Enjoying White Blossoms

Shasta-DaisiesWhen we woke to heavy rain this morning, I jumped out of bed and looked out the sliding glass door, into our back yard. The first thing I noticed was the patch of Shasta Daisies. They were luminous. The rain had highlighted the beautiful white petals. I’ve always loved brightly colored flowers, especially oranges and yellows, as seen in the  pots of marigolds dispersed throughout our yard, both front and back, but as I admired the daisies, I realized that recently I’ve shown a liking for white blossoms.

White-OrchidHere is the white orchid that sits next to our kitchen window. I just love it. So crisp and clean looking. The pale yellow adds just the right touch of warmth.

Night-JasmineThe day after I returned from New Zealand, I was seated at the kitchen table, writing in my journal, that is where you usually find me first thing in the morning. I looked up and suddenly noticed that our Night-Blooming Jasmine was covered in blossoms. The white against the dark green leaves was gorgeous. I grabbed my camera and took the above photo. Are you noticing a pattern here? My new appreciation for white flowers seems to have started before the morning rain highlighted the daisies.

 

water-on-tableI actually ran out into the rain, to take the photo of the Shasta Daisies, and on the way back in noticed this rain puddle on our glass outdoor table, so I took this photo before I ran in the house and dried off. It is still raining, as I write this. It is almost lunch time, and they tell us we will have intermittent rain until this evening. I will not complain, because in California we need the water so desperately, and it  makes me slow down a little and take notice of little Shasta Daisies and puddles.

Another Great Reason to Exercise

Morning bike ride
On my morning bike ride through our neighborhood I spotted this gorgeous tree. As usual I was carrying my camera and just had to get off my bike and take a photo. I know most of the country is still in the middle of winter, but we are having spring like weather, and our trees and plants are blossoming a little earlier than usual. I’m not fooling myself though, because it is only February and we might still be in for more rain and cooler days, but for now I’ll hang on to this beautiful weather.

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This photo of the nearby playground was taken early in the day during one of my walks. It was so quiet and as you can see, I was the only one there. Exercise is wonderful for our health and well-being, but also a great excuse to get out and take some photos.

 

 

A Walk Under Blue Sky

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This photo and the one below were taken at the Sir Speedy corporate headquarters that sits across the road from my doctor’s office. I’ve always admired its clean architectural lines, and after our recent rain the blue sky and green grass accentuated the building more than ever.

Today I  went for my yearly physical, and my doctor encouraged me to get in a 30-minute walk at least five days a week. This has been my goal since last year’s physical, but it rarely fit into my schedule.  I’d often noticed the paths on the Sir Speedy grounds, so today I decided to walk up those paths. I say up, because the building sits on a hill and the paths are rather steep in places. I circled the building and enjoyed the grass and flowers for almost half an hour, and the walk back to my car completed the 30 minutes. I couldn’t help but wonder if employees inside the building could see me and wondered who it was walking on their company grounds. I followed doctor’s orders to do my half-hour walk, and also satisfied my curiosity about the paths surrounding Sir Speedy. I wonder where my walk tomorrow will take me.100_3536