Author: Timelesslady

Married with children and grandchildren. Reader, writer, painter - maybe a bit of an artist. Gardener... Led by the Spirit.

Projects – Stepping Stone Walkway

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I decided this summer that I really must go through all the shells, rocks, mosses and other natural items I had stockpiled in the garage during the twenty-five years we have lived in this house. I have made a dent in the collection. In the spring I created planters with a border of seashells, and in the last few weeks I have been creating stepping-stones with my huge rock collection. I love to step along the stones and relive the feel of walking across them on the beaches, bays and creek beds where they were gathered.

Plants – Flower Garden Update/August 2012

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My late-summer flower garden is thriving. The Rudbeckia is full of blossoms. I don’t deadhead these flowers. They do not produce more blooms if I do so, and then I would deprive the finches of their treat. These flowers produce hundreds of seeds and are a favorite of the goldfinches. I often see the small birds hanging upside down on the seed heads, feasting on the bounty.

The Coral Nymph Salvia is a beautiful plant. It almost becomes shrub-like as the season progresses. I do deadhead the spent flower stalks of this plant, and it keeps producing until cold weather. It is a favorite of hummingbirds.

This Salvia self-seeded last summer, grew in a crack between the sidewalk and front porch steps, and is thriving. I will save seeds from this plant this fall. It has a resilience and determination I admire.

The Popsock Cosmos I grew this year is a bit taller than I had thought it would be, but is still a welcome addition to the front garden.

These cheerful petunias I bought on a whim this spring have been fantastic. I love the bright color and the abundance of blooms they have given me.

The coleus plants in the front garden are outstanding. I will soon let them begin to flower for next year’s seed harvest.

The asters I grew by winter-sowing are beautiful. They come in a variety of purple, lavender and pink shades. I am really pleased with this plant.

The Bonariensis Verbena is often perennial. This patch grew tall and broad this year and is constantly attracting butterflies. Last year it also self-seeded, and I have several new patches of this great plant.

Dahlias grown from seed and sun-loving impatiens (a Mother’s Day gift) are all doing well.

Here is one of my mistakes, although I love the lilypad-like foliage. I planted nasturtium in fertilized soil, and the foliage is abundant, but the flowers non-existent. They prefer to grow in poor soil.

Both varieties of Fuschia are doing well, as are both varieties of the Dragon-wing Begonias.

 

Last but not least is my Lady In Red Salvia, a great hummingbird flower. I love the little hover-fly sipping nectar that I captured in the photograph below.

Problem Solving & The Power of Prayer

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This is my cat Rusty. This is my cat Rusty…HIDING…in what he considers a very safe spot.  He knows he can make a quick getaway under the bed’s dust ruffle. Why is Rusty hiding? Well, Rusty hides at the first sign of visitors or something going awry, and my, oh my, did things go awry a week or two ago.

The first sign of trouble was a noise that sounded animal-like coming from the chimney. Both Rusty and I noticed the small muffled squeak.  Rusty stared in the direction of the fireplace, and I mentioned the sound to my husband, who gave his usual reply of, “It’s nothing.” Okay, I conceded, I wasn’t sure I really heard anything anyway. I forgot all about it. The next afternoon I had a rude reminder on the return from a beach outing. I opened the front door and instantly was assaulted by the image of a bat flying around my dining room. According to my husband, I backed out of the door saying, “Oh, oh, oh…”

Funny…fleetingly, the old 1960’s symbol of the show Batman was the first thought that crossed my mind. The bat, illuminated against the yellow-green walls of the dining room exactly resembled the “bat signal” as it flew. I expected Adam West and Burt Ward to show up. (I’m giving away my age.) The next thought was, “Get out of here…NOW!” I did. That was mistake number two. By the time I convinced my husband I saw a bat, the creature had disappeared somewhere in the house.

