Purple Knight and a snake!

I am filling in my front garden with this beautiful perennial plant. I think I've shown it before on this blog, but now I am rooting cuttings in water and sticking them in, to really fill in the whole area. Here is a picture from the top. The immature leaves are green, turning a dark purple as they get larger. The magic is in the underside of the leaves...

Sorry this pic is so blurry, but you can see how gorgeous the underside of the leaves is! More of a dark fushia shade...kinda glossy.....

I can hardly wait to see the area all full and lush!

Here is what EHow.com has to say about it:
"Alternanthera dentata 'Purple Knight', a cultivar valued for its rich purple leaves, forms attractive spreading mounds of foliage up to 3 feet wide. Native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas, Alternanthera 'Purple Knight' performs best in warm climates and thrives in USDA hardiness zones 10 through 11. In cooler areas of the country, gardeners often grow the plant as an annual, or plant it in a container for overwintering indoors".

Today we took a little road trip to Monkey Jungle down in Miami, and as we were leaving the area, we came across what looked like an entrance to an old ranch...with this carved snake in the entryway. Isn't it cool???

So much for my big adventures around here. Am off 3 days from my new job...trying to have a little fun, hopefully have a little beach picnic with the grandkids tomorrow on Memorial Day. Hope you are all having nice weekends!
Love, Julie

Lizard visitor!

This cute fella visits the window at work all the time, I'm told. He does his territorial dance and sticks out his dewlap (i had to look up what the orange thingy at the throat is called). Anyway...it was brought up today that maybe he sees himself in the glass and thinks it is another lizard. Cute. I think he needs a name! Any suggestions???

Interesting things in nature...

I discovered a website tonight called It's Nature Lets Discover, and it is so cool. It has lists of stuff you can click on...like
1. 10-beautiful,yet toxic caterpillars
2. 10 of the World’s ‘Spikiest’ Living Things
3. Top 10 Most Popular Pet Reptiles
4. 10 of the Most Beautiful Jellyfish in the World

and more!!!

The caterpillars really are amazing and if you click on the link above you will be taken to that page. Nature really is amazing! Hope you enjoy!
xoxo- Julie

Beautiful orange hibiscus

For Mothers Day I found this amazingly beautiful bright orange ruffled single hibiscus for my Mom's walking buddy!!! My Mom never believed too much in cut flowers, as they die so quickly, but she loved plants that could be planted and enjoyed for years to come. When I discovered this one in a gallon bucket at Lowes, I knew it was Mom telling me to buy it for her friend, Bert. This is a picture of what I believe the hibiscus actually looked like, but I can't be sure...I had thought it was a double hibiscus, but now think it was a ruffled single. I sure love this bright orange one!!! This pic is from Hidden Valley Nature Arts.

Hello at end of a lovely Mothers Day!

Here is a lovely gal who makes being a Mom (and Grandmom, in my case)a lot of fun! This picture is angelic, but she was a terror all day today!!! Lots of energy and never slows down, to where we are all exhausted by noon!!! Hahaha...in this case, looks can be highly deceiving! :) This picture was taken a few days ago at our favorite bakery...the lighting was so perfect!

This is a hodgepodge of pictures over the last few days. Below is a fish dinner a friend received at a dinner he and his wife took our family out to! Isn't it magnificently presented???

I took the grand-kids over to a local hotel to see the swans in the lobby! They swam right over to us and seem to enjoy their water hole there. I don't know what made me think of it, but the swans have been in this hotel for many years, and they enjoyed seeing them. We also rode the elevator to the top floor as it is glass and we could see the swans from above. Then we went to check out the pool area to decide if we might come over and spend one night this summer there and just play. I think they determined that it would be "awesome"!!!


Just a few days before Mothers Day I saw these cute baby ducks frolicking in the puddles at the grocery store and the mother was standing by the edge just watching them play. It was so sweet. The pics are blurry...it was drizzling rain and I was being threatened to being run over while trying to quickly snap the photo!!! Hehehe. I live dangerously!!! :)


Hope all of you had a wonderful Mom's Day, and will have a great week coming up. Tomorrow is my first day on new job...wish me luck!!!
xoxo- Julie

OK now...

I am slowly resurfacing from the loss of my Mom! She had no illness, no pain, and no suffering. I had spent the whole day prior with her all day shopping and then out to dinner with a friend and family. I was with her until 10:30pm the night before she slipped away in her sleep! It was a total shock and everyone is still in a state of disbelief! She was so healthy. Only 75. Her birthday was going to be May 19...

I am grateful that she was blessed with such an easy passing.. When I think of all the things that she could have possibly gone through, I can see beyond my own grief to how fortunate she was!

I had had the past 5 months off and spent so much time with her daily that I wouldn't have had otherwise. WOW! It was from God! I will be eternally grateful for that.

I will miss her forever!

Thanks for all of your wonderfully supportive and loving comments! Again, I appreciate each of you so much for being a part of my life.

Oh...and get this...I found the forum she had posted on inside of Prevention.com, and we found she had commented and been a part of that group for 10 years! Can you believe that? I am in the process of reading back as she talked about family, friends, her own self and what she was up to. I am so happy to have this record of her as well. Isn't that so cool???
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Now...on the other front...the day Mom expired I got the call about my new job!!! I got it!! I will be successfully having a midlife career change! I was officially a new employee as of today! I start my job on Monday at the library! My dream job! I found out they will pay for a Masters degree in Library Science as well, if I want to try for it!!! Not sure it will really pay off (except for the knowledge gaining)since I am already 55 years old. I will not be able to complete it before I would be ready to retire! Hahaha. Would love to try though!

Now...I have to tell you the part about how I think Mom helped me to get the job somehow. Her prayers must have helped. She would light a candle for me every night and pray I would get it. I found out that there were TWO HUNDRED applicants!!! They narrowed it down to 44 interviews. I got one of two positions!!! So I will always believe that it was my Moms continual prayers that got me the job!!! Thanks Mom!!!
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I have to go clothes shopping tomorrow. I need pants which I dearly hate shopping for...I am an awful fit, I suppose. But it must be done. Sadly.

Will be letting you know how the job goes next week.

Well...no picture tonight...sorry for that. I have taken a few pictures of swans (in a hotel lobby), and baby ducklings (in grocery store parking lot)the past couple of days...so will post next time.

God bless you all.
Julie

Sad news.

My beautiful Mom (and best friend) passed away in her sleep last night unexpectedly. I am devastated. I may not be around for a while. God bless you all.
Loads of love, and I have to say I appreciate you all so much.
Julie