Howdy sports fan, Elsa here with another edition of Nature Friday, hosted by our pals Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click the link to see what others shared. Since today is the opening of the new Barbie movie, I thought I’d go back to the pink accessories. Mom is scratching her head about all the hype to the release of this movie. I guess she never chewed played with a Barbie doll as a kid. I, on the other hand would have loved to have gotten my jaws, erm, I mean my paws, on one of those toys. I’ll bet they would be quite tasty to my poodle taste buds. But enough of the cultural balderdash, we’re here for nature.
Elsa: Moooom, oh mooom…bark, bark, bark!!
The Mom: Yes, Ninja?
Elsa: Oh there you are, let’s get this post started. This week I thought we’d go on ‘Sniff-ari’ and check out some of the flowers we encountered on some of our crack of dawn walks. Waddu say?
The Mom: Sure…what would you like to share first?
Elsa: Well about those Sunflowers against yesterday’s cloudy sky? With all the rain received over this Spring, it looks like there’s a bumper crop of those cheerful blooms.
Elsa: {continuing} Hmm, seems like you managed to capture some sort of flying insect here with these flowers. Did you plan that?
The Mom: I had tried to capture him with his wings opened but he always seemed to be on the down beat when the shutter went off so I couldn’t capture him in winged flight. Rather sad but, it is what it is.
Elsa: Harumph…you just need to anticipate better. But let’s move on to something you did manage to capture better.
The Mom: {blushing with embarrassment} Ahem…well how about this colorful batch of Ice Plant?
Elsa: Mmmm,…I took a sniff at those things. Nada, nothing. Where’s the fragrance? I thought we were on a “Sniff-ari.” How can I go on “Sniff-ari” if there’s no scent?
The Mom: Umm, it’s not “Sniff-ari.” It’s safari, which means “a travel or journey.” Scent can be an element of that journey but it isn’t an absolute given.
Elsa: Boy, you can say that again. I wanted to sniff things-you know that’s how us dogs process our world. We’re not just about ‘seeing’ things. We want to smell them. It tells us who was here before, if they left us a message and all sorts of data about their gender, their general overall health…
The Mom: {interrupting} I understand, I was just explaining what a safari is…
Elsa: {pouting} Whatever…let’s move along, ok?
The Mom: Fine. How about you share the first Gladiolas we’ve seen this Summer? I think this one is is known as ‘Atomic’ – sometimes called a Sword Lily. This species is apparently fairly hardy and originally from Africa.
Elsa: I suppose since it’s originally from Africa, it’s part of the ‘safari’ and not my ‘Sniff-ari.’ I noticed this one didn’t have any fragrance either. I’m getting the feeling we’re not going to be experiencing a whole lotta scents on this walk, Mom.
The Mom: Erm, sorry Elsa. I apologize for not being more sensitive to your nose.
Elsa: {clearly miffed} Well, you should be. Nothing we saw was very fragrant. I feel gypped. Big time. I mean you went to the Lavender Festival last week and there was plenty of fragrance there. How come not here?
The Mom: I’ll try to do better next time. At least we can share some of the pretty blooms, even if they aren’t fragrant.
Elsa: {grumbling} I guess when you don’t have thumbs, you just have to go along with the thumb carrying person holding the leash on this here Nature walk. Got anything else? Fragrant or otherwise?
The Mom: Clearly I’ve misjudged this week’s focus. There are still a lot of things to enjoy. While this next flower doesn’t have and discernable scent, I recall you didn’t object to sniffing around its base on the ground. I’m guessing there were some messages that other dogs had left.
Elsa: Yeah, this batch of Hollyhocks and Sunflowers did have a LOT of messages…I’d have lingered longer but got bored. Some dogs just blab on and on. Jeez.
The Mom: {ignoring Elsa’s commentary} Just look at this Rudbeckia, commonly referred to as Black-eyed Susans. Did you know they are also part of the Sunflower family?
Elsa: Nope, didn’t know, don’t care either. All I know is they also didn’t have any fragrance.
The Mom: Ugh…still complaining about the no fragrance? Can’t you just enjoy the visual aspect of pretty flowers?
Elsa: Well I thought we were going on a “Sniff-ari” not some shallow beauty pageant strut. Sheesh, Mom…come on.
The Mom: I give up. Will you just allow your mind to be open and appreciate how lovely these flowers are? I mean…look at the first Dahlia we came across yesterday morning. Come on, tell me this isn’t pretty. I dare you.
Elsa: Well if Dahlias are the end all be all of flowers, how come you haven’t planted any? Huh, huh?
The Mom: {stammering} Uh, well, I…er…the garden just doesn’t have sufficient light for them to thrive, yeah, that’s the ticket.
Elsa: Uh-huh. Yeah, I know you like planting flowers that smell nice. You’re not fooling me one bit.
The Mom: {realizing the folly of arguing with the Ninja} Ok, you got me. I do like fragrant flowers but in my defense, I also don’t want to have to dig Dahlias up and store them over the winter either. You happy now?
