Author: Timelesslady

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

Pages & People – The Warner Sisters

On By TimelessladyIn Pages, People6 Comments

Left to Right: Susan B. Warner, Anna B. Warner, William B. Bradbury – Photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.


After reading Book One of Then Sings My Soul, I was happy to see there were two more volumes. Written by Robert J Morgan, a pastor who loves hymns, the books brings to life the history of each song. In Book One and Two, on the left side of the page is the hymn, the facing page is the history of author and sometimes the composer. Book Three goes into more depth on author and hymn. The story of the Warner sisters is in Book Three.

Have you ever wondered about the author/composer of ‘Jesus Loves Me?’

The author of the words is Anna Bartlett Warner. (1827-1915) Her poem was composed for a novel called Say and Seal, written by her sister Susan B. Warner. (1819 – 1885) The sisters lived in a house on Constitution Island, near West Point. I learned their history in the third volume of Then Sings My Soul. I have all three volumes of these wonderful books. They are filled with hymns and history. The stories are inspiring; I read them in the morning as part of my devotions. I have finished the last volume of the series and would definitely purchase a number four if it is ever written.

The composer of the music, and the well-known chorus is William B. Bradbury. William Bradbury wrote the music for many hymns, a few you might be familiar with are: Just As I Am, Sweet Hour of Prayer, and My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.

Refrain:
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! This I know,
As He loved so long ago,
Taking children on His knee,
Saying, “Let them come to Me.”

Jesus loves me still today,
Walking with me on my way,
Wanting as a friend to give
Light and love to all who live.

Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.

Jesus loves me! He will stay
Close beside me all the way;
Thou hast bled and died for me,
I will henceforth live for Thee.

Plants – Tulsi/Holy Basil – A Post Script

On By TimelessladyIn PlantsLeave a comment

The cutting of Tulsi, dipped in honey and placed in half perlite, half potting soil, has quickly rooted. I removed it from the plastic bag when I noticed roots emerging from the drainage holes. When I gently coaxed the root ball out of the pot I was pleased with the exuberant evidence of roots. I will leave the plant out of the bag, and in the same pot, for another week or two. Then I will plant it in organic soil amended with some natural fertilizer. Once again, I must rave about this basil. It is wonderful!

Plants – Tulsi/Holy Basil

On By TimelessladyIn Plants4 Comments

I am going to do a bit of raving in this post. I have a new favorite herb, probably in my top ten for all time. It is Tulsi, also known as Holy Basil. I grew my plants from seed. It has been a fabulous addition to my potted herb garden. It is growing even now, ten inches tall, after another mid-summer sowing. The heat never bothered it, if anything, it grew even faster than the plants I sowed in Spring. 


I am including the back of the Botanical Interest Seed Packet. I love the thorough information this company gives you on the packet.

Design-wise, there is none better. Botanical Interest seeds can be ordered online. They are available in some garden centers too; I sometimes drive 45 minutes to visit a nursery in our area that has an extensive display of Botanical Interest seeds each year. 


Back to the Tulsi, this herb, combined with Lemon Balm and Spearmint, has become a favorite to brew as mid-afternoon tea. It has alleviated a nagging, if small, physical problem I was fighting. It also elevates my mood when I drink it, and even when I rub the leaves to release the scent, I feel an almost instant uplift. They definitely recharge me a bit. Best of all they are a plant that loves to grow. The only drawback is they form flowers and seeds quickly too, but this can be postponed by constant pinching of the top leaves. (And you can use those pinchings in tea. )

I sowed another batch two days ago. If you look closely you can see they are ready to break free from the seeds and show green against the seed starter. 

Cuttings readily rooted in a perlite and soil mix. One cutting began to grow so fast I had to open the plastic bag and pinch it already. 

A sprig also rooted very well in a vase of water. Oh my, what a plant. I hope this amazing herb has been included in global seed vaults. There is nothing flimsy about this plant, it is a bushy, blue-green beauty. I really recommend growing Tulsi. You will be love it in so many ways.

Holy Basil dried fairly well for me, although it lost a portion of its amazing scent.

Photo Challenge – One to Three Photo

On By TimelessladyIn photo challenges6 Comments

XingfuMama offers a Photo Challenge for September: “The challenge is simple: take one photo and get creative with it by processing it three different ways.”

