A Flower a Day Keeps the Winter Wearies Away

A New Flower to Name

Are you ready for another flower? I've been searching through my flower book hoping I can find the right name for this one. I may have to make up a name myself, but I think I have it narrowed down. When identifying flowers, sometimes the pictures in the flower books vary a little from my pictures, but what doesn't vary as much are the leaves. 

More than you might want to know about Jack in the Pulpit

But back to last post's flower. Many of you were right on with the name of it. Jack in the Pulpit or Indian Turnip. Ever since I was a kid, I've admired these interesting flowers. I think the name caught my fancy too, although a couple of you came up with an interesting name of your own, calling it a cobra. I'm sort of glad whoever first named the flower had maybe just come from church (one that didn't handle snakes!) and gave it a friendlier name. However, the cobra name fits when you look at the flower. Most of the ones in my area have the purple flowers but we have some of these green ones too. 

So far, I have never found the red berries in the fall, but I'm still hoping that I will someday. The flowers are a little hard to spot in the spring as they blend in with the surrounding colors, but I've learned to look for the leaf first. For some reason, I can see it before the flower. And now after reading about the flower I'll know if I'm looking at a Jack in the Pulpit or a Jill in the Pulpit by how many leaves it has. One leaf usually means a male flower, thus Jack. Of course, when these flowers were named back however many, many years ago, nobody probably thought about Jills in a pulpit. Unless you were a Shaker and then you didn't think about a pulpit because that wasn't part of a Shaker meetinghouse. It would have gotten in the way of the worship dances. If you want to know more about the Jack in the Pulpit and how it grows, here's a neat blog post from Hilton Pond Center.


Angel Sister E-Book on Sale in April


For those of you who might have an e-book reader or who have downloaded the Kindle app on your iPad or computer and haven't totally filled it up with books to read, my first Rosey Corner book, Angel Sister, is on sale for $1.99 or less this month. This book is one that's close to my heart since it has so many of my mom's memories threaded throughout the setting of the story. Plus, this cover makes me smile every time I see it. Love Lorena on the front and her face as she looks up at Kate, her "angel sister." I also smile every time I get a message from a reader telling me they've taken a trip to Rosey Corner and enjoyed the visit. So now, if you haven't taken that trip, you can "get a ticket" for a couple of bucks. Here are some links.
Amazon
Christianbook.com
Barnes & Noble
Kobo 

Looking Forward to Your Flower Names

Remember, each time you name a new flower (or leave any kind of comment), you get a new entry in the drawing for a couple of books. If this is your first time to enter, be sure to leave a way to contact you in case you're one of the three lucky winners. The contest is open to those over 18. Print books for USA or Canadian winners, but if you're an international winner, you win an e-book version. Deadline is April 18, 2015 at midnight EST.

Creeks, Cliffs and Wildflowers

Lots to do! Deadline zooming toward me for my work in progress and the words are coming slow. Chores need doing! New floor going down in the kitchen and bathroom and new room. New floors going down need everything moved off them! Not enough hours in the day.

Sometimes it's hard getting everything done since I have to spend so many hours sitting with Mom and trying to convince her she is home and doesn't need to head out the door to that home that is just beyond her view in her mixed up thoughts. That home she wants is long gone but so much more real in her mind these days than the home where she's been living for the last thirty years.

All this to say that sometimes a person just has to ignore all the have-to-dos and take some time for want-to-dos. So come go to the creek with me.

That's what I did Friday morning. I gave myself the gift of a couple of hours and forgot about the deadlines and chores. It's wildflower season at my creek and I feel cheated if I don't get a chance to admire the wildflowers there every year. So I said the chores can wait. The words might come easier after a little brain rest time. And I went walking. I didn't let Oscar go. He's still recuperating from his broken leg and surgery, but I didn't totally miss out on dog companionship on my hike. The short-legged little neighbor dog went with me. His name's Peanut Butter, but I nicknamed him P.B.

And I saw the wildflowers and heard the creek running. I spotted a Jack-in-the-pulpit, one of my favorites. I got a great picture of some shooting stars. I saw larkspur and buttercups. I took pictures of wood poppies and bent head trilliums, another of my favorites.

The creek was full from the recent rains with the water singing over the rocks. I got my feet wet and practiced my balance on the rocks. And then I climbed back up the steep hill, came home and headed to Mom's. It's good to give yourself a gift now and again. Especially in the spring when nature has given us the gift of beauty.  

What are some of your want-to-dos that make you happy when you give yourself that gift of time? Reading? Time with the grandkids? A favorite movie? Writing in a journal?