Elsa: I’d be happier if there was something that smelled nice.
The Mom: Oh for the love of all that’s holy. Let’s just share one more pretty flower, ok?
Elsa: Hey you’re the one driving this post with these non scented flowers, not me. What else doesn’t smell that you’re just dying to share? Well come on. Share it!
The Mom: Fine, I’ll just share one more non-fragrant flower from our walk yesterday. I thought these daylilies were quite lovely. It’s true, many Hemerocallis, aka lilies, do not have a fragrant scent but their looks rather make up for it, don’t you think? They come in so many different colors, you gotta admit they’re worth sharing.
Elsa: Meh…I don’t have to admit anything when I thought I was going on a “Sniff-ari.” Which reminds me, I think I’ll just go on a face rub wander so I can actually smell stuff since everything you shared is decidedly NOT fragrant. This grass smelled great and I managed to capture all the stinks smells all over my face.
The Mom: Sorry you feel that way-perhaps a bath will improve your mood. Maybe you’d feel better if you realized that fragrant plants can affect people’s allergies-in a bad way. Think of this as providing a public service for everyone who is negatively impacted by scented flowers.
Elsa: Not. a. chance. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide if we should have actually gone on a “Sniff-ari” like I wanted to or some lame safari like you ended up taking us on. By the way, the grass smelled sweet and was just fine by me.
Elsa: {continuing} Anyway, what’s up on your weekend? Doing anything exciting or will you just try to get through this dog-awful heat dome that’s impacted over 100 million people for the past 39+ days? Whatever you do, we hope you can stay cool, dry and safe. Stay hydrated and enjoy…especially something with great scents. Remember…there’s ‘just’ 63 days until autumn officially arrives. I’m hoping things will smell better then.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
It’s inspiring to see all these vibrant colors doing battle with the heat and holding their own.
Many thanks-you always leave such kind observations. You da best, Marc!
Aww, no YOU da best!
Lots of pretty flowers. Thanks for posting the sunflower. It reminded Mom she wants to go to the sunflower fields again next month.
Sunflowers are one of the few ‘pawsitives’ about Summer. Hope you are able to enjoy seeing some despite the heat.
Java Bean: “Ayyy, it is all about the smells for me as well!”
Charlee: “You like flowers?”
Java Bean: “Flowers? No, I’m talking about the places where other dogs have left messages.”
Lulu: “That looks like you found some great stuff to roll in, Elsa! Did you happen to get the GPS coordinates? If so, could you send them to me?”
Hey Lulu, I’ll get Mom on plotting those coordinates ASAP for ya! Oh, and Bean…there are some scents that maybe shouldn’t be inhaled on walks. Just saying. We recently encountered a message board from a fox…ick, it was gross, even I had to shake my head a bunch to get that stink out of my nose!
Your fur-iend,
Elsa 🐾
Scented or not, those were all pretty and wonderful to see. I love sunflowers, and we have a lot of volunteer ones right now, but the squirrels have discovered them…and they behead them, sometimes right to the ground:(
I found a ‘dismembered’ sunflower head under one of our oak trees, all ripped to shreds, presumably it was a squirrel’s idea of lunch…sigh…
Thank you. Sunflowers are very cheerful and after all the rain we had, there’s a bumper crop of them. They began volunteering in my garden a couple of years ago. The first year, I left them, by the second year they had taken over. Last year I pulled them up. It may have been harsh, but they were crowding out all the flowers I really did want.🌻 🌻 🌻
Some beautiful flowers even if they didn’t have any aroma.
Thanks. After the hail storm, things got pretty shredded and flowers are just beginning to recover.
Wonderful flowers! I can smell them even here! 😉
If only any of them smelled! But thanks, it might make Elsa feel better. 😆
Beautiful blooms. I am staying in my house with the central a/c.
Thanks, Ellen. Doesn’t sound like a bad idea in this heat! Try to stay cool.
Gorgeous!
Thanks! It never occurred to me before this is the time of year where there aren’t many scented flowers. We hope to find some recovered roses soon after the recent hail storms. Have a terrific weekend.
ROFM/ROFL!!!!
Mew mew mew Elsa you sure gave Miss Monika a ‘run fore her $money” with yore post!!!
Mee iss sorry it was not THE “Sniffari” you xpected! Wee gotta meow it was a Site Safari fore THE eyess BEEG time!!! Wee have Black Eyed Susanss inn our wee Garden! They are so wild!!!
All THE flowerss there are so purrty!
Have a grate weekend. BellaSita Mum has to due sum shoppin with Aunty Sheila Caturday an Sunday iss laundry. Mee? Mee iss goin watch Sharkiess on TeeV!!!!!
***nose bopss*** BellaDharma an {{hugss}} BellaSita Mum
Oooh, that’s right Shark Week starts this weekend. We’ll have to tune in. My Mom is a big fan of Jason Momoa. He’s quite the hunk.