I am using Lunapic.com. This is one of my favorite photo editing sites. When you want to save your photo after tweaking/filtering in LunaPic, go to file, click and a save box will drop down. Choose the format you want to save your photo in. The photograph is automatically saved in your download file. The file ending up in the download file tripped me up for awhile, but I finally figured it all out. It is so much fun to tweak your photos in LunaPic. You can also add text. You can save file, then you can go on tweaking without uploading the original again if that is how you are inclined to work. Have fun. Thanks to XingfuMama for the challenge.


The first filter I used was the ‘Homer’ Art Filter – One of the Famous Artists Filters.

The second filter I used was in the filter column and was called Thermal Iridescence. It is rather bright, but I love the way the filter accentuates the negative space in the photo, especially in the foliage of the tree. This is a good filter to use to help compose a painting or other artwork using the lighthouse photo as a reference.

The third filter is the Warhol Effect. I think all three tweaks of the photograph turned out well. Give Lunapic a try when you have some time to play around with photo editing.

The beautiful skies depicted in these photographs are part of Skywatch.

Plants – Top Performers

On By TimelessladyIn Plants2 Comments

I have a few top performers in the vegetable garden this year. At the top of my list are two tomatoes.

Rosella is a salad tomato, small and compact, this delightful plant has produced dozens of tomatoes within the confines of a five-gallon cloth growing pot. I am hoping for many more harvests through the beginning of Autumn.

Spoon tomatoes have been a surprise. Grown in a five-gallon container, the plants have produced dozens upon dozens of tomatoes.

The fruit is super small, about the size of blueberries. A bit addictive, it’s easy to eat them by the handful. Best of all, the seeds were free, as a thank you for my purchase from Baker Creek Seeds.

Mini Bell Mix Peppers have been exactly what the name implies–miniature. They develop beautiful color while small in size. Delicious, and perfect to cut into pasta and garden salad, these have been productive growing in a regular sized bucket as a pot.

As you will notice from the seed packet photographs, these varieties are all from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. A great company, and the plus is they provide fast service and mailing. Any order over $10.00, at least this year, receives a free packet of seeds. One of the free packets was the Spoon Tomatoes.

Phlutters – Problem Solving in Raising Butterflies

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Cannibalism fix – When I found two newly hatched caterpillars on the same leaf, I knew I could not let the pair continue sharing the space. The dilemma: how to move one to another leaf without causing injury by touching it? I prepared another leaf by making two small cuts in the flesh. I then cut away one of the caterpillars with the leaf intact and inserted the ends of this piece into the cuts on the other. I’m sure my explanation sounds a bit convoluted, so I’m glad to have a photograph too. Success! You can see the caterpillar adjusted and moved on to the surface of the new leaf.

Another problem is how to clean the butterfly house. The bottom becomes discolored due to water spills and caterpillar frass (waste). I purchased another house to have a switch-out option. After all the caterpillars/butterflies completed their cycles, I washed the dirty house with a heavy stream of water from the hose and then hung it on the clothesline to be sanitized by bright sunshine. I didn’t use any type of soap or cleaner, only fresh water; butterfly feet are ultra-sensitive and chemicals of any kind can be detrimental to their thriving.

At some point milkweed leaves will begin to dry up when separated from the main plant. When this begins to happen I place a fresh leaf beside the one beginning to dry and the caterpillars move to the fresher food source.

To thwart the flies that prey on caterpillars I concocted these fly traps. Many recipes can be found on the Internet. I used water, with a bit of vinegar, sugar and soap. My solution did work. Unfortunately, foliage beneath it died when it overturned. I have some bare spots on my grass where I set the traps. I think an animal knocked them over. Parasitic wasps prey on caterpillars too, but since I bring them in before they are big enough to be of interest to the wasps, so far at least, I haven’t had a caterpillar in the butterfly house afflicted by wasp eggs.

Quote – Time/Blaise Pascal

On By TimelessladyIn Quote2 Comments

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer. ~Wikipedia

Phlutters – The Magnificent Seven

On By TimelessladyIn Phlutters11 Comments

The ‘phlutters’ on my porch have been magnificent. While I write this post, I am thinking of eleven empty and transparent chrysalides. Each is the evidence left behind of a successful eclose of the Monarch butterfly that developed inside. The brief sojourn of the caterpillar becoming a butterfly is complete. Below is a description with photos of how the day of “The Magnificent Seven” evolved.

