I spotted another one of my baby mantis today…perching, or should I say hunting, along the front brick of the house. He is about three inches long now, and getting close to his full-grown size and appearance.
Category: Pleasures
Pleasures & Problem-Solving – Invasive Plants
I love my trumpet vine. Gorgeous golden blooms will adorn it soon, and the hummingbirds will visit once again to sip the nectar. Along with the joys of the trumpet vine come a few problems. When I purchased the vine I was forewarned about the runners it would send out. In order to thwart the reproductive determination of the vine, I planted it in the ground in a large plastic pot. This preventative measure worked for years, but the trumpet vine has never given up, and in the last few years it has won. There are dozens of runners coming up throughout my gardens and yard. Some are as far away as twenty feet from the mother plant. Hmmm, I am going to have to get out there and try to root them out. That’s not a job I’m hankering to do in the high heat we have been having this week. Pleasures and problems, why are they so often intertwined? Bah!
A few examples of the unruly sprouting runners.
Share this:
Pleasure – Update/Praying Mantis
“Look Nanny!” My grandson said, “A praying mantis.” Sure enough on the peeling wrought iron of the porch railing strolled a lime green baby mantis. It has to be one of my babies hatched in the kitchen. I feel so uplifted. The ones I put on the weeping cypress by my front porch were the babies I had to gather off of the ceiling and the wall…agile escapees from their glass home. I was afraid as I picked each one up that my clumsy fingers were crushing the life out of them. It is so uplifting to see that at least one survived…and where there is one, there are bound to be more. The mantis has tripled, maybe quadrupled in size, and instead of being translucent is a brilliant green. I’ll post more photos as I run across them in the yard.
Share this:
Plants and Pleasures – Volunteers
Ground Moss
I am not a gardener who uses much mulch. In fact, this summer the only mulch I have is around the beds of my Square Foot Gardens to keep the weeds away. I like the way dark mulch sets off the colors of my flowers, but I love the way the absence of the mulch allows many “volunteers” to sprout in the hot month of June. I have ground moss, spilanthes (toothache plant), coleus, perennial blue lobelia and many other little sprouts showing amid the weeds that need to be pulled out. Before I put my gloves on and pull out the pesky weeds, I will first gently remove these small plantlets with my trowel and place them in bare spots in my garden beds. I love volunteers.
Coleus sprout in between sidewalk squares.
Another coleus hiding among the leaves.
Coral Nymph Salvia sprouting in a between porch steps and sidewalk.
Share this:
Pleasure and Perspective – War Horse
Finally, almost six months after the release date, I saw the movie “War Horse.”
I wish I had not waited so long. The story was heart-touching, a movie I will never forget. I know I will sit down and watch it again one day.
What I liked most, beyond the amazing storyline, was the way both sides of the conflict in World War I were shown. So often the portrayal of Germany, its soldiers and people, is stereotyped and cliché. In this film the goodness and heart of many of the ordinary German soldiers was shown. I appreciated that. If you haven’t seen it, make sure and rent the DVD. A great film. Hats off to Steven Spielberg for another wonderful story.
Share this:
Pleasure and Protection – Frogs
I have at least six frogs in my pond this spring. They overwintered from last year’s tadpoles caught in a local lake. I love these frogs. They croak and splash about in the small pond bringing me great pleasure. I would have more frogs, but last year mallard ducks used my pond as a feeding trough, eating many goldfish and tadpoles. This year, the ducks returned, but I was ready and covered the pond with mesh to keep the hungry birds away.
Share this:
Pleasures – Spearmint Tea
It’s true, if you don’t contain spearmint in some way it will spread everywhere. The fact is though, I am very happy mine has taken over portions of my yard and garden. I love spearmint tea. Pick off a few inches of stem with a few leaves intact, cover with boiling water, add a dab of honey, and you have a soothing, fragrant, delightful and vitamin packed cup of tea. I’m a cheerleader for spearmint in the garden: “Go, spearmint, go. Rah! Rah! Rah!”
Share this:
Product and Pleasures – Champagne Mango
I love Mangos. They are definitely in my top ten of fruits, maybe in my top three. The hardest thing about eating a mango is cutting into the fruit exactly when it is at its peak smoothness and sweetness. The cream of the mango crop, at least in my opinion, is the Champagne Mango. They seem to ripen to perfection. The best way to know if they are ready to eat is to gently smoosh the fruit for a bit of give, then take a good whiff for fruity fragrance. The fruit is succulent and almost indescribable in taste. A bit of heaven in a bite. Mangos are packed with vitamins and enzymes that aid digestion. I can’t eat enough.
Share this:
Pleasures – Wordless Wednesday/Blowing Bubbles
Share this:
Pleasures – Yard Sales
I love yard sale season. This past Saturday my husband and I browsed Wenonah, New Jersey’s, town-wide yard sale. We both found treasures: extra-large brandy snifters for terrariums, vases, coffee mugs, books, etc., what bounty, and so much fun for under 10.00. My favorite finds were solid brass giraffes for 50 cents apiece. I love the look of brass amongst ivy. The colors and simplicity of each complement the other. The brass figurines add a touch of the magical to the wide expanse of the ivy bordering our back yard.
Another favorite purchase was Donald Trump, the doll. He is a find for us since we enjoy watching “Celebrity Apprentice” every week. We were even more intrigued to discover that he can talk. Push a button on his back and all of “The Donald’s” best one-liners will play, and yes, he does say, “You’re fired.”
