Backyard Odyssey

May 04, 2010

After reading a number of Meredith’s posts, and seeing her beautiful photos, I decided to take a little tour of my own backyard. We have a big yard, and I usually only visit a small portion of it—enough to water some plants, or see what the dog is barking at. I took only about 20-30 minutes to stroll through and take pictures of the cool things all around me. Here are some of the shots:

Walking iris

No one comes back here except the dog on squirrel patrol.

New crop of cherry tomatoes
The rare and endangered Offspringus basketballus

I wish I had taken video, not for the images but for the sounds. Birds sang and all manner of little creatures rustled through the palmettos. A breeze whispered through the leaves, shaking them gently, often just as I tried to take a picture. Every now and then I could hear a child shout or laugh somewhere in the neighborhood.


I found several small magnolia trees

This little episode reminded me that there is so much beauty and so many interesting things around me all the time. I am simply too preoccupied to see them. I'm really so grateful for where I live, even though I frequently complain (loudly) about the humidity and heat. 

Pink hydrangea--still alive!
Take your own backyard odyssey—and let me know what you find!

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9 comments

  1. What a good idea Kathy - I'm going to have to do this very soon. And I love your pictures - especially the iris! But then, irises are one of my favorite flowers. And just by chance, I finished sketching one in my journal today. I'll have to upload it to my blog.

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  2. What a lovely journey, Kathy, and a timely reminder to me to open my eyes to whatever I've grown accustomed to. You know, it's easier for me to be aware of the garden -- especially at first, when it was all brand spanking new. Now that I've been here a whole 17 months, some things barely warrant a glance, sadly. How long have you known your back yard, I wonder? (The rare and hilarious Offspringus basketballus gives some hint.)

    Now, see, writing that made me realize anew that we really *do* have relationships with the land we live on and the places we frequent. Amazing.

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  3. p.s. Thanks for the compliment and link love, and I hope you know just how jealous I am of all those cherry tomatoes zipping right along. Heat and humidity do serve some purpose, it would seem...

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  4. Cheryl--I love irises, too. My grandmother used to have hundreds of iris in her yard, so many beautiful varieties. I can't wait to see your journal sketch, so do upload it!

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  5. Meredith--we've lived here for nearly 13 years! I've never lived anywhere that long before. I'm hoping the tomatoes ripen before it gets TOO hot and humid. We've been slammed with 90 degree heat and humidity that brought the heat index to 100 this week, and it's only the first week of May. Eek.

    P.S. You're welcome!

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  6. your friend moriahMay 5, 2010 at 10:11 PM

    Kathy, can you hear me???? Kathy do you see me???

    Test comment friend.

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  7. YES! The comment came through this time.

    For anyone wondering about this, I've been having trouble with comments not coming through, so please forgive me if you've sent me a comment and I haven't responded. I try to respond to all comments, so if I haven't responded to yours, I didn't receive it.

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  8. Hi Kathy,

    Checking to see if I can get this comment to post!

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  9. Yes! This one came through, too. Now we're cookin!

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