Strong Flowers

Carnations are hardy little flowers.  These are the last survivors of the bouquet I posted about on March 30th.  The bouquet went  through several incarnations.  As I threw flowers out, I also reduced the size of the vases.  Now it's down to this soda bottle that belongs to my eight-year-old son.  He's not happy.  He said he was saving it "for a lot of things,"  but "not a flower vase."  He should be grateful; I was about ready to throw it away and cleaned it up instead.

A Little Color

Who knew that a scraped knee could lead to an overnight stay at the hospital and IV antibiotics.  Thankfully, she's doing great and our exit was colorful and delightful.

Biking 3

It wasn't a difficult choice to jump on the bike today. Most of the snow is melted. The past two days, I had children home sick from school. I needed exercise. I still don't prefer to ride in the city, but it helps to have a destination like Liberty Park.

I like the sparkly water and gnarly tree.

April Flower Surprises

While I was raking today, I was happy to see the same tiny blue flowers (just a little bluer) here in UT that I used to find in grassy fields by Oneida Lake in upstate NY.  Now that it's really spring, I've been missing the trees and lake near where we used to live.

<---Utah Flowers

 

<--New York Flowers-->

Violets in grass remind me that my parents' front yard used to be full of violets in spring.  You know flowers and leaves of wild violets are edible, right?  They're full of Vitamin C. You can put them in salads or in desserts. Just wash them and make sure they haven't been sprayed with chemicals.

The daffodils in the yard have finally bloomed.  They are so pretty.  Oh!  But DON'T EAT THEM.  Turns out they are poisonous.

Jordan River Temple

We thought this, the Jordan River Temple, would be our new temple when we move in less than a month, but it turns out it won't be.  That's okay, we can still visit it from time to time.  It was good to be there again. It had been over five years since we visited this place.  I took a quick picture as we were leaving our car.

Today, I was happy to learn the Salt Lake Temple will continue to be our temple.

I'm thankful for temples, for their beauty, for the perspective they give on life, and especially for the peace I feel when I visit them.

Peculiarities

Beautiful day here in the UT.  I went on my second (yes, sadly only the second) bike ride of 2011.  As I rested on a bench and drank from my water bottle, I noticed there was an older couple taking pictures in the park.  I don't think they were tourists.  Maybe they are taking a  photography class.  Anyway, they were fun to watch.  Among other things, they took pictures of this fountain, so I thought I'd take one too.  As I got closer to the fountain, the graffiti in the picture on the right caught my attention. The singular "shoeprint" was painted on the horizontal surface of the concrete circular ledge that surrounds the fountain.  Stenciled graffiti?  Weirdly efficient.

The couple walked right past this tree without taking a picture.  After they left, I got closer to the tree.  I love naturally warped wood.  I've learned that if I just stop, sit, and watch for a while, I almost always find interesting things to photograph.  Both pictures are the same deformity from a different distance and angle.


The picture to the left is just another view of the same tree.  I see bulging eyes. The tree on the right is directly across from the eyes tree and looks like it has a nice little nose.  I wonder what caused such strange nodules in these facing trees.

Not Dead Heads

I bought a bouquet on Monday morning.  When I arrived home, I noticed one of the little lavender-colored flowers was nearly beheaded-- just barely hanging on.  I remembered seeing some beautiful, yellow, stemless flowers arranged in a bowl.  So instead of snipping off the head and throwing it away, I plucked a few more.  The flower needed company.

 I like the disorganization of color and texture in the bouquet I bought.  I put the sticks of wild, growing curly willow from a previous arrangement in the vase.

I love the sunlit dimples of water between flower petals.  

Beauty often survives tragedy and sometimes thrives.  

Guardians of Virtue

Baby Bouquet

I went to my sister-in-law's baby shower today.  I'd never seen a bouquet like this.  The vase is a rolled blanket.  Some of the flowers were rolled up onesies, pajamas, and washcloths.

I've seen diaper cakes.  This is a cute one.  The maker included washcloths and hair bows throughout.

My Little Leprechaun

Irish food and green food have been on the menu all day.  A happy day to you!