Pleasures – Volunteers

On June 29, 2013 By TimelessladyIn Pleasures2 Comments

I’ve been wandering the yard with trowel in hand looking for late season volunteers. These are plants that have self-seeded and are sprouting in the damp and hot weather we are having at the present time. I don’t mulch my flower beds and the volunteers are the reason why. I always have a few bare spots in my gardens left by plants that bloom quickly and die back just as fast; the small volunteers are perfect for filling in the bare spaces. Removing them from between the sidewalk cracks is a little dicey, but I know if I don’t they won’t thrive for very long. Onward Volunteers!

Phascination and Peculiarities – Tiny Tadpoles

On June 28, 2013June 28, 2013 By TimelessladyIn Peculiarities, Phascination4 Comments

On a visit to the Jersey shore town of Strathmere last weekend, my husband and I parked in a huge puddle on the side of the road. When we returned to the truck after a day on the beach, I noticed that the puddle was filled with hundreds, if not thousands of tiny tadpoles. We have been having daily rains and the side of the road has become a river beside the concrete barrier of the curb. Knowing that the asphalt quickly heats in the summer sun and dries the puddles up, I immediately felt sorry for the tiny swimmers, knowing they probably wouldn’t make it to maturity.

I’m not sure what type of frog or toad these tadpoles are, but I am thinking most likely they are garden toads or tree frogs. I couldn’t resist saving a few and scooped them up with my palm and carried them home in a water bottle. (I say I did this for my grandsons to watch, but must admit, I still haven’t lost my childhood fascination for bugs and such.) A week later, most are thriving, although I think I did lose two or three. They are beginning to develop legs and the shape of their head is changing.

I found a good site explaining how to care for the small amphibians. A good way to feed them is to boil green lettuces until they are pulpy and place bits of it in the water. I am also lucky to have an outdoor pond that is filled with algae right now. (Hmmmm….not so sure that is lucky for me, but certainly is for the hungry tadpoles.) A little pond water added to their puddle water seemed to create the right environment for them.

Funny how quickly a person becomes protective. I am wondering what is the best solution for them as they morph into their final shape. I am thinking lawnmowers and hungry birds, and….well you get my line of thinking. What’s a person to do? Sigh….

Here is a terrific page on how to raise tadpoles to maturity.

Raising Tadpoles

Project – Seashell Mobile

On June 27, 2013June 26, 2013 By TimelessladyIn ProjectsLeave a comment

My cousin visited from out west this Spring. We spent a glorious day on some local beaches saving horseshoe crabs that had upended themselves and collecting sea glass and shells. I love the project she created with her finds, a seashell mobile, complete with a piece of ceramic turned into sea glass by the waves. I’m inspired! I was meaning to sort through my shells, but the thought of making one of these mobiles will give me a bit more incentive. So pretty!

Collecting shells and saving overturned horseshoe crabs.

A good friend drilled the shells for my cousin. Use a thin drill bit with any type drill you are comfortable using. Notice the wooden block beneath the shell. If you don’t wear glasses put on a pair of safety glasses. Use fishing line to put the mobile together. This is a great project for shells, sea glass and other beach finds you might have collected over the years.

Plants – Wordless Wednesday/Hydrangea

On June 26, 2013 By TimelessladyIn PlantsLeave a comment

Plantings – Vine Supports

On June 25, 2013June 24, 2013 By TimelessladyIn PlantingLeave a comment

I love vining flowers of all types: morning-glory, cardinal vine, sweet pea, moon flowers, trumpet vine, these and vegetable vines can all be found growing in my gardens. What I don’t like is the need to purchase an expensive trellis or make do with garden twine. This year I have begun using Greenbrier vine as a support for my vines. Harvesting a bit of this vine from the woods does no harm, although it is a cover for wildlife, it can also be quite invasive and choke out trees and other native vines.

I begin with my longest piece of Greenbrier and poke the end into the ground. I weave several additional pieces of the Greenbrier around this first vine. I then attach more strands to any wood that is not covered with aluminum using a small push-pin. So far, this has worked very well, As the vines become heavier, even though the Greenbrier has hardened, I will need to add some nails or staples for added support. I like the natural way the vines grow up these brambles. Instead of a formal pattern or a column of plants climbing twine, the vines follow the more natural path of the Greenbrier.

