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Dwarf Iris

April 22nd, 2012

My thoughts on iris are this: the more, the merry! Once the snow has finally melted, I really start looking for the early spring bloomers. Since we have bunnies in the neighborhood, crocus never get to bloom in yard. Thankfully, iris are not very tasty at all.  We have four different colors of dwarf iris around the house. In addition, there are woodland iris, spring and spring/fall-blooming bearded iris, but I have to be patient a little longer for them to appear.

According to OnlyFlowers.org, iris are named for the Greek goddess Iris. She carried messages from the heavens to earth by way of the rainbow. It is said when you carry an iris, you carry a piece of heaven. Iris are the symbols of ideas or messages.They have three leaves, which represent faith, wisdom, and valor. This goes nicely with the affirmation of iris in the Bach Flower Remedies: I bloom. Therefore, I am.  Historically, iris have been the symbol of royalty and divine protection. The symbol of France since the 1200′s, the Fleur-de-lis, is a stylized form of the iris.

And now you know a fair amount about one of my favorite flowers! The quiz will be in ten minutes….

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no words needed

March 15th, 2012

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breathe deeply

January 18th, 2012

We may need this today. Breathe in, breathe out—can you almost smell these beauties? Stay warm today!

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Winter Flower Show

January 16th, 2012

If you haven’t seen it yet, the Winter Flower Show at the Conservatory is open until January 22nd. It is so pretty in the Sunken Garden with all the poinsettias. They did use a few of the dark reds, but most of the plants in the display are variegated. It was especially pretty with the bright blue sky above.

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playing in the snow

January 15th, 2012

It’s such a strange winter this year. We’ve had what, maybe fifteen inches of snow? If this keeps up, we may have to be just plain, old “Minnesota” instead of “Minnesnowta” from now on. It was too nice a day to stay in (even though I have a lot of work to get done, but when don’t I???)–bright, blue sky, a fresh coating of snow. It was a good day to go visit my favorite critters.

I think Snow Leopards aree one of the most elegant members of the big cat species. This one is a fine example! The Amur Tiger seemed to be enjoying the snow today. He sunned for a bit, then it appeared to be time to make Amur Angels. Apparently even big kitties like to roll on their backs.

Snow Leaopard

Amur tiger

Amur Angels

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blooming buddies

December 30th, 2011

 

I like paired blossoms, as you can see. I especially like them when the blooms are so close together that they look as if their petals are wrapped around each other. I looked at some of my photos with new eyes when someone bought one of these pictures as a reminder of her parents. I have since had people buy them as symbols of parent and child, too.  It’s really intriguing what people see in our photos. What do you see?

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The winter that hasn’t been (so far)…

December 27th, 2011

Really? Winter in Minnesnowta? It seems not to be happening this year. Or maybe we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop?….Since it’s sunny and brown outside, I thought some shades of green might help. The first two pictures are from the Conservatory (I just love the new fern room!). The last picture is from one of my walks through Harriet Alexander Nature Center.

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Sunken Garden

November 16th, 2011

 

I was at my place of refuge last week, Como Zoo. In all the years I have been going to the zoo and Conservatory, I have never been in the Sunken Garden all by myself. Truthfully, it was a very cold, windy day so not many people were at the zoo at all. It was a treat to get the images of the reflecting pool with no humans in the frame. The sunflowers are right at the front of the pool—a nice reminder of summer past.The mums there are so pretty. I have no idea what I did to get the last picture here, but it’s kind of a happy mistake. The mum is called Golden Gate. It’s a tall bright yellow mum, which apparently turns into a tall chiffon-colored mum with blue foliage when I want a picture of it. I’ll have to sneak up on it next time.

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Lions, a tiger, 2 bears–oh my!

November 10th, 2011

Some day I will get to the zoo in Apple Valley—maybe….It just seems like I never get past Como. It was a very crisp 2 hour walk around Como today, but well worth it. I want to pet a lion. I had my hand on the glass by the female lion today. She got up, looked at me, head-butted the glass, rubbed her torso against it, then came back and put her forehead to the glass. I sooooo want to pet this kitty! The male lion is a handsome boy, but the female lion and the Amur tiger are just elegant. The polar bears were pretty sleepy this afternoon. Como is playing host to three bears from the Minot Zoo right now. Their home was damaged in the flooding earlier this year. They seem to like the Odyssey.

 

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Flamingos

October 27th, 2011

These birds just intrigue me. They have an interesting shape, even though I think their necks are a chiropractic nightmare. Their colors are so varied. They have the cutest babies ever!

In the Native American tradition, flamingo speaks to us of journey, migration, and wisdom. In the Mystical or Shamanic traditions, flamingos speak to the power of illusion, shapeshifting, clear-sightedness. They help aid work with the group consciousness. According to the Animal Spirit Totems Dictionary of Birds, flamingos help maintain balance and movement through emotions. They aid intuitive filtering and discernment.

And here I just thought they were another pretty bird!

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