Crinium lilies

 

Crinium lilies can be seen throughout the South from mid summer on. The ones seen most often are referred to as "milk and wine" lilies as they are white with a maroon streak down the petals. This one is somewhat of a rarity as it is all wine colored. It generally puts up flower stalks several times during summer. I have forgotten where I got this but I am sure I bought it several years ago (as opposed to receiving it as a pass-along plant as is often the case with milk and wine). With almost no care it has increased in size to a nice clump, and rewards me with both beauty and fragrance. As evidence to the lack of care these fine plants require, they are often seen at old home sites where the house has been gone for many years. Keep a lookout for these old soldiers as you drive along old roads.

Don't give me Justice: I need Mercy

Wendell Berry has written in Citizenship Papers " Even justice, without mercy ,forgiveness, and love is intolerable." Sleeth, In serve God, Save the Planet has voiced similar statements. Micah 6:08 says,"He has showed you,O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy. and to walk humbly with your God." Doubtless there are innumerable other statements like this that I am unaware of. It is a subject worth thought.
Where can I find the need for justice and mercy in my everyday life? When I eat in a restaurant I should give a fair tip to the waiter (waitress). She is working and has to live ,too. Mercy might provide a larger than necessary tip, or an adequate tip even if service was not so good. (She may be just starting or having a bad day.) I should give the benefit of doubt. After all, I will receive recompense based on what I did and thought, not what someone else did or thought.
When I am stopped for speeding and instead of a ticket, receive a warning (could it be my white hair?), that is clearly mercy.
Since I began mulling this topic several days ago, I have become more confused, not less. Virtually all the examples I came up with related to either legal or religious matters. The other examples seemed to fall more in the realm of kindness rather than justice/mercy.
So... what do you think? Give me some input. Posting to comments will allow me to edit and also easily make your thoughts avaiale to everyone who cares to look.

Alabama in August

Lest you forget, this is Alabama, this is August, and summer is not over yet. The soaring humidity left over from the recent rains generated by Hurricane Fay, is enough to melt a Greek statue. Even the dog has given up chasing the squirrels. She stretches her belly against the cool concrete and is thankful. The squirrels are swinging in the swamp dogwood , feasting on berries and shaking a rain of plums off the slow plumb tree. The rain brought up an abundant crop of mushrooms of every sort. I have seen several fairy rings the last few days.

It’s best not to move too fast in this weather. Do what you can in the morning and take a nap after lunch. Night is coming and it will be cool enough then to sit for a while on the porch and enjoy the cacophony of insect song

What We Need Is Here- Wendell Berry

What We Need Is Here

Geese appear high over us,
pass, and the sky closes. Abandon,
as in love or sleep, holds
them to their way, clear
in the ancient faith: what we need
is here. And we pray, not
for new earth or heaven, but to be
quiet in heart, and in eye,
clear. What we need is here.

Wendell Berry

Anole: it's not easy being green , so sometimes I turn brown

Isn't this a beautiful creature? Anoles are everywhere around my house and greenhouse. I think they are the dearest of their kind. I have other lizards, too, but they are simply not as elegant as anoles. Their green shade is so beautiful I want to paint a wall of my living room that color. My friends gently advise against it.

Meet Dora the Explorer.She is a chihuahua (obviously). When she came to me she had another name, Ladybug. But because of her personality, I changed her name. She loves to explore out in the edge of the woods and into the deep grass. That is, she did, till she was bitten by something (coyote, fox?) . Whatever it was she was so terrorized that she stopped being quite so brave. I think she is lucky to be alive, and she was as frightened as I would have been had a dinosaur chased me.
She has been having some trouble with being housebroken (I keep her on the screened porch, but I don't want her messing up there either.) I had taken to the time honored tradition of pushing her nose in it and tossing her out. One day I had watered the plants on the porch and made quite a large puddle on the floor. I saw her when she saw the puddle and could see her alarm. She must have thought "Oh boy, I am in it now". She slowly went over and sniffed the water, then seemed to relax.
Animals are such fun creatures.