Persistent Little Flower

Gutter Flower

Ever notice how people rarely, if ever, look up or around? People are either looking straight ahead, down at their feet, or at their phones.

It sometimes feels like looking around and seeing what's out there is a taboo.

Are we all subconsciously afraid of noticing something out of the ordinary?

Take this beautiful little sunflower (pictured left) for example. If I hadn't looked up, I wouldn't have noticed it. The flower was growing all along with or without my acknowledgement. In a place that can't be easy to grow.

These gutters are very high up and hard to reach much less clean. Year after year, I ignore them even though I know shouldn't. Various plant vegetation gets trapped, rots and becomes fuel for seeds to grow in. Most of those seeds sprout into trees that fail to live past winter. Every once in a while, however, a seed gets up there that is a complete surprise to me.

Not only does this sunflower have to survive in poor soil conditions, but it's also exposed to the elements like wind and rain. She's a lone target at the end of a field of shingles.

Outside of the oddity of growing in a gutter, the plant does have a useful lesson to teach. And that lesson is: Regardless of what you're dealt, persist and grow. 

Sun Flower

You will never know what you're capable of unless you try. It can be a scary daunting process but one worth the effort if you succeed.

Even if you don't succeed, all is not lost. Simply pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again.

Remember, failure only happens when you never try in the first place or give up at the first sign of trouble.

So look around and see what's out there. Instead of looking straight ahead, down at your feet or at your phone.   

Dead Rodent Plunder

Zoe's Rocking Chair

There's a certain level of tolerance one needs to live in the country due to the proximity of wildlife. Unless you go to great lengths to kill everything off, you're going to have to deal with woodland invaders from time to time.

I'm lucky my dog and cat do a fairly good job of patrolling the interior borders of my house for unwanted intruders.

Unfortunately, that patrolling does no good beyond the walls of my abode. So the invasive fuzzies keep attacking my castle, while my guard animals keep protecting it.

Of course, sometimes my dear Zoe (pictured in chair) goes above and beyond the call of duty and stops the invading army of rodents before they have a chance to infiltrate. Her enthusiasm for tracking down and eliminating any and all rodents is quite admirable, if not borderline fanatical.

Take, for example, earlier today. She came with me while I was out doing yard work. Normally I don't bring her with but today I wasn't doing much, just checking on some stuff. She made a bee line straight for the underside of the porch and refused to come out. No amount of calling, bribing or pulling on her lead (once I got it attached) would discourage her from the hunt.

She refused to budge until she caught her prey. The sneaky little bastard was an adult rat that was no doubt looking for a way past my defenses.

Zoe was so proud of herself too. She was even willing to dispose of the body by eating it. So it comes as no surprise how unhappy she was when I took the enemies body away for proper disposal.

She even refused her consolation prize of a tasty dog treat. I guess some things can't be replaced.

The Silence of Night

Northern Lights photographed by my friend Ellen

I have always liked the dead silence of night. though in truth it is not so silent as it is muted. The nocturnal denizens go about their business softly, either hunting or avoiding the hunt. Human activity also dwindles as those who choose these hours to be awake, are in fact, awake while everyone else rests.

The only major sounds are the insects, which never seem to sleep (unless it's cold) and the occasional coyote howl or dog bark. Some birds might announce their presence but even they do so quietly.

It is as if darkness invokes silence in most living creatures. But it is in this nocturnal time that I have always felt alive, felt I belonged.

The subtlety of life lurking in silence is a reassuring sound. Spoiled only by the cacophony of birdsong and human activity once the sun rises again.

:)