Now and Then by Nancy Kline: SPIDERWORTSpiderwort is a perennial wild flower th...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: SPIDERWORTSpiderwort is a perennial wild flower th...: SPIDERWORT Spiderwort is a perennial wild flower that some folks grow as a cultured plant.  The real name for spiderwort is Tradescanti...

SPIDERWORT

Spiderwort is a perennial wild flower that some folks grow as a cultured plant.  The real name for spiderwort is Tradescantia and in some places it is called Indian Plant. Mine must have been a volunteer from a bird or maybe attached to something I dug up from the woods because I certainly did not plant it on purpose.  In spite of such a peculiar name the plant is really beautiful, especially the dark blue almost purple color flowers.  I noticed them growing in my yard last spring and then low and behold they multiplied and are quite abundant in one of my many flower beds that is mostly in the shade.  It opens up in the morning and then closes when the sun shines on it.  Its leaves are dark green, long, thin, and bladelike and it grows in clumps.  The flowers have three soft petals.  You might find them in the shady to part shady of nearby wooded areas. 

A Spiderwort By Any Other Name Is Still A Spiderwort

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: MOTHER PICTURE/POEMVintage mother pictures were po...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: MOTHER PICTURE/POEMVintage mother pictures were po...: MOTHER PICTURE/POEM Vintage mother pictures were popular during the early 1900's.  They were framed pictures with a short poem that...

MOTHER PICTURE/POEM

Vintage mother pictures were popular during the early 1900's.  They were framed pictures with a short poem that were well liked as gifts to mothers on Mother's Day.  Mother's Day was nationally recognized in the United States in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson.  Mother's Day falls on the second Sunday in May each year. 

My most admired mother is my grandmother on my mother's side of the family.  She was the mother of nine children.  They lived in the middle of Texas on a dirt farm and pretty well lived off the products of the farm.  Most of the food was produced on the farm and they bartered with the feed stores in town for things like sugar and flour.  Clothing was mostly made at home but shoes and winter coats were bought with money raised from selling milk, eggs, and other produce.  They all went to church on Sunday in a horse drawn buggy and seldom if ever missed. 

Four of the boys were in World War 11 and I remember visiting the farm in the summers and admiring the beautiful silk "Mother" pillows that the sons sent my grandmother from overseas.  They all had gold fringe around the edges and were properly displayed on her bed.  She was so proud of them.

This may have been the good old days that we talk about but life was not easy.  Many of the hardships endured by the mothers of that time would be nearly impossible for us to cope with now.  But, sometimes I wonder what it would be like if life could go back to being just a little bit more  simple.

Happy Mother's Day to All Mothers!

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: MONTH OF MAYThe month of May has begun with left o...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: MONTH OF MAYThe month of May has begun with left o...: MONTH OF MAY The month of May has begun with left over showers from April and many, many more beautiful flowers opening up their beauti...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: SNOWBALLS IN MAYEvery year this beautiful bush de...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: SNOWBALLS IN MAY
Every year this beautiful bush de...: SNOWBALLS IN MAY Every year this beautiful bush delights us with a bunch of snowballs.  Mine always waits until the last of April or t...

SNOWBALLS IN MAY

Every year this beautiful bush delights us with a bunch of snowballs.  Mine always waits until the last of April or the first of May to bring snow back for a few weeks. 

The snowball bush is a large ornamental plant with large clusters of white flowers resembling large snowballs.  When it blooms you know that spring is finally really here.

Enjoy the Snowballs While They Last !