Plants & Praise – Poppies/Winter Sown and Naturalized

On June 24, 2013June 24, 2013 By TimelessladyIn Plant Tips, Praise5 Comments

I love poppies of all kinds. Over the course of several years, I have faithfully sown the seeds in the spring only to have the heavy rains of April and May beat the small seedlings into sodden destruction. Finally, a year or two ago, I found a way to beat the rain; winter Sowing works for growing poppies. What is Winter Sowing? To winter sow a seed you cut a gallon milk carton, or other large plastic bottle, in half, punch some drainage holes in the bottom, fill with an inch or two of seed starting soil, sow a few seeds, close, duct tape and put in a sunny spot in your garden…oh and of course I forgot the most important part…you do this smack in the middle of the coldest months of the year.

Winter sowing is perfect for growing poppies. I have many new plants spread throughout my gardens, thriving and growing at the present time. I also have quite a few naturalized plants from poppies I grew last year, courtesy, once again, of winter sowing.

Here is a site that will tell you more about winter sowing: Winter Sowing

I love the blue-green tones of poppy foliage. I also love the anticipation I feel when a bud is about to POP!

An added bonus for me are the beautiful seedpods.

Hello Gorgeous!

I love this portrait I unknowingly captured of a little hover fly collecting nectar from the pink poppy. His or her face is visible, the delicacy of the wings highlighted and transparent against the bloom of the flower. God’s creations continuously amaze me. I must remember to thank him every day for the beauty all around me, the obvious glories that I see, and also the wonderful hidden things I often don’t notice.

Peace – The Cardinal

On June 23, 2013 By TimelessladyIn PeaceLeave a comment

On a gorgeous sunny morning last week I noticed there was a nest in my vitex tree. Can you see the lady cardinal incubating her eggs? What is it about a nest that fills our hearts with joy? Perhaps it is the promise of new life waiting to burst out into the world. For me, it is also a reminder of how very much the Lord God loves us all.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Matthew 6:25-34

I’ve included a link to information on Cardinal egg incubation. I think I can expect to hear the peeping of babies next week. Cardinal Incubation Period and Hatching

Plant Tips – Nasturiums/Salad Flower

On June 22, 2013June 22, 2013 By TimelessladyIn Plant Tips, PlantsLeave a comment

My nasturiums are coming into bloom this week. I have these beauties planted in my Square Foot Garden. You might wonder why these flowers are planted in a vegetable garden. The answer is that all parts of the plant are edible. Here is a good link on how to use nasturium flowers, leaves and seeds in your salads and other dishes. Happy Dining!

Wikihow’s Tips On Using Nasturiums In A Salad

Painting – Three Art Tips

On June 21, 2013June 21, 2013 By TimelessladyIn PaintingLeave a comment

If you create an abundance of art you will find you must frequently measure out your canvas size. To save time and possible errors, I cut out a set of templates in standard sizes.

Each template is labeled with the size and has a hole punched at the top for easy storage inside the art closet.

Keep a look out for old painted cabinets on the curb on trash pick-up day. Carry them home, bind the raw edges with duct tape, and you have a perfect waterproof board for mounting watercolor or acrylic paper/canvas.

A full sheet of plexiglass makes a durable and light mounting board for your larger size paper/canvas sheets. Painter’s tape/blue tape works perfectly with plexiglass and keeps your paper stable and flat until you are ready to remove it.

Perspective & People – A Wise Man’s Words/Senator Elbert Guillory

On June 20, 2013June 19, 2013 By TimelessladyIn People, Perspective1 Comment

Plants – Wordless Wednesday/Peonies 2013

On June 19, 2013June 17, 2013 By TimelessladyIn PlantsLeave a comment

Phascination – A Silent Witness

On June 18, 2013June 17, 2013 By TimelessladyIn PhascinationLeave a comment

On the way to Fortescue, NJ, a fishing town on the Delaware Bay, we pass this quiet scene. If you take another look at the same photograph below, enlarged and cropped for emphasis, you can see the sign that always attracts my attention and impresses me with it’s simplicity and quiet witness. I’m happy I was able to capture it with my camera as we drove past.

