Friday, April 7, 2017

Flowers #AtoZchallenge #SkywatchFriday

I never imagined I would be able to take pictures of the sky and post them on something called the "Internet", where people all over the world could view them?

April 2 Binghamton, New York
April is a time of new beginnings.  Soon, this tree, stark against a blue sky with clouds, will be budding out in its own form of flowers.  But today - rain and cold.   We are under a flood watch.

Besides #SkywatchFriday, which I encourage my blog readers to visit and see skies from all over the world, I am participating today in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. 

Today, our posts begin with the letter F.  My theme is "Traveling Through Time and Space."

As a young girl growing up in a small apartment in a housing project in the Bronx in the 50's and 60's, I wanted so much to be able to grow my own flowers.  I loved plants.  My Mom grew geraniums in a west window, and I wanted to be just like her.

One day, I saw a package of dwarf marigold seeds for sale in the local supermarket.  I asked my Mom to buy it for me, and she did.

I planted the seeds in a flower box she bought for me, with some potting soil, again from the store.  I had read about growing flowers from the World Book Encyclopedia my parents had sacrificed to purchase me - in those days, no Internet to conduct research on.

I'd love to say the plants germinated, grew, and flowered.  And indeed, in several days, they did germinate.  I watched, fascinated, as what looked like little loops came up.  The tiny baby plants straightened up, and then put out their first leaves.  They liked the window they were in.

They grew. Before my delighted eyes, the first blower buds appeared.  And then....

One day, I came home from school, to find the plants covered in what looked like spider webs.  Soon, it was apparent they were infested by some tiny insect.  I researched, and it was spider mites.

My Mom bought me some bug spray, but it didn't work.  I tried washing the plants daily.  It only worked temporarily.

I did get a few blooms, but, eventually, the plants died. (I know now that it is really hard to fight spider mites).

But the fire in me to grow flowers didn't die.  It stayed dormant, until, as a grownup, I finally had a plot of land to grow a flower garden on.  The rest, they say, is history.


Now, living in a small city in upstate New York, I want to share pictures of some flowers I took on Sunday.

Iris reticulata (I think).  Feel free to correct me.

White and purple striped crocus.

Snowdrops.

And, my very own crocus.
"F" day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge as my memories allow me to travel through time and space.

20 comments:

  1. Such pretty flowers. There's something about flowers, they always make us feel happy.

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  2. Love your photos. Super post, thank you!

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  3. I am so ready to see lots of beautiful flowers outside! We are linked with them, to see and experience their beauty!

    Beth
    https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/fantasy/

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  4. I have one lonely little crocus in the front that some animal must have planted. We got rain, sleet, snow and high winds yesterday so who knows when I'll see flowers again.

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  5. Beautiful flowers, and I enjoyed reading your childhood memories. My mother grew geraniums, too, and I got my love of gardening from her.
    Have a great day!

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  6. Love the spirit of that little girl who kept her wish for growing flowers burning through the years. The flower pics are great - a real mood lifter, this post. Thank you!

    Nilanjana
    Madly-in-Verse

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  7. Gorgeous sky shot and lovely spring flowers too ~ thanks,

    Wishing you a Happy Weekend ~ ^_^

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  8. So interesting to hear how your love of gardening first started. Wonder if your mother knew what that simple seed purchase would lead to.

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  9. Such pretty flowers. Spring in upstate New York is wonderful (I spent four years in Troy).

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  10. Pretty flower shots, and I like the tree silhouette!

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  11. Loving the birth of your flowers... YAY Spring is really here & I hear it's going to be some wonderful Spring weather tomorrow too!!! Have a great weekend.

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  12. snowdrops and crocus are blooming nicely. Daffodils and Hythisin coming along nicely.
    Coffee is on

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  13. the flowers look so pretty and colorful... I love them :D lovely shots.

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  14. So pretty! Love your captures!

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  15. I love pretty flowers but I don't have much of a green thumb with this horrible clay soil here in East Tennessee. If I could afford it then I'd truck in some rich top soil for our yard for a beautiful lawn that would produce beautiful spring blooms...but this will have to wait. Maybe in our dream house someday we can do this if the previous owners didn't. Thanks for sharing and for visiting post, Art Sketching Through the Alphabet featuring the letter “F” for fence, frog, fox, & funny face with Curious as a Cathy!

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  16. That's too bad. Glad you didn't give up on gardening.

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  17. Wow! Such beauties! Kudos to you for nurturing your childhood wish.

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