Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Spring Flowers

Hi all.  First, I'd like to apologize for missing blogging on a couple of my days.  Without boring everyone, I'll just say that the day job is a little on the stressful side recently.  One particular Saturday there were a couple events I'd have enjoyed attending, but I opted to stay home and work instead.  Late in the afternoon, I walked out onto the patio to stretch and get a breath of fresh air and guess what I found.  My cactus had bloomed.  Isn't it gorgeous?

Keeping with the family tradition, my older son has gotten into photographing wild flowers this year.  He also loves cactuses.  The yellow cactus bloom below is the picture he posted on FB for me this year for Mother's Day.


My younger son and his wife also got into the flower mode this year and brought me the gorgeous Bougenvillia hanging basket.  He knows I love Florida.  Think he knew that these grow beautifully down there?

I've always used music to change my moods.  This year I seem to be in Spring Flower mode.  How about you.  How do you relieve stress?


18 comments:

Amanda Renee said...

Your cacti are beautiful! I have never successfully had any bloom. Now I'm eager to try again.

My tried and true stress reliever is the beach. Once my feet hit the sand and I can see the openness of the water before me, I can breath deep. It's one of the reasons I moved the coast.

My day job is extremely stressful. My only saving grace is it's located on the beach. I can see the water at any given moment. If it wasn't, I'm afraid there might be blood shed. :)

Pamela Stone said...

Hi Amanda and thanks for stopping by. Congrats on selling Double Trouble. Looking forward to reading it.

I too love the beach, but am 300 miles away. We already made one quick weekend trip this year though. Galveston isn't South Carolina, but I love it. I'm so envious of you living and working that close to the water. I would be in Heaven.

Kathy Ivan said...

Stress? That has become the normal for my life recently, Pam. I try to unwind and destress by reading. Usually when I'm tight and need to decompress, I'll grab an old favorite, climb into my comfy chair in my sunroom with a big glass of iced tea and lose myself in the story, reaquainting myself with old friends. To be honest, that's usually all I have time for with everything else going on. When I'm not reading, then I'm usually at the computer putting my characters through the ringer and plotting new ways to commit the perfect crime.

Pamela Stone said...

Hi Kathy. Thanks for stopping by. I used to read. That is another thing I miss lately. But I do find that writing and torturing my characters helps. I'll send a scene to my critique partners and one of the comments I regularly get back is. "Rough day today?" Ha.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful cactus. Believe it or not, I have killed a cactus. I do not have a green thumb!

Juliet Burns said...

When I'm stressed< I eat. Which is not good. But since Im abut to have Gastric sleeve surgery, I'll need to find other outlets. My other huge stress releiver is reading. I always have a book im reading and a HUGE TBR pile.
Right now Im reading harlequin Blaze author Jo Leigh's newest trilogy Trading Men series. They're great. She's such a fantastic author.

Pamela Stone said...

Oh, Tammy. Trust me. I've killed more than my share of plants of all kinds. I once baked my husband's terrarium. He was not pleased.

Juliet, good luck on the surgery.

chris k said...

well - the best destresser for me is the beach - unfortunately, I usually only get there once a year - I'm due- it's been 10 months!! LOL.

as a back up- dinner with friends - a good comical movie for dessert only helps!!

Cj said...

Beautiful photos Pam! We have been having an early summer with temps over 100 already so my plants are all taking a beating.

Think of you often. Hope we can catch up soon.

Hugs,
Cj

Liese said...

Beautiful pictures. And as you said, who knew bougainvillea could grow here? I always think of it as needing warmer climates.

Pamela Stone said...

Ahh, Chris, another beach person.

CJ, so I waited too lon to come to PSP to visit this year? Guess I can look toward fall. We do need to catch up.

Liese, I think you are correct. This one hasn't made it through this Texas weather yet. We shall see.

Anonymous said...

I love flowers & the pictures are so pretty! To destress, I take walks but when it gets really bad, I head for the coast! The waves & seafood help me let go of it all.

Pamela Stone said...

I'm loving this. So many beach people out there.

Marin Thomas said...

Pam, the pictures are beautiful...your son is a gifted photographer. I love cactus and since I'm now in Phoenix I see all kinds of them as well as palm trees...so different from the Midwest. Hope the stress levels off soon!

Linda Steinberg said...

Besides the beach, (which I will get to enjoy in a couple of weeks) wine in the hot tub is nice too.

Pamela Stone said...

Marin, I"ve visited Phoenix a couple times. Pretty place. DIfferent foliage in the desert areas. That is where on of the women I work with plans to retire.

Okay, Linda. Rub it in. But when you get back, I have the hot tub, you bring the wine. Ha.

Leigh Duncan said...

Who knew a yellow cactus bloom would look so much like a rose? Gorgeous!

linda s said...

I haven't seen flowering cactus in years. When I was a child, the wild cactus on the praires would bloom and I pricked many a finger trying to pick one. Thank for the memories.