We both walked around the house, with a broomstick, thumping on walls and near pictures. I still don’t think Joe really believed I had seen a bat. The bat was nowhere. (Rusty had retreated to his safe spot and was no help at all) After several minutes of this we still had no idea what to do. I began to pray that God would help us find the bat. Suddenly, the bat made another appearance and began swooping around the house. It really did seem attracted to our heads, especially mine, I wonder if it is because they are guided by sound. A swooping bat is not a sight or sound for the fainthearted.

I really did not want to kill it. I felt a bit sorry for it. Joe didn’t feel the same. He had the broom and swung it as the bat flew near his head. I had a bucket at the ready to scoop up the unfortunate broom-swatted bat. It flew so quickly, and was so efficient at dodging the broom bristles by flying near our heads, that knocking it down before it touched or bit one of us seemed hopeless. I began praying and held the bucket up near my head. Praise God for a miracle and an answer to prayer, the bat suddenly flew smack into the bucket I was holding up, and became tangled in the work gloves at the bottom. “I’ve got it!” I yelped. We both ran outside and pushed the bucket over on the grass and the winged marauder flew away.

It was risky letting it go. I know that now after reading articles about bats getting caught indoors. Bats do carry rabies, but it is rare. You run more of a risk of getting rabies from a racoon or skunk or stray pet. I don’t think it was sick, I just think it was an unlucky bat, flying around at night, minding his own business, who somehow flew into a chimney and spent hours wiggling out through a crack in the fireplace screen.

God answers prayer, yes he does! Sometimes you need to wait for the answer, but sometimes, he is very, very fast. Amen!

Plants – Mid-August Update/Square Foot Garden

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Eggplant

My Square Foot Garden is still going strong. I have never grown so many delicious and beautiful varieties of vegetables.

Eggplant

Tuscan Kale (has grown since spring…still delicious)

Pickling cucumbers

Late summer sowing of black beans

Late summer sowing of pickling cucumbers…not sure if these have enough time to fruit.

Golden Mohawk peppers and eggplant…Gorgeous!

Place – Philadelphia Museum of Natural Science

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My husband I recently took our grandsons to the Philadelphia Museum of Natural Science. We had a grand time. My only complaint…it’s a little dark inside.

My favorite exhibit was the butterfly house. It’s amazing to feel butterflies flitting right by your head.

The museum has a dinosaur hall too…quite a few dinosaur skeletons on display.

There is even an Egyptian mummy on display.

On the way home we said “Hello!” to William Penn. It was a perfect day in the City of Philadelphia.

Praise – Leaning on the Everlasting Arms (through the decades)

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A friend sent me this delightful version of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” It was the fastest twelve minutes of my week. Take a listen…you’ll hear music from the 40’s through the present day. Priceless!

 

Pressed Flowers – The Unpressables

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Wildflowers are abundant, even invasive sometimes. To see all this plenty makes my fingers always itch to press, but I have had little luck with many of them. Tops on that list of unpressables are chicory and white aster daisies. Chicory has a very thick calyx, and by the time you get it home, the petals are limp and shriveled. The asters have super thin, thread-like petals with a large, hard center. I managed to press a few recently, and had a bit of luck. I crushed the calyx of the chicory before I placed it in the pressing book. I did the same with the center of the aster daisies. In the top corner are a few petals of lantana, a whole other story I won’t get into today. I gave these wildflowers about 15 to 30 seconds of heat. The amount of time depends on how hot your microwave gets. I wanted the book to be gently warmed, not hot.

The bottom line on these two wildflowers is you must press three to five times the amount of flowers you want to use. As you can see from the chicory on the left, only one out of three worked out at all. The blue was retained, but there is also a little browning I will need to try to pull or cut away. Still, true-blue flowers are not abundant in the garden, and the daisies are unique and delicate. I will keep trying and press more than I think I need.