Your fur-iend,
Elsa 🐾 the Land Shark 🦈
Wee have had free pree-view an seen alot of Sharkie Showss heer Elsa!!!
Say Mistur Jason iss inn sum of THE showss?? Hee ISS FURRY ‘hunky’….no doubt about it!!!
Can mee bee a Land Shark with you Elsa? Mew mew mew
Oh Elsa! Your nickname fits you well, little one! And we all love our favorite Ninja. But sometimes the prettiest things just don’t have any scent, like the beautiful flowers your mom shared with us this week. I love them all, but I especially love the day lilies…they were my Sam’s favorite and we have some in our front garden.
You’re too kind, Miss Sue. Mom needs to find me something that smells good. And like your Angel Ducky, I won’t take no for an answer. Have a good weekend!
Stunning photograph, as always … and Elsa, we’re with you all the way on the “barbiemania” stuff. Duh, nada, no! Now, we’re off to get tissues for all the sneezies …
Thanks, Ann and June…Mom has never been a fan of Barbie and said she wasn’t going to start now. Although one of her friends went to see the movie and said it’s well done and addresses some important issues…still she can’t help but think it’s too much of a ‘fluff’ film. We hope you have a great Barbie-less weekend. 😉
Elsa I do believe you are very “pretty in pink” ! Tough to use that magnificent sniffer of yours when there’s nothing really exciting to sniff isn’t it. I guess sometimes we have to use our imagination. The flowers are beautiful so they at least are a treat for the eyes even though the nose doesn’t “smile” !!
Hugs, Teddy
Thanks, my black furs can rock those hot pinks with that Barbie chick any day of the week. It never occurred to us before there’s a lack of scented plants these days. Someone suggested to Mom it’s because so many people react to allergens. She’s going to try to find some roses that are blooming after being shredding by a couple of hail storms. Wish her luck. We hope you and your Mom have a terrific weekend, Teddy.
Well, far be it from me to criticize my Favourite Ninja but you have to allow that the flowers were lovely even if they didn’t meet the terms of the Sniff-ari, and Mom does have such nice taste. I envy your walks because in my part of the world not many people plant much in the way of flowers – and that – sad to say – includes me. But another great post Elsa..
Funny you should mention that not many folks are planting much in the way of flowers in your neighborhood. We’ve been noticing more folks here are removing turf in favor of gravel and Stonehenge type of accent rocks. Not ready to panic just yet, but there are more creative and environmentally better ways to landscape. We’re going to try to hunt down some fragrant flowers this week. Now that the lavender is finished blooming, there is a real lack of sweet scents. Have a good weekend…sending best wishes to you, Annabel and of course our favorite down-under lad.
What a nice tour! With all the rain we’ve gotten, things are still green! Thanks Elsa!
My pleasure. Yes, the sunflowers seem very happy about all the rain. If only they smelled nice. 😉
Ha, ha! They don’t smell good at all!
Oh Elsa, you doggies sniff everywhere! We hoomans like flowers!
I do sniff loads of things and I like fragrant flowers but there was nothing in those flowers. Mom tricked me!
Love all your posts. My new go to for a lovely read.
Aww, you’re too kind, Alison. Appreciate it. Have a great weekend.
Those were gorgeous flowers but it’s not a “sniffy” time of year. Maybe fall will bring fragrance!
Out of nowhere, WP decided this was a dangerous comment and promptly sequestered it (along with several others) in my Spam folder 😬 Sorry about that. The two hail storms at the beginning of the month took out all the good smelling stuff. Roses are just now coming back, hopefully we’ll find some that will make up for those destructive storms. 🤞🏼
I see Elsa knows what she wants and is not happy even with the loveliest of flowers if there is no fragrance….why not introduce her to Dutchman’s Pipe and see what she makes of that!
Whoa…that’s quite the specimen. I’m sure it would only grow here in a greenhouse but what a beauty!
These are gorgeous flowers, and none of us coula smelled them through the ‘puter anyhow, Elsa. Hey, Ninja, it might be a good idea to remember who feeds and walks you…just sayin…XOX Xena
I’m right there with you, Elsa. Smelling everything is the only reason I go on a walk! *wags* Riley (You sure are pretty!)
Oh Xena…I know full well who takes doggone good care of me but Mom still knows I’m the boss and she seems just fine with that. Thank you, Riley…you big hunk of a handsome guy. Sniffing is the bomb for dogs like us. I am a hunting/retrieving dog after all. Ok, so I’m not all that keen on the water…but still… 😍
We think you both found some great flowers…even though not many were ummm….”unscented”
Elsa is quite the taskmaster! BOL
xoxo,
Rosy & Sunny
Thanks. She really wanted a “Sniff-ari” but doggone it, everything was scentless. How weird is that this time of year?
She’s relentless. Miss Scrappy Pants strikes again. Have a great and scented weekend.