Pinterest – Great Tip

On June 17, 2013 By TimelessladyIn Pinterest4 Comments

My guest room bed is very high. I’ve wanted to let my grandsons sleep in it when we have sleepovers, but I’ve always worried about them falling out. Pinterest to the rescue. I used a plastic noodle, easily found at this time of year in dollar and variety stores, and tucked it under the side of the fitted sheet, near the edge of the bed. Voila! Success is a sure thing with this tip. The noodle becomes a soft barrier with just enough height to stop a young one from falling off the mattress. Thanks Pinterest.

Praise – Sunrise on Elk Neck River/Happy Father’s Day

On June 16, 2013June 13, 2013 By TimelessladyIn PraiseLeave a comment

“From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’s name is to be praised.” Psalm 113:3

Plant Tips – Avoiding Unnecessary Chemicals in the Garden – Part I

On June 15, 2013June 11, 2013 By TimelessladyIn Plant TipsLeave a comment

Yes, I’ll admit the scene is a little odd, but I am putting into practice my philosophy on gardening: use natural remedies before resorting to chemicals. All of us know of the dangers of chemicals in the environment. We all carry around residual bits of the poison in our bodies. An effective way to kill weeds that sprout in sidewalk and driveway cracks is to douse them with boiling water. If they are especially tough add a touch of salt. The weeds instantly wilt, dry up, become brown, and are gone in a day or two. Easy! All you need to do is put the kettle on!

Painting – Watercolor Tip

On June 14, 2013June 11, 2013 By TimelessladyIn PaintingLeave a comment

I think I’ve mentioned one of my favorite watercolor tips in the past, but it is worth repeating. When mixing colors it is best to let them pool beside each other, just touching, instead of mixing them together with your brush. By laying them side by side on your palette you will get a more natural blending of the colors. Load your watercolor brush with the color that has swirled together to create the shade you are seeking. The samples below are my attempts to create natural looking greens. The watercolor shades I used are: Prussian Blue, Winsor Yellow, New Gamboge, Quinacridone Gold & Burnt Sienna.

Phascination – The Toad House

On June 13, 2013June 12, 2013 By TimelessladyIn Phascination1 Comment

Recently, my husband and I took our Scamp camper to the Belleplain State Forest and spent a relaxing day and night enjoying the perfect weather and surroundings. You can see our small egg-shaped camper in the background. Check out the foreground of the photo…do you see a golden eye?

This cute little forest toad tolerated our presence for a bit, and even let me take a few up close and personal photos. Soon he had enough of me though, and headed for his home. I was quite amused when he disappeared into a nearby tree. What a nice abode for a small toad. Sweet!

Plants & Pressed Flowers – Angelonia

On June 12, 2013June 11, 2013 By TimelessladyIn Plants, Pressed Flowers1 Comment

A few years ago I bought my first Angelonia plant at a local nursery. It was expensive, a Proven Winner, but I was quite taken with it’s shape, the array of colors, and hoped it would also do double duty as a pressed flower. I wasn’t disappointed. The angelonia plant thrived and did press well for me.

Every year since my first purchase I have grown at least one angelonia plant. I was excited this year when I found angelonias being sold in peat packs. Now instead of just one plant, I have several lining my front walkway. O Happy Day!

You can read more about angelonias here: Angelonia

Pressed flower tip: Press double or triple the amount of angelonia blossoms you intend to use. Some of the edges will brown. Also, the pressed flower is very fragile and thin and easily tears. The flower is still well worth taking the time to press since it is quite unique and interesting in appearance in pressed flower art.

Painting – Rocks on Tioga Road/WetCanvas Challenge

On June 11, 2013June 10, 2013 By TimelessladyIn PaintingLeave a comment

I finally finished my attempt at the WetCanvas Watercolor Studio Challenge for April. You can find the finished work of all the participants in the challenge at: WetCanvas April Challenge

Rocks on Tioga Road near Tenaya Lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California.

Winsor and Newton Watercolors: Prussian Blue, Burnt Sienna, New Gamboge, Winsor Yellow, Quinacridone Gold & Neutral Tint/Arches Cold Press Watercolor Block 140 lb Size: 12 x 16