Gratitude Monday: Homework

A couple of weeks ago I was talking with a friend and mentioned that, since the covid19 lockdown I’d been quite the slug. There were several weeks where I didn’t leave my house (except to prune bushes and feed the birds in my back yard) for up to seven days straight. She asked me what would inspire me to haul my sorry ass (not her phrase) out, and I replied that I like taking photos.

So she gave me homework: every day I have to get out of the house and shoot photos. And I have to post at least one of them on SoMe.

Well, so far I’ve kept up with my homework, although a couple of days it was a close-run thing, because we’re heading into a NoVa summer with its attendant heat, humidity and flying critters.

Here are some of my shots; mostly on these walks I shoot flowers, but sometimes other things catch my eye.

Viz. this perfectly intact, but dead, flying thing:

And I ran across this guy on one of my outings:

This holly looked like it was wearing a skirt, or at least a ruffle:

I am a sucker for irises—I used to have them in my front yard a few houses ago. Here are some from various places nearby:

Even as it’s headed for death, it’s beautiful:

These yellow ones were by several ponds in the corporate campus behind my house:

They’re much more delicate and lacy than other irises I’m familiar with:

This one made me think of the Trinity, for some reason:

This is some kind of low-to-the-ground plant; I don’t know what it is, but it certainly is pretty:

This tree's blossoms form shelves of white:

Of course there are roses—all sorts and colors:

And here’s this bee, who was hard at work one morning:

Folks—this post only takes me to the end of May—see all the beauty around me I discovered?

So for Gratitude Monday today, I’m grateful for having this homework, and for the friend who assigned it to me. Oh, and the exercise, of course; that's good, too.