The opening photo is by r m dutina. Early in the spring, right before a frosty night, I feared I might lose the poppy plant. I covered it a couple times an then decided to let it survive on its own.
They did fine through several very cold nights. I have watched the buds on the poppy plant certain they would open today. Then nothing. Certain they would open. Not yet. And then … drum roll …..
Notice all of the spiny buds!
Yes, they are blooming. I cut the first one to take to a friend. It went into shock but then perked up on her mantel.
Now they are bursting with color.
They were so top heavy with blooms I needed to support them with a piece of fencing or else they would have fallen into the driveway and been crushed by the Volkswagen! I bought these at the grocery store a few years ago. The tag said something about pastel colors. I thought too bad. I really enjoyed the bright red ones at the other house. They did bloom with a few pastel blossoms. Well, here they come all growing in this year with bright red color! They do not bloom for long, but so spectacular! Grateful for these lovelies.
There is another poppy plant growing at the other end of the front flower bed. The Sweet Viburnum shrub has overgrown it. Guess it is time to shovel it out and place in the back flower bed!
As with a house, the work in a flower bed is never finished!
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” ~ Isaiah 40:8
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” Matthew 6:28-29 NIV
I try to write every Monday and Tuesday mornings to post on this blog throughout the week. Many times during the week I will rough draft an idea to work on. Not this week!
I spent Thursday working with my dear friend Dana to begin printing, punching and assembling the poetry books. That took much longer than anticipated. We had completed none of them. Many were in various stages of production. She met me Friday morning with some completed books. I went to the Convent for the weekend retreat delighted to have a few copies in hand. One gal lives in Chattanooga and I knew I would see her at the retreat. I wanted to get a copy to her so we would not have to ship it!
The editor for the book about prayer gave me information about next steps towards getting that ready for publication. I just never quite realized all the work that occurred after the actual writing! I spent part of the weekend trying to plan the order the 31 selections should appear in the finished book. She also wants an “About the author” page and a Preface. I had a rough draft for the Preface, but hesitated on “About the author.” Bob agreed to do the first draft for me and then we can work on it together. I need to decided if the photos I chose can be printed in black and white. The color photos will make the book cost more. Aye yai yai!
And I just needed to get still and quiet. I had asked the Lord on Thursday to help me direct my heart and mind to Him over the weekend. (The editor taught me that capitalizing pronouns that refer to God is not correct, but I have always done it as a way to show respect! I have to decide if I want her to change that or not.) I realized with all these decision and things looming I needed help. The Lord referred me back to Psalm 131 again. I was instructed to write part of it out in longhand, I do not do that much anymore because arthritis has ruined my handwriting.
My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2 But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Psalm 131: 1-2 NIV
I am not to think about things I cannot control. I am not to think about things too wonderful for me. (Thus I hired an Editor!) It is up to me to calm and quiet myself. So I set about doing just that. You might want to copy those two verses and ponder how they apply to your life right now!
Before I left on Friday morning another Psalm came to mind. Years ago I wrote in my bible “Vulnerability, Untd.” next to Psalm 34.
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and be glad. 3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
It is hard with this Psalm to know when and where to stop when choosing a selection! I made it my business to spend the weekend trying to bless the Lord at all times and continually have His praise in my mouth. It can be powerful to turn to this practice and turn off worries and distractions.
Walking I saw places of such quiet!
Quiet flowers, I just love the sun through the purple petalsQuiet Dogwood
I have promised only a few people a printed copy of the poetry. I realized while in retreat that I can offer anyone who wants it an electronic copy! If they want, they may print it out for themselves, or simply print the selections they desire. What a relief! Bob continues to wonder if I should have planned to have the poetry printed through Amazon Direct Publishing. The way we are doing it right now the material remains free to others though costly to produce.
I was told by reputable sources instead of giving the poetry away for free I should ask for a charitable donation. I am doing that through the West Clermont local school district. The donations will go towards the Paid Student Lunch Charges. Many families today have to decide whether to pay for their power bill or pay the school for the lunch program. There are thousands of dollars of lunch debt in almost every school district. I think the children should receive food. With all of the government cutbacks there is likely to be even more debt. I am asking that donations be sent to the local elementary school down the street.