Plants and Pleasures – Harvesting and Storing “Tea” Herbs

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Hopefully, this will be the start of a daily cup of tea this winter. I’ve been picking my spearmint and lemon balm and freezing it in ice-cube trays. I had a test run last week, and found that if I left the herbal ice cubes in a cup for an hour or two they thawed out. I then strained away the water, fired up the tea kettle, and within ten minutes was drinking a cup of spearmint/lemon balm tea that tasted as if it was picked fresh out of the garden. I’m thrilled to know I’ll be able to continue drinking the tea throughout the winter.

Pressed Flowers – Pressed Flowers 101

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If you are new to pressing flowers you might be inclined to use your own books for pressing. You will find that the flower petals and foliage will ruin some of the pages, and others could become warped by moisture inside the stems. Thick flowers also will cause dents and some flower colors will stain the pages.

To avoid ruining your own books go to thrift stores for old books, or do as I do and check out the public library. Large outdated periodicals or how-to books work best for pressing.

One thing to beware of is the ink on the pages. The moisture in the flowers sometimes reactivates it, and it can stain your petals. I’ve even had words imprint backwards onto my flowers. To remedy this, when first used, rub the page briskly with a paper towel and hard pressure and any excess ink will be removed.

For more pressed flower tips click on the catergory link at the bottom of this page. Thanks.

Pots and Pans – Chicken Divine Tweaked

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A week or two ago the Sunday paper’s Parade magazine had a recipe inside created by Sherry Sheppard. The picture and ingredients look yummy, though a little high in fat. I had most of the ingredients on hand, but substituted lower fat alternatives for others. I loved my recipe tweaks…so did my husband…I think you will too.  I can’t wait to make this again and hope to serve it to company soon.

Chicken Divine Tweaked

2 bunches broccoli florets (steamed until al dente)
1/2 stick “I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter (or other butter substitute)
5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Cups broth (preferably homemade with fat removed * see note at bottom of post)
3 Tbsp any fruit juice or wine you have on hand
1 Lime juiced (remove seeds)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Italian herbs or other favorite spice mix
1/2 Cup Four cheese pizza cheese (you can buy this shredded already)
2 whole chicken breasts cooked and sliced thin

Melt butter over low heat, add flour, cook until thickened. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook on low, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Add 3 tbsp juice and lime juice. Add salt and pepper and spices. Stir to combine.

Arrange broccoli in flameproof low edged casserole dish, Top with half the sauce. Stir 1/4 cup cheese mixture into remaining sauce. Arrange chicken on broccoli, pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle the remaining quarter cup of cheese on top.

Broil, about 6 inches from heat until it begins to brown. Sprinkle with paprika.

Eat and enjoy

*** I like to make my own broth a day ahead of time. I then store it in the fridge, and before I use, I skim away the hardened layer of fat on the surface.

You can use lemon instead of lime. The original recipe used lemon. I like lime better. It doesn’t add a flavor per se, but instead adds a citrus brightness. Sometimes lemon can be overpowering in a recipe.

Projects – Saving Seeds

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Vinca Seedpod and Seeds

I have seedpods and seeds strewn all over my house. It’s time to get serious about letting a few plants go to seed so that I will not have to buy the same seed packets again next year.

I’ve even collected a few wildflower pods. Milkweed attracts monarch butterflies so I collected a pod from a roadside plant.

I let my collected seeds dry out for several days, either on the windowsill, or inside a glass.

I then enclose the seeds in aluminum foil and store this packet inside a recycled tea bag wrapper.

Finally, I file these seed packets, and any leftover seeds from spring, inside a recycled plastic container. In the picture below I’ve used a baby wipes container. These are kept in my refrigerator until I begin to plant once again.

 

Proverbs & Peace –

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“The Lord’s blessing is our greatest wealth.

All our work adds nothing to it!” Proverbs 10:22 (Living Bible)

I hope for you to find inner rest and peace on this Sabbath day.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Amen.

