Simply Lovely – Photo: L. Weikel

Beauty and Ferocity

The photos accompanying this post are the reason for the title, “Beauty and Ferocity.”

The ‘beauty’ part of this post, while it could absolutely apply to either or both of the photos, is actually assigned, in my mind, to the photo of the flower arrangement, above. This lovely arrangement of flowers was created by my daughter-in-law Tiffany.

I think what I love most about this arrangement is what I witnessed in her creation of it. First of all, it is comprised of flowers she picked at the local CSA, to which she belongs. Having pinch-hit a couple of times for her, I know that it is a labor of love to pick the flowers that are included in her share.

It takes time and attention to select just the right blooms. And while it is lovely to simply ‘be’ outside amongst these flourishing plants that are so obviously well-cared for and vigilantly tended, it can get hot. And there is a knack to choosing the perfect blossoms that will come into harmony with each other.

Loving Attention

But what really blows me away is the loving and meticulous attention Tiffany brings to creating the bouquet itself. Me? I plop what I’ve picked into a glass milk bottle or other vase, fill it with cold water and maybe arrange the colors and textures to suit my eye.

Tiffany, on the other hand, sits patiently with her scissors and trims each and every stem of each and every blossom. She meticulously removes the lower leaves, and makes a fresh cut on the bottoms of the stems so they can drink deeply of the cool water she places them in.

I know I’m not doing justice to the love and attention she puts into creating a spray of color and love that Karl and I enjoy all week. But I notice.

Dragon’s Face – Photo: L. Weikel

Ferocity

The other photo I’m including is the face of a dragon that came swirling out of the sky toward me today as Spartacus and I did a walk-about. You might not see it at first, but I bet if you soften your gaze, you’ll see her.

She looks ferocious, but my sense is that she was more guardian than threat.

(T-73)