©IBKimage2011

Today’s image is  a flower box in front of a brightly painted window of a Victorian style storefront in Crested Butte, Colorado.  The collection of vibrant colors delight residents and visitors alike as they enjoy the summer days in  mountain towns.  But wait … this picture was taken during the waning days of  autumn’s  leaf season when all the deciduous greens turn a golden yellow in our Colorado high country.  So these beautiful  flowers are artificial.  Someone forgot to remove them when the summer tourists left.

It takes a lot of work to keep those beautiful baskets of flowers pruned and watered as they greet us at our vacation destinations . I’ve seen the landscape contractors out early in the morning with their long water wands attached to a tank on their pickup truck as they move from one hanging planter to the next. As beautiful as they are, flowers cannot survive hanging on a pole at high altitude or in city smog without managed care.

The artificial flowers last longer and require no water, but they have no power to draw us to the authentic show that nature provides in it changing seasons.

What is most authentic for you in this season of your life and what will you prune that’s artificial?

IBK