Photographs – Take a Walk/February
Seasons-“Share an image evocative of the weather or represent the current “season of your life” in metaphor.
– WordPress Photo Challenge
In February, my area of the world becomes a landscape of grey and brown. The absence of foliage creates in me a renewed appreciation for the form of tree limbs against the winter sky.
Vines, hidden by leaves in warmer months, fascinate me as they twist and turn around the tree branches that support their winding attempt to reach the sun.
The sweet-smelling blossoms of the Autumn Clematis, growing along the banks of the creek, have disappeared, leaving behind mahogany (Color Your World – 120 Days of Crayola) seeds in a cloud of snowy fluff.
Shallow puddles and ponds form an ephemeral mosaic.
Daylight is once again lengthening, bringing the slumbering wildlife out of their burrows for water and food.
The emerging leaves of celandine is a sure sign that Spring is on the way.
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Planting – Avocado Pits – Again???
A few years ago I grew an avocado tree from a pit I saved. The pit sprouted, grew, seemed to thrive, and then abruptly succumbed to an unknown ailment. The Crash and Burn of My Avocado Pit Project
Recently, while talking with a blogging friend, Susie, of the SusieShy45 Blog, we both agreed to attempt growing an avocado pit at the same time. We will be comparing notes on our progress through the comment section of this post. Please do join in if you eat avocados and want to give growing it a try. Add your thoughts and progress to the post in the comment section.
I have two pits saved, so I’m going to try growing them in two ways. For the first, I suspended the flat end (the rooting area) in water, and kept the pointed end (the sprouting area) above the water line. I placed my pit in a vase with a perfectly-sized opening to hold the pit. Another way is to suspend the pit with toothpicks inserted a quarter inch or so into the sides, and the bottom placed in a glass or jar of water.
I planted my second pit in a pot with dirt, pointed end up. It will be a race to see which one sprouts first. Anyone else out there with an avocado pit, or a ripe avocado on hand??? Join in and let us know how your avocado grows.
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Quote & Perspective – Staying Focused
Don’t let scattered dreams and goals be torn apart by circumstance…tape them back together again and persevere…persevere…persevere! A masterpiece is inside you, waiting to be born.
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Planting – Moonflower Seeds
Last summer, I published a post on my Moonflower Vines. These night-blooming flowers glow in the soft light of the moon, all the while exuding a captivating fragrance. I buy Moonflower seeds off the racks of big-box stores, but I deviated from my norm this year and bought a packet at Longwood Gardens.
Renee’s Garden is a trusted brand of seeds.
I appreciate the fact that each packet states the seeds are, “Not treated or genetically engineered.” Renee’s Garden also offers advice on their blog: Renee’s Blog
I soaked the seeds overnight as per directions on packet, and planted them in recycled yogurt containers. (Some gardeners also nick the outer shell of the large seed.) I filled each cup with organic potting soil in bottom half, seed starter mix as top layer. I placed these in an empty plastic container, set it beside my heating vent, and in less than a week…
SPROUTS!!!
Oh the JOY of gardening from seed! I started these Moonflower vines much earlier than recommended. This is due to my experience with them; they are very slow-growing for a few weeks. I’m hoping to enjoy my Moonflowers blossoms by late May. Happy Gardening!
How to Grow A Moonflower Vine Indoors.
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Quotes – Wisdom on Wednesday
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Plants & Place – Longwood Gardens & Anthuriums
Winter Joy is standing beneath this enormous display of anthuriums. The basket of tropical blooms is hanging from the ceiling of the Longwood Gardens Conservatory in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. In the midst of winter, what a blessing it is to have this lovely garden within an hour’s drive of my home.
An extra dose of winter joy awaited me as I browsed in the visitor center gift shop. The same anthuriums, probably grown in overabundance for the display, were on sale for a fantastic price…$6.50 for an 18 inch plant covered in bloom. JOY!
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Quotes – LOVE
THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL – “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have Everlasting Life.” ~ John 3:16
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Plant & Quote – Fortitude
“Patience and fortitude conquer all things”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wild Garden Cress is a very hardy plant…or as some would say…a weed. This beautiful specimen, regardless of the frigid temperatures, is growing between the rocks bordering my front gardens. Garden Cress is a plant with fortitude. No matter what the conditions I can usually find sprigs of it in my yard.
