Annual Frederik Meijer Gardens Trip

Yup, it's my birthday and I (Shannon) am going to Frederik Meijer Gardens.  No crying involved until I looked outside of the warm greenhouses... you'll find out why later.  In the meantime, enjoy the small sample of my large photo collection from the day.

Meerkat statues in the desert garden.  I think these statues and the animal are adorable.

Gorgeous texture on a tiny plant.

Monarch larva on a tropical milkweed in the English conservatory.

PINK!  Beautiful hydrangea in the English conservatory.

This butterfly is a swallowtail, but we can not find it in the identification booklet.

Tree Nymph from Asia.

I like the branch structure this tree has, but while I looked up, I neglected to look down and take a picture of the tree name.

Longwing Postman from Central and South America.

Doris Longwing

Scarlet Mormon from Asia, AKA the Watermelon butterfly.

Orchids, I like orchids.

March of the aliens orchid.

Buggy faced orchid.  Don't you like my labels?

I love the color combination in this orchid.

More orchids...  he he he...

The architecture of these leaves intrigues me.

I think I take a picture of this tree every year, and I admire it every year.

The natural purple and green color combo in these plants is striking.

In the jungle, the mighty jungle...  it was warm today.

Picture of a pitcher plant in the carnivore house.

Sundew plants with mini drops of sticky sap in the carnivore house.

Venus fly traps.

The reason for the crying... it snowed on my birthday.  Actually it was quite cold, gloomy and windy along with the snow squall.

T took me out to eat in the cafe for lovely salads.  This glass sculpture is displayed on the cafe ceiling.

I am blessed to be another year older and able to spend the day with my best friend.

Looking For Spring

These pictures are from the last week of March and spring is slow to come.  While the snow is melting, not much is growing yet.  Let us take you on a short tour of our yard.

Bed #1 with kale from last fall.

I (Shannon) planted a great number of bulbs last fall, but have not seen much evidence yet.  I went hunting under the leaves and found a few brave bulbs emerging despite our below freezing temperatures at night.

Emerging daffodils

Wandering around the house I see that my beds are in desperate need of an overhaul.  I am planning to renew these beds later this spring.

Side East terrace bed

Sedum adds a beautiful spot of color.

The small pond in the front of the house is still frozen.  I am sure that my two fish are much happier in their tank inside. A meal a day and water above freezing is nice. Once the pond thaws and we have a day that I feel like getting in cold water, I will clean it out and return the fish to their summer home.

Mini ice skating rink.  AKA Pond.

Got snow?

Timothy built a frame to hold interchangeable monthly reminders of God's feasts and blessings for us.  This month is the beginning of the Biblical year in which we remember and celebrate the Passover, First Fruits, and Unleavened Bread.  Passover is the remembrance of God's miraculous deliverance for His people from slavery and the gift of His Son's sacrifice for our deliverance from sin.  First Fruits is the celebration of our Savior's resurrection.  Unleavened Bread is physical reminder to remove leavening from our homes which symbolizes actively removing sin from our spiritual temples by repentance and returning to our Heavenly Father.

At the new moon, which represents the start of a new Biblical month, we change the sign.  Some of the signs have feasts and celebrations on them, and others have a scripture of one of the beatitudes.

Our front yard billboard.

It has been a cold spring, but it is coming... SLOWLY.