You don’t have to look far to see the beauty in life. The beauty is in everything – you just have to look!

Today I am taking my daughter and one of her friends shopping.  They love to shop for clothes and accessories, but what teen-aged girl doesn’t?  Ok me at that age.  I am not much of a shopper and never have been.  I have been told many times that I shop like a man.  You know the stereotypical male shopper right?  He knows what he needs, goes in and gets it and leaves.  If that is manly shopping then I must agree.  I shop like a man.

Now it’s a totally different story if you drop me into an art supply store.  I will look at every single item, take off caps, smell things, etc. Papers must be felt with my hands for textural nuances.  Price comparisons for canvas must be made.  And look at all of those colors of paint!  Every brush has to be pressed against my skin to determine it’s…

The word “succulent” sounds titillating.  You can almost “feel” what it means as it rolls off of your tongue.  Say it right now.  Slowly…

O.k. maybe I just wanted to use the words “succulent and “titillating” in the same sentence. 😉  But these beauties grow all over the place in Florida.  They seem to be just as happy in our tropical swamp as they are in the dry air of the desert.  But with thousands of varieties available, they do have varying care requirements.  So if you want to grow some of these beauties inside or out, read the labels on the plants before buying.  They do love bright sunlight, but they can get sunburned.  I have seen a few wither and die myself.

I love the smooth feel they have and the variety of colors they come in.  I’ve taken artistic liberty with this one obviously.  I was intrigued by…

Happy Friday and Easter weekend my followers!
Since you all seem to like this flower so much, I thought i’d give you another taste of the bush mallow. 🙂
I have just received my new PC today (since Microsoft had ended their support of Windows XP and older operating systems..ugh! ) so I can now play with GIMP editing software again and attach my old name tag logo. However, I do still think I much enjoy my tablet and the simple to use photo editor app.

During one of our visits to the Tallahassee Museum, I found this most peculiar bush, because its leaves had berries – or seed pods – attached on top. How often do you get to see something like that?

To see other interpretations of On Top, or to enter your own photo, check out the Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge here.

Months of rain
fill the floresta
with abundance
and the roads
with quagmires of mud

Beads of raindrops
line the leaves
frogs croak
their delight
humidity infuses
the air like
morning tea

Soon this season
shifts into long
months of perfect
days of sunshine
nights filled with stars

Each of our two seasons
has much to love
and change just often
enough to enjoy both,
but I expect this is
true wherever one lives
for our contentment
comes from within
not dependent on
the external
which just is
no matter what
we experience inside