Flowers

 I wanted to share my Rhododendron bush that is located on my front walkway.  This year it out-did itself and is covered in the most beautiful clusters of blooms that I have seen in a very long time.  I guess it finally recovered the extensive trimming I did to it one year.  It had grown way out in the walkway and I had to cut it back some.  It looked exotic after I pruned it, but it didn't bloom well the following year.  

The first picture was taken a few days ago, but the rest are from this morning.  The second picture is of small iris' that I have had for a very long time and despite the neglect of care that they get from me, they managed to bloom anyway.  There are more small iris' on the other side of that Rose of Sharon tree, but the weeds were much too high to get a good picture of them.

Rhododendrons.....Remembering Brian & Our Neighbors, The Holt's

My Rhododendron bush blossoms are just beginning to open up and one bush is further along than the other.  Here are some pictures of the bush that is blooming at the moment.  The other bush is still in the bud stage, but the buds are beginning to open, as I already said.  I think that they are so pretty and my only wish is that the blooms would last all summer.

It has been raining all morning, so the blossoms are wet, but I think they look pretty with raindrops all over them.  The sun has just popped out and it is supposed to be a warm day today, 75 degrees F.

As I gaze at the beauty of these flowers, I can't help but think of my son Brian, who loved flowers so much and how he would have loved to have seen these.  I can just imagine that he would have wanted to pick some of the large clusters of flowers, put them in water, and give them to Reva.  His thoughts were always of how she would love the flowers that he would give her.  He was such a romantic, and we all miss him so much.  To be honest, he had a stubborn streak like me too, but we don't miss that.  I had to smile when I thought of that too.  Just thinking of Brian makes me smile and feel sad at the same time.

 My thoughts are also drawn to my neighbors large Rhododendron which always blooms before mine.  It has never failed to be in full bloom before mine, except for this year.  They both passed away and I'm reminded of the year that Jimmy died when none of our flowers bloomed the following Spring, and Juanita and Blonde Holt both passed away last year and their flowers are not blooming this Spring either.