You can likely tell by now that my brain is spinning in many directions! I was able to get still on retreat. I did get some solid rest, though it is almost a memory today! The 31 book selections are arranged in an order to be reviewed with Bob. These two projects have demanded that I am participating constantly in vulnerability, unlimited with the Lord.
Monday was busy, busy with a funeral in the morning, followed by lunch celebrating mother’s day with our son and grandson and then back to Dana’s house to work on the poetry books. I write this on a gloomy Tuesday morning with fondness that you continue to read and follow my writing.
May the Lord bless you with a renewed sense of His Presence and love for you! Trust Him with your everything.
As a child visiting the Natural History Museum I purchased a tiny chip of blue goldstone. I was enchanted, taken by fascination. What was this thing?
The experts say, “Blue Goldstone is not a precious stone, it is artificial glass. It is made of glass and copper and its inner glow is very beautiful and popular for accessories. It receives a lot of support from people even though it is an artificial gemstone. It is usually used in jewelry pieces. Goldstone is a stone that can come in several colors, but Blue Goldstone is the favorite.
“This stone comes from medieval times. At that time, a monk was making a glass. And he poured copper chips into the glass by accident. He thought it was a great failure but he made a very beautiful glass. Therefore, this technique continued to be practiced for years until now.
Here is the piece that now sits on my desk, no longer just a tiny chip. We bought it some place in our travels.
The photo does not do it justice. The blue is actually deeper, almost black. The gold flecks remind me me of constellations and far flung stars. Guess you might need to shop for a piece of your own to get the true impact.
Then I came across the following quote from Michelle Obama. Can you imagine the wealth of wisdom she has instilled in her daughters?
The unknown is where possibility glitters. – Michelle Obama
And seeing the glitter is risky, but necessary. Can you discern the glittering possibilities within yourself? Have you dared to even think about that? Would you risk a glance? Another quote.
Risk itself is a process of constant unfolding. And taking risks is the process of peeling back the layers of what you are and who you want to be.
PHOEBE ENG
You are full of glittering possibility. Are you willing to peel back the layers of yourself and expose that glorious creation within and around yourself? This is nothing you accomplished on your own. I believe this is what God placed in you when life was breathed into your being. Your work is “the process of peeling back the layers,” discovering the call of the Holy upon your life. Then walking towards that calling with courage and grace.
Oh Lord, help us to quicken our steps to Your calling and work in obedience to Your Spirit. May Your be glorified in all we do and say, write and print. Amen.
He began before 6:45 AM Drumming and drumming In the distance there was an answering drumming But the first drumming was insistent “Not you,” it seemed to say “How about you?” it called “How about you?”
The call went out for five minutes Ten minutes Nonstop drumming Not tapping Think kettle drum Occasional distant answer
I decided to try to capture What I was hearing into words Relentless love call Or territorial boundary fencing?
Open the iPad Set up the document Typing I began to form the words Around what I was hearing And it stopped
Just like that a full stop Not petering out Not fading Not a few measures of rest Full End Stop
Human will never understand That avian love call Drummed fence of feathered ones or Sonnet of spring
I never saw the maestro But the love drum beats on In my heart of hearts
Come to me my Lord Spirit of God set fire within me Beat out Your ballad of love Your boundary of protection Declaration of Your indwelling
Conquering Christ take me captive I am Your bride abide in me
The trees I speak about in this post are the orange/yellow on the left with dark black trunk and the pale yellow/green one on the right with sprouts along the trunk. It is so difficult to capture a good rendition of falling leaves from these two trees. I have tried repeatedly over the years. The above photo was taken one year on October 20.
Now I am looking at the same two trees in April. Bob is not certain a post actually went out last week about the two trees, so click here to read it. https://treasures-in-plain-sight.org/2025/04/24/the-maples/ One began with red flowers and now a storm of helicopter seeds. The other seemed to be doing nothing and made me wonder if perhaps it had died over the winter?
Six months apart in these observations. Throughout the summer there is lovely shade from morning into early evening. Then October and November they provide a storm of falling leaves. Now in April/May there is a mighty storm of falling seeds. Helicopters blanket the roofs, the grass, the garden beds, the driveways, the cars. Falling storm of new life if given the right time and place to sprout and grow undisturbed. Prior to the falling of this years’ plenty I have been pulling shoots from my garden formed by seeds dropped last year! How do they do that?
