Hello Friends, I hope you had a lovely Easter. What a wonderful and joyful time of year this can be. If you are like me, Spring can bring a smile to your face as you feel the sun shining down, as you look around, and see the flowers beginning to burst with color! How can you not love what Spring represents?! New growth and an array of color bursting all around you; under the sun, warming your body and soul to it's core. What a joy this can bring to each of us, if you just stop and take a moment in time, to admire the purple, orange, yellow, and white flowers, growing wild all around us.
Recently, since the weather starting showing signs of Spring, we took the opportunity to take our mountain bikes out for a spin. They have been hanging in the garage, calling our names for the last 4 months. Mike my husband, suggested we load em up and go, so we did. As we unloaded the bikes from the rack and suited up, we were in awe with what we were witnessing, as we began to ride. Color was bursting everywhere. I had gladly interrupted our cardio workout, to capture some pictures of what was before our eyes, so I could share them with you today. There were blankets of color everywhere. We were in the midst of such beauty, and I had to take some pictures to document what we were seeing. From catching a bit of the news last night, and looking into it more, I am now aware that this occurrence in our area, is called a CALIFORNIA SUPER BLOOM.
(The few lines in the next paragraph, were taken from a wonderful and informative article I found after seeing an unusual amount of wildflowers on our rides. I included the link at the bottom of this post, and also in "The Food or Thought" section at the top of the Home Page. It will give you the opportunity to read more about it, if you choose to. If you love wildflowers, It might be worth your time to learn more about where you can go to see this natural occurrence, and what a Super Bloom is, in depth.
[Each year, we botanical lovers hope and wish for a super bloom – when the landscape is covered with a rainbow explosion of colorful flowers. Super blooms happen when a delicate balance of sunshine, temperature, wind, and rainfall has occurred during the fall and winter months, resulting in an unusual number of wildflowers all blooming at the same time]
I think it is easy to take things like this for granted, but if we take a moment to try and imagine how this all happens, and what it takes to bring this to fruition, it can be pretty mind blowing. With death of a seed or dormancy of a bulb, comes life. There is beauty for ashes as the scripture says in:
Isaiah 61:3
...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
What amazes me right now, as I am writing this post, is how the beginning of this verse just popped into my mind. I have always remembered just the 1st part. I was so amazed when I looked it up and it referenced an oak tree and it's splendor as I continued to read more:)
I love this verse even more now and what it stands for. This is why The Holy Bible is called The Living Word Of God; it is not dead but very much alive today. Thank you Lord!
Getting back to the patches of wildflowers, that were blooming, as far as our eyes could see; I started to think about how they all began, as I was writing this post. Here is something I read from an article explaining the cycle of blooming plants.
[All of this started with a tiny seed, about the size of your pinky toenail.
It needs air, water, and soil to grow. When a seed begins to grow, this is called germination. The first growth will usually be some small roots. Then stems will grow.
Sprout or seedling - When the first sign of life appears above the soil, this is called a sprout or seedling.
Mature plant - The seedling will continue to grow into a full mature plant with leaves, roots, and stems.
Flowering - The mature plant will grow flowers. Through pollination, the flowers will produce seeds. When the seeds end up on the ground, the cycle will begin again]
Without all of these elements like soil, air, rainfall, and sunshine we would not see this gift of growth. It is essential. These elements don't just happen, I believe they are a gift from God and through them, we are given the joy of bursting color, stunning beauty, and pleasant fragrance. Some of you reading this might not be able to witness this Super Bloom as we did, but sometimes if you are driving around in your car this time of year, you can witness this, even as you look out your car window. If you are lucky, you just might notice a blanket of yellow or purple flowers scattered about. If you are a passenger in a car, it is well worth taking time away from your devices in anticipation of what you just might see, in a moments notice. There is so much to see and experience if we turn our attention to the wonder of nature and creation. Life goes by so fast. Take the time to enjoy the gift of the God given beauty, all around you.
I remember last year when Mike and I were driving up in the mountains of San Diego, and my head was facing down enthralled in something I was looking at, on my phone of course. Mike excitingly yells out, "Did you see the Camels!?" Being an animal lover, you can only imagine my reaction. With eyes the size of golf balls, I said, "Camels, what camels!?" (as we are driving on a mountain road in So Cal, not next to the pyramids in Egypt) "Back there," he said. "Your joking!" I replied. "No really!" he said. Of course I blurted out with a childlike excitement, "turn the car around, and go back!"
I missed seeing the camels, because I had not been looking around, being present, or paying attention to what was just outside the car window. My sweet husband granted my wishes and turned the car around, even though he was a little annoyed I was on my phone for part of this beautiful drive. He made his point, and I got to see the camels! It was a win-win :) And yes, there is a Camel Farm up in the mountains of San Diego called Oasis Camel Dairy! I was so excited, I forgot to take pictures. I will put visiting the dairy, on one of our next trips down south. I did manage to capture the beauty that surrounded us on our bike rides last week. Here are the pictures of all the wildflowers we saw. I hope you enjoy them.
(Look closely and you will see a German Shepherd leaping for a ball, in the background)
(A Yucca in pre-bloom. Notice the one in the background in full bloom)
(Death and Life, side by side. With death comes life)
(We ran into a lady on horseback who said to say the word selfie, and her horse would pose) (I said it, and he did. His nose was touching my cell as I took the picture lol)
(Mike and I on our beautiful scenic ride)
(Yellow wildflowers along Lake Hodges bike trails)
Bloom Where You Are Planted
These are pictures of Daffodil bulbs beginning to sprout. I panted them in our garden a few months ago. I have never planted Daffodils before. I was even 1 month late getting them into the ground in March. I took a chance and planted them anyways. To my surprise the day I began writing this Post, my 1st Daffodil bloomed and my precious friend Ingrid who stopped by to visit, snapped a picture as I was showing her what opened up, earlier that morning. She was so thrilled as I was, because she said it was her 96 year old Dutch mom's, favorite flower, who lives in the Netherlands :) I am so glad she stopped by and was able to enjoy the 1st blooms with me.
(The daffodil's as they just started coming out of the soil)
A few days before the bloom
Celebrating with Ingrid my 1st bloom
I am adding the Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow Tree Mike planted for me 2 years ago. It is ready to burst with purple, violet, and white flowers. I will keep you posted...
I have added the websites I spoke of earlier, below.
Well friends, this blog is about community and growing together. I would love to hear how you are doing in the Grow My Know Challenge (GMKC) It is basically a challenge to anyone who is ready to take positive steps in the right direction. I would love to hear about what steps you are taking in your life to step out of your comfort zone, and put into action something you are doing to grow in your life. It could also be what you are doing to grow in knowledge and putting it into action. We would all love to celebrate with you, and I encourage you to keep moving forward in a positive way. We all have our own unique God given gifts and talents. Let's work together on putting them into action. I will look forward to any comments you would like to share or add in the "Comments" section below. Let me know how you are doing.
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Until our paths cross again, thank you for spending some of your valuable time with me today.
Big hugs to you all,
Jen
This post reminds me of a song i heard today by Tauren Wells. These words are in the chorus” the fingertips of God”. All these beautiful Spring flowers, sprouting buds and bright colors are shouting out “ from the fingertips of God!