"Wild" Missouri Highway Stop

Easy Living Native Perennial Wildflowers, or Easywildflowers.com is one of the web sites I consult regularly for great photos of native plants, along with planting and growing tips. I like the cool chart that John, the proprietor and expert at Easywildflowers, has designed showing favorite host plants of various butterflies. We stopped by (hundreds of miles from home) to see what Easywildflowers was all about and John graciously took us on a guided tour.




The directions on the web site are easy to follow, and the place is not far off of highway 60 in Missouri, although it's easy to miss the simple Easywildflowers.com sign out front. But the open greenhouses and blooming wildflowers everywhere make it pretty obvious you're in the right spot! We pass that way, through Missouri, a few times a year to visit our Kentucky girls, and I finally got to stop and visit. Gene waited in the air-conditioned car until I coaxed him out to look at the way-out-crazy Passion Flower and fruit.






Then, even though I think we interrupted his lunch, and it was roughly 100 degrees in the shade, John offered to walk us both through his wildflower gardens where native plants grew in lovely jumbled profusion, behind and around the house, on a small hillside beside the house, and surrounding two small ponds where the dog was trying his luck at fishing for the Koi slipping coolly under the rocks. Too bad my camera battery died, or y'all would had even more great info from John.

Easywildflowers sells native plant seed by the ounce or by the pound. They also sell many native plants by the pot. Of course, I didn't get away without tucking a small box of grasses and flowers into the back of the car and driving them all the way across Missouri to Kentucky and back home to Oklahoma. They are now calling my name from the kitchen counter, asking to be taken out and planted.

However, I'm trying to put it off until the temperature at least falls below 95!

Give a Tree Some Attention Today

We are fortunate to have several nice trees on our property, some growing rampant and wild, but several were obviously planted and tended by a previous owner. My favorite was undoubtedly the Bald Cypress growing behind the house. I say "was" because it's dead now. It's sad bare branches remind me every day that trees sometimes require human care and attention. It died of an intense bagworm infection. And it's demise didn't take long! Just a couple of weeks and the lush springy fronds were all gone.

I understand there is a serious bagworm infestation in Oklahoma this year. Check here for information on identifying and dealing with a bagworm infestation. This article is taken directly from an OSU extension document on the subject.

We also lost a pine tree in front of the house to the Southern Pine Beetle in 2009. These were beautiful trees and it's sad to see them die. It's especially sad because we may have been able to treat them and prevent the damage and death if I had noticed the signs. This is what a bagworm looks like.





The worm itself pokes it's ugly head out the top of this cocoon to spin heavy silk and munch on my precious tree leaves.

This is not a winter photo. It's my Bald Cypress in June.




Be saddened. Be warned. Be a friend. Be on the outlook for the devastation these pests can do and save a tree.

Smoke in the Holler

Smoke from our sparklers, smoke bombs, Black Cats and Roman candles drifted across the driveway and down into the "holler", where it hung trapped by the heavy, humid air, below the house. Lightening bugs winked off and on, and headlights of late buyers from the fireworks stand up the street glowed in yellow rings through the haze.

I think every neighbor was bent on re-enacting the "Rockets red glare, bombs bursting in air" portion of our patriotic heritage themselves! There was a steady pop and boom of exploding fireworks from before dusk until after midnight. And the fireworks displays from driveways and fields around us were amazing! Huge, exploding, glittering, sparkling, shooting, whistling light filled the sky around us for hours.

Apparently, if you sell fireworks, it's good to be in Piedmont America!

Since we have been in or near flood stage for days now, and experienced another couple of inches of pouring rain earlier in the day, the grass and fields here are so soggy that nothing has a hope of burning.

Maybe my favorite sky display was a few Chinese floating lanterns that lifted above the trees and drifted off in the direction of Kingfisher. Have you seen these before? This is what it looked like.





Apparently, this is what it looks like in China when everyone sends their wishes to the heavens in a paper lantern.



Not on July 4th, of course.

It was great to be with family yesterday. Food was awesome. The company was relaxed and good humored. Niecy's new boyfriend seemed nice!

Before I came in last night, I looked up into the muggy, smoky, deafening, sparkling sky, and thanked God again for my country, my family, and the freedom to celebrate and enjoy it all.

Measuring the Passing of Time by Wildflowers

The yellow glow of Coreopsis fills the fields and roadsides around Piedmont, these days. White Yarrow have faded; purple Bachelor Buttons have invaded as many wheat fields as they'll get to this season, left their seeds and gone. Showy Sunflowers are beginning to make the scene.

It must be July.

Change in Perspective

Life had been crazy busy for days and weeks in April, May and June. Then suddenly I was on the airplane bound for Cali, with nothing to occupy my mind but a good book, and long air-nap.

The gem of the 5 day visit was our church reunion retreat we've been planning since last fall.



To get to the Twin Oaks retreat center you have to catch the Cal-Bodfish, Caliente turn off, on highway 58 that runs between Tehachapi and Bakersfield. Then you wind through the canyon for half an hour or so, dodging the cows and calfs crossing the road to get to the trickle of water in the stream.



Twin Oaks is rustic, but comfy.



Besides feeding my soul on the awesome worship and great Bible teaching, laughing and catching up with friends, I was also refreshed by wandering the flower gardens, of course!



Bees and butterflies were early risers.



The fountains and a small Koi pond sparkled in the morning sun.



I guess it's the change in perspective that refreshes, the chance to focus on worship and scripture, the familiar sound of voices I love and miss, the new surroundings of natural beauty, different from my every-day scene. It was all a blessing. All a pleasure.