Sunday Stills | The Showers of Blessings

Tag Archives: Sunday Stills

Sunday Stills: #Wild and #Weird Perspectives

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Miriam Hurdle 50 comments

This week Terri Webster Schrandt invited us to look at the theme of “wild and weird” offers photo bloggers a chance to share our random photos for Sunday Stills.

First I wanted to share this photo I took on my walk in a friend’s neighborhood. It caught my eyes when Mr. Friendly trimmed the grass to create a greeting to the neighbors.

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There are some stray cats in my backyard. One day, I caught three but only took photos of two. They seemed to be comfortable around my backyard. I don’t know how they’ve survived.

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On our walk around Laguna Lake close to our home, we were not short of surprises of the behaviors of the lovely creatures claimed the lake their home.

Rare addition to the lake – Egyptian Geese

Nap time for geese and ducks

On top of the world – white heron

He won the race over the hare

Sunday Stills: #Wild and #Weird Perspectives

Sunday Stills: Home is the Happiest Place

Posted on June 14, 2020 by Miriam Hurdle 74 comments

The theme for Sunday Stills this week from Terri is: Home.

As much as we enjoy traveling, I always looked forward to coming home before the trip was over. Perhaps the tours I booked were too vigorous, and I got tired by getting up early or sitting on the bus too much from city to city.

I’m comfortable at home. This morning I spotted a Swallowtail butterfly staying on one flower for twenty minutes. I thought she came to lay eggs. I checked after she was gone. No, she didn’t, but I found a tiny grasshopper only 1/3 inch long.

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About a dozen mourning doves, many house finches, and sparrows perching on the telephone wires around 4:00 p.m. every day, waiting for me to feed them. A pair of mourning doves came to fix up the old nest on Friday, June 5, and the female dove came back last Sunday to lay eggs. Now she is patiently incubating her young.

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My home is shared by a family of four hummingbirds.

My home is the happiest place to me!

I’m even happier when I’m at my second home, my daughter’s home. Nothing gives me more joy than being with my granddaughters. So far, I only spent time with my two-and-a-half years old granddaughter, Autumn. I love playing with her and reading to her. I haven’t seen my second granddaughter Nora in person yet because of the coronavirus. I look forward to seeing Autumn and Nora when it’s safe to travel.

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My daughter’s home is the utmost happiest place to me!

I love to hear what make you happiest. It could be something, some place, some people, or something you do.

Sunday Stills: Home is the Happiest Place

Sunday Stills: #Plant Life in My Garden

Posted on June 7, 2020 by Miriam Hurdle 121 comments

This week’s photo challenge by Terri Webster Schrandt is about plant life. Many folks are still limited to where they can go, but we can all walk in our backyards and gardens and enjoy plant life.

Garden is a sanctuary where my soul rests, my mind cleared, my strength renewed, and my heart rejoices. It is a place where I go every morning to listen, listen to the voices of the plants and the small creatures, and listen to the voice within. The garden nourishes my being more than the time I put in it to nourish the plants.

One Daylily plant I have is Wineberry Candy. They are low-maintenance perennial and have showy colors of flowers all summer. The bulbs multiply and I dig up the fresh growth to transplant in various spots.

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Both Lily of the Nile Blue (Agapanthis africanus) and Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violace) multiply continuously. For years, I transplanted the fresh growth to landscape my garden. It turns out the hummingbirds love to suck the nectar of both plants.

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The Society Garlic is below the Lily of the Nile Blue

This Salvia started out with two-2.5 Qt. plant and has grown into a lush bush. It is the most favorite of the hummingbirds. It is also where the bees congregate. I bought several more pots and planted two pots by another hummingbird feeder in the backyard, and two pots by the plum trees.

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The always cheerful hibiscus regardless the attention I paid to it yet greets me with the gorgeous bloom every morning.

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Have a peaceful Sunday and a wonderful week ahead!

Sunday Stills: #Plant Life in My Garden

Sunday Stills: Straight

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Miriam Hurdle 49 comments

Straight is this week’s theme for Sunday Stills photo challenge. Thank you to Graham of Graham’s Island for the theme idea!

On Aug. 28, 2005, Hurricane Katrina became a Category Five storm, with winds blowing at about 175 mph (280 kph). The storm turned north toward the Louisiana coast. The storm weakened to a Category 3 storm before making landfall along the Louisiana-Mississippi border on the morning of Aug. 29 with sustained winds of 120 mph (193 kph).

Hubby and I planned a trip to North Carolina in mid-September. Even though the storm didn’t hit straight through, the damage was significant. Hubby had diving in mind and he didn’t want to cancel the trip, so we proceeded. The hotel we booked was near Beaufort, closed to the waterfront. After we got there, the hotel owner said the building was leaking and asked us to go inland seven miles before checking any hotel availability. We followed his advice and found lodging. The weather was pleasant. We visited Fort Macon, the Historic Museum, and Cape Lookout. Hubby even booked a diving trip.

The Battle of Fort Macon was fought there during March and April 1862. The canon points straight toward the possible battle ships.

The Fort Macon was constructed with red bricks, curves, and straight lines.

We went Straight across the bridge and straight up the lighthouse.

The Cape Lookout Lighthouse is 163 feet high with 207 steps to climb to the top. It’s pretty hard to climb straight to the top. We went to the upper level of the visitor center.

Sunday Stills: Straight