Stars Of The Earth

Fuschia...royal purple and ruby red.
(Click picture to enlarge)

"What a desolate place would be a world without a flower! It would be a face without a smile, a feast without a welcome. Are not flowers the stars of the earth, and are not our stars the flowers of the heaven." ~ A.J. Balfour

I go to White's Nursery once in a while.. it is close to home and they have a wonderful selection of plants for the yard and for the home. When I saw this fuschia plant it immediately reminded me of something... a group... an organization with chapters all over the US... individuals who meet regularly and dress in bright colors with opulent accessories and adornments. They have a great time together and never fail to cheer others around them. So, who do these flowers remind me of? The Red Hat Ladies... of course! They are red and purple and beautiful!

Work of the Poet hosts Ruby Tuesday each week. Go visit!

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Sunshine For The Ground

A mellow yellow macro daisy...
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"Bright flowers, whose home is everywhere
Bold in maternal nature's care
And all the long year through the heir
Of joy and sorrow,
Methinks that there abides in thee
Some concord with humanity,
Given to no other flower I see
The forest through."
~ William Wordsworth, To the Daisy

It was cloudy with a nice breeze when I left for the botanical garden yesterday. Then, the sun came out and the humidity headed back up and the breeze died down... so I took shelter in the shade of the small gazebo at the edge of the wildflower and butterfly garden. There were lovely coneflowers and yarrow with many butterfly bushes of various sizes and colors and there were daisies. Most were the classic white petal with buttery domed centers.. but a few were what I like to call "designer daisies"; with petals in bright shades of pink, orange, gold and red. Of these... this is my favorite, with more subtle color shades of lavender to yellow in the petals and with the vivid crown of golden grains in the center. I have no idea of the name of this variety... but in the end... it is only what the beholder feels when he or she gazes at this beauty that matters in the long run... what do you feel when you see daisies?

Posted today for Mellow Yellow Monday and Macro Monday. (Yes, late yet again!)

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A Place To Play And Pray

A place to play and pray...in sunlight and shadow.
Norfolk Botanical Garden.. Colonial Garden
(Click picture to enlarge)

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." ~ John Muir

It is cloudy and warm but with a north breeze... so the heat index is not prohibitive. Now, if that radar will just cooperate, I will be off to the botanical garden for the afternoon. A perfect "light" day for the new butterfly garden. Perhaps a visit to this venue too. The Colonial garden has a quiet stream that wanders by with herbs, flowers and bushes that were found in Colonial Virginia. The paths here are covered with white broken shells, just like those in private gardens of Williamsburg. A white gazebo with comfortable benches affords a place to read, relax, contemplate and rest. On the day I took this picture, the sunshine behind the garden threw long shadows over the gazebo and lawn. Come and join me.

An entry for Scenic Sunday and Shadow Shot Sunday.

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SPH: When Flags Fly

Helpful flags... Clockwise from top: Hurricane warning flags,
emergency clinic flag, "we are open" flag.
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"There is hopeful symbolism in the fact that flags do not wave in a vacuum." ~ Arthur C. Clarke

Helpful flags keep us safe during the storm, lead us to a place where our physical ills can be treated and let us know when our favorite restaurant is open. These flags serve a specific purpose in everyday life.

Colorful and festive flags....
(Clockwise from top right): Children's garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden, traveling
carnival flags, knights in shining armor flags at Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC.

"Colors answer feeling in man; shapes answer thought; and motion answers will." ~ John Sterling

Some flags show us a good time... leading the way to carnival rides and cotton candy, marking the entrance to the children's area of a botanical garden where kids can touch and smell and dig and play to their heart's content and guiding us to days gone by when handsome and brave knights rescued damsels in distress. These flags lend color to our lives and stir memories of childhood past.

Old Glory

"When Freedom from her mountain height
Unfurled her standard to the air,
She tore the azure robe of night,
And set the stars of glory there."
~ Joseph Rodman Drake,
The Croakers--The American Flag

As we close in on Independence Day, this flag is foremost in my mind; Old Glory, The Stars and Stripes... our flag that has always and will hopefully always stand for freedom. Our freedom was hard fought and should be cherished and guarded at all cost. This flag still brings a tear to my eye when it is carried with honor in a parade or raised high above a stadium or when folded tight, is given to a grieving widow and family. It talks to me of sacrifice and the hope of a better future. This flag does not belong to the Federal Government... this flag is yours and mine and our children's... this flag belongs to ...WE, THE PEOPLE!

Tennessee Chick graciously hosts Saturday Photo Hunt each week... and this week's theme is "flags".

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PhotoHunt

Partly Cloudy...A Dusky Flight

Virginia sky at dusk.
(Click picture to enlarge)

"The sky is that beautiful old parchment in which the sun and the moon keep their diary." ~ Alfred Kreymborg, Old Manuscript

These are the clouds most people love... those fluffy whipped cream clouds that catch the rays of a setting sun and splatter them all over the earth in shades of red and yellow and purple. These clouds would never send shooting daggers of lightning or echo with rolling thunder... no, they are pleasant little clouds.. shading us during the day and frolicking across the sky at night. It hasn't rained for four days now... the construction guys love it this way.. still, we could use a few more of the gray clouds with rain... especially since the windows are in the new addition. Until then... these soft sunsets are beautiful and look.... a large bird soars up with the air drafts.. perhaps a hawk or an eagle... perhaps.

