I have always loved the peaceful, thoughtful atmosphere that is made by beach chairs looking out to the sea. I think, personally, that the mighty ocean, and its many moods, is one of the more glorious of God’s creations. The many people that sit and rest and gaze out to the sea, have many thoughts. What do the rolling waves bring to your mind? Do you wonder how far the sea shells that you see next to the shore have come? And, if by chance, you are lucky enough to come upon some sea glass…what do you think it was before it was broken apart and polished by the sand and the sea? As you gaze out to sea, do you feel very small and insignificant in this universe? Or do you feel energized by the constant in and out and in and out of the waves? I confess, it makes me feel like a tiny speck of sand in comparison to the world we live in. It is mesmerizing, though, isn’t it? To watch those waves go on and on…to see the tides rise and fall…to see the palest of blues, and the teals, and the greens…deep and almost black fading into emerald and a beautiful, crystal clear green. And the white caps of the waves adding just the right highlight to the whole scene.

I particularly like to sit on the beach at night…when it is dark enough to see the stars in the sky. I love how the moon highlights the sand…it almost glows. And, the moon shining across the water makes such an enticing pathway, you almost feel as if you step on it and visit with the man who lives there. I like the way other groups of people move into and out of the area you have lain claim to…they seem to just disappear and you are alone again. Just you and the sea.

So, the sight of beach chairs gives me pause to remember the great God of the sea…the creator of this masterpiece…this playground He so richly provides for us.

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This is a summer beach tablescape I have in my home…Note the little beach chairs, and the picture in the shadowbox of more beach chairs!

I’m afraid some one would get wet here….maybe that is why they’ve all gone inside!

The sea turns to diamonds this time of day…

I love these chairs, they look very comfortable. Can you see how many shades of blue and green there are in this pic?

The straight back chairs make a colorful picture, but I am not sure I could sit there long enough to do much pondering…

This is a picture I have on my mantle…and I actually bought it at Target. It is a wrapped canvas, and it gives me a very peaceful feel.

OH,MY! This is gorgeous…but I do not even think I could get out to it. It looks to me like it is on a sand bar…and that would require swimming in pretty deep water…so I am sure I will only visit this from afar.

A beautiful sunset…a chair built for two…a place for cold drink…quite romantic, don’t you think?

These chairs seem to be put here as an afterthought. Notice how they are facing the sun. Perhaps they were dragged down to the water’s edge for a couple to take in the sunset. I love the fact that the chairs have a place for your legs to rest also.

And, these are the chairs I’d most like to sit in. Something about the materials and the style of them…they look as if someone lovingly crafted these chairs by hand. I just know that these would be MY chair!

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“…be still…and consider the wonders of God.” Job 37:14

This collage is for my sweet friend,my hair stylist, my favorite singer, Tina’s daughter, Amy.

Today is her birthday and I put together this collage of words that describe her. She’s very special to me and I am very proud of her. She has grown and matured into quite a woman. She deserves only the best in life…and she is trusting God for that!

Happy Birthday, my dear, and many more!

On my last post, I showed you some hydrangeas from my yard. I had them in a vase like this one in the pic below. I wondered if anyone would notice it, and comment. And sure enough…my eagle-eyed friend, the newest California girl, Teresa, noticed it and commented.

These (I have 2) are my new favorite vases. Here are the components.
I found these at that greatest of all stores…TJ**XX. There they were, just sitting on the shelf, waiting for someone to appreciate their wonderfulness. And I did! And I took them home with me. When I checked out, the cashier said,” What ARE those things, and what are you going to do with them?” I told her they were for arranging flowers. And that they were called ‘frog jars’. She said that they had all been wondering what they were…and nobody knew. Then she said, “Well, how did YOU know what they were?” Now how would you answer a question like that? We have all seen ‘flower frogs’ like this… I mean, how hard would it be to figure out? What else could it be? What else would you ever stick through those holes? And, whatever you stuck through those holes, why would you need them to go into a jar…that could hold water? If you put those 2 clues together…what else would you come up with? Well, she called together all the other cashiers at the checkout, at registers #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5 to come and see what she had discovered. This did not make me a very popular shopper with the l-o-n-g line of people behind me who were waiting to check out, either. Oh, well…at least I did my part to educate the masses that day, because everyone behind the counter and in line knew all about my 2 flower vases!

I have never seen any more for sale there or anywhere else. I liked these because they had a rusty, antique feel to them. However, I did ‘google’..flower frog jars..and came up with this site that lists several places to buy them… www.thefind.com/kitchen/info-flower-frog-jar. Some of the ones shown there were in colored glass, and had a newer look to them. I know nothing about any of these businesses, I pass this along simply FYI.

