Beauty in Unexpected Places

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The Flamboyan-de-jardin (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) , also Caballero or Peacock Flower.  

Fire, passion, flamboyance. Beautiful.

Shot these photos at the garage of a motel which the hubby and i checked out for one of our out-of-town workshops. We thought that since we were on an overnight business trip we could save up by not checking into some fancy-shmancy hotel as we just needed a place to spend the night and get going early the next morning. While the hubby did the ocular i stayed by the car and whiled away the time by taking these shots.

The beauty one can find even in the most unexpected places! Fancy that.

Honey, they shrunk me!

Giant rose!

Ooh-la-la, kabongga-bongga! Saw a greenhouse with rows of this humongous red cabbage. For a minute  i thought i might have ingested some "drink me" potion that made me shrink like Alice in some kind of wonderland. 

Even with their  foliage riddled with holes, they still looked magnificent. I could boogie with delight!

I have a friend (we go all the way back to college) who is venturing into organic farming. Currently she is prepping her land, making it ready for planting. I expressed my desire to sink my hands in the dirt and work the land. It will do a lot of good for my sanity. I want to be a gardener. But 'til then i remain an acolyte.

“The master of the garden is the one who waters it, trims the branches, plants the seeds, and pulls the weeds. If you merely stroll through the garden, you are but an acolyte.” ― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

Organic Farm at Chateau Royale Resort

I Want This Tree

photo from besthomedecorators.com

A Poinsettia Tree! No need for trimmings. The plants' leaves (yes, the colored parts are leaves while the flowers in the center of the leaf bunch can hardly be seen) can stand alone, excuse me. :) Here's a no frills, no nonsense tree that says Christmas. Red, flaming red. Bold yet simple. Just like Christ whose great love for humanity, for his Father, enabled him to come to us taking the human form with all the pain it entails. The essence of it all.

Check this link to see how a mall put it together:  Setting up a giant Poinsettia Tree

Legend has it (via Wikipedia):

The plant's association with Christmas began in 16th century Mexico, where legend tells of a young girl who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus' birthday. The tale goes that the child was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Crimson "blossoms" sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias. From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations. The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus.  In Spain it is known as "Flor de Pascua", meaning "Easter flower".  In both Chile and Peru, the plant became known as "Crown of the Andes."

It's the thought. It IS the heart.

Fish Tales and Fish Tails

If you've been following this blog, you'll notice that most of my posts on plants have something to do with my mother or somehow find that thread to her. Her passion for plants was something i grew up with. She and my dad had this connection with flora that i suspect they had some kind of magic over them. It seemed that anything they grew would flourish right away. Of course i remember how they would lovingly attend to their plants, watering, weeding, fertilizing them. Plucking off parasites was de riguer, even wiping leaves with a damp cloth should dust accumulate on the surfaces and block sunlight from working its wonders. 

They bought plant books, gardening equipment, and collected lots of plants whose names i will never forget because they taught them to us. "Could you water the Peperomia? Could you pinch off the young tips from the Coleus? Why did you pluck the flowers of the Yellow Lady Slipper without asking my permission?"

I remember we had a Fishtail Palm or Caryota. I was fascinated with how each leaf resembled a fish tail. Everything connects in nature. Who we are, our memories, the things around us...We are but in one big space and time continuum where all is one.

“Once we were blobs in the sea, and then fishes, and then lizards and rats, and then monkeys, and hundreds of things in between. This hand was once a fin, this hand once had claws! In my human mouth I have the pointy teeth of a wolf and the chisel teeth of a rabbit and the grinding teeth of a cow! Our blood is as salty as the sea we used to live in! When we're frightened, the hair on our skin stands up, just like it did when we had fur. We ARE history!Everything we've ever been on the way to becoming us, we still are. Would you like the rest of the story?
I'm made up of the memories of my parents and my grandparents, all my ancestors. They're in the way I look, in the color of my hair. And I'm made up of everyone I've ever met who's changed the way I think. ”  

― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky (Discworld, #32)

Stargazer

"Skyward, look skyward" this lily seems to say. You can not overlook this flower as its fragrance is strong and its petals are big and bold...one big announcement that stands out. Even by looking at a mere photo of it gives me heady memories of somber wakes. As if to console the mourners, they direct our gaze towards the heavens.

Back in the 80s, there used to be a club (or disco, as they called it then) where one could find "stars" -- people who have achieved some kind of celebrity status. As if being in their presence somehow elevated one's own social standing, hoping that the fame they possess will rub off on whoever came close as they danced to Rick Astley, The Breakfast Club and New Order.

And here's another thought. Those shepherds in the Nativity Story who from their posts among their flock of sheep were awestruck as they saw this one special star, a star so bright like no other, signaling the presence of One who has come to elevate and rescue us all from our miserable hopeless selves.

 Angels announcing the Nativity
(Angels appeared to the shepherds to lead them to the birthplace of Jesus)
 Painting inside the Church of the Shepherds in Bethlehem, Israel