“Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is more than simply putting flowers in a container. It is a disciplined art form in which the arrangement is a living thing where nature and humanity are brought together. It is steeped in the philosophy of developing a closeness with nature.”
~ Ikebana International
Here are a few examples from Longwood Gardens recent exhibition of the Art Of Ikebana.
I love November’s Challenges at WetCanvas. The November Plant Parade is hosted by Bluemoonstar who says:
“November… here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are finishing up with a lovely fall and both leaves & flowers will soon fade into memories until Spring returns. I was thinking that it would be lovely to see a whole rainbow of color this month . I looked back thru my garden photos and the reference library to find a perfect rainbow of blooms.
The challenge this month is to include a touch of rainbow into your artwork. Use your imagination for its placement- could be in a petal, could be in the background, or somewhere else!
Feel free to substitue one of your own, as long as it fits into the category of “Rainbow hues”. (Hard to miss that target when it comes to flowers, lol).
Remember “Roy G. Biv “? Here we go!
I hope you join our trip over the rainbow this month in search of the rainbow hues that surround us.”
The Chinese Gardens at Montreal Botanic Gardens
The Watercolor Studio November Challenge is of the Chinese Garden in the Montreal Botanic Gardens. Yorky says,
“This month’s challenge give scope for painting reflections and shadows. This is the Chinese garden in the Montreal Botanic garden taken on our tour of Ontario after the Meet this year. I suggest you darken some of the conifers for variation.”
Your artwork in this challenge must be done in watercolors and can be posted to the forum at any time.
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
~ Psalms 119:105
Photo Challenge – Descent
DESCENT
This week, show us your interpretation of descent.
Where does the morning fog find its birth? Does it descend from the sky, or ascend from the waters?
Do birds draw the mist to earth after leaves abandon the trees? An ethereal silken shroud descends from leaden sky, blanketing summer feathers from the assault of Autumn’s winds.
It’s Halloween, and you just ran out of candy. If the neighborhood kids (or anyone else, really) were to truly scare you, what trick would they have to subject you to?
There are several ways the little ghouls in the neighborhood could scare me, in fact there are three themes that would work, not just at Halloween, but all through the year. All of these scary moments became ingrained in me through frightening scenes in movies and television.
I’m not so much a fan of “phrightening” movies as an adult in mid-life. (I think I swore off of them when I dreamt vividly of collapsing haunted houses after watching the first installment of Stephen King’s “Rose Red” mini-series.) As a child, teen-ager and young adult one of my greatest joys was being scared by a well-made horror movie. I began to turn away from the horror genre when it became filled with gore rather than good old-fashioned scares. Laying all these explanations aside, here are three horror scenes that scared me, courtesy of YouTube.
Theme One – A SCARY Doll
Maybe you are thinking, “Of course, Child’s Play.” No my dears, I am thinking of a real oldie, “Trilogy of Terror” and the Zuni Fetish Doll. Here’s a little clip.
Theme Two – A SCARY Animal
There are a lot of scary animal movies that would make good choices for this theme. My all-time scary animal is the man-eating shark in Jaws, but in this short clip you won’t see the great white shark that still, almost forty years later, keeps me hearing the same scary music any time I’m in the ocean. The first time my eyes were assaulted by this scene, in a Vineland, New Jersey movie theater, I jumped harder than I’ve ever jumped since in a scary movie.
Theme Three – Someone SCARY looking through your window.
This one is more my husband’s horror than mine. As a child he saw the Twilight Zone in which William Shatner, before his Star Trek fame, is horrified by a horribly scary (at least at the time of limited media special effects) monster on the wing of an airplane. My husband says this scared him for years as a child. Guess What? Whenever we fly I always find a moment to whisper in a frightened tone in my husband’s ear, “Shatner.” We always laugh, and he knows exactly what I mean. Seriously, he still tends to look out the airplane window at the wing when I say Shatner’s name. Funny…and true!
So there you have it…a few of the things the little darlings could do to scare me…or my husband. SMILE!!! Happy Halloween!
Halloween! A perfect day to re-post a “how-to” on identifying and eradicating those horrifying SPIDER MITES from our plants. It’s also a timely post considering many of us bring outdoor plants inside at this time of year. Unfortunately, there are often some unwelcome “stowaways” hiding amid the leaves and foliage.
