The Holy City

And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it. Luke 19:28-41

Night Garden

A gentle rain shower moved through Vicksburg at twilight yesterday, and I enjoyed capturing these pictures of our waterfall. The underwater lights made it look as if it was glowing, and the colors remind me of a Thomas Kinkade painting. It looked almost magical, and I could just imagine fairies dancing to the music of the falling rain.

Feed Them and They Will Come

I hung my hummingbird feeder from a tree in our courtyard late yesterday afternoon, and this morning I was thrilled see our first hummer. When I saw him, I ran to get my camera, but before I could focus on him, he flew away. That's okay, though, because I know he'll be back ... and, perhaps, he will bring some friends. I'm looking forward to getting some new pictures to add to my "hummingbird collection," so I hope they won't mind me "staking them out." Oh, I almost forgot! Do you see the little bird sitting on the birdhouse in the background? I'm not sure what kind of bird it is, but he and his mate have been very busy building a nest in the house, and I hope to capture some pictures of their babies, too, in and amongst capturing the hummers. Isn't Spring wonderful!

A Special Visitor

I was working in my yard yesterday and was delighted to see my first butterfly of the season. He (or she) was enjoying the blooms on our Majestic Hawthorn bush, and almost landed on me. His wings were torn and tattered, as if he had just arrived after a long journey from wherever butterflies go in the winter. But I thought he was beautiful, and I ran inside to get my camera so I could capture that bright glorious spirit, gracefully flitting from flower to flower, as if he was sent to personally wish me a "Happy Spring!" I hope your weekend is filled with butterflies ... and flowers ... and the sound of birds singing their songs of Spring. For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has ripened its figs, And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. [Song 2:11-13]

Pink Perfection

It's that time of year when I visit one of my favorite trees in Vicksburg. No, it's not the majestic Gingko in the Vicksburg National Cemetery ... Or this old oak tree that's not too far away from the Gingko ... The tree I'm talking about is a rather nondescript little pink Dogwood tree located on a side street in a quiet neighborhood. It stands about 15 feet high and, in the four years since I've been photographing it, it has never occurred to me to take a picture of the entire tree. I guess it's kind of like that old saying about "not being able to see the trees for the forest." I don't really see the tree itself, because I get so caught up in capturing its exquisite flowers. I love standing underneath its canopy of pale pink blossoms, made even more beautiful with a brilliant blue sky filtering through its branches. There's just nothing like seeing God's masterpieces up close, and they never fail to awe and inspire me to think ... "Oh, Lord, my God, How great Thou art!"

Balancing Act

Happy First Day of Spring, Y'all!

Not only is it the first day of Spring, but it's also the vernal equinox, one of two times a year (the other equinox occurs in the Fall) when the length of day and the length of night are just about equal.

As folklore has it, the position of the sun and other planets on the equinoxes means that miraculous feats of balance can occur. True? Astronomers say No, but twice a year many people go around trying to balance raw eggs on end and trying to get brooms to stand alone, and no telling what else.

I have to confess that I was intrigued by the idea, and tried my hand at balancing an egg.

As you can see, it worked! But if the truth be known, it probably would have worked last week, or next week, or every day for the rest of the year according to astronomers who attest that equinoxes and planetary alignments have no "physical effect on earthly objects." Be that as it may, I had fun balancing my egg and it was kind of eerie to see it standing alone like that.

Hmmmm ... I wonder if I can get my broom to stand up, too!

Dogwoods on the Square

Two or three weeks ago, I shared a few pictures of the Old Court House Museum in Vicksburg, which I captured at dusk one evening.

At that time, the dogwood trees surrounding the Court House Square were loaded with buds and a promise of Spring.

Last Friday around noon, I returned to the Court House, and was rewarded with a glorious sight — the dogwood trees were in full bloom!

They were absolutely dazzling!

I'm afraid my pictures don't do the trees justice — they are truly breathtaking in person.

And speaking of breathtaking ... the casual observer strolling the grounds of the Square may admire the flowers from a distance.

But if you are a regular visitor to Southern Lagniappe, you know I don't admire anything from a distance for long. My curiosity always gets the best of me and I have to get off the beaten path ... or, in this case, off the sidewalk ... and get a closer look at things. I'm so glad I took the time to see these beautiful Irises up close and personal.

These mauve blooms were exquisite, and were as large as salad plates.

I enjoyed seeing this memorial garden honoring Mr. Hobbs Freeman, a much loved and respected local artist, sculptor, builder, jewelry maker, cook, and gardener.

He could create whatever his mind could imagine, and many of the themes of his art were focused on natural places, especially native plants and wildlife.

Mr. Freeman passed away last June, but his art and his legacy as an ambassador for both art and nature will be forever remembered and honored by his many friends and the people of Vicksburg.

Azaleas are in full bloom, and I enjoyed capturing a few pictures of the ones on the Square.

I also captured a little lagniappe ... or serendipity, if you prefer ... along with the flowers.

After watching the bees for a few minutes, I can understand where the expression, "busy as a bee," comes from. Notice the pollen covering this bee ...

I'm planning to do a "drive-by" photo tour later this week of the azaleas at some of the antebellum houses in Vicksburg (plus, a few of my favorite neighborhoods, too!) ... and hope you will come back for the "tour."

Spring Break

The Mississippi River twin bridges at Vicksburg Tuesday, March 13, 2012 I captured that shot from a park playground high on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River at Vicksburg. Our granddaughter Avery Grace, spent most of her "Spring Break" from first grade with us this past week, and the park is one of her favorite places in Vicksburg. She had a good time burning up some of that six-year-old energy. If only she could share some of it with her GrandMama! I loved having this special time with Avery. She is growing up so fast, and we don't get a chance to have much "one on one" time very often.