Dear Reader:

I decided today that I would do a “mini”  “Petal it Forward” by giving my newest neighbor Mary…some fresh flowers from the garden. She has been working so hard in her yard, she has added on a back porch with a soothing metal roof for rainy days…and I thought all this hard work should be recognized.

If any of you are watching the Hallmark channel…you know they are celebrating “Christmas in July” so I thought I could combine the two ideas…taking a homespun bouquet of flowers from my garden to Mary for all her hard work…a “Christmas present in July.”

I didn’t realize that they make cards for just this occasion but I should not have been surprised….love this one.

As I entered my garden to select the flowers I stuck to mums and zinnias…they keep budding and blooming over and over replacing themselves…my kind of flowers.

There is nothing (to me) more charming than fresh flowers straight from the garden in a bottle – for a vase. Simplicity is always more enduringly beautiful than  exaggerated expensive bouquets.

The originators of “Petal it forward” came from the Florists of America, in 2018. They came up with an enticing random act of kindness concept….over 400 florists across the country participated…Each customer who came in on a certain date…got two “simple” but beautiful bouquets for just coming in the shop.

One bouquet was for the customer to keep and the other was to “Petal it forward” for, perhaps, a stranger walking down the street who might appear to need cheering up or someone known to the customer going through a hard stretch. I love this random act of kindness idea!

I discovered an article titled: “The 30 Most Heart-Warming Acts of Kindness. I have narrowed it down to three samples of human goodness…hope you enjoy.

Policeman helps homeless man by giving him a shave and attire to wear for his job interview.

***Cops don’t just give out tickets and respond to crime scenes. Case in point: Tony Carlson, a police officer in Florida, was caught on camera carefully shaving the face of a man to help the latter land a job. The ensuing video went viral for obvious reasons, restoring faith in both humanity and community policing.

Olive Garden Server Shows up for a Customer’s Surgery

***While waiting on a family at the Olive Garden in which he works, Drew Lewis struck up a conversation with one of their kids. Like Drew, the child also wanted to grow up to be a police officer. After inquiring about the child’s unique T-shirt, which read #TommyStrong….

…Drew learned that his new friend would be undergoing brain surgery the following week. Because of their immediate bond, the child asked if Drew would come to the surgery to be there when he woke up. Going above and beyond the line of duty, Drew did—packing an extra “Police Academy” T-shirt for his young friend.

Four-year-old “President Austin” understands how to “walk the talk.” He takes money for birthdays and holidays instead of presents to buy chicken sandwiches to give out to the hungry. (Got my vote!)

***When 4-year-old Austin Perine of Birmingham, Alabama, learned that there were people in the world who were both homeless and hungry, he decided to do something about it. Donning a cape and going by “President Austin,” he asked his parents to take all the money they would spend on his toys and instead buy chicken sandwiches for him to hand out to the homeless. As he did, he gave each recipient a piece of advice: “Don’t forget to show love.”

Think about…if, after thanking God for another day each morning when we wake up…we should plan on making someone’s life a little better,  friend or stranger…in whatever creative way we choose… it will be a day well spent.

So until tomorrow:

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

“Littlest Big Red” III….a “clone off the old block.”  🙂

Poor little Tigger had surgery on a cyst on his head (now a cone around it…miserable for dogs) and he might have to have his teeth pulled. I agree with Mandy…he came home looking more pitiful than I have ever seen him.

Tigger is our oldest grand-dog…Mandy and John got him soon after their wedding …before Mandy’s birthday on Labor Day 2008. So he is the patriarch of all the granddogs…(Since we are about the same age…we can commiserate together about getting older with more medical “problems’ popping up.) 🙂

Tigger and Eva Cate have grown up together…he has been her “big” brother since he is  a year older….the two go back a long way!

Eva Cate’s first molar fell out yesterday…maybe as a symbolic sympathy token for Tigger. Her smile is big but still don’t think we see where her molar fell out. 🙂

Please keep our little dog in your hopes, wishes, and prayers to fully recover…he has stolen our hearts…leader of the pack.