This shot is for SkyWatch Friday and Carmi's theme for the week is "cloudy".

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Free Floating

Water lily pad catching the rain. Norfolk Botanical Garden
(Click picture to enlarge)

"A life all turbulence and noise may seem
To him that leads it wise and to be praised,
But wisdom is a pearl with most success
Sought in still waters."
~ William Cowper, The Task

I have been saving this picture for the right moment and now the moment is here. The botanical garden here has a beautiful oriental garden section with rounded boulders and rock gardens, many flaming Japanese maple trees, bonsai, oriental evergreens and a beautiful koi pool with small flowing waterfall. Across the pool are strategically placed stepping stones that visitors may walk on, single file, although there is a path around the pool for any who have balance issues. On one visit in early spring I stood looking into this pool. The leaves on many of the trees had not yet emerged from their winter's rest and the lush green grasses that return each spring were absent. But here in the dark pool of water, floated a single leaf of the water lily, looking a bit anemic without its summer blush of green chlorophyll... but floating none the less. It had been raining as it does here in spring, and the lily "pad" collected the raindrops, consolidating many into few and now, almost reaching the tipping point where the weight of the water breaks the resistance of the leaf and the pooled drops roll back into the pond. Then the sun broke through the clouds and the water sparkled like diamonds. It was then when I saw the small details of the lily leaf... there.. under the magnifying glass of the water droplets... clear and beautiful. Forgetting that I was on a narrow walk of stones I pointed my camera straight down and clicked.

On a cool wet day, this moment brought warmth and smiles and a general feeling of well-being and gratitude. All we needed was a little green frog.

Watery Wednesday entries are up and this is mine for the week.

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Site Under Construction

The back yard...construction site central.
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"The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists." ~ Charles Dickens

This week for Ruby Tuesday I had the perfect touch of red... or rather a huge heavy weight blast of red... and it is sitting in the street next to our house. A construction dumpster...why?... because we are in the middle of a construction project. I haven't posted about it yet, but I have taken a gazillion pictures and posted them for my brother and a few friends and family to look at. You see.. this is my brother's house and his project... only he lives most of the time in Europe and sings there... an opera singer... Helden tenor. Currently he is in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa in a production of Tannhauser; he is in the title role.

Anyway, one of the very first things to show up was this dumpster... a bright red construction dumpster. All the trash from wood to boxes and concrete block fragments go here. They said it would be moved to the area inside the fence, but as yet... it still remains in the street. We also have a portable potty... but it isn't red... just a drab olive green.. a little weird to see one sitting in your yard but better than facing the swamp snakes in the preserve. More than likely it is one of those city regulations for a construction site.

Perhaps as it goes along, I might come up with more pictures... but for now... just the red dumpster...and a side dish of red door at the house across the street. Happy Ruby Tuesday!!!

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Keeping Me Guessing

Columbine bud...keeping me guessing.
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"Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar."
~ William Wordsworth, 1798

Usually I try not to mix too many different memes into one post, but I have quite a bit to do today and if I can squeeze it in, I would love to visit the new butterfly outdoor garden and the indoor butterfly house at our botanical garden here in Norfolk. So, for my Mellow Yellow entry I have this beautiful yellow and white columbine that I just cannot get away from. What is it about this flower that intrigues me so? I haven't yet decided, but it grabs my attention, whether at the local nursery, in my cousin's yard, at the highly groomed and polished botanical gardens or in my own flowerbed. Its angles and curves never fail to surprise and it has that amazing shape that morphs constantly. Some flowers are plain and boring before they open and broadcast their beauty for only a short time, then wilt and die. Columbine, on the other hand, teases the spectator before blooming with its lovely green bud.. and throughout the process.. never gives the full hint of the final product. Columbine keeps you guessing!

..Until the final reveal, yellow and white columbine.

"To analyze the charms of flowers is like dissecting music; it is one of those things which it is far better to enjoy, than to attempt to fully understand." ~ Henry T. Tuckerman

But the final reveal is definitely worth the wait!

Plumbago auriculata,leadwort or skyflower.
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

"In the hope of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet." ~ Albert Schweitzer

I understand that these are best grown in Florida and perhaps that is why they flourished in the hot houses of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. It is probably not feasible to yearn for these blooms here in Virginia... but we can hope. I am looking for a lovely vine to train up over a trellis that will attach to the new sunroom addition. My dream is to have wisteria for spring, but also to incorporate something that will give us color for the summer months as well. Who knows? My research is not yet complete.. nor is construction....I can only dream at this point.

So, for Mellow Yellow and Blue Monday as well as Macro Monday... enjoy!

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A Place In The Sun

Petal shadows, tulip. Norfolk Botanical Gardens.
(Click picture to enlarge)

"Oh, what subtle shadows are created as the light picks and chooses which petals deserve their place in the sun!" ~ Susan McKinnon Rasmussen

Shadows are often annoying to photographers. Everyone who has ever tried to take a picture in bright full sun has fought with shadows on faces from prominent foreheads or large noses and who hasn't tried to get a macro shot and have their shadow fall across the subject, no matter what contortionist position they try to get in. It is a fact that colors are more true to life on days that are cloudy with even, subdued light. Still, sometimes, the bright light shines just so and creates the perfect shadow as it passes through the petals...it does indeed pick and choose which petal deserves its place in the sun.

Go over and visit more "shadows" at Shadow Shot Sunday.... and Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there.

