April - Amaryllis/Asyndeton

April is amazing.  My last blog post was two weeks ago today and since that time, our trees are almost in their full summer splendor of green leaves.  On our front porch, the amaryllis flowers are blooming nicely.  Can you spot a little character that Richard has placed between the blooms? My husband is quite a character himself!

In case you can't see...I have another photo for you!

There, that should make you smile!

Asyndeton is a literary device that omits conjunctions. (From the Greek meaning "unconnected", it is used to shorten a sentence and to focus on its meaning. I can't tell you how much I loved learning this and reading different examples! Here's a famous one:

Julius Caesar..."I came. I saw. I conquered." 

 This really drives home the point, no time to clog up the meaning with "ands" in between!  I have read that using asyndeton gives writing a nice rhythm and pace. This somehow reminds me of how much I would like to edit both books and films...there is so much that just isn't necessary.  I do wonder...did any of you ever read the Reader's Digest Condensed Books as a child? I did and I enjoyed them immensely. I did have several teachers who told me that they disapproved of me reading them. They said that the authors would not like their books "condensed" for readers, that was not how they were written. I found that the books that were in the Reader's Digest Condensed Book series were very often so good that it really didn't matter if I didn't get the "whole" picture so to speak, if the writing was good, it was good. Period.  And I have always appreciated something that gets to the point.  (In Britain, they say "full stop" instead of "period.") 

We were able to see our son recently and as always, I asked him to play his guitar and sing us a song. One of the songs that he did...oh, how I wish I could have it on this blog post for you all to hear...was "Everybody Wants To Rule The World", a song from the 1980's by the English group, "Tears For Fears".  Now, no offense to those men in the group, but honestly, Christopher's vocal is better. No lie.

It's a good song!  You should listen to this and march around the room for exercise. You know that I do.  (And I loved the 1980's! So, it makes me happy to hear this music!)

P.S.  April, Amaryllis, Asyndeton.  Awesome alliteration! 

Lilies, Butterflies and Lilibet (Queen Elizabeth's Nickname)

 

Atamasco lilies!  These were from last year on April 11th but I am sure they are either blooming now or about to do so. They are wildflowers.  Aren't they lovely?  They do remind you of the Easter lily, don't they?

The Easter lily is not a native flower, it was originally from Taiwan. It is a very tricky thing to get them to bloom in time for Easter since Easter is on a different day every year, it is always on the first Sunday following the first full moon of the vernal equinox. Keep in mind that the Easter lily is poisonous to cats! Do not give these plants to anyone who owns a cat. (Uh, I might have forgotten this and done this very thing, so...learn from my mistakes, won't you?)

The photo here is from a local church.  I really liked the painting... 

MUD PUDDLING! That is what the butterflies are doing here...they are getting nutrients from the wet soil.  There were six butterflies here, all Eastern tiger swallowtails. They flew off just as Richard snapped the photo! (The Eastern tiger swallowtail is the state butterfly of Georgia, we think it might be the largest butterfly that we see.)

The mud might be good for nutrients but you can't beat a colorful flower for a great photo!

Of course, you have all heard of the passing of Prince Phillip.  Do you know that the Queen sends a telegram to British citizens when they turn 100? So, Prince Phillip was just two months shy of getting that telegram. (And from what I have read, he would have gotten one. The Queen Mother did when she turned 100!) Queen Elizabeth also sends a telegram to those celebrating wedding anniversaries, at number 60, 65 and 70.  Don't know about you but I think that is blooming marvelous!  You all must have seen so many photos the past few days of Prince Phillip but I think one of my favorites is from a postage stamp that I saved from one of my packages from England...

Richard says that no matter what you think of the idea of royalty in 2021, no one can deny that Prince Phillip and the Queen have done everything that has been expected of them and have done so with grace and dignity for a lifetime.

65th Wedding Anniversary Card and Telegram. This was to Richard's aunt and uncle in 2015. (Delivered by courier in livery- which means a fancy uniform to me!) Update: I have been informed that they once were telegrams but now it is cards that the Queen sends out and they are delivered by mail, although from what I have read they are stamped "Special Delivery"! 

 

Now, what song for this post? There can be only one!

 

 

Happy Spring! Happy Easter!

 

Ready for some of Richard's wonderful photos of the lovely Spring? Hope you enjoy!

Fringe flower. The flower petals are long and bright pink. Richard got this shot of the bud before it burst into bloom. The color is just stunning!

This was on one of our overcast days, but trust me, it's gorgeous.

Beaver alert!  You can see how the beaver has cut this tree down. Do you also see how it looks as if it also took giant bites from the felled tree? I looked it up and that is just what they do, they only eat the inner bark, apparently. "Just give me the tender bark, Sylvia". Ha, ha...anybody know why I chose the name, "Sylvia"?  

Sylvia is feminine given name of Latin origin, also spelled SILVIA.

The name originates from the Latin word for forest SILVA and its meaning is spirit of the wood.

Pansies and cabbages get along very nicely in a planting.

                              Lilacs in blooms! I was so excited to see them (and smell them!) I wonder if it is rare that they bloom in Georgia. I really have only seen them when I was visiting England. So pretty against a blue sky! 

Here is a photo of "MY" very large tree at Panola Mountain State Park!  It is only mine because of my love for it...I have no idea what kind of tree that it is...it has a very stripy trunk and very small leaves. It is some kind of oak because it has acorns underneath it in the Autumn!

My stripy tree is just behind this tree in the foreground. And yes, they are both very tall!  (But the stripy tree is taller, just a trick of perception, don't you know.)

The Eastern Swallowtail butterfly was very fluttery over this pink azalea. The only reason the butterfly is out of focus is because it is moving, Richard is as steady as a rock!

There, this one landed and was still for just a split second...

Today is Easter Sunday.  Here is one of the songs that we always sang at our services at the Episcopal church. It is one of my son's favorites...

Happy Easter!  Happy Spring!