Who is SMILING at YOU?

2020 DAY LILIES in our YARD

 

Dear Blog Friends,   Can you believe that I never posted these pictures --nor ANY Day Lily pictures this summer????  I guess it was meant for me to wait until now to post these to make you (and ME) smile!!!!!  I needed this today since I've had a rough week.  Hope you enjoy seeing these little Sweeties!

We have had a lot of flowers to bloom in our yard  this year--and I've posted many groups of them  (including Daffodils, Tulips,  other Spring flowers and shrubs,  Irises,  Roses,  and Lilies)...   I'm sure the Day Lilies feel left out --so hopefully,  I'll make up for it by picking out some of my favorite ones to share with you.  By the way,  I have a lot to choose from since we have more than 70 Day Lily plants in our yard now, each with many, many blooms... Wow!!!!  Hope you enjoy the beauty of these wonderful little flowers!!!!!  I am smiling....  Did I see a BIG smile from you?????

To see the name and date the photos were taken,  put your mouse over each picture (don't click; just hold) and the info will pop up!!!

Hope you enjoyed the Day Lilies today... I'm sure I'll post more soon!!!!  

Life is hard these days for so many of us... In our country,  we have been dealing with so many changes since Covid-19 started...   Not just Covid  problems,  but anger/bitterness/demands/protests/violence --and HATRED is all around us threatening our freedoms, choices, and our lives!  On top of all of this are our upcoming political elections.  All of this wrapped together is hard for us.  We are a country DIVIDED--and it just makes me so sad....  God Bless the USA.

Have an awesome week ---and do as I'm trying to do:  PRAY hard, and find ways to SMILE!!!

Hugs,

Betsy💝💛💚💕

 

 
 

Memories from 2006

YAHOO FALLS, KENTUCKY 6/4/06

Dear Friends,  2020 has certainly done a 'number' on all of us --with all of the changes in our lives.  One thing which George and I miss terribly are all of our trips...  SO---this year,  we have had time to re-live some of the wonderful little trips all through the years... I don't know what we'd do without these photos to jog our memories.

George and I got married in 2001 ---and immediately began locating as many waterfalls  as we could find, most of them not too far from home!   George was still working (retired in 2006) --so most of our 'get-aways' before 2006 were short trips and day trips.

We have lost count --but I think that we've seen about 1000 DIFFERENT waterfalls --most of them between 2001-2015 (or so)...  We still love waterfalls --but many of our recent trips involve more than just waterfalls.

I started Blogging in 2006  (on a site --which died out) ---so I didn't start BLOGGER (Blogspot) until 2009.   In looking for old posts on Blogger,  my first posts were in 2009...   SO --- none of our pictures before 2009 have ever been on Blogger... Therefore,   while looking back at our photos,  I picked out photos taken on June 4, 2006 to put into a Blog Post to share with you today...  One thing I will say when looking at old photos:  cameras these days certainly do a better job than cameras did in 2006!!!! Of course,  the photographers are probably better now also!!!!!  (At least, I'll speak for myself!!! ha)

Today's Post was taken at YAHOO FALLS in Whitley City,  Kentucky in the Big South Fork National Recreation Area.  We have been to Yahoo Falls (since it is fairly close to our home) several times.  This waterfall is known as Kentucky's TALLEST waterfall --at 113 feet...  However,  it seldom has a lot of water coming over the falls --especially in Summer.  

BUT---the beauty of being here is the area itself.  The awesome trail is not too long --and it's just fun to take a short hike back into the woods in that area.... You can go down to the Falls on the rocky, gorge-like side --since they built some neat steps going down there..  OR--if you don't like steps,  the other side going down has a traditional trail.  You can also hike along the brink of the falls.  ALSO---if you like you can take a spur trail and visit a gorgeous Natural Arch  (called Yahoo Arch) while there... Even with a 'lack' of a lot of water,  we love it there, and highly recommend it to YOU!!!!   Enjoy the photos today,  taken 14 years ago!!!!

 Like I said,  we have been to this area several times ---but these are the only pictures from 2006.  In other similar blog posts,  I showed the steps going down into the gorge,  and I also showed the arch. SO---stay tuned and I may do another post from this amazing little hike/area.

Hope you have an awesome week...  Stay HAPPY;  Stay SAFE..... Prayers for our country --and especially now for the folks out west who have been affected by the horrible wildfires,  and for those along the Gulf of Mexico who have so much damage from the hurricanes.... 2020 has not been a good year for the USA in so many ways.... God Bless ALL of us.

