First glance, second chance

This is a front yard flower garden in my neighborhood that really stands out now that it's the tail end of Sept. and most of the flowers have "given up" after a very hot summer.

It caught my eye a couple times as I drove by so I decided to take a walk with my camera to get a few pictures.

The brilliant varigated orange marigolds deserved a closer look.

Neither the foliage or the flowers looked heat stressed in this garden.

When I moved to this angle I noticed the little lantern on the very corner. I had been so taken by the brilliant colors I had not noticed it before.

I came in for a close up and that's when I noticed...

This little guy all calm, cool, and collected.

My brain clicked into gear. If there was this little surprise, there might be more.

My eyes picked out the bunny rabbit propped inside the tree stump and that led me to the...

little fairy checking out his paws.

There was no doubt there was more to be found. How could I have missed this?

It was certainly big enough, but, honest to goodness, I did not see it before now. Could there be more surprises?

Who would have guessed? Can you see how this all started to become very intriguing? This was becoming the garden of the unexpected.

A lovely little decorative gazing ball topped with a fleur de lis, was as delicate as the flowers themselves.

I took a few moments to capture the beauty of this garden because I was drawn to the colorful mix and the vibrancy of the late summer blooms.

As I moved around the sides of this small plot, I was rewarded with one new discovery after another.

By now I was starting to "get it." My idea of seeing something needed some serious recalibrating. I was standing a few feet from this delightful garden, and although all these things were in plain sight, I did not see them.

I did not have a clue until by accident I saw one, and then another, and when I thought I had noticed them all, I would see another. This was the universe delivering a well taught lesson.

I wanted to blog about this to let it settle in and have it change me. I thought about my Grandmother who lived next door to me from the time I was born until I left for college. I wonder what I might have noticed about her had I taken the time to look.

This line of thinking could go on forever about people and places and things that were skimmed over in my hurry to "see" what's next. But I think I'll be taking a closer look and just possibly giving myself a second chance on some beauties I glossed over too quickly.

PS: After publishing this post I went back once more to prove to myself there is always more to discover.

To my delight I discoved these seals. They were very close to the polar bear but I missed them earlier.

On The Upswing

After the last post, it seemed a good idea to do a follow up post to report that things are moving along nicely. This shot was taken before the remodel started. The door at the end of the hallway leads into the bath now being remodeled. This is where the changes started. The trim is off the doorway and the door opening will be enlarged to the width of the hallway. This shot taken of that same area now looks like this. By closing the entrance from the hallway, that bathroom will now be the master bath by keeping the entrance from the bedroom only. This is how it looks from the bathroom side. the door on the left leads to the hallway and the one on the right into the bedroom. Now it looks like this. Part of the hallway has become part of the bathroom. This is where the vanity will be installed. The partial doorway you see on the right leads to the bedroom. Turning 180 degrees and looking across the room to the opposite corner, you see the window and the en

Out of No Where

Isn't it uncanny how a project can sneak into an already crowded schedule? Recently a friend invited me to do a walk through on a two-family he was planning to buy. A couple pieces of furniture had been left behind and they were dumpster material to him. Did I go with him thinking there was something there for me? NO. Was I looking for something in particular? NO. Did the thought of finding a new project ever cross my mind? NO! But, see for yourself. Could you have passed this up? It was sturdy (translates to a little heavy). There was nothing wrong with it. It even had all the shelves and the pins that hold them in place. And without the shelves it was not quite as heavy. (Try telling me that as my friend and I are hauling it down a flight of stairs.) More shelving on the side made it even more practical. I'm sure they could be used for something besides VHS tapes. Here it is in my studio where I could do a complete assessment. Looks like a good cleaning

Small Storage Containers RECYCLED

With the way grocery products have skyrocketed this past year, it has somehow made the containers they come in seem more valuable. To be transparent, I have always saved glass jars from jam, pickles, and spaghetti sauce.=) You know, small, medium and large. I also saved yogurt cups, sour cream containers, etc. When I was painting furniture and mixing colors, the small containers came in handy. This past summer I got a good laugh when I found a stack of yogurt containers in the back of a cabinet in my studio...at least 60! Needless to say those made it into the trash. More recently I have collected a fair amount of plastic containers with lids that are similar to the food saving containers you buy for that purpose. These are fairly large, about 5x7 inches and approximately 3" deep. They are great for leftovers but also good for storing a multitude of other smallish items. The bottoms are see through which makes them perfect for organizing hobby/craft and workshop items. But once a

Vicki DresteSeptember 30, 2010 at 6:42 AM
Nice post. A second chance can be something wonderful. We don't know what we've missed.
Jennifer {Studio JRU}October 3, 2010 at 5:47 PM
Beautiful!! I love all the hidden little 'gems' in the garden! I am stopping by from the BYW "North Central forum post". I saw you grew up in Nebraska... that is where I live! :)

zoom in

Search This Blog