Another year has passed...

As I sit here in the temporary calm of my house, I feel called once again to write.
It's been almost a year since my last post, and although I often think of writing, I seem to get sidetracked by the never ending list of "to do's".
My life has been turned upside down by the loss of my husband, and I am learning to live again.
Going from home, to college, to marriage, to children, to children leaving, coming back, bringing their children, raising a grand child, seems like I haven't had much time to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Time has flown, a lot has happened. I treasure times when I can sit and enjoy the quiet and beauty right outside my bedroom window, which is where I write and create. There is a beautiful lilac, now barren of flowers, to the left of me. It was planted when we moved to the Island, brought from our first home because it had been a gift to Whitey from my parents. When we bought our first house, mom and dad would often get him something to plant for Father's day. We also have some rhododendrons and maybe some roses from our first house planted here. As a matter of fact, almost everything we have planted has a special meaning to me because they have been given to us by family and friends.
A little to my right is a bird feeder that I put up in Whitey's memory. I had originally thought that I would not keep up with the bird feeders after his loss, they had been "his thing." Besides, I had too much to do to take on another responsibility. It did not take long, however, for me to miss hearing and seeing the birds at the feeders when I went outside. So,.... I have a birdhouse outside my window where I can watch the antics, hear their chirping and watch the occasional, ok, more than occasional squirrel competing for the loot! A fun bonus for me was to have volunteer sunflowers come up under the feeder, from seeds that those greedy critters had missed!

I'm glad that I got some awesome shots of these little beauties! These were taken in July and unfortunately, they are already finished for the year. My garden, however, still has some blooming from seeds that I bought, so I am still able to enjoy my favorite fall flower a little longer.

This is the same flower and different stages! It has not been edited, this is it's real and splendid color!

 

 

This big guy was a volunteer from what I think was a pumpkin that I threw out in the garden last year for compost. He is HUGE and beautifully shaped.

 

The pumpkin to the right looks small compared to the big guy, but it is actually the more "normal".

This "Mammoth" Sunflower really is mammoth! It is probably the size of a dinner plate with it's petals and is about 12 feet tall. So beautiful and cheerful!



My Fuchsia is putting on a splendid show. It has been going on for a while now and isn't giving up yet. Way to go, Fuchsia.

Even though the fall season, with football, Thanksgiving, warm fires, power outages are reminders of Whitey, I will strive to make my own memories and be thankful for the fleeting beauty all around me at this melancholy time. Nature has a way of doing that.