Soon we will have another bumper crop of maples growing where I do not want them. Help me remember to give thanks for all the seasons of the maples. I hear them making their gentle seed music on the back deck. The glory of life God designed. I wonder if there is anything that EATS those seeds? I might consider one for a pet; a well-fed pet at that!
Brother Lawrence was well versed in observing the work of God when he saw a tree in winter and mused ….
That in the winter, seeing a tree stripped of its leaves, and considering that within a little time, the leaves would be renewed, and after that the flowers and fruit appear, he received a high view of the Providence and Power of GOD, which has never since been effaced from his soul. That this view had perfectly set him loose from the world, and kindled in him such a love for GOD, that he could not tell whether it had increased in above forty years that he had lived since.
The winter barren tree, the buds of spring, the flurry of seed, the leaves pushing the seeds off the stems, the mercy of shade for the summertime, the wonder of falling leaves in a myriad of colors. Oh God, You are so good to us!
With a study group I am currently re-reading When the Heart Waits by Sue Monk Kidd. She wrote in Chapter 2:
Waiting is the in-between time. It calls us to be in THIS moment, THIS season, without leaning so far into the future that we tear our roots from the present. When we learn to wait, we experience where we are as what is truly substantial and precious in life. We discover, as T. S. Eliot wrote, “a lifetime burning in every moment.”
The quote took me back to the Imagine Museum and my fascination with a piece of art called “The Precipice.”
The lighting is not always conducive to a good photo, but hopefully you get the idea. Sue Monk Kidd cautions us not to ‘lean so far into the future that we tear our roots from the present.’ Are you able to stay in the present moment in this way?
About the same time I copied this prayer from some source.
I pray now with the sixteenth century Spanish contemplative, Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582)*:
Lord, grant that I may always allow myself to be guided by You, always follow Your plans, and perfectly accomplish Your Holy Will… Help me respond to the slightest prompting of Your Grace, so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument for Your honour. May Your Will be done in time and in eternity by me, in me, and through me.
Yes, Father, that is what I desire most of all! Please Lord, grant this I pray.
HELP ME RESPOND TO THE SLIGHTEST PROMPTING OF YOUR GRACE. Yes, and Amen.
I was delighted while in Florida one sunny day to just feel the ocean breeze and hear the waves. That is one thing that Ohio certainly does not offer! I really miss it. Oh well, landlocked except for the mighty Ohio river and several fishing lakes.
Our friend, Kathy, had suggested that while we were in Florida we check out the tiny coastal town called Dunedin. She even drove us through it during her auto tour. The town has a Scottish theme. Wikipedia says: “The name comes from Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.” Since Bob went to college in Scotland for a year we are usually interested in such places. Sadly, we would miss their annual Highland games and celebration. Bob is not a lover of window shopping, but he indulges me and finds a bench to rest upon or a sight to explore while I browse a shop.
The first shop was one I had already looked up online from Ohio, The Celtic Shop of Dunedin. I already knew they did not have the Tam O’Shanter that he wanted. In the window were some a Irish bone china items including a flower bud vase that resembled the tower at Glendalough. I browsed around. Found a dark green t-shirt that shows a tree roots in Irish colors and the tree in American colors. I loved it. They did not have my size, but I bought it anyway. If it does not shrink I will merely sleep in it! My deep purple hyacinth bloom rests in the tower vase today.
I had spotted another interesting shop. Business finished at the Celtic Shop I went back 2 doors to a tourist shop whose name I am having difficulty locating as I paid cash there! A pair of earrings on the rack caught my attention. They only had the one pair. If there had been more I would have bought a couple to have as gifts.
Ocean Wave
I was delighted at how well the artist captured the ocean wave! Yes, I now wear them often. The earrings reminded me of a children’s book we once purchased.
Being sad about leaving the seashore a young boy asks if he can take home one wave. The story regales the delight and then difficulty of living with a wave in the house. It is a great story. Once we got home I had to pull it out and read it again!
