ABC Wednesday, Z is for Zinnias

The ABC Wednesday meme has reached the end of the alphabet,

 and since ABCs are short on Zzzzzzzzzzs, how lucky I am to have zinnias in my yard! 

These little "paperwhite" miniatures are really showy once they

 FINALLY start spreading, and with the drought, that took awhile this summer! 

They only survived because I've spent more than I care to admit on water bills,

 but rain three days in a row has truly made all the difference!

Posted at ABC Wednesday

About as Calm as a River Can Get

The Alabama River here was calm as could be last week.

 Even the Spanish Moss, top right, hardly moved. 

Alabama has lots of rivers, streams and lakes that 

are used for both recreation and transportation. 

Posted at Our World Tuesday

Other Side of the Warehouse

Here is the other side of the warehouse from Sunday's post.

Can you tell what this place used to be?

If you look really, really closely, the white paint

 once read "Selma Wholesale Grocery."

 The "Grocery isn't in view in this photo though.

Peace

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

 (Matthew 5:9)

(Posted at Weekly Top Shot)

Down by the river,  scribbled on the door of  a deteriorating warehouse,

 is the word "PEACE." 

True, a place that is falling in doesn't look very peaceful, but it sure mirrors

 the destructive forces in life and our hope for PEACE. 

The verse, taken from "The Sermon on the Mount," 
is the seventh beatitude preached by Jesus. When I think of peacemakers,
 I recall Sheriff Andy Taylor in "The Andy Griffith Show."

 The TV sheriff was called upon to make peace time and again, 
reconciling conflicts among the people of Mayberry.  

Below is a clip from Andy's introduction as the sheriff 
of Mayberry on "The Danny Thomas Show." 

Park Paths

New paths are available for walking and biking in Riverfront Park.

 Now, if the heat will just let everybody get outdoors!

Posted at Friday Fences and Shadow Shot Sunday

Skywatch Friday, Riverfront Park

The work goes on at Riverfront Park, including this new sign

 above one of its entrances off Water Avenue. It seems to reflect 

both the stifling summer heat and the gentle roll of the Alabama River. 

Posted at Skywatch Friday

Catfish Tacos

The Fourth of July barbecue is 'bout gone, and now I'm looking 

for something different...like catfish tacos and sweet potato fries

 down at Side Porch Sandwiches on Water Avenue. 

Since this is the Year of Alabama Food, I'm posting this tasty dish

 that is made with Alabama farm-raised catfish

  (grown right here in the Black Belt)

to the Rural Thursday blog meme. 

Patriotic Series, Y is for Y'all Come!

It's ABC Wednesday as well as the Fourth of July, and as we say here in the South,

"Y'all come!"

 Our annual family spread included pork roast, pork ribs, barbecue chicken

 and homegrown peas, okra, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, zucchini

 and green beans. The key lime pies came from Mark's Mart.

 Happy Independence Day!

 (Note: We're eating it all now before there's a tax passed for overeating!)  

Posted at ABC Wednesday

Patriotic Series, Oh Say Can You See

"Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

The flag at Ella's Attic downtown may be the largest 

indoor star-spangled banner in town! 

It really takes your breath away upon entering the store.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was written in 1814 by a lawyer, Francis Scott Key, 

after he witnessed the battle of Fort McHenry in Chesapeake Bay

 during the War of 1812. The poem later became our national anthem

 and is notoriously difficult to sing, because its melody

 spans one and a half octaves.

Patriotic Series, The American Dream

As America celebrates her birthday this week, I think this picture reflects the American 

Dream. Our nation was founded on God-given rights and freedom from tyranny

 so that its citizens might have the opportunity to pursue their dreams.  

 

 

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. 

We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream.

 It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same,

 or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children

 and our children's children what it was once like in the United States

 where men were free."

Ronald Reagan
40th president of US

Posted at Weekend Reflections