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SPH: Creamy Comforts

Clockwise from left: Creamy pumpkin bisque, Coldstone Creamery
raspberry sherbet and creme brulee coffee with cream..yum.
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"The friendly cow, all red and white,
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
To eat with apple tart."
~ Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894),
The Cow, A Child's Garden of Verses

The word "creamy" invokes a feeling of comfort and that leads directly to food... comfort food like macaroni and cheese, lobster bisque, creamed corn, creamy oatmeal... and these. A few years ago I grew pumpkins in our flowerbeds...at the old house and things got out of hand but we did harvest several large fairytale pumpkins and in addition to traditional pumpkin pies we made a pumpkin bisque. It was spicy and served hot, a tasty treat. The recipe as well as the links to our pumpkin growing saga are posted HERE. Another comfort food that I love are sherbets or sorbets; I actually like them better than ice cream as they are smooth and fruity and less heavy. True they don't give you the buzz of true Italian chocolate gelato, but they will most certainly qualify as my comfort food.

And how could I leave out my creamy coffee. My brother accuses me of having more cream than coffee in my morning or noon or evening cup. It may be true. I never liked coffee, never even started drinking coffee until 2001 and then only because I found a small coffee shop in Columbus, MS called The Coffee Plantation and they served the flavored coffee of the day and I fell right in love with the creme brulee flavor. The last time I went back to Columbus, the coffee shop was closed and turned into some small trendy (as trendy as a small southern town gets) boutique... what a loss. I still find my flavored beans online and savor that smooth taste each day... as my brother would say... "Coffee is the nectar of the gods."

Clockwise from top: Daisies...she loves me, she loves me not;
Easter lily's creamy complexion; pale, perfect orchid.

"The cream of the crop" ~ Proverb

Of course, there are other "creamy" items that have nothing to do with food. Creamy is not quite white, not quite beige, not completely a color and not always a texture. It doesn't suggest things that are gritty, chunky, hard, crisp or rough... but it does make one picture smooth baby cheeks, swirling opaque eddies of freshly gathered milk and here, the soft, slightly off-white petals of often forgotten flowers. I think that in this case.. "creamy" denotes both color and texture and if you really stretch your imagination... a faint sweet scent, as well. Go on.. stick your face right into a bunch of Easter lilies and breath deeply... well, not if you have allergies and not if you care about that stubborn pollen that is now firmly entrenched on your nose... but drink in that "creamy" smell.

Swirls of cream... gardenias

"If time were a color, I bet it would be a tasteful off-white." ~ Greg Parrish

For me, the creamiest of all "creamy" flowers is the gardenia. Our neighbor at the old place grew small gardenia bushes outside his back fence and in the summer their dark green leaves and small creamy antique white flowers were so fragrant that even my formaldehyde burned olfactory endings could smell the sweetness. These aren't the large florist gardenias like the ones I had in my wedding bouquet so long ago, but they maintain the same color, shape and most of all that thick heady fragrance of the classic gardenia.

When we moved, he offered us several small bushes that he was starting in his garage and now they are growing in both our front flower bed and outside the back fence next to the preserve. Already we have seen a few small creamy blooms and eagerly await more in the years to come.

Creamy lavender sherbet rose.

"Life is like a rose . . .
More exquisite and precious,
When shared with others."
~ Jane Oechsle Lauer

Finally, this "creamy" rose is for my brother. He hasn't seen it bloom in person yet but it is the most unusual color and most difficult to capture on film or in words. It is lavender in color, perhaps with a touch of pale pink but there is a creamy milkiness to the petals as if they were a pale boysenberry sherbet, pastel and icy with almost a shimmer on the outer surface of each one. I have forgotten the variety name but it is my favorite of the roses we have.

I am anxious to see all the "creamy" entries for this weeks Photo Hunt... I do hope there are not too many of the food variety... food pictures make me hungry and tend to put the pounds on me.. just by looking at them.... my mom, however, would welcome any posted recipes for this theme. She loves cream soups!

Thanks to Tennessee Chick for hosting the Photo Hunt each week.

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Once Upon A Time.....

Little girls used to wear dresses to school.
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"I cannot pretend to be impartial about the colors. I rejoice with the brilliant ones, and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns." ~ Winston Churchill

Once upon a time, little girls wore dresses.. at play, to church and even to school. I learned to sew when I was a sophomore in high school. Even though we had to take home economics in junior high and I had sewed the obligatory blouse in seventh grade and the skirt in eight grade.. I didn't really learn to sew until high school. That summer I was at my grandmother's house in Roanoke, VA and I was bored. So she took me to the fabric store and helped me pick out a simple a-line dress pattern and some simple cotton material. Then she cut me loose. I cut it out and sewed it up on her machine and amazingly it fit and looked really nice. So we got some more material, just a little more expensive.. and I made another one.. changing up the front tab and the sleeves. All in all I think I made at least seven or eight dresses from the same pattern.

When Nyssa was born, I made a few little dresses and short sets and then sweat suits. We moved to Mississippi and still made a lot of her clothes but wanted to branch out. There I took a course in smocking.. both geometric design and picture smocking. With smocking you can take a simply yoke patterned dress pattern and make hundreds of different styles by changing the material, the smocking pattern, the sleeves and the collars. Little girls outgrow their love for smocked dresses... all too soon for my thinking.

In the jungle the mighty jungle...the lion sleeps tonight.

