Beauty in the Ditch

You never know where beauty can be found. This is a color pencil of some lotuses/water lilies? found in a ditch next to a gas station in Tamil Nadu, India

Silken Threads

These silk threads are emerging from a stunted, spiky corn plant. Will a cob of any use be formed here?  Please pray for the many farmers who depend on a corn crop to feed their livestock or to sell a harvest. 

Spikes and Tassles

As far as one can see in this hilly field, the corn plants are in a classical stressed "pineapple" formation. These stunted plants are now tasseling as well. Will my brother (whose farm is pictured in the upper left corner) be able to even use any part of the corn to feed his elk?

All Dried Up

Taken in the same field as yesterday's photo, it's bad enough to see stunted, spiky corn leaves, but even worse when you have stunted plants that are drying up before your eyes. I doubt this field will give any type of yield.

Wisconsin's Pineapple Crop

No, this isn't from Hawaii or another tropical paradise. Right here in Wisconsin.

Down she goes!

The weather this summer sure has been the talk of the area. Since I arrived in Wisconsin, we have had just over 1/4" (1.27 cm) of rain. This past week, the wind suddenly picked up, plummeting the temperature from around 102°F (38°C) to around 75°F (24°C) in minutes. A strong wind accompanied the temperature drop, causing in this large tree to snap and plunge down with a big crash.

Golden Lace

A backlit Queen Anne's Lace against the golden wheat in the background. Despite the drought around Wisconsin, there still is a bit of beauty along the roadside.

Starbursts

Two more flowers from my mother's flower gardens. I love the starburst arrangements of the pistols in the bottom photo.

Mini artichokes

These small ground-cover plants remind me of artichokes.

Green and Purple

Despite their diminutive size, this bud and flowers beg a closer look.  

Backyard Flowers

Despite the drought conditions here in Wisconsin, my mother's careful devotion has enabled a large percentage of the flowers around the house to survive. Here are some close-ups of a few of them.

Grains and Grasses

Another field photo, just on the other side of the large hill. This region of Wisconsin has a landscape influenced by the glaciers that once went through the area. Makes great sledding and fast (downhill) biking!

Amber Waves of Grain

On an early morning walk by my parents' house in Wisconsin, I stopped to enjoy this view - a golden field of wheat, undulating in the wind, set against a brilliant, blue sky. Aside from the trees and grass, the scene reminded me of the massive Sahara Desert sand dunes in the southern part of Tunisia. 

Seeing such fields of grain is visible proof of God's bounteous blessings.