Grateful Flowers for my Precious Readers

It's a strange time.  I feel like storm clouds are gathering, both in our weather, and in our lives.

We had more rain Thursday - fortunately, again, not as much as some.  We are supposed to have a nice next week, but already there is speculation about another tropical system.

The hummingbirds disappeared several weeks ago.  This is my fist year watching them, but experienced hummingbird feeders I know tell me it's early for them to leave.  It's possible they know something we don't know about the coming winter.

Hard times for so many families, mourning their deceased.  Worrying if they will be able to get health care if something happens to them.

It's so hard, in these times, to not be stressed, not be worried, or sometimes to stop caring.  At those times, wise people teach us to be grateful for what we have. It's not enough, but it's a start.

When I was growing up in a New York City housing project, I dreamed of the day I could grow flowers and have a back yard.  Perhaps my house's yard isn't as big as I might have liked, but as I age, that becomes a bit of a good thing. 

Here's a Japanese anemone from that yard.  It's a fall bloomer.

I can be grateful for so much - a perfect day for sitting outside this afternoon, a spouse who loves to cook so I don't have to, and a yard still full of flowers. The top flowers here are sedum, a fall bloomer.  Below them are white mums.  They weren't supposed to overwinter but they did, and their blooms are a pleasant surprise.

Another late summer into fall bloomer are these turtleheads, which our local bumblebees are grateful for.  They love to crawl into the blooms and do what they do.

I don't say "Thank you" to my readers often enough. I want to make up for some of that today with this red penta.

At this time of year, some of my flowers look so worn. I think it was a hard year for some of them.  But, some are coming back, like these fuschias.  I wonder if the fuschias miss the hummingbirds that used to keep them company.

Soon enough, the first frost will come.  Already, our early trees are showing signs of their winter preparations.

So in this time of change and stress, thank you for reading, and I hope these flowers brighten your day. If I don't get back to your blog, please know I read your comments and am grateful for every one of them.