This was one of my favorites... I love all the mixtures of colors with the animals and it seemed perfect for smocking the lion and lioness... as they are the king and queen of the jungle. I try to always use a good cotton, preferably one made by the Hoffman company, as they are consistently colorfast and don't fade when washed as cheep cottons from others do. This dress must have been washed at least forty or fifty times and no fading. Smocking is wonderfully relaxing.. you have to shut out the worries of the day and focus on your stitches. It always amazed me to see the scene start taking shape on the cloth under my needle. The greatest reward was seeing Nyssa put the dress on for the first time and look at herself in the mirror... hearing the words, "Oh, MOM! It is so-o-o-o beautiful! I love it so much! Thank you so-o-o-o much! Can I wear it to school tomorrow?" What mom wouldn't smock her fingers to the bone to hear those words?

This is posted for a very "colorful carnival" this weekend.

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The Ragdolls Return

Sir Nicholas Alexander (Nicky)
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"Cats conspire to keep us at arm's length." ~ Frank Perkins

Nicky and Willow don't like the dog... Daisy loves them and she would love to play and romp and sit with them.. but all they do is hiss and spit at her. They feel that Daisy, as well as all humans are beneath them... servants. We humans are here to feed them, scoop the litter boxes, provide soft beds, fresh water and toys, and to offer up our laps and our feet as often as they deem necessary. The moment we fall down on the job, even for just a moment... they are there with voices full of complaint ... whining about how horrible it is. Never mind that these Ragdolls weigh almost twice as much as the Siamese and could stand at least one less meal a day.

These two are brother and sister... while Willow is very regal... although it is sort of a waddling type of regal... Nicky is the quintessential "scaredy cat". Nicky is afraid of everything... a true agoraphobic. Some days he seems afraid of his own shadow and yet, other days he is surprisingly bold, willing to take on his sister in a fist fight or fist slap as it is with cats. True, he seldom wins but he tries.

Lady Wilhelmenia Abigail (Willow)

Willow is still up to her old tricks... red pipe cleaners and toy mice... dip them in the water then dump them in the food bowls. So not much has changed... they are now considered elderly... they just had their 11th birthday last fall. But they are still as spry and active as ever... well, at least they are as active as they ever were... so they are not athletes... couch potatoes need love too!

Nicky and Willow both will be visiting Friday's Ark and the Carnival of the Cats hosted by Catsynth this weekend and might pop on over to Camera Critters too... they've been complaining that I don't let them get out much to socialize anymore.

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Solitude And The Green Cloak

Friendship Pond... Norfolk Botanical Gardens.
(Click picture to enlarge)

"Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises." ~ Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Water brings life to the trees and grass and flowers and they in turn take our gaseous waste...at least the carbon dioxide we breath out.... and turn it into usable food and give us oxygen in return. We have been blessed here this spring and early summer with rain... sometimes a bit too much at once, but most often the soft gentle rain that is so beneficial. Everything is green... at night the chorus of frogs sing echoing refrains at each other across the preserves, the gardens and the ponds. When I sit here surrounded on all sides, even above... with the lush greens of early summer, how can I help but feel relaxed and renewed. This is perfect on a cloudy day when few visitors are in the gardens or have sought out the exploding color of the roses or the new butterfly pavilion... it is then that this picture of solitude beckons me.

Carmi's weekly theme for this evening is "green" and Watery Wednesday is up too.

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Oriental Ruby

Japanese Maple... Norfolk Botanical Garden
(Click picture to enlarge)

"The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Trees are green during the summer and turn red in the fall.. but not these. These Japanese maple trees leaf out early in the spring and many varieties are red all summer long; the red hue deepens and brightens as the fall approaches. When pruned correctly their strong branches run through the red foliage like dark veins and there is nothing so stunning as the light shining through this canopy of red. One of these trees will be an addition to our property in the near future... until then I can always go to the botanical garden and sit beneath the draping limbs on a large boulder and drink in the beauty.

What I wonder, as I look at these leaves is...how could they possibly attain an even brighter and more intense ruby red color than they have now.....magic!

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more exotic flaming gems.

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The Bluebird Chronicles #2: Go Lay An Egg And Wait

Left upper: April 12th... the nest is finished and one small egg.
April 26.... five small perfect blue eggs...but no mom.
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town." ~ Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Bluebird Chronicles Part One: The Arrival

Several websites feature nest cams of different bird species including bluebirds. The bluebirds in Texas had built their nest and were happily laying eggs, while our crazy couple were fluttering wings at each other and trying to break into the "big" house. The last time I had checked on their nest it consisted of three pine needles.... and I was in despair. It seemed this misfit pair would never get it right... always late. So it was with much trepidation that I climbed the ladder and peeked into the house on Easter Sunday. To my amazement, the nest was actually finished and there in the middle lay one light blue egg. Of course, my next worry was... where is the mom? Why is she not sitting here?

Further investigation on the internet told me that the bluebird lays one egg a day until there are four or five eggs in the nest and she does not sit on the eggs until they are all in place. Yes, the house and nest are warm, but around Easter we were having unseasonably cold weather; we wore coats on Easter Sunday! We waited... I gave her several more days... two weeks in fact... to get her act together. When it seemed as if she were again hanging around the yard a little more than usual, I looked again. There they were all safe and sound... five little blue eggs....

"SO SIT ALREADY!!!"

Clockwise from upper left: Mom...not on the nest.
Finally sitting as she should. Nervous father waiting...

