Thursday, April 16, 2015

N is for Name and/or Nature


N is for Names

“I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.” 
― L.M. MontgomeryAnne of Green Gables

This was going to be a post about names. How a name can affect perceptions and personalities. About how certain names are becoming extinct (Waldo and Zelma) and how Johnny Cash didn't like the name of Sue. Also, I was going to talk about the most popular names of last year (Sophia and Noah) and most popular names over the last 100 years (James and Mary). (BTW, the Social Security Administration has some interesting stats complied in this area.)  Then I was going to touch on crazy celebrity kid's names like North West, Apple, and Myrtle.

Next, I was going to tell the story about a friend, who after her divorce, decided to pick an entirely new last name--not her maiden name or her married name, but just one she like the sound of. And I was going to end with asking if you like your name and have you ever thought about changing it.

However, it was much too nice out to stay inside and develop these Name ideas. So I decided to go outside and do a Second Look and use the N for Nature.
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N is for Nature

Here are few things in nature that I saw 
this week during a Second Look.

This is the second set of daffodils to bloom.


This variety bloomed last week, but this is the first bloom in another bed.


The triple blossom daffodils are just coming out also.


Violets


Forsythia. 


The bumble bees have been swarming around the pieris japonica blooms. But also notice the smaller bee in the middle of the picture.


That smaller bee attached itself to the bottom of one of the bumble bees. I asked a friend, who raises bees, what was going on and she didn't know. Now, I've got the question into the extension agent. I've never seen anything quite like that.


This is the first bluebird I've seen this spring and I hope it builds a nest in the box. Last year it fought with sparrows for the box and the sparrows won. 



Female cardinal