Place – Block Island Day 7/Saying Goodbye

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On the day of our departure from Block Island we stopped at Payne’s Killer Donut Shop and bought a few of their amazing donuts for the ferry ride.

A last goodbye to the buildings surrounding Old Harbor and the ferry parking lot.

 

I snapped just one more photograph for my watercolor/acrylics reference library and we were off. We’ve already made our reservations at “The Upstairs” for next year. I can’t wait to go back.

Place and Phascination – Block Island Day 6/The Cairns at Mohegan Bluffs

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To get to the amazing beach below the steep hills of Mohegan Bluffs you must climb down 144 steps. The first time you descend you get a rude surprise. Instead of stepping onto the beach, you have a 15 to 20 foot portion of the bluff to pick your way down. This can be tricky. There are many natural springs in the bluffs, and the fog and surf spray can make the rocky dirt slippery. It’s worth the effort though. The beach is gorgeous, and the view in all directions is terrific. If you click on the photograph above you can get an idea of the climb at the end of the staircase. The two people in the upper right corner are at the end of the staircase, and the people in the middle have just finished climbing down the side of the bluff.

It was foggy when we reached the bottom this year. The misty atmosphere gave a magical feel to the field of Cairns along the beach.

I have never seen so many cairns in one spot before. The photograph can’t capture them all because they fade into the mist.

I loved this arrangement of stones with a message and decided it would make a great motto for the year. I took a snapshot and pasted it in the front of my daily to do notebook.

Here are a few more photographs of the beach at Mohegan Bluffs.

This gives you an idea of the clay that can be found all around the island. Many people apply it to their skin, let it dry in the sun, and then dip in the water to wash it off. Others create interesting works of art by scraping images into it with driftwood and shells.

Mohegan Bluffs is worth the climb.

Place and Play – Block Island Day 5

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I am not much of a beach bather, but I am an absolutely avid beachcomber. The evidence sits on shelves in my garage. Stacked in boxes and bins are hundreds of pieces of driftwood, seashells, sea glass and even fishing lures that have washed up on the beaches I visit. I also enjoy creating cairns (more on these tomorrow) and stone sea nymphs. Here are a few pictures of this year’s creations. I named the photo above “Three Sisters.” I am a part of that three sister trio. I am the stone maiden on the right. My sister Amy is on the left, and sister Sue is in the middle.

I also really enjoyed putting together the bride and groom beneath the driftwood arch. Fun! Yes, it’s true…I will never grow up.

Place and Pressed Flowers – Pressing the Odd Item/Block Island Day 4

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Clayhead Beach on Block Island is probably my favorite beach. This past winter, storms and currents deposited extra sand on the shoreline. The stretch of sand along Clayhead has always been sensational, and now is better than ever. The large rocks just off the beach create amazing tidal pools. These pools capture hermit crabs, periwinkles, starfish, and this year I even saw a sea urchin for the first time. The pools are a big draw for beachcombers, young and old.

Seaweed is abundant on Block Island and grows in these pools. In the past it was farmed and sold. While I was researching the seaweed, I found this article about a present day forager of seaweed. You can read the article here: Seaweed Forager – Jen Lighty

Here are some photographs of the seaweed on the island.

I especially loved the look of the frondy seaweed in the picture above and decided to try to press it. Luckily, I had thought ahead and brought a few books for pressing along with me. I gathered up a cupful of the seaweed then soaked it in fresh water, changing the water several times. I then spread the clean seaweed on several layers of newspaper and left it in the sun. Within a matter of hours the seaweed had lost all moisture, but unfortunately was also rock hard. To press it in this brittle condition would have shattered it. I decided it was an impossible task. Happily, I didn’t throw it out right away, but forgot and left the hardened seaweed on the balcony overnight.

Hooray! Thank goodness for my occasional absent-mindedness. During the night the seaweed reabsorbed a bit of moisture from the dew and fog. It was not wet, but only sticky and damp, and a bit pliable. I put it between the pages of my book and in a few days it was hardened again, but now perfectly flat.