Raindrops started falling early but then tapered off; the weather became a concern since seven chrysalides turned black and were ready to emerge over the span of twenty -four hours. Morning light revealed the markings of each butterfly through the walls of its chrysalis. After a few hours of daylight, they began to eclose.

First to break free was the only Monarch who formed its chrysalis on a milkweed stem.

The remaining chrysalides clustered along the top edges and corners of the butterfly house. Throughout late morning/early afternoon all seven eclosed at varying times. All emerged perfect, no malformation or problems breaking free from the chrysalis. 

Two to four hours after eclose the butterflies began to flutter within the confines of the butterfly house, I gently coaxed them onto my fingers and carried them to the open door. Several took to the air and flew out of sight over the rooftops, others seemed tentative, and these I rested upon a hanging basket. Later in the day, when I returned, they too had taken wing. 

A sense of elation filled me when I realized a lucky seven eclosed in one day. This brings the successful ecloses to a total of eleven. 

Today, as I post this, six newly hatched, ultra-small Monarch caterpillars are starting the cycle all over again. Will I ever grow weary of this miracle? Never.

This post is part of Skywatch Friday.

Phlutters – The Monarch Caterpillars

On By TimelessladyIn Phlutters7 Comments


After spotting the vermilion orange flash of a Monarch butterfly laying eggs on my milkweed, I kept watch by tying a string on each leaf that had an egg on it. I was surprised, monarch eggs hatch quicker than the black swallowtails. Within a few days I spotted a small hole on one of the leaves. Sure enough, underneath I found an almost microscopic monarch butterfly caterpillar. 

Because I’ve experienced the dilemma of monarch caterpilla cannibalism, I needed to find a better way to raise them this year. I brought one of the monarch caterpillars in on its leaf and using an old water bottle, garden cloth, and a rubber band I created a standalone leaf holder for the small caterpillar. Besides working at keeping the caterpillar separated, the bottle added a benefit; the leaves have stayed pliable and fresh for days.

To create more stem for the leaf to absorb water, I cut up along the edge of the stem, always careful to be aware of where the caterpillar is on the underside, next remove a v-shape portion by cutting away the leaf to form a stabilizing appendage to grip the garden cloth. I could go on with an explanation, but I think the photos tell the story better. 

The caterpillars are thriving. They are now big enough for me to be able to see their spiky anthers.

In the course of adding water to the bottles, one caterpillar fell off on the rug, which is the same color as the caterpillar and even the same texture. I couldn’t find the small cat anywhere. I felt terrible. There was no sense in looking for the fallen caterpillar because I might squash it with my knee or foot while I searched. Instead, I laid a few leaves in the area where I thought it fell. The strategy worked, and today I found the wayward caterpillar on the leaf I laid on the floor. It is safely back on the rearing bottle now.

You can tell, by the holes in the leaves, and the freshness they’ve retained, that the single bottles work much better than leaving all the caterpillars in the bottom of the butterfly cage. Unfortunately, last year that is what I did, and I had seven caterpillars at one time on the bottom of the enclosure, eating the leaves. Overnight, my number was down to one. Yes, caterpillars of the monarch butterflies, although they are beautiful and delicate, are voracious cannibals of each other.

I might run into some trouble when they are big enough to loop themselves from one leaf to another. Maybe the problem will never present itself, but at least I am on the lookout for it. 

I am grateful that I have a whole garden bed filled with milkweed. I checked some of the wild areas and the milkweed is in horrible condition. I found no caterpillars, only aphids spiders, ants and other bugs that prey on the monarch caterpillars. The leaves were leathery and dry from all the hot weather in our area. I have the advantage with my garden bed since I keep it well watered and stay on pest alert at all times.

This has been longer than my normal posts, but I wanted to share how to keep the leaves fresh, and the caterpillars away from each other. One note, they do like to be shaded. I keep them shielded from the Sun with dish towels over the sides. So far none have attempted to reach the other leaves. They are thriving and growing. I’m looking forward to watching the process over the next few weeks. 

