This and That ~Number 4

How is everyone doing? These last 40 days have been surreal for the entire world. So much has changed and there is so much uncertainty.  I am missing my family, my friends, my church, and going out. But we must stay positive and make the best of things.  Today, I am catching up sharing some things about my family I haven't posted and some things I have been doing.

My daughter gave me this cute moss-covered straw watering can planter for Valentine's. The primroses have stopped blooming and I can't wait to get to a nursery to replenish it with something blooming. Maybe an African Violet would be nice and last all summer. It looks so nice on my porch coffee table. It is pictured in the previous picture.

We were in Texas in early March when the blue-bonnets were blooming. They were so pretty just growing on the sides of the road.

Here are my Texas grandchildren in a bluebonnet field.

This is our family at Christmas. It was so good to have them at our house this year. My grandchildren have grown so quickly. My oldest grandson is a senior this year and hopefully will go off to college this fall. Things are uncertain right now how normal college will work online or on campus.

This is the newest edition of Southern Lady. Do you have it? Then please turn to page 41-43. My daughter's painting is pictured in the article.

She is an abstract painter and you can view her work at amyschnorrenbergart.com and Instagram @amschnorrenberg_art

A friend of my daughters commissioned this painting for her bedroom. I am so proud of my daughter and it was a great honor her painting was featured in Southern Lady. Southern Lady is one of my favorite magazines.

This is an arrangement I did with grocery store flowers that I posted on Instagram. If you are not following me on Instagram (Living With Thanksgiving) or Facebook (Bonnie Morgan)I would love for you to become a follower. 

This is the same arrangement after the lilies opened in a different setting. Would you have recognized it?

Usually, I see the same butterflies in my garden but this one was new to me. I had to look it up in my butterfly book.  It is called a Red Admiral butterfly. According to legend, Red Admirals were named for their resemblance to eighteenth-century British naval uniforms. 

 After reading about the legend, I was curious to see what an 18th-century Royal Navy uniform looked like. This is a depiction of the uniform worn by the hero of the battle of Trafalger, Admiral Lord Nelson. I found a picture of him with an orange sash but it had a copyright. I still wonder why the butterfly is named Red Admiral. Shouldn't it be an "Orange" Admiral? My husband believes the butterfly is called a Red Admiral because Nelson was an Admiral of the Red, at the time of his death, the highest rank echelon in the Royal Navy.

The legend will help me remember the name of this butterfly. 

My confederate jasmine is in full bloom! It smells heavenly.

We have had several bad storms recently. This tree on the golf course near my house was damaged.  We were grateful only to have limbs and debris in our yard.  Storms two Sunday nights in a row were unnerving!

Beware of this caterpillar! It is very pretty but does so much damage. It is an Eastern Tent Caterpillar.

I am loving my new bird feeder. The squirrels can not steal my birdseed. They keep trying though. It is so convenient because it doesn't have to be replenished very often.

 During this stay at home period, I am glad to say I have walked almost every day. I have enjoyed the lakes and ponds around the golf course near my home. I think if you zoom in you can see a heron in this pic. This area is an avian haven. I'm working on a blogpost on birds to publish soon.

 As I was walking with my camera in hand I had the most interesting shot of a huge turtle in the water and a car passed by and scared him off.

The solitude of early morning walks gives much time to reflect on my blessings and enjoy the beauty around me. I love the reflection of the clouds on the water.
 I also have enjoyed seeing families out working in their yards and many more people taking walks and riding bicycles.
Besides walking, I have worked and worked in my yard. It has certainly given me a focus and goals to accomplish but the size of my garden is becoming too much for me as I have gotten older. 
I have also enjoyed a lot of porch sitting daydreaming about plans for my garden and just watching and listening to the birds. It has been a restful time because there was nothing on the calendar and no where I had to be.

I'll close with the new normal for us all. Many prayers for those suffering from the Corona Virus and all those caring for them. Stay safe, my friends!

Breakfast in the Garden

I don't know what I would have done this last month if I could not have gone outside and if I had not had my garden to enjoy. Early one morning looking at my amaryllis blooming a tablescape was born and then a breakfast idea!

Amaryllis are bulbs that faithfully come up every spring and multiply much to my delight!

Earlier in the spring, I gathered a few flowers in bud vases on my kitchen table. The April Cornell placemats were perfect colors to complement the amaryllis in the garden for my tablescape and I was flooded with sweet memories of my mother-in-law since the placemats came from her. 

I then remembered a checked cloth I've had for years. With the lovely morning light gleaming through the trees and the cool morning temperature it was so pleasant. 

I was able to cut some snowballs from a neighbor and knock out roses from my garden. The pitcher holding the snowballs was painted by my mother and is special to me. The little green pitcher is from France and it has a story you can read about here.

 As I was getting the table together I remembered some chocolate croissants I had in the freezer.  They would be perfect with coffee and would be a good surprise when my husband got back from his walk. 
Styling flowers and tables are a fun hobby but using them for a purpose is fun too. 

As who doesn't deserve a treat during this pandemic! Every day is a gift from God and the little things like morning sunlight and the peacefulness of the garden make me very thankful. During this slower pace of life, as we shelter in place, I have savored many tastes and scents and beauty in nature more than ever. And just look at the talent God gave April Cornell in the design of these placemats. The colors and design are beautiful to me. And they are cheerful. We need a good dose of cheerfulness to encourage us through this crisis.
I am praying for all those suffering from illness, grieving over lost loved ones, loss of lives and homes from recent tornadoes, devastating financial losses, those serving in the front lines and for wisdom for our government leaders. 
 Living thankfully for all my blessings! 

Linking to: Between Naps on the Porch