My full and kooky life as a homeschooling mommy to 2 great kids, raising a child with HLHS (Hypolastic Left Heart Syndrome), coping with depression, following Jesus, and being much too camera happy.
Identifying this shrub from my phone’s image search turned into a mystery game. I found image upon image of different shrubs sharing similarities to this one. According to one particular image descriptions, this type of shrub is found along water sources; we found this shrub near a duck pond. It’s called seepwillow, water-wally, and mule fat. The fuzzy and sticky flowers attract butterflies. I’m interested to how it will look after the flowers have bloomed.
This post is for Cee’s FOTD challenge! Thanks Cee for hosting this challenge and for posting the list of challenges we can do.
In a matter of days, leaves have turned into a fiery red color like the sunset. I’m afraid all will drop off after they’ve enchanted us with their vibrant colors.
“In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.”
On a recent park walk, my friend pointed out a large tree with drooping leaves and little berries on its branches as a pepper tree. I didn’t know what to expect since the bulbs were yellow and had no resemblance to a peppercorn. But when I rubbed the yellow bulb between my fingers, it released that distinct spicy smell. When I looked it up online, this pepper is called “pink peppercorn“; it’s an altogether different kind of pepper than commonly used in cooking.
My friend didn’t know it was a pepper tree until her mother pointed it out to her last month. I love how knowledge is passed down and we can keep learning from each other. Now that tree has more significance to me and my kids (since I had to take them to smell it).
We found these pretty blooms in a petite but unexpectedly spacious park in San Jose. All kinds of colorful roses were growing in rows regularly tended by volunteers. If you weren’t specifically looking for this park, it’d be easy to overlook. It’s nestled inside a charming neighborhood; from the exterior, it looks like someone’s very large and well-maintained yard.
It was a quick peripheral stroll with the family, but it seemed like a photo shoot outing for families and couples
Others vistors relaxed on the grass, either reading, napping, or drawing, between rows of roses. What alarmed me was that many park goers did not adhere to the mask rule even though a large official sign (visitors need to wear masks) was placed near the entrance.
We got nervous about this, but decided it would be okay: it’s outdoors; groups of people were unto themselves; and we wore masks; and maintained social distance.
It stirred mixed emotions of frustration and sadness that many people were not taking the COVID-19 precautions seriously. I realize that some individuals cannot wear masks due to health reasons but all those people couldn’t have had that reason. At least groups of people were spread out inside the park.
It’s been hard to stay home when the weather is this lovely and summer vacation is almost ending.
Here are some pictures of my finds, and I hope you all have a happy and safe rest of the weekend!
Thanks Cee for hosting this challenge! Have a great rest of the weekend. 🙂
