#flowers – Amy's Axons

June 2022

A Beautiful Day In the Ozarks

June 3, 2022June 3, 2022by amysaxons1 Comment

Sunny with a high of 78* F and a gentle breeze. I rode my scooter to the neighborhood lake and spent a couple hours besotted by God’s creation.

The touch of amber on the wings is stunning 😍

These wings shimmered like diamonds in the sun.

Though I’m pretty sure this is the equivalent of a weed in the water, the colors are striking.

I sat on the patio for a while after I got back from the lake and caught this pair of House Finches at the feeders. I love to hear them sing 🎶

Thanks for stopping by. May God be with you. ❤, Amy

October 2021

Mallards and Monarchs

October 17, 2021October 17, 2021by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

This beauty came right up beside me and let me take his picture. I think he knew he was a looker.

Although she was a bit more cautious than her male companion, she flashed several poses.

This little guy kept telling his Mom, “I’m playing with the ducks!”. I’m not sure the ducks saw it that way 😉.

It was a windy day and this cutie pie held her bangs back so she could watch her brother “play” with the ducks.

As I sat by the lake, I noticed this butterfly land on the side of my leg. It had a couple of injuries to it’s wings and seemed unafraid of me. Over the span of the next hour it made it’s way onto my fingers and then into the palm of my hand. It was incredible to watch it taste my skin with it’s long, bendy tongue. It had some visible pollen on it’s wings so I knew it had been out foraging. It seemed as if it needed a rest and I felt honored it chose me as a safe harbor. It’s been a little over a week since my encounter with this tiny creature, nevertheless, its memory has flitted across my mind numerous times.

The sun through the just changing autumnal leaves was glorious.

Sun on a single strand of a spider’s web.

I can’t get over how big a fiery skipper’s eyes are compared to it’s head. I could almost feel it watching me as it crawled over the flowers of our butterfly bush.

Joy of joys, the monarchs have found our butterfly bushes! We’ve had as many as eight at a time 🦋❤️!! The way the sun shines through their wings reminds me of stained glass.

AND, I think this is a spicebush swallowtail. What a neat little fella!

I hope you are doing well. God be with you. ❤️, Amy

September 2021

One Singular Sensation!

September 24, 2021by amysaxons1 Comment

One great place to enjoy a gorgeous Autumnal day.

The back of my scooter with a new sticker telling all my one and only wish.

The one corner of our yard I can’t stop watching for fear of missing all the butterflies, skippers, and hummingbirds who visit.

One eye of a butterfly bush flower getting a right good going over.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Timothy 2:5

One more post has come to an end. ❤️, Amy

September 2021

Summer’s Lasting Vibrance

September 2, 2021September 2, 2021by amysaxons2 Comments

Hello, Friend! I hope you are well.

It’s been too hot around here to get out of the house much these last few weeks. However, I did ride my scooter early one morning down to the lake in our neighborhood to enjoy the dragonflies and flowers for a spell.

Blue dasher perfectly aligned on a blade of grass

Amber wing, easily my favorite dragonfly.

I braved the heat for a few minutes one day to get a pic of this lovely female cardinal hanging out in one of the birch trees behind our house.

Since I can’t get outside much I’ve been filling my time sewing. I got a new serger and have been absolutely floored by the steep learning curve. For the first couple of weeks I was convinced that not even NASA’s best could get the crazy thing to work consistently! I have read everything I could get my hands on and watched hours of YouTube vids in a determined effort to conquer and master the beast of a machine. Perseverance, about 15-20 hours of practicing on scraps, rethreading the booger, and adjusting knobs a million times AND…

I FINALLY figured out how to consistently get good seams on my serger! I made a cute nightgown that I love. I ordered this knit jersey on super clearance from Joann’s. The snails are very appropriate 😉.

I had my Ocrevus infusion yesterday so I’m fuzzy-headed with a bit of a headache. Around 4:00 this morning I started flushing from the steroids they served up to go along with it. I should start feeling better by tomorrow. For the first time ever I got to have the drug infused at home – so much easier for me! My newest bestie Bill, the infusion nurse, and I spent five quality hours chatting and sharing the ways God has worked in our lives. God is so good!

Thanks for stopping by. God be with you! ❤️, Amy

August 2021

Quiet Days

August 3, 2021by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

It’s been a month of MS fatigue and quiet living. I’ve ridden my scooter a few times to the lake in our neighborhood and enjoyed the dragonflies and flowers always present. Here are a few of my favorites.

One of these days I’ll write more. God be with you! ❤️, Amy

July 2021

Under the Birches

July 12, 2021by amysaxons1 Comment

Hello! The weather has been beautiful the last couple of days so I’ve been soaking up the unseasonal coolness by bird watching on the patio.

