Spring Already?

Today here in New Jersey it is a welcoming 70 degrees. 

It reminds me of the beginning of spring instead of the winter that is fast approaching.

Since it feels like spring I wanted to share 2 pictures that I have previously posted that reminds me of spring. 

Both pictures were taken at Longwood Gardens about 2 years ago.  They are 2 of my favorite photos.

Thanks for visiting and of course all comments are welcome. 

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I miss you already!

Here in South Jersey the weather is a chilly 54 degrees, dreary looking and with a bit of drizzle here and there.

I wanted to see something a bit warm and inviting.  Browsing thru my pictures I come across some images that I took 2 years ago at Longwood Gardens and it reminded me of sunny days and warm weather.

I miss summer already.

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Thanks for visiting all comments welcome.

Appreciation Day

Today is I Appreciate Me Day.

A dozen red roses is one of the ways that I am showing myself some appreciation today.

Later it will be a banana split…yummy!!

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Rainy Day Flowers

Bellis – Perennial

Bellis – Macro

Today here in New Jersey it is raining cats an dogs and has been all day.  I planned to go to Longwood Gardens and get some shots of their gorgeous flowers but due to the weather that was no longer an option.  So instead I went to Wal-Mart and got some flowers to put on my little balcony.

This beautiful flower is called Bellis. I did not know that the Daisy and the Bellis are from the same family.  They say that you should learn something new everyday and I did.

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After this post was published I decided to do the Bellis in B&W.

 

Don’t Quit by John Greenleaf Whittier

Listen!  Confucius speaks…….

You never know how close you are to your goals when you quit.  Keep striving for the goal!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,

When funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

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Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won if he’d stuck it out.

Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow

You may succeed with another blow.

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Often the goal is nearer than It seems to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor’s cup,

And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

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Success is failure turned inside out

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are

It may be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit

It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

Longwood Gardens

One my day trip to Longwood gardens last weekend I found some beautiful and different flowers.  This is one of them.  This is a bloom on a tree, I do not know what it is called.  It looks like a pink hairy caterpillar with yellow tips on the end of each strand of hair.

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 I liked this one because of the contrast between the yellow cluster of anther in the center and the burgundy petals that protect it.  

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 I am not sure what type of Orchids these are but they are beautiful.

 Although this Orchid has a few blemishes on its petals I still LOVE Orchids.  It kind of reminds me of Gene Simmons of KISS sticking out his super long tongue.

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 Here are some rich dark Purple Tulips sometimes referred to as Black Heroes.

 

 Lavender.  The flowers on a Wisteria vine are very fragrant with lavender.  My mother as two large Wisteria vines (trees) in her yard.  When they are in bloom I love to sit in her back yard and absorb the fragrance.  

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 There are hundreds of varieties of Roses.  Each one more beautiful than the next.  They say roses are a girls best friend (second to diamonds).

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The Lily

Lilies are my favorite flower.  I love all varieties.  This is a new one for me.  The Oriental Lily.  It has at least 2 sets of petals.   

Thank You for viewing some of my Reflections

 

 

   More pictures of Longwood Gardens coming soon…

Mr. Keebler lives at Longwood Gardens!

I found Mr. Keebler and the Keebler Elves home!  While walking around the beautiful grounds of Longwood Gardens, I spotted this large old tree.  It was a big old tree that had to be more than a 100 years old.  It was HUGE.  I could not fit the whole tree in a picture.

At the base of the tree you could see the large roots going into the ground and you just know that the root system has to be at least 30 feet or more out.  Remember that a trees root system is twice the distance of the branches that extend out.  As I examined the roots, I noticed an indentation in the base of the tree.  It was a doorway.  

My imagination began to run wild as if I was about 8 years old again.  It popped into my head about Mr. Keebler.  The elf that lives and works in a tree.  Could this be his home and workshop? 

 

 

 

 Longwood Gardens is a beautiful place.  It was once the private estate of Pierre S. du Pont.    According to the records of the Garden he purchased the property to save trees that were scheduled to be cut down and used for lumber (is this one of the trees that he saved?)

This is just one of the beautiful wonders in my back yard.  I will be posting more pictures from Longwood Gardens.  I have over 700 to review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colors

A couple of my new blog friends. gracefully50 and A Pakistani Boy,  have been blogging about colors and I thought that I would show my support for color.  It is spring and a lot of flowers will begin to bloom.  I love flowers they (most of them) send a beautiful fragrant in the air.  Most people smile when they receive flowers.

Here are some colorful pictures of flowers that I have taken over the past couple of years.

YELLOW

 

ORANGE

 PURPLE

 

I will be updating with more colors tomorrow, it is getting late here now.  Let me know what you thing about the colors/flowers.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Blue

Not exactly a flower but what the hect…

Green

As promised here are the additional flowers.

Thanks for the “LIKES” and comments!