Phlutters – Butterfly Update

On By TimelessladyIn Phlutters6 Comments

The large butterflies are finally showing up in my backyard. We’ve also seen many Yellow Swallowtails on daytrips as we drive toward the ocean shoreline. I am relieved. They are late, but they are here. Today I saw two Yellow Swallowtails, the largest butterfly in this area, on my butterfly bush at the same time.

Late last week, a bronze Monarch laid eggs on the underside of Milkweed leaves as I watched. Today, I went in search of the small dome-like eggs and marked each leaf with a string when I found one. I know the small caterpillars are poisonous, but that does not stop other insects from eating them. Ants, mantids, wasps, spiders are a few of the insects that will eat Monarch caterpillars. You can find solutions for combatting this problem on the Monarch Butterfly Garden site.

This caterpillar decided to form its chrysalis almost on top of another chrysalis. This is a view of the top corner of the smaller butterfly house.

I’m encouraged that the big butterflies are returning. I am peering out the windows constantly, camera ready, prepared to instantly run out in the yard to record their arrival and feeding.

People & Prayer – Charles F. Stanley

On By TimelessladyIn People, PrayerLeave a comment

Dr. Charles F. Stanley left this world in April of this year. He has been a blessing to me and to many people all over the world. This is just one of his many quotes that can change a life. This quote came from his book, The Gift of Prayer. I believe as Dr. Stanley wrote, mighty changes can be expected when we, in faith, dwell with God through prayer.

Phloral Arrangements – Strange Bouquet

On By TimelessladyIn Phloral Arrangements18 Comments

Fennel flowers, Rue seedpods, and some fennel fronds with a piece of dill added here and there, make up my rather strange vased bouquet for Ramblings in the Gardens challenge of In a Vase on Monday. The herbal bouquet has a job to do, provide food for the caterpillars feeding in the Butterfly House. They are still in the small to medium stage, the larger ones have formed chrysalis, save one, who is still deciding if the time is right to drop off the rue stem.

I have seven smaller caterpillars happily munching the new bouquet. The climate in this area has been perfect for the development of caterpillars now that the wildfire smoke is gone. This bouquet will soon be eaten down to mere nubs, not a long-lasting arrangement to be sure. All of these herbs, along with parsley and Queen Anne’s Lace are host plants for Black Swallowtail butterflies in my area.

Although they produce a lot of frass (insect waste), they don’t make any type of fracas, and are silent companions on the porch. An ongoing diary of the Butterfly rearing of 2023 can be found at the top of this page, or can be followed from this link: Butterfly Diary.

Place – Woodland Trails

On By TimelessladyIn Place6 Comments

The day is typical of a Southern New Jersey July; the woodland near me called, the well-trod trails beckoning me to walk within their cool borders.

I’m so glad I did. I have never seen these small red mushrooms in the past. I’m sure they have grown every summer, but I only spotted them when I bent down to take a macro photo of the moss. Oh my! What a wondrous thing to find.

Smaller than a dime, they are purest red, sprinkled along the path. Maybe they’ve appeared due to all the downpours of rain we have had in the past few days. They look so bright against the green of the moss. Almost a Christmas-in-July combination of colors. I tried to identify them but had too many choices and could not narrow it down.

The woodland showers you with unexpected presents, you only have to look closely.

I find moss so beautiful. It is available to uplift the senses all the year through. Even in winter, if I brush aside the gathered fallen leaves, there I will find the glint of green moss.

Even in the throes of the hottest summer days, you will find a serene coolness in the shadowed canopy of trees. It bewilders me that the woodland trails are not ringing with the sound of children playing. Technology is great, I enjoy my computer and blogging, but if I had to choose…give me the outdoor life.

Phlowers – Silverberry Petunia

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers6 Comments

I can’t remember the source for this beautiful petunia, but oh my, am I glad I found it. I planted it up in Spring with some Sweet Potato Vine and have been in love with it ever since. It really lives up to the Proven Winners Brand description of fillers and spillers, for it certainly fills the basket and spills over the side. Beyond that, the color of the plant is extraordinary, truly a silvery pink. The flowers are small and compact, and even though I try to deadhead them, they don’t seem to need it to continue to bloom in abundance. I highly recommend this lovely flower. It is worth every penny you pay for it.