Bluebirds are not like robins who sit carefully and almost continually on their small eggs. Of course, bluebirds do use nesting boxes... but still. Some days it seemed that momma bluebird sat still in the box for less than ten minutes at a time. I know waiting and being still is boring, I had obligatory bed rest while pregnant (no, not now... a very, very, very long time ago)... but please... don't you want these eggs to hatch. It seemed as if she resented papa bluebird... he would hang around on the fence and sometimes bring her food, but I never once saw him go in and stay for an extended period. She sat with her head poking out the entry, looking as if she would fly off at a moments notice. Still momma bluebird was more calm than papa and didn't mind my presence as much as he did. I knew that the incubation period was between fourteen and nineteen days and we were getting close.

May 10th: A bunched up fuzz of babies.

Finally, one day I saw momma and papa bluebird carry small bugs into the house and when I tapped on the pole holding the house there was the barely audible high pitched cheep of tiny birds. I waited a day or two and then carefully opened the hinged door to see this intertwined tumbled mass of fuzz and feathers and the occasional open beak. I couldn't count them.. are there four or five... we will have to wait and see.

As for the two new parents.... now the real work begins.

To be continued........

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Blue Monday entry.

In Sunshine And Shadow

"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Miss Daisy: In sunshine and shadow.
(Click picture to enlarge)

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you." ~ Maori Proverb

Daisy sits showing off her new haircut as the afternoon sun shines through the high windows in the den; her shadow dog sits right behind her. Most days she doesn't like the sun.. it's hot, she's hot.. but today, she has had a groom and it's fine. This was taken around Christmas and her grandma had just baked her cute little dog biscuits for a treat. Daisy is quite content... a far cry from her days as a dog on death row in South Carolina. She is my sunshine in a shadowy world.

Entry for Camera Critters and Shadow Shot Sunday. Daisy is going to check out Friday's Ark this week as well.

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SPH: Rattle The Locks

Old locks in heavy doors and antique writing desks...Colonial Williamsburg
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"Locks keep out only the honest." ~ Jewish Proverb

Something old... the familiar shape of that favorite keyhole, the lock through which children spy as their parents wrap Christmas presents or the young man tries to catch a glimpse of his first corset. I always wondered if someone were looking through the lock from the outside and a person inserted the key from the inside... would it poke the spy in the eye? As large as some of these Colonial keyhole locks are the keys must have been gigantic and heavy... it would be best to keep ones eye away.

Modern lock... combination...left 23, right 10, left 5.

"If hard work is the key to success, most people would rather pick the lock." ~ Claude McDonald

Almost everyone, well... except my dad who probably didn't have school lockers back in his day... everyone recognizes this lock. At my school it was given out the first day and you had better not lose it; by the time my daughter needed one... we had to provide our own. These locks are the bane of a junior high student's existence. First, can they remember the combination... second, can they remember if it is right two full turns then to the number and back a full turn left and then stopping on the next number and then back to the right, being careful not to twirl past the correct number or you would have to start all over.... and third... if, perchance they do the whole combination correctly, will it open or will there be a flurry of pulling and shaking and tapping and frustration and ... ultimately, starting over again. I do believe that many kids think a pair of industrial strength wire cutters should be standard issue for these situations.

Of course, this particular lock has been in a drawer and I am not quite sure if it was one Nyssa had in school in Mississippi or if it was one of my dad's locks... neither of us has any idea at all of what the combination is.... I don't even know why we keep it... maybe the vain hope that someday one of us might remember...Sigh!

A pile of locks and keys... no longer allowed.

"When two friends part they should lock up one another's secrets, and interchange their keys." ~ Owen Feltham

I have a plastic baggie filled with small locks... those with tiny keys and some with combinations (this too is futile as I cannot remember those programed combinations either.) Most of these were once used on luggage... does anyone remember this... back before the world turned upside down when terrorists flew those planes into our lives and ripped apart our feeling of security? We used to be able to lock our luggage for air travel. It gave a sense.. yes, I know it was a false sense, but it was a feeling of strength. Those baggage handlers that throw the luggage around like apes and stomp on them like elephants and drive over them with baggage carts after they have fallen off (that really happened in Rome), couldn't possibly break through these locks and scatter our clothing all over the concrete taxiway of a major metropolitan airport! Right... dream on!

Some of these were probably used to lock up those secret diaries we wrote in daily as teenagers.. or at least as teenage girls. Monday, October 2...John looked at me across the room. He is soooo dreamy... Katie says he likes me.. I hope so... I love John... Study hall was soooo boring.... I wonder if he will call me... Goodnight Diary. Tuesday, October 3...John looked at me across the room. He is soooo dreamy... Katie says he likes me.. I hope so... I love John... Study hall was soooo boring.... I wonder if he will call me... Goodnight Diary. (etc.) OH, the angst that went into those pages... it was a very good thing that they were kept locked away... English teachers everywhere would be moaning and groaning if they read these masterpieces and somewhere Shakespeare rolls over in his grave!

Fancy lock... if only it were real.

