it yet, but I have been finding evidence.
For weeks now its excavations have progressed.
My new neighbor is both smart and industrious.
It has moved into my cold-frame where it is warm and dry.
It has three separate entrances and exits for safety.
It is like a little city in there. This critter is like a little engineer.
There are tunnels and piles of dirt and rocks.
There is bedding material and plant materials for snacks.
I have been watching and waiting.
I hope it is a weasel.
Stay tuned.
FLOWER
floweralley 