I'm Ba-a-a-ack!

Yes, it has been four years since my last post.  For a brief time, I moved to Tucker, Georgia where I helped take care of baby granddaughters.  Those were good years, but last August I moved back to Douglasville where I also have a grandson, age 21, and a daughter, age 41.

Here's my plan:  I want to continue to write about Douglasville, Georgia, but instead of just writing about the beautiful flowers and other foliage, I want to take a broader view.  At the center of my posts will be Douglasville, of course, but this time around I wish to pull in some of my own personal interests such as my everyday life and hobbies.  I am in a new house which takes time to clean and decorate.  I still have frequent visits with granddaughters Ava and Violet, but I also knit, crochet, quilt, sew and read.

So what's new?  Many changes have taken place in Douglasville since 2009.  The economy dictated the closing of many stores and the opening of new ones.  I'm lucky, however, that my three favorite ones, Joann's Fabrics, Hobby Lobby and Michael's Craft Store, are still here and thriving.  When you can't afford to vacation, eat out or buy new cars or clothes, go to crafts for entertainment.  I think that's the message here.  I know I take advantage of coupons and discount stores more than ever.  I have even begun to use coupons displayed on my iPhone, a new for me.

In Tucker, Georgia, I was super blessed with a yard chocked full of magnolia trees, azalea bushes, a raging hydrangea bush and a camellia tree.  I rarely was without fresh flowers for displaying in the house.  In fact, here's one of the last bouquets gleaned from the yard shortly before I moved back to Douglasville.

As you can see, I'm still crazy for flowers.  So, I'm back and ready to roll again through the thoughts of one Douglasville, Georgia resident.

Flowering Trees

Douglasville, Georgia is one of the most attractive places on Earth during the spring season. Or do I just love the town for any reason? I do love the spring flowers and today I give you two examples of what we locals enjoy beginning around the middle of March.

I discovered this absolutely beautiful Bradford pear tree in a Douglasville neighborhood off of Chapel Hill Road. Unsurrounded by other trees, the purity of the white blooms makes one gasp with appreciation.

This picture does not do justice to the lovely ethereal quality of the blooms on these pink cherry trees. Many neighborhoods in Douglasville line the front entrance with the lacy and slightly rose colored trees. These sentinels of greeting make the viewers/visitors pause at least briefly to admire the plain old prettiness of the scene.

All over the city the Bradford pear and the cherry tree have been used to welcome visitors, to enhance property, and to announce the arrival of spring. Some years the blooms are fuller than others, but I enjoy each and every one. More pictures follow. I tried to photograph the sun behind the blooms. For some reason, the flowers appear more heavenly that way. Let me know if you can see the beauty of the plants in the photograph.

Myrtle Crepe

A little overcast today but so pleasant around seventy nine degrees and it is 11:04 am. We have not yet turned on the air conditioner. The doors have been open all morning.

All around town the crepe myrtles are blooming. Even though gardening experts say not to prune the crepe myrtle bushes, most people in Douglasville chop off the tops in the early spring (or is it fall?). It doesn't seem to make any difference. The pruned and the unpruned ones bloom profusely in July. The predominant colors are the rose and white ones.

Almost every month in Douglasville sees at least one major bloom. Maybe January and February are truly bare of flowers, but even so the dark greens of the cedars and the red and green of the nandinas are colorful. And there's always the pansies, right? In March, flowers start the show with the gorgeous, outrageous Bradford pear trees. They are huge tree balls of white blooms that make you weep they are so beautiful. I've tried to capture their beauty in pictures, but so far I haven't made it. And you might think it is too cold, but the daffodils pop up around the late part of March. The yellow daffodils kind of compete with the yellow of the forsythia at the same time. In April, the dogwoods show their stuff, and if you can find a pink dogwood, you just find a way to drive by often to look at its brilliance. Toward the end of April and on into May the azaleas glorify the area. It is not uncommon to find yards with huge blooming azaleas draped like antebellum dresses across the landscape. Also in April and May, cherry trees briefly but poignantly burst into bloom. In May the dominant flower is, of course, the magnolia. I love to look at the creaminess of the magnolia bloom, and if I have to, I sneak a bloom from someone's tree to place on my dining room table in a brandy snifter filled with water. It lasts for a few days. In June the daylillies dance around the town. There used to be a time when everyone had daylillies in their yard, but now I notice those yards are fewer and farther between. And now this month, the crepe myrtles take center stage. What comes next month? I don't remember, but I will report the event on this blog.

The Green, Green Grass of Home

Tom Jones knew what he sang about. The greenness of the area is in stark contrast to the burnt brownness of Florida. The weather is definately a plus for Douglasville. Coming from Florida, I had quite a task in acclimation. At first, the cold really got to me. But soon it warmed up, and one day I noticed I wasn't freezing any more. In Florida, I would prepare for the heat. But here I soon grew accustomed to cool mornings and very pleasant 72 degree afternoons. Oh yes, there are occasional spurts of deep, summertime heat, but not like in Florida where the sun could burn your skin just walking to the car every day.

Today the temp has not been above 79 degrees. This morning the cool air made it possible to open the doors and windows and enjoy the outside inside. We could hear the birds chirping and smell good old Georgia fresh air. Now I have to admit, yesterday during the thunderstorm or even before it, the weather was muggy, but this morning a cool 69 degrees.

If you are like me and you've lived in the heat, a place like Douglasville is a true treat of atmospheric enjoyment. Tomorrow I will tell you about the flowers.

In the Beginning

This rainy, cloudy day in Douglasville, Georgia will be the first day of my blog on the town of Douglasville. Since I am new at blogging, don't expect too much at first, but do check back often to see if I've improved. The town has caught my interest and hopefully yours because it is located halfway between redneckville and urbanville, half way between Alabama and Atlanta. I live here. I may die here. But I will never be bored here because there's plenty to do. For example, today I had lunch at Wendy's out on Douglas Boulevard. I ate the new Asian spiced boneless chicken wings and found them acceptable for a quick, spicy, cheap lunch. The diet Coke helped wash down the heat.