One of the last times that I visited with my Granny Merritt, before she went to live in the nursing home, she had a new ‘treasure’ to show me in her yard. I remember it well, because it always makes me smile when I see one. I am speaking of “High Geraniums”. I’m sure you have seen them. One of the most beautiful plants and very prolific here in the deep South. She was so proud of them and kept telling me the night before just how beautiful they were. I could hardly wait to see them!

I could only imagine what they would look like. Were they a climbing variety… or more of a bush? I was not then, and I am not now, very much of a gardener. But, I did know what a ‘geranium’ was. I especially liked red ones in clay pots.

After we were up and around the next morning, she said, “Come on, Tonna, let’s go see my flowers.” She always called me Tonna. No one else has ever called me that. And, I am glad because that was her special name for me.

Out to the yard we went…and she led me to the most beautiful HYDRANGEA bush I had ever seen! I told her how beautiful they were and they really were. I always think of her whenever I see a bush of ‘high geraniums’!

When we began thinking of the landscaping for the Creek House (and there is not much of it)…the only thing I told our designer that I wanted was hydrangeas…LOTS OF HYDRANGEAS! And, I have 6 or 7 bushes. I never expected to see any blooms this year…but LOOK AT THIS…

There is also a blue one blooming, too. I am just thrilled!

Today, I was able to pick some and bring them into the house..very exciting. I had heard there was a certain way to care for them after they are picked, I searched the internet to find out what to do. Here is the way to preserve the blooms as long as possible after cutting…

*****Take water with you to cut the flower and immediately place them in the water.
Boil some water, and remove from heat. After cutting the stem to desired length, place the cut stem in the boiling water for 30 seconds…then add to room temp. water to arrange.*****

I’ll let you know how long these last.

Another plant she taught me about were hostas. I think they are so beautiful! I have several in a bed at our former house. Boy do they multiply! I have already told Suzanne that I am going to bring about half of them over here. She will still have plenty to fill out the bed.

I think it kind of wonderful that at the age of 55, I am still thinking of the things my Granny told me so many years ago. Family is a wonderful thing. The memories, and the lessons stay with you for life. Oh, we must be sure the memories are happy ones, and the lessons are for good. We will be remembered, too, for the same things.

So, here’s to you, Granny Merritt…I imagine that you are seeing the most beautiful flowers in heaven. God’s gardens must be divine!

It has been raining and raining and raining. While all the trees and grass and flowers are loving it…and looking quite a lovely shade of green, I might add…us humans are shrivelling up like prunes. (by the way, I’ve never eaten a prune…never have wanted to eat a prune…but I have seen one and it is very shrivelly.) I do not even know if ‘shrivelly’ is a word…but it should be if it isn’t.
I am tired of it raining. And, when I get tired…I tend to ramble…on and on. Today, I rambled on the internet. I wanted to do a post about the Fibonacci numbers and how they relate to nature, and how God is truly the Master Designer. However, when I tried to understand the explanations they were giving about the math…my head got all fuzzy…and my eyes started to cross…and I think I even twitched a little.
It just never made sense to me…try as hard as I could. And,even way back in the dark ages, we had calculators. Maybe not the little ones you carried around with you…actually, I think they were called adding machines then…but, I knew my daddy had one in his office and if I ever needed to know something mathematical…I knew where to go to get the answer. Let me interject here that my daddy has this kind of incredible math brain. He does all these number things in his head…and can keep long strings of numbers in there and bring them back out at will. Obviously, I did not inherit that skill from him…I had to settle for getting his good looks! Anyway…
As much as I want to do a post on this wonderful fact about nature and math…it’s just not going to happen. Suffice it to say that it is a wonderful phenomenon, and well worth your time to read about. It really is fascinating, and I am sure it would be even more fascinating if I really understood it. But, I’m not one to let something like a mental block keep me from trying to express myself…so this is what I do understand….
*******There are certain numbers of petals on flowers, and there are certain placements of leaves on plants….and it corresponds to certain numbers in this Fibonacci System. The rings or petals on the pine cone and the pineapple always follow this system. If you notice the swirl in the head of a sunflower, or in the shell of a nautilus…it also follows specified diameter and number of rings.If you go here , you can find some information about this. Then follow the links at the bottom (one doesn’t work) to find out more, and see pictures.



There it is…I know unless this is interesting to you…you may be as lost as I am. I think I understand more about it than I can coherently explain…and this quote most certainly applies in this case:
I do know that there are some who don’t think this points to the great mind of God. They say that this mathematical system found in so much of creation is just the natural order of things…and the way the world ‘evolved’. They may say that …but I say “HOGWASH!!!” This points me to a Creator even more!
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It is still raining. And will throughout the night. I’m tired of reading, and I’m tired of typing, and honestly…I’m tired of thinking. So, that’s all the thinking I am going to do on this post. Think I’ll just ‘ramble on’ to bed…