The dried and pressed seaweed held on to a bit of its pink color, but all the greens and whites faded out or darkened into browns and tan. The pieces, even though pressed, are still fairly thick. I don’t think I can use it in my usual greeting card artwork. One idea I have thought of is to use it as a stencil in my painting. I also could apply paint with a brush and use the pressed seaweed as a stamp. Any ideas for me? Please leave a comment. I’d love to get some input on how to use it.

Place – Block Island/Day 3

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Can you spot the deer watching us from the meadow in Rodman’s Hollow?

Day three was overcast and gray, but that wasn’t such a bad thing; we decided to hike the mile through Rodman’s Hollow and walk along the beach below it’s bluffs.  Hiking beneath cloudy skies is easier than trudging along in blazing sunshine and heat. This nature walk and the descent down the side of the bluff to the beach is not for the fainthearted. The climb is a bit dicey, but worth it to Joe and I, so we carefully picked our way down the steep trail.  The view of homes on the bluffs is one of my favorite sights on the island.

It’s interesting to watch the homes come into focus as we walk towards them.

After we scaled the bluff again, and hiked back to the car, the day deteriorated into heavy showers. Luckily for us the Olympics were on all afternoon. We watched the Games and Events and tried out every box and bag of snacks we brought with us: cheese puffs, candy bars, jelly belly beans, peanut butter crackers, potato chips, Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies and goldfish.

I woke up in the middle of the night and got out of bed to take this picture of the moonlight shining through the dark and gloomy clouds. It was quite the eerie atmosphere. (Or could my mood have been affected by too many sweets eaten during the day?)

Place – Block Island/Day 2

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Day two dawned gorgeous with the promise of blue skies and sunshine. We decided to explore Grace’s Cove and Dorie’s Cove. I was on a quest to find stones shaped like hearts, a favorite pastime of mine on the beach. While we were walking we came upon this small beach hut made of scavenged materials: driftwood, lobster cages, rocks, rope…anything and everything that washes up on the sand was used. I always find these impromptu shelters interesting.

We also stopped and watched as a group riding horses along the edge of the waves passed us on the beach.

Here are a few of the heart-shaped stones I found during our stay.

Place – Point Judith and Block Island, Rhode Island – Day One

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Last week we began our week-long vacation on Block Island, Rhode Island. To beat New York traffic, we leave from our New Jersey home at 2:00 AM. Yes, it’s early, and yes, we are usually very tired by the time we pull into the ferry parking lot at Point Judith.

Joe waiting in line to drive the car in reverse onto the ferry. I’m glad he is the one to navigate this task, and I am able to board the ferry to find a table with a good window and view.

The ferry always takes off right on time. We enjoy watching the fishing boats and jetty as we begin the hour-long ferry ride to Block Island.

Soon the beautiful bluffs of Block Island (New Shoreham, RI) come into view.

Within a half hour of arriving on the island we were on West Beach, enjoying the day, and even catching up on a bit of the sleep we missed.

I enjoyed talking to this young guy who had collected quite a few mussels and was building a fire pit for cooking them. He planned to steam them in some white wine and butter inside a large tomato can. By the time he had built the large pit he had already drank the wine, and decided to cook the mussels in butter alone. I didn’t have a chance to ask him how they turned out, but I bet they were amazingly good.

Our next stop was checking in at the home we stay at while we are on the island. The Upstairs is a such a lovely place to spend our week. It is built on a beautiful piece of land overlooking a conservation property. While we were out on the balcony the first night Joe pointed out this beautiful rainbow in the sky. What a great way to start our time on the island. A few raindrops are welcome when they paint one of God’s masterpieces in the sky.

We were blessed with even more of God’s beautiful works of wonder as we watched the sun set from the balcony off of our room.

To view information for “The Upstairs,” check out this link:  The Upstairs on Block Island.