S is for a Second Look

 

April marks the 15th anniversary of my blog, so during the A-Z blogging challenge, I will be sharing previous posts from over 2,100 I have written.

I faithfully did Second Look posts every week for years. During this time, I would take a look around my yard and record what I saw. We had 2 acres with many established beds and some wild areas. I loved exploring every week and learned so much about bugs, plants, and animals that visited our yard. I tried continuing the practice when I moved here, but our yard is smaller and tamer than before, so I didn't keep it up. Maybe I should try again.

Below is the post that started it all. This was written in April 2011 and was the second post I ever wrote.

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A Second Look

  

Spring has sprung!  The flowers are emerging from the ground. The pollen is dropping from trees. Plentiful April showers are determined to bring May flowers.

Spring was an enchanted time for my children when we first moved to the four-season climate that we live in now. Up until this point in their lives, they had lived along the Gulf Coast, where the seasons were marked by whether or not you wore a light jacket or were drenched in sweat. The emergence of the crocus, the blooming of the daffodils, and the sprouting of new green leaves were things they had never seen before.  When they came home from school, they would call me out into the yard, and we would go on a treasure hunt to find what new flowers were blooming. It was an exciting time for all as we got to know our new surroundings. This excitement lasted all summer that first year. 

Then, as time wore on and the weeds seemed to be encroaching menacingly on our beautiful flowers, our emphasis changed. We began to notice the weeds more than the flowers. The kids got more interested in video games than plants, and the names that I taught them of the colorful blooming flora in the beginning became the yellow one and the purple one. In other words, our enchantment was gone. Spring moved into the background as all things seem to do after a while.

Then this Spring, we had a taste of that excitement again. While cutting daffodils to bring inside, we discovered that instead of just some white ones and some yellow ones, we actually had 6 different varieties. Who knew? With the second look at the daffodils, we noticed other things growing around them. We noticed which ones bloomed early and which ones were just budding. We noticed which plants the deer had been nibbling on. We noticed the birds. Wow! There's a lot of activity going on outside this time of year if you take the time to notice.

It may not last long, but for just a little while, we were all like the young kids my sons were that first year. I hope we can remember to take a second look at things around us, then and again. Who knows what we'll find?

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But Wait There's More!

A Second Look around my yard at what's new.

First up is the rainbow we saw. Ward said that he thought it was a double rainbow. I didn't see a double one.

The azaleas have bloomed. If you look closely at the next pictures,
 you can see I took them just after it stopped raining.

Azalea

Amsonia

Cherry laural

Lily of the Valley

Iris

Dogwood

Azaleas

Chickadee nest. No eggs yet.

Weather vane on top of our garage.
 Bless asked for a picture, and I finally remembered to take one.

Until next time...