Only one plant, potted up in a hanging basket in the Spring, has expanded in every direction. Amazing! It’s still growing strong and fast.

Supertunia Vista petunias are very vigorous, with mounding habits that can reach up to 2 feet in height in the landscape and will trail over the edges of baskets and containers up to 4 feet by the end of the season. They are fantastic landscape plants and are great in large containers, where they function as both fillers and spillers. In garden beds, they will work either in the front or middle of the bed. They have medium-sized flowers.

Proven Winners


A bonus for those who press flowers…usually petunias are iffy for successful pressing. If I gather these blossoms when they first open, although very fragile and thin, they retain their color and veining. Because the blooms are not as large as a standard petunia, they work in smaller-sized pressed flower settings too. Beautiful.


Silverberry Petunia is my flower of the day for Cee’s FOTD challenge.

Phlowers/Plant – Milkweed

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers, Plants3 Comments

Asclepias syriaca, common milkweed, is now firmly established in my butterfly garden. Started from a seed, the plant piddled around for a year or two before growing tall last summer. It has naturalized during the time in between then and now, and there are several large clumps of it throughout the bed.

Don’t hesitate to try some common milkweed in your garden if you want to help Monarch butterflies thrive. Milkweed is also a great flower/plant to grow for pollinators too. The bumblebees were enraptured by the bloom, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fragrance of the flowers.

The pollinators did a good job and a few of the flowers have become small pods.

You can see how conditions have been almost perfect this year for growing milkweed. That’s me, standing beside the milkweed about a week ago. Since the photo was taken, the milkweed has grown at least another six inches. My husband estimates it is near seven feet tall.

Grow milkweed in full sun if possible. My garden bed gets a bit of morning shade, but in the afternoon the area is sunny. If you grow from a seed as I did, be patient, it takes a year or two for the plant to become established.

My milkweed blossoms are part of Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Photo Challenge – Lily Love

On By TimelessladyIn photo challenges8 Comments

I was inspired by Cee’s lovely lily for Flower of the Day. I took a photo of one of mine to add to the challenge. This lily is a shorter variety, but the bloom is nearly eight inches across. The heaviness of the flower causes the blossom to face the ground. The posture doesn’t inhibit the release of fragrance. The air all around this area is heavy with the scent of lily – a bit of heaven on earth if you ask me. Thanks to Cee for all the years she has offered inspiring challenges.

Patriotic – Star Spangled Banner

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THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER

BY

FRANCIS SCOTT KEY

O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
⁠What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
⁠O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?
And the Rockets’ red glare, the Bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our Flag was still there;
⁠O! say does that star-spangled Banner yet wave,
⁠O’er the Land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
⁠Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
⁠As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream,
‘Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
⁠That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more?
⁠Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave,
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O’er the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand,
⁠Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation,
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land,
⁠Praise the Power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto—“In God is our Trust;”
⁠And the star-spangled Banner in triumph shall wave,
O’er the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

Phlowers – Patriotic Mix – IAVOM

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers16 Comments

My choices for IAVOM (In A Vase on Monday) are definitely along the patriotic lines and use red, white and blue flower choices.

Along with Blue Salvia, White Balsam and Alyssum, I used one of my favorites, Red Monarda/Bee Balm. This beauty seems to bloom every year just in time for the Fourth of July. In my eyes, it is quite the appropriate flower for July; it resembles bursting fireworks. The Bee Balm is a quick bloomer, and only thrives briefly in my garden beds. Already, it is showing signs of the fungus that plagues it every year. Somehow, it survives the blight and returns for me every year.

Monarda/Bee Balm is my choice for Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge.

Photo Challenge – Outdoors with Pinks

On By TimelessladyIn photo challenges3 Comments

I’m taking part today, before time runs out, in June’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge. This month the challenge is: #Pink in the Great Outdoors. I have quite a few pinks growing in my gardens, from the silvery hue of soft blush to deep magenta/fuschia. I stumbled upon the challenge today, grabbed camera and went out to galumph around the garden to capture some pink in my day.

Silver pinks include: Silver Petunias, Zinnia, Vinca and Milkweed.

Medium Pinks include: Spirea, Nicotiana, Rosebuds, and Hydrangea.

Magentas include: Petunia, Zinnia, Torenia and Balsam.