As we continued our Clearwater visit and went to a glass museum in nearby St. Petersburg called the Imagine Museum, Contemporary Glass Art. We both love glass art and are always amazed at what the artisans can come up with! There, to, we saw the fascination with the ocean.
photo by r m dutina, “Cabriolle” by K. William LeQuier
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we have a theme going here! My delight knew no bounds. I have the photo Bob took propped up against my monitor even as I type this. No I am not wearing the earrings right now. Such a lovely get away for us!
Do you know where you live like this man does? I am always astounded when I learn that others around me are unaware of the bounty we are blessed with right in our neighborhood, county, state. As I age I seek to know more about the things around where I live. I think the quote below shows tremendous wisdom!
The earth is a living thing. Mountains speak, trees sing, lakes can think, pebbles have a soul, rocks have power.
HENRY CROW DOG
By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky. Proverbs 3:19-20 NLT
The blog is entitled Treasures in Plain Sight. This day I found mine among many other treasures at Treasure Island, Florida.
(See the red pin on the map above.) Driving along the beaches in Florida, we found a nice place to park and walk the beach without too much exertion. There was a little boardwalk and then acres of flat sand to the water. Again, not many shells there. This was a wonderful sand sculpture someone had made.
We delighted in the sharks around the sculpture!
As you can see the day was glorious with sunshine, though seriously closer to summer temperatures than what we had left in Ohio. We walked to the water’s edge and back to the parking lot. While Bob used the facilities, I waited watching the crowd from a little ramp.
We had already seen damage from the recent hurricanes. I was a little surprised to see one palm tree that was stripped of all foliage strapped to another thriving palm tree. And then, BOOM!, it caught my eye. A little green bird. As I watched it went into a nesting hole in the seemingly dead palm tree. Then out again, to perch right there.
Yes, the young lady is lovely, but so is the tiny bright green bird!
I found it online and here are the details from Audubon.
The https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/nanday-parakeet site says: Recognized by its black head (and formerly called Black-hooded Parakeet), this species was originally found in the central interior of South America, from southern Brazil to northern Argentina. It has been popular in the cage bird trade, and Nanday Parakeets escaped from captivity have established large feral populations around Los Angeles, in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, and along Florida’s southeastern coast. Smaller numbers are seen elsewhere, including other parts of Florida and near Phoenix, Arizona.
Of course, I always love a close up!!
What a treasure! I wanted to tell the lovely young lady about it, but then her boyfriend joined her and they were gone! For the remainder of the vacation anytime I saw a palm trunk without foliage I was on the lookout for the Nanday! Was not gifted to see another one. There was mighty praise to the Father for allowing me to see that one single bird! It literally made my day!
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11 NRSVUE
Digging at the base of the oak tree, I was determined to remove the large, lush chickweed plants before they went to seed. With garden gloves, a bucket and trowel I was methodically removing the four inch tall foliage. Mostly the roots were very loose. A few were deep. Then I moved the decorative stone and realized it was crawling with ants. Lots and lots of ants. I went to the garage as I remembered seeing a spice bottle of cinnamon there. I had read ants dislike cinnamon. I took it back to the base of the tree and found it was still tightly sealed.
Drats! Could not get it open. Back to garage to find scissors or something sharp. Took off the gardening glove. At some point I noticed blood. Lots of blood from my right index fingertip. Put my glove back on and continued digging weeds out and sprinkling not one but two ant colonies with cinnamon.
By the time I finished and put my tools and gloves away I had quite a messy bloody nail. In the house I scrubbed with soap and the cut continued to bleed. Used Band-aids, antibiotic ointment both then and overnight. There is a cut in my fingertip.
This morning the cut is still tender and wants to seep blood. It will be tough going to type with the fingertip so sore! (Ha! You will likely find many more typos than usual!) The other nine will need to come to the rescue!! The tree does look better though without the chickweed crop! The ants were still thriving there this morning. What? They never heard about disliking cinnamon?
Go to the ant, you lazybones; {KJV you sluggard} consider its ways and be wise. 7 Without having any chief or officer or ruler, 8 it prepares its food in summer and gathers its sustenance in harvest. Proverbs 6:6-8 NRSVUE
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 