thankful for a creative God

spring rules in my mind as the time when i get all misty-eyed about how awesome and creative our God is. everywhere i go i'm reminded at His extravagant love for us, just be looking around to all the newness that is spring. baby animals, the greening of the trees, the little shoots of green awakening through the soil after a wintertime slumber. it's just such a spectacular display!

i love that God doesn't let us get all worn out and bored during what can oftentimes in the southeast be a very long, muggy, sauna-like existence. unlike the past two summers which were more like arizona than tennessee, we have been blessed with copious amounts of rain and fairly cool (for tennessee in the summer, mind you) temperatures. it's actually been possible to get out and enjoy the summer without spontaneously combusting!

this summer, i actually still have flowers blooming, and not hanging baskets of parched, emaciated vines, listlessly draped over the side of the pot. instead, i have some green, some coral and some purple (interspaced between the aforementioned vines. . .i'm not perfect) blossoms. it's really quite amazing (considering my rather black thumbs).

i was rather surprised to see this phoenix rising from the ashes of two blisteringly dry summers. i thought it was forever gone. granted it's a dwarf of its former size, but i was glad to see her back. honestly, i said, out loud to her. . . "what are you doing here and why are you so pretty so early??" so glad you're back.i have no idea what these flowers are called, but they are the cutest thing in the world, and burst forth into pretty much my favorite color. they look like little balloons before they open. filled with their little own private greenhouse air. . . they're so cute. and they're blooming all summer. what a flippin' bonus!!

i know monkey grass is not the most clever of landscaping materials, but i absolutely LOVE it in the late summer when they show their stuff!! (perhaps i'm biased, the color is right up my alley) what a treat when the sun comes up and casts its pretty yellow rays on these little gems. if they were bells, there would be a sweet tinkling all around my house!

and what i know about roses can be summed up in one word: nothing. but i did plant a new bush this year (name escapes me) and i'm so glad i did. what a fun little party on my front walkway.

i hate to leave out my garden. it's been the source of much joy and frustration this summer. the squash and zucchini were lame performers this year. . . coupled by the fact that my three garden ummm "helpers" harvested themselves before i could get to them. grrrrr. (that would be the frustration) who know dachshunds liked to garden, or eat raw squash?

the cucumbers were a bumper crop this year (egads, it's not like you can make cucumber bread for cryin out loud!!) and this would be fine, but many of them were bitter.

the tomatoes have been spectacular this year (albeit a bit late) and again, the ones nearer the ground have been decimated by. . . yep. . . dumb, ann, dumber. get a life, dogs!! tomatoes??

i really am thankful for the reminder that God is good. just look at the variety of His creativity! all the different flowers, vegetables (weeds), people, animals. . . all that in seven (well, really six) days?? He IS good!!