Yuletide

 

This camellia is located just off the side porch of our home, outside the door to the studio; I pass through this door several times every day. I took this photo yesterday: Yuletide is in bloom! With a name like Yuletide, you would expect it to be blooming now; and those of you who recognize the fact that this is the season for sasanqua variety camellias to be blooming in the south shouldn't be surprised at all. But, let me tell you: I am! This evergreen is a portrait of sheer survival through perseverance. Two years ago we thinned our overgrown and crowded foundation plantings; this shrub needed to be moved. Its roots went deep and Mr. Goodneedle had to resort to drastic measures to get it out... in the end a chainsaw and a tractor were involved in breaking it free from its former location. It was transplanted; but I never even hoped that it would survive. Lo, and behold, the next spring it put out leaves. I was astonished! Now you know the rest of the story. When I expressed my amazement to to my husband he smiled. "I never doubted it would make it", he responded. He's an ant with a rubber tree plant; one of the reasons I have always loved this man. Yes, Yuletide is in bloom; once again, in all of its seasonal glory!

Life is Good!