Hugs, 

Betsy💝💛💚💕

Open Your Eyes and Look UP! There is SO much to See up There!!!!

Dear Friends,   You may remember a similar post to this one (showing the Battle between Sun, Rain and Clouds)...  I wrote that post on June 29, 2020 after our Anniversary Trip to Pisgah Inn off of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. If you missed seeing that post,  click HERE.

Today,  I have a similar post --but on a different day and from a different place.  I've talked about our abundance of rain and clouds this year... WELL--not only did that rain follow us around when we were at Pisgah Inn,  but it also followed us when we were on a short trip to Biltmore on JULY 23, 2020.  

 On this date,  we were on our way home choosing to drive on the back roads --including a little ride across the Smoky Mountains Foothills Parkway between Wears Valley and Townsend, Tennessee....  There was rain all around us --so we stopped a gazillion times to get these sky pictures....   All of today's pictures were taken on that July 23rd date--and I've listed them in NO particular order --but showing you what we saw from different angles and different overlooks...   Hope you enjoy more SKY pictures today!!!!

 Well----enough for today!!!!  Someone asked if we got wet.... I'll say  "Yes and No"....  We did have some close calls --but got back to the car before the downpours (MOST of the time).... ha ha

As much as I love sunrises and sunsets,  this year particularly,  I have really enjoyed taking pictures like what you are seeing now... Our SKIES do give us a lot of beauty --if and when we take time to stop and LOOK UP.... I took ALL of these pictures with my iPhone 11Pro...

Have an awesome week,  and PRAY PRAY PRAY for our country --and all of the horrible things which are happening now in the name of JUSTICE... This is NOT justice at all;  it's ANGER and HATEFULNESS, and just leads to more and more resentment, and no answers....   George and I choose to fly our FLAG proudly...  God Bless each of YOU,  and God Bless the United State of America,  which we love with all of our heart and soul!

Hugs,

Betsy💝💛💚💕

LILIES in our YARD --Part II

Dear Blog Friends,   Happy Labor Day!!!   This is a National Holiday in our Country celebrating all of the hard-working laborers.   Growing up in the coal mining areas of southwest Virginia,  I always think of all of the men and women who work in those mines. They are definitely laborers.  Today we honor them --and many, many others who work hard each and every single day, many of them doing difficult jobs which many of us wouldn't choose to do.  God Bless our Laborers.

Today I am featuring Part II showing the  beautiful Lilies in our yard.   Part I was featured on 8/3/20.  IF you missed that post (or would enjoy seeing it again),  click Here 

As you know,  I love our LILIES.  We used to have many more of them planted all over the yard.  BUT--the deer would destroy them before we could even enjoy them...  SO a couple of years ago,  George put some of our favorites in containers and brought them to the deck.   So far,  that has worked well for us... I can enjoy them from inside and also from the deck ---and the deer have stayed away!!!!

Above was another collage that I made.   Below are some of my favorite pictures of specific groups of Lilies.  If you put your mouse over each picture,  I added the names and dates when I took the pictures.

Hope you enjoy seeing these beautiful flowers.

I miss seeing them now --as the summer is winding down with only the ROSES and a few re-blooming Day Lilies and Irises in bloom in the yard now.... 

If you are on Facebook with me,  then you know about our hard day Saturday.   IF not,  WELL--here is what happened:  We woke up during the night early Saturday morning to find water gushing all over the place in our large bathroom.   A pipe had burst under the sink!!!!   George got the water turned off --but the damage was done.   IF that was not bad enough,  the stress and anxiety of that happening put me back in A Fib...   Being in A Fib is worse than a bathroom leak... The leak can be repaired  (and has been) --but A Fib cannot....There are no cures!  VERY frustrating!!!! 

BUT--despite our hard time that Saturday,  God provided us with an amazing  "Autumn-Like Day" here... When I walked outside on the deck that morning,  I just had to take a minute and smile -- and thank God for this wonderful blessing.  As I have said many times,  when we experience the RAINY Days (hard times) in our lives,  God provides a RAINBOW of hope for us.... Thanks be to God.

I am looking forward to a better week ahead....   I will close with another Facebook Post I wrote recently when talking about the love of flowers.... Think of all of these LILIES above.  Flowers are amazing.  They bloom no matter what is going on around them.  They get along with all of the other flowers.  Their message is to send love, joy and peace to ALL.   Maybe we humans should be more like flowers.... God Bless us ALL.

Hugs,

Betsy💝💛💚💕