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My Life With Gracie…Sunday Surprises!

This weekend, my chickens and I have been enjoying the strong beautiful fragrance of the sweet osmanthus (tea olive) tree which is now taller than me even though I planted it only a few years ago. We have also be enjoying the beautiful color of the beauty berry bush’s fruit.

Most of these berries will be eaten by the songbirds, but a few will sprout and expand their territory just a bit farther out into the shady parts of the yard. You can probably see where an insect has already been eating the beauty berry’s leaves here and there, but that’s just part of life in the garden.

A soft rain overnight gives everything a wet shine, and I think the raindrops hitting the osmanthus blossoms release even more of its sweet indescribably perfume into the garden. At times I can even smell it from inside the house!

I hope you will find your own Sunday Surprises to delight your senses and give your heart a bit of rest.

If you would like to volunteer as a test reader for the recent revision of “How To Explain Christmas To Chickens,” I would truly appreciate your honest feedback. You can still read the entire book with illustrations online at How To Explain Christmas To Chickens through this weekend. (And maybe longer if I forget to change the settings!)

Posted on by Dad4Gracie · 2 Comments

My Life With Gracie…Sunday Surprises!

Thank you everyone for your comments on yesterday’s post of a chapter titled “The Terrifying Chicken Freak Show.”  You gave me a great deal to think about, and I seriously appreciate that so much. 

This morning, when I went out to let my chickens come down from their coop for breakfast, I saw the first morning glory blossom of the season. They have always sprouted in my garden, and are a signal that the summer season is coming to an end and autumn is just around the corner. They are such a cheerful shade of blue and seem to want to take over the tomato patch as soon as the last tomatoes are picked.

The chive blossoms are still looking fine and will soon be making seeds for expanding their space in the garden. They make perfect little stars, don’t they? While we examined them, Gracie reminded me about how in the Paris Opera Ballet, the highest honor is to be une danseuse étoile, a star dancer. While Pearl is more suited for dancing the exuberant can-can at The Moulin Rouge in Paris, they are both my stars, mes étoiles, in their own different way.

Posted on by Dad4Gracie · 10 Comments

My Life With Gracie…Sunday Surprises!

This morning, I was putting on my chicken shoes as I do each morning. (If you have chickens, you know about chicken shoes, shoes specifically for mucking about with the chickens.) While tying one of my shoes, I looked up and saw this beautiful welcome to a new day. The Rose Of Sharon behind the chicken coop had begun to bloom, and the petals were just catching the morning sunlight coming over the roof.

This one is a Double White Althea, just in case you wanted to find one for yourself. I bought two of these several years before I had any chickens, and I used them to anchor the far end of my garden raised beds. Now they anchor our big chicken coop and run and provide afternoon shade for their afternoon free-range area. We will be enjoying these blossoms throughout the summer months, and the beautiful bronze-toned seed pods in the autumn months.

We are all hoping that your day will be filled with a few equally beautiful surprises!

Each post shares a glimpse into my journey as a writer and illustrator. Every “Like,” “Follow,” and “Comment” is truly appreciated!