Orchid month…
In my house, February is orchid month.
One of them just opened its first two blooms. It doesn't have as many buds as last year, but it is beautiful nonetheless.
And as always, they fuel my inspiration.
Soft Pink Orchids II
Butterflies everywhere
This afternoon we visited the Chattahoochee Nature Center. The purpose was to see the two bald eagles kept there because they have been injured and cannot be returned to the wild. They were perched on a shaded platform, probably because of the heat, and we couldn't get a good view of them. We'll try again in the fall.
As Nature's way to compensate us for this, there were butterflies everywhere. These are just two of them.
Tiger Swallowtail butterfly
Gulf Fritillary butterfly
And also a lot of other insects such as wasps and bumble bees.
Can you see the bumble bee on this passion flower?
Fair Pink Roses II
There is still some pink there but they turn white after a few days.
Mom, I’m hungry!
A bluebird chick asking to be fed.
In the end, the bluebird couple which earlier visited our birdhouse so many times didn't seem to like the lodging but they did like the food. The whole family, both parents and their four chicks are now visiting the feeder several times a day.
Reflections about two storms
I have now had more than two weeks to reflect on the hail storm which hit our house, ruined parts of our garden and damaged the roof of our home. This storm was followed by more storms last week which created so much destruction and deaths through so many southern states.
When I woke up the following morning after the first storm and saw my garden, I was sad. I had put a lot of time and effort into it and I enjoyed watching my flowers and listening to the birds sing. Later we got the news about the roof, the broken vents and the dented window. Not just us but the whole neighborhood and for a couple of days we all talked and commiserated about it.
Then came the storms of last week destroying everything in their path. Even in Georgia, where the areas affected weren’t as extensive, they caused a lot of damage and even a death. We saw the path of the tornado that hit Lake Burton, in Rabun County. On one end of the lake, everything looks fine, on the other, the same, a peaceful place and even some boats in the water. And in the middle, there is utter destruction. Pieces of wood, walls and roofs are half on the ground and the other half on the water. It looks like a forest of just trunks; there are no branches, no leaves. A heartbreaking scene.
Lake Burton, Georgia
And now I realize how lucky we were - to the point that I feel ashamed for having felt bad about my garden and house. So many people lost their houses, their livelihood and even their lives. My heart hurts when I think about it. I know they will rebuild, it’s in our nature to pick up the pieces and keep going. But with the lives that were cut short we will never know what promises they entailed, which songs will not be sang, which colors will not be painted and which discoveries will not happen.
Last night’s storm…
Last night. Hail and leaves cover the ground.
Last night's storm created havoc on our backyard garden. Hail the size and shape of medium sized bird’s eggs fell with the speed and the fury of machine-gun fire.
The noise inside the house was terrifying; and outside, the sound of the tornado siren could be heard despite the clatter of the rain and the wind.
The storm literally covered the ground with bit and pieces of leaves and small branches. Green leaves were plastered on the windows, upstairs and downstairs, like sad window framed art.
This morning. The hail melted, the leaves are still there.
Several of my hanging geraniums lost all of their flowers and many of their leaves. In the shaded corner of the garden, the hostas look as if an elephant trampled on them. The ferns, maybe because of their smaller needled leaves, better withstood the fury of the storm.
Yesterday, before the storm, our small garden was like a picture of beauty, peace, and tranquility. Today it looks like a war was fought and lost there.
Looking at so much destruction, I also worry about the birds which visit our feeders daily. How did they survive the rage of the hail and the wind? I have seen a few come back today but only the next days will tell us the whole story.
Despite my sadness for the loss of so much work and the damage to so many beautiful plants and flowers we were lucky, both personally and regionally, because nobody was killed in Georgia and our house was not damaged. Our thoughts go out to those in other regions who were not as fortunate.
Now we just have to wait for nature to heal itself. It will take some time, but it will and my garden will be back to its normal peaceful and beautiful self.
This photo was taken yesterday afternoon, before the storm. Hopefully this dianthus plant will flower again.
