Lilies, moths, & coffee

Lilies line the road and invite all to stop and enjoy!

As we were passing through Mt. Vernon last week, we noticed this beautiful array of lilies along the roadside, just across from Cedarhurst Mitchell Museum. If you are passing that way, stop and enjoy.

Here is a picture of one of the lilies from our garden. I loved the three blooms together, like sisters united, and adorned in their prom dresses.

When I was walking through my flower beds, and trying to dead-head all the plants that needed it, I spotted the hummingbird moths on our butterfly bush. There were 2 or 3 of these fascinating creatures, buzzing from flower to flower, and so unusual and pretty. Watch for them in your flower garden, because they can easily be mistaken for a hummingbird. One never knows what delights can be found when we take time to look closely and enjoy our surroundings.

When I was headed to the butterfly bush, our geese spotted me, and came marching around the pond to persuade me that they needed some shelled corn. There were 14 of them, but 2 are out of camera range. They have just begun practicing flying. What a sound as they take off, through the trees with their broad wingspan, and fly to the middle of our pond. Only one still waddled along to the water and wasn't brave enough to take flight. I expect he will soon. When I was at the mailbox this morning, at the front of our property, all of the sudden I heard the sound of geese honking and descending from the sky in various areas of the yard. I guess they were practicing landing on the ground, rather than the water. It was comical to see how spread out they were, and it was as though they just landed where ever, and not at a precise spot. They are still amateurs, but soon they will fly for the winter and we will miss them until they return next spring for a new nesting season.

Here is one of our latest spots to visit. . . . Delyte's at Morris Library at SIU Carbondale, IL.

A friend had told me that it had opened and that we should check it out, so we, stopped in and enjoyed the newly remodeled Library, and coffee cafe. Delyte Morris was President at SIU while I was a student there, so I have a fond association. I did spend many many hours in the Library studying, especially during finals week. Today, we are enjoying our latest discovered coffee house in Effingham, IL ----Joe Sippers Cafe. A great place to relax, with friendly employees, comfortable atmosphere, and good coffee/cookies. Check it out next time you are in the area.