"But I have learned a thing or two;
I know as sure as fate,
When we lock up our lives for wealth,
the gold key comes too late."
~ Will Carleton, The Ancient Miner's Story

I thought I would throw in a fancy lock... if only the stones were real, but no, they are not. Still it is one of my favorite pins and I am not really into pins. This one is small, a lock with a golden key encrusted with clear and sapphire crystals. In analyzing why my mother is really into costume jewelry pins of all sorts and I am not, I've decided it is because of a childhood trauma. Pins have to be pinned. This involves sticking that sharp stick through the clothing, back out and into a very small clasp. I remember getting stuck with those pins as a child..a small pin on a dress or a corsage... even when I was older and trying to put one on myself, I was stuck with those pins... I really don't like being stuck... so, I wear this one, but only rarely. If it were encrusted with diamonds and sapphires I would probably have it in a safety deposit box at the bank and would NEVER wear it!!!

Precious locks...on my precious daughter.

"Long, glorious locks, which drop upon thy cheek like gold-hued cloud-flakes on the rosy morn." ~ Philip James Bailey

I have posted a similar picture before, at least a couple of years ago. Nyssa has always had this long to die for hair. Left on its own to dry, it falls in perfectly proportioned wavy ringlets, but with just a little flat ironing it morphs into a sleek straight look that stays. There are no perms or body waves in the world to get my hair to curl like that; nor is there any smoothing gel, serum, or paste to make it stay silky and straight for even fifteen minutes, never mind all day. Just let me step out into 80% humidity for ten seconds and I can almost feel the frizz starting and the ends curling up in a most unflattering position... there is no point... just stick on a hat.

Nyssa has always had long hair, except for that time in first grade when she cut all of her bangs off.. down to the skin and had only an eighth of an inch of hair left sticking straight up in front.. again... hats for almost a year. In 2006, she experimented with a short do that required her long locks be cut. While I thought she looked sophisticated and grown up, she didn't care for this style and has grown her hair out again.. not quite as long, but close. The cut was not a tragedy however, she donated her long ponytail to Locks of Love, where it was made into a lovely wig for children undergoing chemotherapy. This is a great idea for anyone contemplating a radical hair change; Locks of Love does amazing work.

Just a few examples of locks... old, new, borrowed and really, one of these was blue, it just didn't get in the picture. And one set of locks that I hope will come home for a visit soon! I leave you with this last thought to make you smile today.....

"I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three." ~ Elayne Boosler

Saturday Photo Hunt is graciously hosted each week by Tennessee Chick... check out all those who participate... really, there are some fabulous photographers out there!

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PhotoHunt

Skywatch Friday: God's Glowing Covenant

"God's glowing covenant." ~ Hosea Ballou
(Click picture to enlarge)

"We have not the reverent feeling for the rainbow that a savage has, because we know how it is made. We have lost as much as we gained by prying into that matter." ~ Mark Twain

When we came out of Ruby Tuesday's this evening it began to sprinkle. A small gray cloud was overhead but barely hiding the sun. It is only a short distance to our house... less than two miles, but by the time we drove half-way there... the skies opened and it poured and poured and poured. We remained in the car, parked in our driveway for five minutes and slowly the sun came out in the west shining on the departing storm clouds and across the sky this beautiful rainbow began to form. I didn't catch it at its best... but such beauty leaves me in awe.... every time.

It was a perfect shot for SkyWatch Friday.

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Loving Life In A Ducky Sort Of Way

Like water off of a duck's back.
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"Man is not an aquatic animal, but from the time we stand in youthful wonder beside a Spring brook till we sit in old age and watch the endless roll of the sea, we feel a strong kinship with the waters of this world." ~ Hal Borland, Sundial of the Seasons

Little white duck... how do you keep your feathers so clean, so white and bright. Certainly, this water is fairly clear but the silt and sand on the shore is dirty. Do you have to bathe all day? How tiresome...but, perhaps it is your nature to bathe. You do spend more time swimming than flying... than sleeping with your head tucked under your wing. It always looks as if you are playing when you are out there in the water... diving for small fish... having more fun surviving than one would think possible. You bring laughter and light to those who watch.. who could help but smile as you wiggle to and fro and flap your wings spraying droplets on your neighbors; or dive bottoms up under the water.....

"I spy something yummy!"

It seems you suffer from the same ailment as many of we humans.... we are bottom heavy.. which paradoxically makes it difficult to effectively dive. We just bob around with our heads under the surface and our hind ends sticking out like the ostrich in a sand dune... I must say that your tail looks much nicer doing so than would mine. So, have a beautiful day of clear skies and smooth waters... to paddle around and splash and quack and have a wonderful time. Oh yes, thank you.. for being your silly duck self and for brightening my day.

Loving life...in a ducky sort of way.

Watery Wednesday gets wet every week here.

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A Health To The Crimson Columbine

A touch of crimson...ready to explode in bloom!
(Click picture to enlarge)

"Skirting the rocks at the forest edge
With a running flame from ledge to ledge,
Or swaying deeper in shadowy glooms,
A smoldering fire in her dusky blooms;
Bronzed and molded by wind and sun,
Maddening, gladdening every one
With a gypsy beauty full and fine,--
A health to the crimson columbine!"
~ Elaine Goodale, Columbine

I have been busy... with a construction project... a big construction project. Getting up early to be ready for the construction... they get here sometimes before 7 AM. So, to relax I go back and look at my pictures of birds and flowers and all things of nature that calm and refresh. When I look at this columbine, ready to open and show that beautifully shaped blossom... so delicate... it calms me down. This columbine grows at my cousin's house in Indiana, but a friend gave me three divided columbine plants from her garden.. now they grow here in partial sun and next spring, perhaps there will be many of these blooms in my flowerbed. The best surprise will be seeing what color they turn out to be.