Share this:
Pleasure – Ragga Ragga Song and Dance
When my son and daughter-in-law were married on Colombia’s San Andres Island my husband and I were captivated by the lively beat of the island’s favorite song called “Ragga Ragga.” The video shows a few shots of the beautiful island and then shows the lyrics spelled phonetically.
The second video is an activities director giving directions on how to do the “Ragga Ragga.” The directions are in Spanish but it’s easy to follow his movements and dance along.
Share this:
Plants and Pleasures – It’s Tulip Time
It’s Tulip Time. These beauties, along with blue hydrangeas, were photographed in the Longwood Garden’s Conservatory in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Longwood is a great Easter Weekend destination for families and flower lovers of all types.
I also like the color combination in the photograph…periwinkle blue and white against beige.
Share this:
Pleasures and Plants – First Square Foot Garden Harvest
This gorgeous array of salad greens and herbs is a sample of my first Square Foot Garden harvest. The Black-Seeded Simpson and Flame Lettuce leaves were winter sown and grew quickly after they were transplanted into their garden square. The arugula, also winter sown, was planted out yesterday, and had already grown large enough in its milk carton mini-greenhouse to harvest a few of its leaves. The chives have grown in my garden for years, and yesterday I transplanted the clump to a new herb garden, gathering a few spears along the way for my dinner salad. The deep green leaves on the side of the plate are lemon balm. I combine these with slices of ginger root for a delicious and healthy tea. Lemon Balm is said to increase longevity and alleviate anxiety. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory and stomach soother.
To read more about my adventures in Winter Sowing check out this post: Winter Sowing
Share this:
Pleasure and Promise – Mockingbirds
(Photo courtesy of Wet Canvas Reference Library )
Mockingbirds are one of my favorite songbirds. I love their beautiful melodies. I feel blessed when I am the recipient of their gift of song.
Song of the Northern Mockingbird
I love to hang clothes outdoors on the line, but one day this week this joy became just one more job on a seemingly endless list of “must-do” chores. Instead of enjoying the beginning of Spring I began to feel frazzled in my busy frame of mind. Suddenly a blessing descended and I was reminded of a favorite verse of mine.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
I stopped my pinning, stopped dwelling on everything I had to do, and just stood still beneath the budding trees, the blue sky, and listened. Ah…there was the song I failed to hear, a mockingbird on a nearby roof chimney going through his melodious repetoire.
Some folks don’t like Mockingbirds. They can be a bit feisty. I like to think of them as bold and confident instead.
I enjoy spotting Mockingbirds as I walk around my neighborhood. I have noticed these birds perch on the highest elevations when they sing their best songs.
Share this:
Planting and Pleasures – Microgreens Part III
Oh My! The Microgreens are a bit ragged in appearance…what happened to my lush crop? I’m afraid to say I have already eaten most of the young greens. I pop the tops off the pea sprouts and eat them like candy. This is reminiscent of the peas I grow outdoors in the Spring. They never seem to arrive on my kitchen table as a side dish. Warm afternoons usually find me standing in the midst of the pea patch, eating the fresh peas out of the pods. Yum! In truth, the microgreens are a complete success. I enjoy growing them, and most of all eating them. The best use so far was garnishing my turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich with a row of them. Oh Happy Day!
The kitchen sink variety is also thriving, and perhaps today I will start grazing on them also. Moo!
Share this:
Pleasures and Promise – Cobalt Blue
I enjoy this cobalt blue dish hanging from my ceiling. It holds five cobalt blue vases of various sizes in which I root cuttings from my houseplants. Vintage ceramic bluebirds peer out at me from the rim of the dish…reminding me of my Grandmother Broadwell who loved little glass birds…especially bluebirds.
The cobalt blue color also reminds me of my Heavenly Home. The place where I will dwell with the Lord forever. I love color, deep rich color of all kinds, especially the blue and green tones. I feel such a sense of joy when I read the description of heaven promised in Revelation. There are some scary and hard to understand sequences in Revelation, but there are also many promises. God will bring his believers through the storms of life, whatever they may be, and into his promise.
“Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was
the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the
glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown,
and I heard the voice of one speaking.”
Ezekiel 1:28
“The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of
precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire,
the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby,
the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth
turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.”
Revelation 21:19-20
“And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A
rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.”
Revelation 4:3
Share this:
Pleasures, Peculiarities and Perspective – Aurora Borealis
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good.” Genesis 1:3-4 (NIV)
I enjoy placing glass near windows. The beautiful swathe of color above was created quite by chance, the result of God’s sun shining through a glass shelf and reflecting up onto the expanse of my ceiling. I always feel a bit blessed to sit beneath a shimmer of sun-painted colors. When I see a sunset, sunrise, rainbow or even a momentary blaze of color through common glass, I am reminded of one of the wonders of the world, the Aurora Borealis. Below I have embedded a gorgeous two minute video of the Aurora Borealis, beautifully highlighted with the Soundtrack of one of my favorite movies, “Gladiator.” Enjoy!
Youtube video by: TESOPHOTOGRAPHY
Somehow all anxiety slips away when you dwell for a moment on who holds the future in his hand.
” ‘I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.’ ” Revelation 21:6-7 (NIV)
Share this:
Pleasures – Scamping
This is the Scamp. We love our Scamp. It is one of our pleasures to camp several times a year. Our favorite spots are: Belleplain State Forest in NJ, Frontier Campground near Ocean City, NJ, Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware (only a few miles from Rehobeth Beach) and Elk Neck Campground in Maryland.
