Got up this morning and took Penelope for her first walk of the day. As I walked out on the porch I noticed a big puddle of water on the side of the sidewalk. I thought at first, “Yeah, we had a rain last night so I can wait a day before I break out the watering jugs.” Nope, I had left the hose pipe on from watering my vegetables pots yesterday at dusk. Here’s my sign!

Anybody who rode by this morning and saw me surrounded by candles, just know I was’t having a seance trying to conjure up Chief, but I was burning citronella candles trying to keep the flies off me! They were so pesky. I’d get comfortable in the swing, watching the birds on the feeders, and I’d feel the flies little spiked feet on my leg or foot. I hate flies worse than mosquitoes.

Ordered a fly trap with my Wally World grocery order, that I placed at mid-night when I couldn’t’ sleep last week, and agreed to the substitutions without checking them when they texted me at they crack of dawn, so I got a yellow jacket trap instead. Says it catches flies, too, but it hasn’t started working yet. Those fly bags really work but man do they stink!

Just saw a monarch butterfly light on my old wheelbarrow full of million bell flowers. I chased it all over the yard trying to get a photo but it was elusive today. It was so pretty with its orange and black wings. Never noticed it’s black wing lines were bordered with white dots till today. Seems early to see one. Their populations are really being threatened by pesticides and deforestation. Since the 1990s monarch numbers have declined by nearly 90 percent. That’s a shame, they are gorgeous creatures.

Since I’ve retired and have become lazy and sloth-like I’ve noticed things that always have been around but I just didn’t have the time to appreciate them. When I walk Penelope I see all the tiny exquisite wild flowers and imagine them as blooms in bridal bouquets of small critters. The larger wildflowers, I imagine a Creek Indian princess picking them for her bridal bouquet.

I notice the beauty of a spider web and treat it with respect instead of something to knock down and tear up. I notice how lightly the butterflies land on flower petals and how softly they fan the blooms with their wings. I hear the twitter of humming bird wings and the hums of bumble bees. I hear the cardinals with their large orange beaks crunching the black sunflower seeds open. I hear the sounds of nature in my yard and the softest pings of the wind chimes and enjoy the symphony that plays.

I notice the clouds and their beauty as they fluff up and fill with rain. I sit in the swing at dusk and watch Father Sky paint the clouds with ethereal watercolors as the sun gets ready for bed each night. I love to sit in the swing and hear it squeak as I watch the thunderhead clouds get full. You can smell the earthy rain on the way. I love to wait for the first thunder and lightning bolts to run me off the porch back in the house.

I watch the neighborhood dogs prance along the side walk on their daily walks around the neighborhood. One dog named Boots is black with four white feet and he just bounces along as if he’s overflowing with doggy happiness. I always think of John Travolta walking down the street in Saturday Night Live when I watch Boots walk by. I can actually hear the music play in my mind. One of the dogs walks to the city library every day and I always wonder what he’ll check out. He’s part St. Bernard so he’s probably into adventures and non fiction.

I notice the beautiful white hair and warm smile of my older neighbor as she walks up the street to pet my Penelope. She’s older and has loved her dogs all her life and you can tell she would love to have another dog companion but doesn’t want to leave them without her. I understand.

I notice all the song birds and marvel at their beautiful feathered colorings. Each unique in their own beauty and repertoire of songs. I notice how the birds treat each other, how they squabble over feeder perches. I watch how the doves and squirrels scratch for seeds the birds have raked out of the feeders, jumping up and over each other in their repast. I watch the birds drink from the bird bath, laying their heads back so the water can run down their throats. I hear the splashes and wing flutters of the big wood thrush when he bathes.

I watch the vegetables bloom and grow in the warm sunshine and marvel at how much a squash and cucumber can grow in a day. I see the large June bugs and remember tying thread to their legs and holding it as they flew around. And I’m thinking now how that must have hurt them. I watch the sun kiss the tops of all the trees in the neighborhood and try to count all the different colors of green. In Spring its a myriad of green colors.

I watch my nieces and nephews and grandchildren when they don’t know I’m looking and wonder what the world holds for them. I love to watch them smile when no one is watching, to watch their thoughts travel through their minds. I love to hear them yell “Cannon Ball” loud enough to interrupt adult conversations.

I hope they will be always be monarch butterflies and happy dogs and June bugs and song birds and cannon balls in their lives and lives of their children and grandchildren.

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” — Ashley Smith