Wednesday's Beautiful Change 10-12-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Wednesday.  Given the last few days, I am ready for some beauty.  We know that a beautiful butterfly comes from the metamorphosis of a caterpillar.  The recent ugliness of Hurricane Matthew pretty much requires that something beautiful happen.   I'll accept this butterfly for now.  I will take it as a sign that the future is bright, colorful and full of possibilities and I intend to take full advantage.  There are times in life that you make a change and there are other times when change comes by surprise.  It's the surprises that take a little time to sink in, so to speak, reorganize and embrace.  I'm ready to work with the change that has presented itself and make it into a beautiful future.

I hope you embraced a beautiful day.  Thank you for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Thursday's Butterfly Feeder 09-29-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Thursday.  I want to show you my butterfly feeder (along with a butterfly).  Their feeder this year is basically the lantana plants in my yard.  There are many other plants that can be used to attract and feed butterflies, such as lavender, day lilies, butterfly bush and bee balm, to name a few,  If you enjoy butterflies in your yard and want to plant something beautiful, fragrant and functional, check out the website:  http://www.almanac.com/content/plants-attract-butterflies for a long list of plants.  I know there are some on that list I want to plant for the future!

I hope you had a terrific Thursday.  Thank you for looking,  See you tomorrow,

Wednesday's Orange Butterfly Julius 09-21-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Wednesday.  Have you ever seen a butterfly so orange?  I haven't.  Saw him in the front yard and just had to have a photo.  I'm going to name him.  I think I'll call him Julius.  That's it - I'll call him Orange Julius.  Sounds like a great name.  Also, it sounds like I've heard that name before - hmmmmm.  Maybe then, I'll call him Orange Butterfly Julius.  Yep,  I like OBJ.  It has been a great day today.

I hope you had a great day this Wednesday.  Thank you for looking.  Maybe you'll find OBJ fluttering around your yard one day.  See you tomorrow.

Friday Flowers and Butterfly 09-16-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Friday!  We did it.  We morphed from our Monday's cocoon to be a beautiful Friday butterfly, free to be and do what we want and enjoy what we like this weekend.  Yippee!!  Enjoyment is a requirement for a healthy and happy life and I like to grab whatever enjoyment I can each and every day.  

I hope you enjoyed something this Friday.  Thank you for looking.  Enjoy tonight.  See you tomorrow.

Wednesday's Hummingbird and Butterfly 09-7-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Wednesday.  I know you've seen a few hummingbirds from me, but have I ever shown you one on a butterfly?  No, you haven't; until today.  My daughter-in-law loves butterflies and I always think of her when I see them.   I also enjoy butterflies - and I love my little hummingbirds, so seeing them together makes me very happy.  This little guy sat on the post for a few seconds posing for me. I think he was offering me the gift of photographing him as gratitude for getting rid of the praying/slaying mantis that was on his feeder the previous evening.  He could also be a little curious of us.  I'm sure we are becoming a familiar sight.  He doesn't have much longer to check us out because I've read the hummingbirds' migration to Central America and Mexico happens during this month.  We won't be able to spoil and enjoy him and his family and I'll be sad when they leave.  I guess I'll be okay because they usually come back to the same place the next year.  Hooray!

I hope you've had a wonderful Wednesday.  Thank you for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Monday's Butterfly and Lantana 08-22-16

 

                

                   Copyright 2016 AJ Horton 

Hello and happy Monday.  As I was looking at my 

butterflies on lantana from the weekend, I wondered

what the above would look like if I became a little

"artistic".  I hope you like them.  I really enjoy

watching the butterflies around the flowers.  I'm

hoping that I can get a photo of all the different 

butterflies and moths I see around the lantana.

I hope you had a picture perfect Monday.  Thank you

for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Butterfly Friday 06-17-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Ok, so yesterday wasn't Friday - today is.  So, since I was a day ahead of myself, I had to go back and change yesterday's post to Thursday.  I really have to watch my wishful thinking sometimes.  Ha.