Spider Mites, they are a pest I hate to see indoors or out. They are microscopic in size, and usually, they have caused quite a bit of damage before you are even aware they are on your house or garden plants. Here is some good information on what a spider mite can do to your foliage. Spider Mites
This week I noticed some yellowing leaves on my Mandevilla Vine. Because I have had problems with spider mites in this area of the basement in the past, they were tops on my list of possible pests. Instead of peering at each stem individually, I used my quick and easy solution. I sprayed the entire plant with a mister. Sure enough, the webbing the spider mites leave behind on the leaves caught the droplets of water and glowed in the sunlight. Since I want to keep all my pest control organic, I have found that the best approach to controlling spider mites is to spray the plant with water every day. This keeps the spider mites under control until it is warm enough for me to take the plant outside and really douse it with a hard spray of the hose. Daily sprays of the hose for a week or two will obliterate the spider mite colony. This technique also works on aphids. The only other solution is to spray with dangerous chemicals or toss the plant in the garbage heap.
Spraying the infected plant with water will allow you to see how badly infested your plant has become. It is a good idea to spray all your houseplants to see if there are any errant mites on surrounding greenery.
I recently began using the Coupons.Com site. I needed to download their program, but my virus scan indicated it was a safe site, and I have had no problems using it thus far. One additional money-saving tip, before you print out your coupons, set your printer default to black and white. If you are unsure of how to do this search for tips through a search engine.
What a clever idea! Why haven’t I ever thought of it?
Decorate a dollar store pair of sunglasses for Halloween.
I don’t dress up, but I decided it would be fun to try a few of the cute ideas in the October issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. The Trick-or-Treaters might enjoy the look…or…maybe they will be SPOOKED!
It certainly wasn’t costly to create these glasses, and while they will probably only last a night; I sure had a good time creating them.
You can find more ideas here: Martha Stewart’s Sunglasses for Trick or Treating
If I have time I might glue a silk flower or two to an extra pair of sunglasses I found lying in a drawer.
My husband and I camped last weekend in the Elk Neck State Park in Maryland. It is a favorite of ours. The Elk Neck Forest lies between the Elk Neck River and the Chesapeake Bay. We were able to take in the changing colors of Autumn as we hiked along the trail to the Turkey Point Lighthouse.
All men are just boys at heart! My husband taking a swing on one of the thick vines along the trail.
Here’s a quick minute slideshow of our hike to the Lighthouse.
When we reached the Turkey Point Lighthouse we came upon a group of bird watchers. It was fascinating to eavesdrop a bit on their conversation. They had spotted a blue-headed vireo in the trees. We tried to see the bird by looking in the direction they indicated, but without good binoculars it was impossible.
Blue Headed Vireo Photograph Courtesy of Flickr and Andy Reago/Chrissy McClaren
The drop off the side of the bluff is a high and a bit dizzying. There are NO GUARDRAILS whatsoever, and only a very few warning signs. I don’t know if I would take children to this area without having them firmly attached to my hand at ALL times. For a stunning look at the area watch this amazing video filmed by a drone. Spectacular! You will realize when viewing why I say hold onto your children.
The trail is surrounded by dense forest and undergrowth. The brambles provide shelter for hundreds and hundreds of birds. I said to my husband as we walked, “This place is atwitter with birds.” Hopefully due to the efforts of conservationists, banding and studying of the birds, their numbers will only increase over the coming years.
I have many favorite films, but the “Sound of Music,” is my “Go-To ” choice when I am ill, anxious, or feeling blue. I know it might sound odd, but in all truth, I am sure I have seen this favorite two dozen times plus some. What are your favorite “Pick-Me-Up ” films or books? With all the turmoil surrounding us, the chaos that seems to be erupting at a global scale, perhaps we need to take an hour or two, sit down, and immerse ourselves in what makes us sing or smile.
The Sound of Music
“When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.”
~ Maria, The Sound of Music
Birdwatchers at Turkey Point On the Chesapeake
Daily Post – Local Color/“Imagine we lived in a world that’s all of a sudden devoid of color, but where you’re given the option to have just one object keep its original hue. Which object (and which color) would that be?”
I can do without ever being on the clouds of nine. Why? Because the blue of the sky is one of my favorite colors and also a favored object. I am content gazing upward, focusing my thoughts on the Creator of this magnificent expanse. There is peace of heart and mind in the blue transparency of the sky.
“The heavens declare the glory of God…”
~ Psalm 19:1
********************
Here of a Sunday morning
My love and I would lie,
And see the coloured counties,
And hear the larks so high
About us in the sky.
Alfred Edward Housman, 1896
It’s Saturday, slow down, relax! Find someone to snuggle up to and enjoy your day. Blessings! 🙂
WordPress Photo Challenge – Cover Art
“For this week’s Photo Challenge, stimulate your creative process and imagine which of your images you would like to see gracing the cover of a book, an album, or a magazine.”
