Anthomania

An extravagant obsession with flowers?  Not really sure about the word extravagant in the definition of anthomania in that my affection hardly seems absurd nor do I spend a lot of money on flowers.  I just really, really like them.  Wildflowers or hot house flowers, public gardens or private ones, rows of perennials outside Home Depot or the plantings in my own back yard -- I'm enraptured.  There might be a strong correlation between my general love of nature and my enjoyment of flowers.  After all, aren't they a showy version of what nature provides as a soothing balm to indoor sterility and the time of year when seemingly nothing is actively growing?  What I do know for sure (to steal a line from Oprah) is that to me, nearly all things that fall under the umbrella of flora delight me.  I suppose there are worse "obsessions" to have.

Here are some more subjects from the last few weekends:

There is a new addition to our family.  On Thursday we heard about four abandoned kittens that were left in a dumpster.  No one is sure how long they were there, and the culprit (that's not the only word I've used to describe this person) is unknown.  Thankfully, they were rescued before the garbage truck arrived.  We'd been thinking of getting a companion for our much-loved calico, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.  She's an eight week old, long-haired tortoiseshell according to the vet we visited over the weekend.  Tim and I are already in love with her.  Take a look:

No name yet, but we've considered Little Spitfire, Lucy, Sophie, June Bug and Amy (as in Amy Farah Fowler of Big Bang Theory fame since Penny is named after a character on that show).

Miss Penny enjoying the last light of the evening.

Penny doing what she enjoys most - watching birds, hiding in the grass.

We get some pretty lovely sunsets here in Utah.

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and winds long to play with your hair.” –Kahlil Gibran

Some of my favorite things about summer - bare feet and driving with the windows down. 

Last Sunday, Tim and I walked up a steep road just to see where it led.  It seemed we might get to a saddle with the chance to walk along it for a bit.  However, the road petered out, and the game trails (or as I sometimes call them - animal super highways) weren't wide enough for us to follow.  A short hike in the end, but we were rewarded with some lovely wildflowers.  Arrowleaf balsamroot, Indian paintbrush, larkspur, phlox, forget-me-not.  I looked for shooting stars, but perhaps it was too late in the season to see any.

Afterward we went for a drive down a long, dusty dirt road.  We saw several pronghorn which is always a pleasure.  I never tire of their pretty faces, dainty legs and coloring.  They're found in this part of Utah year-round so sightings are common.  Even so, I perk up whenever I spot them.

not a great photo, but they were moving away from the road as we passed

Toward the end of our drive, we were rewarded with a large band of wild horses.  Despite being wild, this particular group seems rather tolerant of humans watching and photographing them.  (Lucky perhaps for the folks who irresponsibly approach them within a few feet or yards.)  This herd has spent days and days in this area, grazing, rolling in the muddy ponds and doing what it is that horses do.  I feel pretty blessed that we live in a place inhabited by all sorts of wildlife.  From snakes to birds, from pronghorn to mustangs, we see and hear all manner of critters on a daily basis.  Further reason to enjoy and admire summer.
 

Perfect song for a lovely evening outside