I got a couple of new feeders, they work a treat!

I think this pair of House Wrens is moving in!

I’ve named this little Chipping Sparrow “Chippy”, he is particularly friendly and let’s me get close to him.

I’ve been learning how to get action shots. This one didn’t turn out too badly.

Blue Jays are very skittish but I can occasionally get a good portrait shot.

This is just a funny pic of Pip riding around the house with me while I’m on my scooter. I haven’t written much about my MS lately. Maybe I’ll do that some time soon. The abbreviated version is, yep, I still have it.

I hope you have a wonderful week. God be with you! ❤️, Amy

May 2021

May Marvels

May 31, 2021May 31, 2021by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

Behold, May is about to close her shades while June prepares for her debut.

There were bees everywhere among the foxglove at the lake park this past Wednesday, a sure sign that summer is nearly here.

There were several dozen purple martins in the boxes at the lake. Their eyes and beaks remind me of Muppets.

A little house wren decided to make a nest in one of our birdhouses to attract a mate. This tiny fellow wrote the book on hard work and perseverance.

This sweet little catbird came and stayed for a couple of days earlier in the month, a birding first for me.

Such a tiny little tongue this female cardinal has!

I never tire of seeing cardinals, they have got to be one of the most beautiful birds in the world.

This red-bellied woodpecker got his dinner by hook or crook.

This is the tail end of the post. May God be with you! ❤️, Amy

March 2021

Through My Lens

March 20, 2021March 20, 2021by amysaxons3 Comments

It’s a purple finch! It’s a purple finch! It’s a purple finch! Finally!! We had a purple finch for a couple of days earlier in the week, the first time ever. I thought we had one last year but I was wrong. I wondered if I would be able to tell if one ever came, I had a hard time telling them apart from house finches looking at them in a book. It was much easier to see the differences in person. Purple finches are more raspberry colored than house finches and don’t have brown streaks down their belly, the red goes farther down their abdomen too, and they have more red on their backs.

This gorgeous fella stayed for a good 20 minutes.

Heartbreaking 💔. This little goldfinch had avian conjunctivitis causing her to go blind and slowly die. She let me get within two feet of her for this picture. It’s easily spread at feeders between finches. I had to take the feeders down, sanitize them with 1/9 parts bleach to water, wash them with soapy water, and leave them down for a couple of weeks. I also raked up all the seed debris under the feeders and cleaned the area up. I am keeping a close eye on all the birds at the feeders now to make sure no one else has it. If you have feeders, please keep your eye out for the symptoms. I’ve included the link below for you to learn more. Feel free to contact me if you need more information. https://feederwatch.org/learn/house-finch-eye-disease/

Feeders down, getting ready to rake up the debris underneath.

We took care of my Dad’s dog for a couple of days this week while he was out of town. She’s a sweet pup. I circled her favorite toy, a pair of socks tied together.

With my feeders down I needed a bird fix. I went to the park at the lake near our house and sat watching the birds and geese. It was a bit cold but I found some flowers blooming!

Today is March 20th, the first day of spring, and that means my Grandpa Frank would have been 129 years old today. Happy birthday, Grandpa ❤️!!

I hope you have a wonderful day and get out to enjoy a bit of nature wherever you are. God be with you! ❤️, Amy

March 2021

Sunshine and Signs of Spring

March 8, 2021by amysaxons4 Comments

It was 70*F this afternoon! I decided to lie on the grass and watch the clouds pass between the budding limbs of our river birch and the neighbor’s trees. The warm rays felt so good, I felt winter melting away!

The birds are getting used to me being outside again and have been coming closer. I wish I could describe the glorious yellow of the goldfinches sitting in the trees and visiting the feeders. I can’t stop taking photos of them. Their color reminds me of rich, farm fresh, creamy butter.

If you look closely, can you see the number 2 on this bird’s head or is it just my imagination??

Not to be outdone, the cardinals have been showy and coming to the yard a lot. It’s incredible that one bird can have so many shades of red. Some of their breast feathers seem shimmery, as if tipped with frost when the sun hits them just right.

Since taking up photography two years ago, I have tried to get a good picture of a carolina chickadee. Somehow their glimmering black eyes always manage to get lost and blend in with the strip of black feathers on their heads. Well, today I found success! I’m right well pleased with this picture.

Trees, shrubs, and flowers are coming alive and it won’t be long until hubby can add a bit of landscaping to the backyard. I can’t wait to get some flowers planted that will attract not only birds but butterflies too.