Wild Garden Cress is an edible weed. A terrific article with good information can be found at The Potager Page.
A synonym of fortitude is courage. I think this amazing little plant has plenty of courage.
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People – Throwback Thursday/Sisters
My sister and I, October 30th, 1977. I am the bride, just barely twenty years old. She is my Maid of Honor, aged seventeen.
On February 4th I blogged about packaging seeds for my sister in tea packets . This is the sweet email I received in return:
‘Hi Kathy,
Thank you so much for the seeds. When I first saw them hanging on the back door I thought you were sharing tea with me. I even turned on the tea kettle went to the bag and then saw the writing, ha, ha. Thank you so much, I may start some of them today. Talk soon!
Love, Sue’
My sister is so talented and versatile. She wears many hats: nurse, beekeeper, gardener, skipper of a boat, hockey coach, friend, wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, aunt and SISTER. I am blessed to be her big sister.
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Phlowers & Poetry – Daffodils
Today’s Color Your World – 120 Days of Crayola color is Goldenrod. I don’t have any goldenrod flowers on hand, but I do have the promise of daffodils growing in my garden. Yesterday, I walked around the yard and found the promise of Spring in the midst of a nice clump of daffodil leaves.
“I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”
~ William Wordsworth
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.”
~ William Wordsworth
The entire poem by William Wordsworth can be found here: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth
Daffodil Photographs were taken at Longwood Gardens Conservatory, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
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Photo Challenge – Timeless Stone
“This week, think about Time and portray it photographically.” Haddonfield, New Jersey
These beautiful churches, created with stone, fascinate me. I love to look upwards and imagine myself in another century, amid the many souls who have walked beneath the steeples, crosses and outer walls of these amazing houses of worship. I hope when I am gone on to a better world these churches will still stand, a testament to the eternal nature of God’s love.
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” ~ Psalm 90:2
The exterior molding surrounding the stained glass window is a soft gold.
Beautiful churches can be found in many towns all around the world.
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Praise – Light
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Place – Sweet Shop
Color Your World – 120 Days of Crayola – Fuchsia
Today we drove to Haddonfield, New Jersey and strolled around town doing a bit of window-shopping. We stopped in the Posh Pop Bakeshop and tried their coffee and rose macaroons. Delicious! Fuchsia letters labeled each jar: Tiffany, Vanilla, Rose, Neapolitan, Chocolate and Nutella. I sampled the rose and it was fabulous! One day I would love to make macaroons.
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Phun – Solving Mysteries/The Scent of Violets
I come from a long-line of women who love to read. The china hutch was my grandmothers. Granny was an avid reader; I think she would understand why I am using her hutch as a library, rather than keeping my mismatched china pieces inside.
When I read the blogs of other readers, I am interested by what they loved as children. Although I still read daily, I’ve never quite found the magic in books that I did as a child.
Recently, while reading the blog of Joeyfully Stated, I came across a mystery:
“My grandmother must have bought them used, because they were well-worn paperbacks. I have absolutely no idea what they were, or who wrote them. Yes, I have Googled, thank you. My memory describes them to me as Southern turn of the century historical fiction. Each book focused on a young woman in a specific family whose surname I do not recall. Each book included a mystery and clean romance in the plot lines. The ghost matriarch of this family (Augusta? Agatha?) haunted each girl with the smell of violets. You can read the entire post and comments at: Joeyfully Stated’s Blog Post – A Ghost So Old I Can’t Remember Her Name.
If anyone has a twinge of memory as to what these books might be titled, and where they can be found, please comment here or on the Joeyfully Stated Blog. Thanks!
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Product & Plants – Tea and Seeds
I love Salada’s Lemon Lively green tea blend. A little honey and a teabag in boiling water bring me a few moments of peace.
I also use the tea packets to share seeds with relatives and friends. Early this morning I was at my desk, wrapping some new varieties from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in foil and inserting them in tea packets, to give to my sister later today.
I love products that have packaging that can be recycled. At this time of year I save salad containers and other clear plastics to use as miniature greenhouses for seed starting. Gardening is expensive and it helps to find good ways to cut corners by recycling. Happy Gardening…Spring is on its way.
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Photo Challenges – Optical Illusions/Black and White
Another winter day means time for one more Wordpress Challenge. Today I’m taking part in Cee’s Black & White Challenge-Angles and Lines. I’m using a close-up of a wooden soldier that was in my collage of the Mullica Hill Alphabet posted on January 18th. I find many angles in these photographs.