I chose this delicate bloom with just a touch of crimson for Ruby Tuesday this week. Visit Work of the Poet to see other splashes of red and fire up your Tuesday!

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The Bluebird Chronicles: Arrival

March 4th 2009: (clockwise from top right) Checking out the neighborhood,
she has a look at the kitchen, he has a look at the garage, I think they'll take it.
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes." ~ Charles Lindbergh

Yesterday in my comments, someone asked if the bluebirds rented the property... yes they did. Now is as good a time as any to detail their saga. I had been under the impression that bluebirds were very particular about their homes... the box had to be a certain height and the opening pointed towards the northeast and there needed to be perching areas as well as open spaces. According to the books, the males migrate in February to pick out a possible home... then bring the females up a few weeks later. Last year the males showed up on time, but were several weeks late in bringing up the females.... As with the old adage, "The early bird gets the worm", the early bird gets the rental property....

March 2008: (top) Chickadee parents bring food for the young
(bottom) Four chickadee babies in a soft moss lined nest.

Yes, last year the chickadees found the nesting box before the bluebirds got back.. they worked diligently, building a nest out of soft green moss and by the time I discovered their work it was almost done and I just didn't have the heart to put them out. Their stay in the property was quite successful... Yes, the bluebirds finally got there but only found a nest full of babies and had to go on their way. I had to tell them..."Next year try to get here on time."

This year they did... the bluebirds that is... get here on time.. sort of. The chickadees also found the box this year, but I kept it cleaned out and kept apologizing as I did. Finally the chickadees got the hint and found other quarters. The bluebirds had put down a deposit of one pine needle and they kept coming back and going in and sitting on the roof but no one started putting any piles of pine needles in the box. The male didn't do his job... he was supposed to provide the needles. The female was supposed to build the nest....but for almost a month, unlike bluebirds everywhere else, she did this....

April 1st 2009: Mrs. Bluebird: "Hello! Hello! Is anybody in there?"

For up to forty-five minutes a day, Mrs. Bluebird would fly from tree to fence to birdhouse, to the gutter and finally to the window sill. She tried the high sills, the low sills, the bay window sills, living room sills, den sills... all of them. There she would sit and look in... flutter her wings, chirp, peck the window and flit up and down. Then she would fly to the bird house and back again. Those times when the male showed up and perched on the fence, she would fly to him and flap her wing at him chirping all the time.. then back to the window. Poor fellow, he looked confused... as if to say..."I have married a crazy woman!" She seemed to be telling him.. "I don't want this house... I want to go in THAT house." At the same time I am sitting there watching this peeping bird and thinking... "I should have let the chickadees have the property, this tenant is going to be a problem."

"Problem? Who are you calling a problem!?"

My first entry to Blue Monday... it does seem a bit strange to have a blue jay spying on the bluebirds... a little funny too.

PS: I felt bad about not letting Ms. Bluebird into our house so I told her she could visit the other birds over at Friday's Ark. I think she is happier now.

To be continued.....

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SPH: Can You Trust This Face?

“The most truthful part of a newspaper is the advertisements”
~ Thomas Jefferson

The real estate business is for the birds these days.
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"I have always believed that writing advertisements is the second most profitable form of writing. The first, of course, is ransom notes..."
~ Philip Dusenberry

Mr. Rhett has decided to go into business. I sat down with him and explained about the difficult times we live in; how many small businesses are looking at increasing taxes and decreasing income, especially the real estate market. Besides, do you really think you can rent this birdhouse... for "peanuts" or "bird feed"? You can't purchase Fancy Feast with bird feed..... But, Mr. Rhett is nothing if he isn't stubborn... so, I helped him get started and the sign went up!

(Clockwise from left): Sturdy construction... recently replaced roof... strong security door.

"The very first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the delightfully vague." ~ Bill Cosby

"So, what do you want to put in your brochure advertisement? Let's see. Start with the construction... sturdy construction and design puts safety first. The newly replaced roof keeps your family dry in those heavy spring downpours and the heavy security door keeps them safe from predators... monitoring provided. Well! Off to a good start!"

(Clockwise from top): Close to restaurants.... picnic areas... and shopping.

"Let advertisers spend the same amount of money improving their product that they do on advertising and they wouldn't have to advertise it."
~ Will Rogers

"Now, the birds need to know that the house is close to fine restaurants and parks... yes, those picnic facilities with the sheltered eating areas are a real plus. And shopping... mother bird will be interested in that... She needs to know that there are nearby home improvement stores with plenty of supplies to help her make the house a home. OK, that's done... what's next, Rhett?"

Community pool.

"You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements."
~ George Norman Douglas

"Now, this is a real plus... especially for bird families.... a beautiful community pool, meticulously maintained by the monthly homeowner's association fee and available for residents only. This is a great place to meet with friends and enjoy a little refreshing swim. Not all communities have this amenity, Rhett!"

Green common spaces for the avid outdoorsman.

"Advertisements are now so numerous that they are very negligently perused, and it is therefore become necessary to gain attention by magnificence of promises and by eloquence sometimes sublime and sometimes pathetic."
~ Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)(Look at that date...talk about timeless wisdom)

"Rhett, I almost forgot... look at this great green space with wonderful equipment for the outdoorsman... plenty of places to perch, tall trees to climb for a "birds-eye" view of the neighborhood, a perfect place for hunting, hiking and hiding, in the event that Cooper's Hawk comes around. You know, Rhett... I've changed my mind... you could make quite the career out of this realty thing.... I think you're on to something... Everything is ready for the open house.... LOOK!!!"

