Sunday Sundries - Edition 51

Flowering Spruge (Euphorbia Corollata)

"Black Bird"

What delights us in the spring is

more a sensation than an appearance,

more a hope than any visible reality.

There is something in the softness of the air,

in the lengthening of the days,

in the very sounds and odors of the sweet time,

that caresses us and consoles us

after the rigorous weeks of winter.

~Philip Gilbert Hamerton

Sunday Sundries - Edition 49

Spring Has Sprung

Friday Finds and 30 Days of Gratitude - Day 7

I'm grateful for those individuals that have such a love for gardening and conservation that they create areas of beauty that we can enjoy.

I'm grateful for Verna Cook Garvan and her dream for a wooded peninsula on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I'll try not to bore you, but I want to include a little history and then I'll let you enjoy the beauty of this garden. 

"The site for Garvan Woodland Gardens was purchased in the 1920's after a timber clear-cut in about 1915. Mrs. Garvan loved this beautiful place so much that she never allowed it to be cut again. (Her father operated Wisconsin-Arkansas Lumber Company) In 1956, as a self-taught gardener, she began to develop it as a garden and possible future residence. She was intimately familiar with the land and laid out each path, marking every tree to be removed. Verna also personally chose each new plant and selected it's location. Over the next forty years, Mrs. Garvan planted thousands of specimens which now form an impressive collection. There are hundreds of rare shrubs and trees, some more than 40 years old, including camellias, magnolias, and more than 160 different types of azaleas." (http://www.garvangardens.org)

After the death of Mrs. Garvan the garden has been operated by the University of Arkansas School of Architecture. 

Now I'll just let you walk along with me and enjoy the garden.

(Balloonplant -- Gomphocarpus physocarpus, Asclepias physocarpa -- milkweed)

It was Mrs. Garvan's wish that the gardens be used to provide education, joy, and repose for those who enter. I went to see the pumpkins and mums, but I found so much more; beauty, quietness, peace and left in awe of God's creation.

Friday Finds and Be Still 52

This week I spent several hours at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. It was a lovely autumn day. The air crisp and fresh; filled with the smells of damp leaves and pine. It was quiet. Only nature making any sound. I could hear the rustling of the leaves in the wind, the plopping of acorns as they fell, the symphony of the birds singing, and the scampering of squirrels gathering their nuts for winter. Oh my, how blessed I felt that this beautiful world has been created for me to enjoy. 

I found delight in the morning rays of sunlight.

I found delight in the mountain ridges.

I found delight in the rich farmlands next to the Arkansas River.

I found delight in the reflections on the still quarry water.

I found delight in the enormous hundred year old cypress trees.

I found delight in the fall leaves floating by at my feet.

I found delight in a gorgeous day.

I found myself in awe of the gifts we've been given.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows."

 James 1:17 (NIV)

Linked with Kim Klassen's

Friday Finds and Be Still 52

Autumn Gathering

Autumn is the time of year when we delight in warm beautiful colors. The trees put on a spectacular show of reds, golds, oranges, and yellows. Mums in burgundy, yellow, white and orange decorate front porches. Then, you have the pumpkins and gourds adding their brilliant colors to fall arrangements. There is one color that just doesn't get enough attention during the showy colors of fall....brown....plain, ordinary brown. 

In the Be Still 52 class this week our exercise was to gather signs of fall. I tried to stay away from the showy colors and focus more on the browns, tans, and golds. Where would the world be without these colors?

Brown is a serious, down-to-earth color that signifies stability, structure and support. It is solid with strength and maturity; think earth, dirt, rocks, and tree trunks. Brown is the predominant color on the planet along with green. It can be considered dull, boring and unexciting. In fact, it is one of the least preferred colors in the western world.

American Indians believe the color brown represents the power of self-discipline.

I like the way the Japanese think about brown. They don't have a specific word for brown. Rather, they use more descriptive names such as "tea-color," "fox-color," and "fallen-leaf."

Can you imagine life without brown?  What color would your coffee be....chocolate....whole wheat bread....nutmeg?  I hope you take some time to look around and enjoy brown along with all the other autumn colors. It's actually quite spectacular all by itself!

"I never met a color I didn't like."
Dale Chihuly

Thank you to Sensational Color for facts about the color brown.

Organic

The prompt was "organic."  I was at a total loss. Sure, I know there's organic milk, veggies, and fruit, but those didn't appeal to me for a photograph.

I think of organic as earthy things; living things; nature. I walked around the yard for a while looking for mushrooms. They're certainly organic, but no luck! It's been too dry.

I found a leaf and liked the way it curled, so I picked it up to try a macro shot of a leaf curl. I was holding the leaf in my cupped hand and began filling it with a few acorns. My brain kicked in. Ding! Ding!  Hello there! You have the makings of a nature still life right in the palm of your hand. 

Since the wind was blowing I brought them inside and just happened to lay them down beside this small square frame. I also grabbed an old cutting board, a silk ribbon, and some burlap. Presto! There you have it; a still life. I'm always making things harder than they are!