When I took this photo I didn’t notice the cigar the soldier held in his mouth. I studied the picture, trying to figure out exactly what made up the cigar. Hmmmm???? The question became: Was it really a cigar or something behind the soldier. What do you think?
Aha! Upon a closer look, the shadow told the tale.
Just an optical illusion after all. I’m still bamboozled by what is creating the illusion. I’ll have to visit the town again and take another look…soon!
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Photographs – Challenges/Vibrant Top Ten Historical Sites on Tuesday
I love the challenges that WordPress, and fellow bloggers, extend to the blogging community. I enjoy the mental stretching and growth the challenges prompt in me. In today’s post I’ve fulfilled five challenges. Read or skim through the content of the post and see if you think I was able to incorporate all five as a coherent whole, and at the same time, stay true to my commitment to keep the word count in my posts low.
“This week, share a photo of Something Vibrant. Let’s wash the web with a rainbow of colors to keep the winter gloom at bay.” ~ Jen H./Wordpress Photo Challenge
These RAINBOW cottages stand in the Pitman Methodist Campground, now commonly called ‘The Grove,’ in Pitman, New Jersey. I couldn’t find a solid purple house, but did find some pretty lavender gingerbread to stand in its stead.
1. The Pitman Grove is number one in my Top Ten Tuesday Historical Sites, not because it is the best, only that it is the closest in distance.
Color Your World – 120 Days of Crayola. – Eggplant (Foundation Color of Cottage)
Below you will find the rest of my top ten historical sites for Top Ten Tuesday by Broke and Bookish Blog. I’ve kept this list exclusive to the U.S., but hope to someday compile a list of Top Ten Historical Sites Worldwide.
2. Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey – Site of Glassboro Summit Conference talks between Lyndon B. Johnson and Alexei Kosygin. I was in the crowd, but did not see Johnson or Kosygin, I was still in grade school. In the same crowd was a young man I would marry years later, he was able to shake the hand of Lyndon Johnson.
3. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – The City of Brotherly Love. There are so many historical sites in Philadelphia I have visited and loved. The Art Museum, The Zoological Society, Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences, The U.S. Mint, Reading Market…the list could go on.
4. The Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore from Atlantic City to Cape May. The ocean beaches, the bays…I love all the Jersey Shore.
5. Red Bank Battlefield, Revolutionary War Site. – This is a lovely place to go and watch air and river travel.
6. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – Thousands of Americans from both the North and the South died here. There is still a sense of sadness in the atmosphere. It is hard to explain unless you have experienced it. Everywhere you walk and gaze, men died, giving their lives for the cause they believed in. A must-see if you are interested in American History.
7. Arlington National Cemetery – A place to honor those who gave their lives for our country. Also visit the grave of the 35th president of the USA, John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
8.Mount Vernon – Mount Vernon – Home of the first president of the U.S. – George Washington.
9. Williamsburg and Jamestown, Virginia – One of my all-time favorite areas to visit. My grandparents lived in the Tidewater area of Virginia, and in many ways it still feels like a second home to me.
10. Washington, D.C. – U.S. Capitol
A few more favorite historical areas on the East Coast: New Hope, PA, Brandywine Valley, PA, Batsto Village NJ, Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC, Block Island, RI, and Jim Thorpe, PA, the Chesapeake Bay, Easton, MD, Tilghman’s Island, MD, and others!
I love visiting these amazing historical areas, and hope to continue doing so in the future. Like so many of us, to accomplish all these goals and dreams I definitely need “Twenty-five hours in a day, seven days a week.” I hope all the dips and turns and strange nuances in this post of challenges has not been confusing. 😀
Search out a few challenges to take part in here on WordPress . If you aren’t a blogger consider starting one. I enjoy the challenges and meeting people from all over the world. Thanks for reading!
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Phlowers & Quotes – Pink Roses/Welcome February
“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.”
~Alphonse Karr
“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature
is that all of us tend to put off living.
We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over
the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are
blooming outside our windows today.”
– Dale Carnegie
“Loveliest of lovely things are they on earth that soonest pass away. The rose that lives its little hour is prized beyond the sculptured flower.”
~ William C. Bryant