Potential renters arrive!

"For good or ill, your conversation is your advertisement. Every time you open your mouth you let men look into your mind. Do they see it well clothed, neat, businesswise?" ~ Bruce Burton

"A pair of potential residents have arrived for the open house.....that was quick! Way to go Rhett!"

Saturday Photo Hunt's theme for this week is "advertisement". Instead of photographing billboards and strangely painted cars or giant balloon men with pennants and people dressed as Uncle Sam and waving a flag by the tax preparation shop... Rhett and I decided to make our own. Or rather, I decided to make an advertisement... Rhett really wanted to go into realty... I still haven't decided if it's for the money or for the possibility of free food... It better be for the money!

Have a great Photo Hunt!

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PhotoHunt

Skywatch Friday: Through The Roof

A cloudy sky through open rafters...June 4th
(Click to enlarge)

"Wafted up,
The stealing cloud with soft grey blinds the sky
And in its vapory mantle onward steps
The summer shower."
~ Alfred Billings Street

There is a story behind this picture.. actually, it is an evolving saga of trauma and turmoil, excitement and fear, dump trucks, cement trucks, men in baggy shorts with tool belts and nail guns, footers and headers, and a plethora of mud and goop... but I really don't have time or space to go into it all right now. Let's just say that this was the view out one of our back doors yesterday morning... before the storms rolled in and the skies opened, dumping buckets of rain and ending work for the day. Today, the rain and wind held off until they were finished... and now this view is totally framed in and gone.

This is my first SkyWatch Friday entry and I am late... but I had other duties today... relating to this view...if you must know! Sigh... I need to go to bed with a good book.

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Dusk: The Magic Of Time

Dusk in New York City, Brooklyn
(Click picture to enlarge)

"Dusk is just an illusion because the sun is either above the horizon or below it. And that means that day and night are linked in a way that few things are there cannot be one without the other yet they cannot exist at the same time. How would it feel, I remember wondering, to be always together yet forever apart?" ~ Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook)

Sometimes it is hard to decide between two pictures. They may depict the same overall theme, but in such different ways... both beautiful, both bringing back memories, both capturing that most fleeting of moments... and yet be so very different...different places, different moods, different thoughts. Such was the case when I tried to pick out a picture for Carmi's weekly theme.

You could not find two more opposite photographs. Dusk in Brooklyn, in the hot, hazy summer... the buildings beginning to lose their detail and color, becoming simply a long row of dark cutout shapes along the horizon. It isn't yet dark enough for the lights in those skyscrapers to shine forth and show us that truly, the city never sleeps. It is that bewitching hour... when the shadows deepen and the air becomes still and heavy... summer in the city.

Dusk on the James River, Virginia

Then there is dusk on the river or, as I would say, in the country, for the James River road leading from Williamsburg to Jamestown is bordered on the east by the river and on the west by expanses of marsh, forest and only the rare small farm. It has always surprised me that the eastern sky at dusk is just as beautiful with fingers of pink and red and purple, as is the western sky of the setting sun. Here the twilight hour brings out the sounds of nature, rather than the sounds of taxis... often a gentle breeze, sometimes the sight of a large ten point buck bounding across the road into the woods and always the symphonic frog chorus.

Amazingly, in both settings it is not difficult to feel that moment of peace, solitude and quiet contemplation that we all need to regroup and calm that built up daily inner turmoil. Perhaps it is not the place that is that brings us back in focus...perhaps it is simply the magic of time... dusk.

Carmi's weekly photographic theme is "dusk".

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A Fish Out Of Water

Jenkins Fountain, Brooklyn Botanical Garden
(Click picture to enlarge)

"A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles." ~ Washington Irving (1783 - 1859)

This is a simple but elegant fountain near the lily pools at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Four fish furnish the water falls into a round pool below. This fountain has been in place since 1930 and you can see the wonderful signs of age gracing the Indiana limestone and bronze piece; the green and brown stains of previous algae and the wonderful teal patina on the sculpted bronze fish. The water drops into a 24 foot pool below and adds musical sound effects to the hum of dancing dragonflies and the floating lotus and lilies in the larger lily pools on either side of the fountain. Flower and vine covered arches overhang several small benches along the walkway and here you can find refuge from the sun.

This was one of my favorite areas of the garden... and a memory I cherish. It is my Watery Wednesday post.

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A Crown of Crimson

My red-bellied woodpeckers.. (Left) female, (Right) male.
(Click picture to enlarge)

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in." ~ George Washington Carver

I have posted about my woodpeckers before, but at the time I only had a picture of the female red-bellied woodpecker. More recently, both the male and female have frequented the feeder more often, although I no longer have suet hanging due to the warm temperatures now. They still love the mixture of peanuts, sunflower seeds, and bits of dried fruit...perhaps they are feeding a nest of young ones somewhere out in the swamp. Do you see the main difference between the male and female? She has a patch of grey on her head, while the red "mohawk" of the male is one long band.

We all know or at least have been told of the nasty nature and behavior of the blue jay... beautiful bird with a chip on its shoulder. But, did you know that this red-bellied woodpecker is a bit of a bully as well? I have seen him take on a blue jay and had to chase him away from the fledgling bluebird he was harassing on our patio. Another beautiful bird with less than the best manners.

My touch of red for Ruby Tuesday this week.

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