Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Plants Are Great!
Hello everyone on this holiday weekend! At least in some parts of the world it is a holiday on Monday, called Labor Day. For us it’s the last big weekend of the tourist season. The weather isn’t going to be very nice for people though. Lots of rain coming once again. That’s going to make it hard walking on my path again. Parts of it get a bit flooded now when it rains. The ground is saturated so water just runs off or sits in low areas. And it’s impossible to walk around it. Just have to walk through it. And get wet feet. But it makes the hills and rocks slippery too.
But the plants love it. Rain keeps everything so nice and green and healthy. Okay, this time of year most plants/trees are no longer growing. Leaves are dropping from the trees. Others are changing color very quickly now. Other plants are dying off or going dormant for another year. So why do I say plants are great anyway?
Many studies have shown that plants are good for our health. And that means good for both physical and mental health. Even having pictures of plants in the home can make a difference for people. But having real plants is where the biggest benefit comes in. Just the color green has been proven to have a calming effect on people. But it’s the green plants that give again the biggest benefit. They help to calm us, reduce stress, reduce anxiety and worry and can even help to reduce anger and make people happier.
Plus, it is well known that plants help to clean the air in our homes. That’s especially important these days with homes being more airtight than old homes used to be. Plants remove toxins in the air that can build up in our bodies and make us sick. They absorb the toxins through their leaves, then down to the roots where microbes break down the toxins into food for both the microbes and the plant. Some plants are better than others, but all plants help.
Flowers on plants are good as well. They can help change our mood from sad to happy. Again, can reduce anger and anxiety and help to make us cheerful, and just generally put us in a good mood. It has been proven that plants can help reduce negativity and give people a more positive outlook. The help to speed up recovery times from illnesses. They can help to improve our concentration. They can help to make us more creative. They can help to improve productivity in the workplace or even at home.
These are just some of the benefits of having plants around, both inside and outside. I will be looking at some other things too in future posts. Something a little different to add to my regular posts. And yet, they still fit in well with Steve’s Country. I hope you have enjoyed today’s post and I hope that you will have a wonderful weekend and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
© 2019 Steve McLeod.
Let’s Go For A Walk.
Hello everyone and I’m finally back. Yesterday and today I have been a bit mixed up with my time. Happens with me. A lot sometimes. We even missed our coffee chat this week, so sad. But the weather was just terrible the first part of the week. A little too much rain and cold for outdoor coffee. Of course, that’s the way it will be most of the time from now on, just too cold. I will have to think of something else to do instead. Which brings me to today. I know we went for a walk one day already, but why not go again and see what we can find. Maybe we will switch to a weekly walk instead of coffee time. Until next summer. Time moves on way too fast. And summers even faster.
I’m very happy to have found out about this path. It’s so handy, just across the street from where I live. An untamed patch of land right in town. And some nice paths to walk along. After we pass the clearing where we saw the deer last time, we head into an area of some nice large pine trees. Both red and white pine grow along here. And both are large trees. The squirrels that live around here feast very well with the large cones provided by these pines. Especially the white pine. And the squirrels are busy right now. I never saw any squirrels here earlier in the summer. There are lots now. Busy gathering pine cones for the winter ahead. So you don’t want to stand under one of these pines for too long, those cones drop at a steady rate.
Now here we are by the river. It is so beautiful and peaceful here. And there are several places that are nice to stop, sit and just gaze over the river. Watching the ducks swim past. There are still some boats around, people getting in some fishing before school starts. There is another mushroom right beside the path. There are so many of them coming out now that the cooler weather has arrived. Look over there, a nice little group of mushrooms. And look out over on that dead tree branch overhanging the river. A little song sparrow. There was a family of them here this summer.
As we come over this little hill, there it is, X marks the spot. This is my favorite spot along the river. Well, okay, I guess the spot with the bench is now my favorite. That one is such a nice well hidden place, can’t see it at all from the path. 
Going up the hill is the hardest part of the walk as we head back home. And because of all the rain it can be quite slippery in places, so be careful. Especially when we get to the part with all the rocks. Oh no, did it that time, twisted my foot. A bit painful walking on it now. One of those things. Just after I said to be careful. One last look across the river before we leave completely. 
Oh, look over there, a white admiral butterfly. Poor little critter is a bit beat up. But still flies good though. I have been wanting to get a picture of one all summer. Maybe next time there will be a better example, but this one is nice anyway. Notice it doesn’t give up just because it’s a bit beat up. Good lesson for us.
Well, not too much exciting today, but it was a nice refreshing walk anyway. Thank you for coming along with me once again. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
© 2019 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 