poppies – Skelton Sketches

Making Seeds…

Posted on August 13, 2014April 29, 2017 by lindaskelton

Maybe it’s only after we have bloomed awhile…

and died to all that fresh-flung beauty,

that we hold seeds of wisdom to scatter for the next generation…

Macro-photos by Jim

Maybe the wisdom and fruitfulness of maturity–

–aren’t such a bad trade-off for the fresh beauty of youth…

That’s what I’m thinking this week as I collect seeds to sow and enjoy the season’s fruitfulness.

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The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. Pr.20:29

A gray head is a crown of glory;
It is found in the way of righteousness. Pr.16:31

–LS

And for you, my reader, watching over the shoulder of my days, I pray “that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Col.1:9,10

There are poppies and there are POPPIES…

Posted on June 27, 2014April 29, 2017 by lindaskelton

We were going away and still they hadn’t opened…

Now I’ve seen poppies bloom before…lots of red ones generally. These are blooming in my garden now:

Some more exotic than others…

My old neighbor used to shake her head and wonder why I wanted to grow weeds. Poppies were the undesirables back in the farm fields of Italy.

I have always loved them…They’re so delicate, like tissue wrapping paper and every year a fresh set volunteer…

But this year an extra jumbo plant arose in the hot west-facing tomato bed and grew like Jack’s beanstalk! I hadn’t planted it, at least not intentionally, but there it was, with the biggest buds ever, just waiting to burst.

And we had to leave on our trip before she delivered… (sigh) I was afraid I’d miss all her blooms before we got back to see…

A wedding intervened, and a 5th birthday for Grandson #1 and 3,000 kilometers of highway (more on that next time) before we could get home again to have a look…

First thing in the morning I scampered out with my camera to see how the garden had fared.

The roses were lovely

The Cranesbill Geranium blooms profuse

But the Poppies were outrageous!

Extravagant tousle-headed beauties still blooming in profusion.

Now those are POPPIES! I love it!

–LS

On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. Ps.145:5

Around the Block…

Posted on June 27, 2013April 30, 2017 by lindaskelton

After a busy week of planning and carrying out great celebrations of our youngest ‘chirp’ graduating, it’s been good to recoup and regroup…and make myself get out in the little windows of brightness without rain and see that all is well and still beautiful in my Father’s world…

One saggy evening after a slow day of much rain and little inspiration I stepped out to walk around the block. This little bird, intent on rousing me from my malaise, kept swooping down at my back—till I turned and had a talk with him now high on his perch. He twittered back and we had a little responsive whistling going for just a bit before I went on my way, just a bit brighter than when I’d set out ( :

So, may I commend to you a walk around the block next time your day hangs heavy?

And consider too these lyrics which brightened my morning today, sung here by GLAD:

This is my Father’s world, should my heart be ever sad? The lord is King—let the heavens ring. God reigns—let the earth be glad

–LS

A sad little end note here… no longer are my solo walks under surveillance from this window. My elderly neighbor of all these years, who moved here with her husband from Italy in the 50s and built the house next door to us, has moved away to live with family. Her house is now up for sale, complete with these ‘pinks’ that she always insisted smelled so much better than mine!