Full Bloom

Today we took our first excursion since before Covid 19 started. We met with our old friends at Lake Norman NC. It was a wonderful day of connection. The house where they were staying this week was surrounded by beautiful Azaleas and Dogwoods in full bloom. It was a gorgeous time to be there. I am pausing my story chapters to share some of the beautiful flowers with you. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Nature’s best for free

Blooming beauty you can’t buy

Petals gone next week

Unedited iPhone Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Waiting to Come Out

Bluebird clutch waiting

New life grows inside blue shells

Nature’s poetry

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Eggshells and Earthworms

When my grandchildren outgrew their toybox a few years ago, I decided to use it as a compost bin. I put it below my garden at the edge of the tree line. It gets filled with all my trimmings, grass clippings, household garbage, and any other natural vegetation. I fill it a few times over the year. Each time it rots and composts down. All that garbage condensed into a half of a bin full of rich compost.

Today, when I dug into it, it was well rotted and full of tiny earth worms. I put part of it on my grape vines and saved the rest for my tomatoes I am going to plant. Black Gold, wonderful stuff to build good rich soil.

Vegetation rots

Rich compost farmed by earthworms

Makes great tomatoes

My compost full of earthworms when I dug into it.

Compost on my new grapevine I planted last year.

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Nature’s Little Gift

While resetting my stepping stones, I stopped to take a rest on my chair along the creek. Across the way the sparrows were coming back and forth to the birdhouse with pieces of material to build a nest in the box. I noticed a feather lying in the leaves on the ground on the other side. About that time, I saw the male sparrow fly down and pick it up in its beak. He flew to the birdhouse and proceeded to drag it into the nest. He got two-thirds in the hole, but could not get the rest into the nest. Next thing I knew he pushed it back out and left it float back to the ground.

I went over and picked up the feather and found that it was a hawk feather. The hawks come and visit the gas-line clearing from time to time. It is a beautiful specimen as you can see. I thought it was interesting to see the fuzzy down at the base of the shaft. That is most likely the way they stay warm and insulated in cold weather. I decided to save it for my collection of odds and ends!

Hawk feather too big

for brown sparrow’s bird house nest

Nature’s gift to me

iPhone Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Light Outshines the Darkness

In the Christian faith we celebrate Good Friday, remembering the suffering and death of Christ on the Cross at Calvary. But it is not the dark night of the soul that draws us to God’s Love and Grace. It is the joy of Easter and the Light of the Resurrection that gives us hope. The Light at the end of the dark tunnel is Jesus!

Friday night’s darkness

Seems like dark evil has won

But Sunday’s coming

*

Light overwhelms sad darkness

Drawing us all toward bright hope

*

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Crossroads

Evening sun setting

Which road will take us back home

Night’s blanket surrounds

Red taillights shine in the night

Crossroads always bring questions

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms lead the Spring parade. Along with flowering pear, and redbuds they provide a glorious silhouette against the deep blue sky. I took this photo in my neighborhood this morning. Cherry blossoms are a great symbol of new life and light as we lead into Easter this coming weekend.

Cherry blossoms shine

Painting warm soft spring snowflakes

Soon wrapped in deep green

At d’Verse, Frank asked us to write our Monday Haibun on the theme of cherry blossoms. I waited to post till today so I could show you the beautiful cherry blossoms I see as I pass in and out of my neighborhood.

Join us at: https://dverse poets.com

Rocks in the Stream

Rocks don’t impede flow

Just make life more exciting

Before the sublime

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

White Breasted Nuthatch

White Breasted Nuthatch

Feasts on my sunflower seeds

Free lunch over grubs

Photos; Dwight L. Roth

Making a Difference

Making a Difference

We went this week and got our second Covid shot. The procedure is now very streamlined with little waiting time. After temperature checks we waited only a short time to be taken to a room for our shots. A dozen others were sitting at tables in the process of getting vaccinated. Sitting at opposite ends, we were asked the routine question before getting injected. The nurse did her best to make us feel relaxed and comfortable. I asked her how long she had been there giving the shots. She said since 6:30 this morning. This was at 4:00 PM. She and many other health workers were making a difference in all of our lives with their service. For this we are most grateful!

Dedicated Nurses

Risk their lives daily for us

Heroes among us

Photo: Dwight L. Roth