The morning temperatures have been a little frosty, in the 30’s early in the morning, but the afternoons have been springlike. Well, for a couple of days. But Thursday and Friday had afternoon temperatures in the mid 70’s, which is perfect weather for working outside.
First, I hung the white pots back on the front porch railing. They come down when I put up the Christmas greenery and bows and lights. They’re back up now, with winter-hardy yellow violas . (Violas are like miniature pansies.)
Next, I put yellow pansies in the bed in front of the porch. Pansies are sturdy flowers, the kind that made it through last February.
I bought the pansies and violas back in the fall, as soon as they arrived in the nursery. There are all sorts of colors and varieties of pansies and violas. I like the ones that have petals that are all yellow, so that’s what I purchased: all-yellow pansies and all-yellow violas.
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- Three pots are attached to the the wrought-iron railing on the front porch. They hold the yellow violas. The pansies are planted in the bed beside the sidewalk.
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- And this, really and truly, is a butterfly that stopped by for a nectar snack.
And, in a sadder situation, the tree next door could not recover from last February’s deep, deep freeze.
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- One of the first days they began to take down the tree.
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- And now, there’s just this stump. The tree guys can drill the stump down to nothingness. Or, (and this is what the tree guys think my neighbor should do) it could be a place for a planter with flowers or some other decorative item
The tree is a variety of ash. I tried to determine what the life expectancy of an ash tree is, and I got anywhere from 25-40 years to 250 years. But there seems to be a wide variety of ash trees, some have short lives and others long lives. When I looked up pecan, I got anywhere from 250 years to 400 years, so our backyard should be nice and shady for quite some time.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Isaiah 55:10-12 (New International Version)
Yes, it’s one of my favorite passages. I do so enjoy the exuberance of those trees being so excited.
Science tells us that trees truly do communicate with each other in forests. So, I’m imagining that the root systems of the trees near my neighbor’s stump are singing together, also, but maybe something like a dirge.
Love your pictures of flowers & butterflies as well as imagining trees clapping their hands in excitement at God’s will being done. How sad to think they suffer as we do when another tree is cut downl
It is now all the way down to the level of the lawn. Peter was hoping that she’d leave the stump. I think he might have thought that he could sit on it and read.