Sunday Sundries - Edition 29

"For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together.

For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad."

~ Edwin Way Teale

Autumn Across America

Signs of Spring

(wood sorrel)

The warm sun has been out the last few days. It's warmth has caused a bursting of color to appear. I'm ready for a little color. It's been a rainy, dreary winter. I'm a person who normally loves winter and it's beautiful scenes of snow, frost, and sparkling ice. I love to walk through the woods in the cold and listen to the still, quietness of winter.  This year that did not happen. We had rain and rain and more rain. I did enjoy taking pictures of water drops and the swollen creek behind the house, but I missed the snow.  This year we only had two little dustings of snow and it was gone almost immediately because the earth was warm or it was followed quickly by rain! You can understand the thrill I had this week as I walked in the woods and began to see the small yet beautiful signs of spring. The combination of a mild winter and rain has brought out the spring blossoms early!

All these flowers except one are on our property or in the woods near our home. Some of them are so tiny and close to the ground that you had to look very carefully to see them. I'll try to list them, as best I can. Google helped a lot, but I am  no flower expert!!

Starting at the top, left to right

 1. Chinese Fringe bush - blooms in spring and fall

 2. Hellebore

 3. a wildflower from the evening Primrose family

 4. Kind Alfred Jonquil - about 3" across with a trumpet of about 2"

 5. Narcissus  - they're tiny, only about 1/2" across

 6. Jonquil or Daffodil which every you prefer, I've just always called them Jonquils

 7. Woodland Violet - very tiny about 1/2"

 8. Ornamental Plum Tree

 9. Japonica

10. Hyacinth

11. buds of the Chinese Fringe Bush

12. Double Jonquil

13. Dandelion flower

14. Bradford Pear Tree

15. Dandelion flower just opening

16. Woodland Violet

It would have been so easy to just walk and not see all of this beauty; especially, the small wild flowers in the woods. I encourage you to get out, take a walk and look closely at the ground. Even those pesky lawn weeds have lovely tiny flowers!

"Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good."   ~  Genesis 1:11, 12

I am grateful for the beauty of creation we've been blessed with!

Welcome August

Welcome to August! I do not say that with my usual enthusiasm for the changing of the months! I do not like summer and August is usually the hottest month for us!! Not only have temperatures in my state been over 100 for 11 days, but the hottest week is yet to come...this week!! On top of that, add high, very high, humidity!! Our heat index will top at about 110 - 113 degrees. That being said, I'll get on with the decorations for August.

If you should venture outside you will see my garden flag.

It's looks a little droopy out there in the heat!!

It's so hot, the bees are not even out!! 

Maybe their inside their "HIVE"!! 

 I'm serious, the only bugs I've seen are dragonflies!! 

This quilt door hanging is totally appropriate for August!! Fans!

Maybe just looking at them will cool me off!

 If that doesn't work, I'll gaze at my water globes

and dream of being on the beach

and eating some ice cold watermelon!!

Enjoy your August!!

I'll be trying to stay cool!!

You do the same!!

Welcome June!!

We've flipped over a new page on the calendar! June is here! And in Arkansas, it brought super hot. muggy weather!! We broke a heat record yesterday!! I'm already dreading the summer. I'll try not to gripe, but I do not like summer!!

My June door hanging has butterflies on it!! I have Lantana in the yard and the butterflies really seem to like them!!

The four-letter word for June is "sail."  It's a perfect month to hit the beach or the lake and play in the water!

This is a summer sampler I made several years ago. Blue is my favorite color and it's a great color for June.

Here's a few things I know about June...

June's flower is the rose

June's birthstone is the pearl

This month there is a large steam engine arriving in town. I'm going down to the train station with my grandson's to see it.

People do a lot of gardening in June, fresh strawberries are ready to be picked,

Here's some odd things you might want to know about June:

Today, June 5, we celebrate:

the First Hot Air Balloon Flight by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783

National Gingerbread Day

Richard Scarry's birthday

Other dates this month include:

D-day (6)

Ball Point Pen Day (10)

Flag Day (14)

National Fudge Day (16)

Father's Day (19)

Ice Cream Soda Day (20)

First Day Of Summer (21)  (Ugh!!)

National Pecan Sandies day (23)

Chocolate Pudding Day (26)

Camera Day (29)

There were a lot more, but I got a little stuck on the food days, I'm hungry!!

And, of course there are people born in the month of June! Me!!! This is my birth month! I share a birthday with.....Donald Duck! Now, how special is that. Here's some more people with birthdays this month,

Helen Keller

Captain Kangaroo

Eric Carle

June Carter-Cash

Garfield

Judy Garland

Richard Scarry

Oscar the grouch

Well, you now know more than you'll probably ever want to know about June.

Have fun and keep cool!!

 

June Quotation

Then let us, one and all, be contented with our lot;

The June is here this morning, and the sun is shining hot;

Oh! let us fill our hearts up with the glory of the day,

And banish ev'ry doubt and care and sorrow far away.

                                            James Whitcomb Riley