Hello and happy Friday.  It really is Friday today and I really fluttered along today just like this butterfly does.  It's been a very hectic week (well, last few weeks actually), and I will try not to get mixed up with days and dates in the future - although I make no promises.  :)  I will, however, correct my mistakes when I find them.  A little information for you - we sold our home today that we loved (it was time to move on), to a lovely couple who seem to be just like us, only younger, who we feel will love our house, our neighbors and our neighborhood just as much as we do and that is so very comforting.  In the process of moving and taking days off work and getting all the things done that go along with moving a household, I suppose I became disoriented with time and space.  But, today I know that it is Friday.  I'm glad that this little butterfly was around to distract me from the madness of packing and loading and stuff.  I needed, if only for a few minutes, to recognize the beauty of nature.

I hope you were able to get distracted by the beauty of nature today.  Thank you for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Butterflies Never Give Up on Tuesday 04-05-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Tuesday.  Do you ever feel like there's something missing?  Well, my little butterfly friend actually is missing part of his wing.  I think it made him a little less accurate in his flights.  It may have taken him longer to get to where he was going, but he still got there.  One little butterfly just won't give up even though he has part of his wing missing.

I hope you had a terrific "never give up" Tuesday.  Thanks for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Friday Butterfly 04-01-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Friday.  Today, the work week changes into the weekend, and so, I have a butterfly for you.  A butterfly has changed from a caterpillar, so, I guess you could say that the slow moving caterpillar is the week and the butterfly is the weekend.  The butterfly flits and flies here and there enjoying the days, the flowers, the air.  Butterflies are as enjoyable to watch as weekends are to have.

I hope you had an enjoyable Friday.  I thank you for watching.  See you tomorrow.

Butterfly Monday 10-12-15

Copyright 2015 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Monday.  Let's pretend that we lived our weekend in a nice, cozy cocoon and emerged back into the world today a beautiful butterfly full of whimsy and curiosity (and hunger).  Now that we can no longer live in our cozy little world, we have make the best of the days we're given (which, if you're an actual butterfly, you have an average life span of about a week to a month).
So, let's just know that life is short in the butterfly world and we need to fly about and visit all the flowers we can.

I hope you had a magical Monday.  I hope you had time to stop and enjoy some flowers along the way.  Thank you for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Tuesday Butterfly 9-15-15

Copyright 2015 AJ Horton

Happy Tuesday.  I'm feeling like this butterfly tonight.  I'm feeling the little guy is saying, "I'm tired, I'm just going to stretch out and lie here for awhile".  Or, maybe it's not tired - maybe it's hugging the flower in an effort to say "thank you".    After all, gratitude is the best attitude, right?  Flowers and butterflies are always a great gift.  Well, wait a minute - now, I'm feeling a little less tired.  I guess I perked up a little.  Talking/writing it out really helped.   Whooohoooo!

I hope you had a terrific Tuesday.  Thanks for looking.  See you tomorrow.

Happy Easter Sunday

Copyright AJ Horton

Happy Easter to all!  I want to talk a little about this little butterfly I found while in Florida a few years ago.  I don't know anyone who doesn't admire butterflies.  They are transformers, going from egg to lowly caterpillar to cocoon to a beautiful butterfly, able to flit and fly all about and bring joy to all who see them.   We love to look at them, to chase them all about the yard and to photograph them.  Why do you think they amaze us so much?
Maybe it's because they do transform.  We know the only constant in life is change, and since they change from something not so pretty to something beautiful, we feel like we can as well.  I believe that is true, even if and especially if our beauty is on the inside.  I did a little reading on the butterfly and discovered that Greek mythology has Psyche - the goddess of the soul - who was in the form of a butterfly.  Christianity also uses the butterfly as a symbol of the soul.   I like to think that, even though we keep the same body as we grow and learn, that the do "transform".  We have free will and we get to pick how we transform.  We can be truthful, loving, intelligent, hard working people.  We could also transform into hateful, lazy, bigoted people.  We could also be a combination.  I think we have all of the above in us.
So, today, as we celebrate the story of the transformation of Jesus from man on earth to a risen, heavenly body, I think of the butterfly, the symbol of the soul, and of its journey - of its transformation into beauty and freedom.  I think of my own journey, and hope that my own transformation of my soul will be as beautiful.
I hope you all had a wonderful, beautiful day.  Thank you for looking and reading my thoughts.  See you tomorrow.