On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
We are spending the winter in Florida. We arrived around the 18th of December and except for a scattered day here and there, the weather has been pleasant. I tend to get testy when the winter temperature rises to 80 degrees. I know I am being picky, but a perfect day for me would be highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s.
Our daughter’s birthday was last week. We were thinking of an overnight road trip to celebrate the day but we changed our plans due to my husband’s health issues.
We settled on a girl’s day out at Harry P Leu Gardens in Winter Park, FL.
Leu Gardens teems with vigor and beauty, regardless of the season. Discover palms, cycads and flowering trees. Enjoy azaleas, vines, bromeliads and tropical philodendrons. Appreciate the sight of familiar annual flowers and the beauty of roses and camellias. Stroll under the awe-inspiring branches of camphor trees, elms and oaks.
Leugardens.org
Although I lived near these gardens for almost 60 years, I had never visited them!
When we arrived around noon, the parking lot was full, which surprised me. Since we were there during the week after Christmas I assumed most tourists would be at the theme parks. Also surprising was the number of visitors to the gardens who were from other countries. It was nice.
There are many walkways and themed gardens. On the first walkway I was drawn to this tree. The phrase bowed but not broken came to my mind. It reminded me of the hard times the world has faced during Covid.
A little further on the walk we entered a swampy area bordering a lake and I chuckled at a warning sign. I didn’t take a picture, so I created one.
Did the keepers of the garden discover how to limit a swamp to one alligator?
The swamp area had a goodly amount of cypress knees. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good picture of them. I did get a picture of a cypress tree and the green swamp water and if you look closely in the left lower corner, you will see some knees.
Here are some of my favorite photos of the gardens.
I have a particular fondness for poinsettias to the point that I have been known to bring the ones I buy in North Carolina at Christmas to Florida so that I can enjoy them longer. In fact, one very hardy plant survived all of the past year and is now lovely and blooming in a pot with geraniums. I loved this ruffled looking poinsettia and may need to look for one next year. I think it may be called a rose poinsettia.
Towards the end of our time at the gardens, i realized I hadn’t taken a picture of the birthday girl. We couldn’t ask for more in a daughter. She blesses us with her kind and generous spirit, tolerates our aging foibles and loves us.
I was thankful for the plentiful placement of benches throughout the gardens. While sitting at one bench, I was playing with my camera and noticed a heart shaped light shadow being captured in the view finder that wasn’t visible with my eyes. It put a nice finishing touch to our day.
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books
My 2021 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.
Old Things R New 
It was a very nice day! Thanks for being my birthday buddy.
LikeLike
A fitting heart-shaped end to your day.
LikeLike