My photograph is a perfect accompaniment to the song “Echoes From the Burning Bush.” It is a gospel tune based on the Bible verses in Exodus Chapter 3, that tell of Moses seeing a burning bush on the mountain, investigating, and finding God.
My husband called me out just this morning to see the trees alight with the rising sun. I grabbed my camera and the photo challenge today was the perfect opportunity to use one of my images.
“One day as Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, out at the edge of the desert near Horeb, the mountain of God, suddenly the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him as a flame of fire in a bush.” Exodus 3
Echoes From the Burning Bush was written by Bryon Foust & V. O. Summar in 1943
CBN TV – Moses and the Burning Bush: 'The Bible' Miniseries.
I didn’t experience eating plantains until I visited Jamaica. I have since learned to cook them as a side dish/dessert for family and friends. Plantains have good fiber content. They have more vitamin C and A than bananas, are a richer source of B-complex vitamins, and provide minerals such as iron, magnesium and phosphorus. Plantains contain more potassium than bananas. Cooking Plantains is an easy and rewarding task. The only additional ingredients I use are two pats of butter and some brown sugar.
Step One
Slice plantain on the diagonal.
Step Two
Melt two pats of butter in pan.
Step Three
On medium heat begin to fry in the butter. Brown on each side and check tenderness with a fork.
Step Four
Sprinkle brown sugar over plantains. Don’t be alarmed if the brown sugar falls between the slices and bubbles up on the pan. This gives the edges a crispy crunch of sweetness. Cook only until sugar is dissolved and begins to firm up a bit.
Serve and eat warm…very delicious!
Today I’m experiencing again, through photographs and a Youtube video, one of the best sunrises I ever gazed upon along the Elk Neck River, Maryland, in 2007. Why revisit the past? Because it reminds me of what to look for in my future. On the flip side, spending time reliving experiences that are negative will capture and bind me in a defeated, discouraged mindset. Live in the present, remember the moments filled with love, true joy and sweet contentment…banish the negative past from your thoughts.
I know “How to Grid a Photo”. I have used the technique many times to enlarge a photo to a larger-sized canvas or paper. The finished results are usually acceptable and contain a lot of detail. The drawback is this method is tedious and chews up a lot of time. I work in watercolors and often don’t need a lot of detail in the initial sketch. For me, a quicker way to get results is to enlarge a reference photograph in a photo editor, remove the color, and filter with a “find edges” application. After I print this out, it becomes easy to trace over the found edges by taping the print to a window allowing the light to reveal the outline for tracing. A lightbox also works, but they can be expensive, and become one more piece of equipment I must store.
This method provides me with a basic sketch, saving hours of time, and allows me to add any detail or adjustment I need. This technique will work for journaling, poster making, lettering, any type of artwork that needs to be traced.
Here’s a way to use the pretty beach and river rocks you picked up on your summer outings this year. I sprayed the rocks with glossy clear acrylic and twisted a twelve to fifteen inch piece of copper wire around the bottom. Twirl the remaining wire around a pencil and squeeze together the final two swirls and lift this piece upwards. These wired rocks can be used to display photos, seasonal letters or cards. I’m thinking of using a few to display my antique holiday postcards too.
Last week I received my November issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine. The cover photograph immediately intrigued me, and I promised myself I was going to attempt to make each one of the pies featured.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie with Gingersnap Crust
Detour Number One – I didn’t count out the 23 required gingersnaps, choosing instead to process them in my small food processor, measuring out about a cup and a half to two cups as the cookies crumbled. Since I have made many cookie crusts I know this is a good ratio for a medium thickness. I also cut back the sugar to one tablespoon; gingersnaps are sweet enough on their own. I followed the rest of the recipe instructions as written.
Detour Number Two – I own a very small food processor. I realized the impossibility of processing all the filling ingredients at one time, so I opted to use my mixer instead. I had no problems substituting the mixer for the processor. I followed the filling instructions as written. The Pumpkin Cheesecake baked perfectly!
Detour Number Three – No one in my family likes meringue topping on a pie. Although it looks pretty, the ingredients and the time involved in whipping it up would be a total waste. Instead of the meringue I used large marshmallows masquerading as an elegant topping.
Quick Tip – To give the marshmallows a prettier appearance I cut them in half and notched the edges.
I placed them, cut side down, on a piece of parchment and toasted them in the toaster oven. Ah, lovely…they began to brown and give off the aroma of campfire marshmallows. I took them out when they deepened in color to golden brown.
I placed the whole tray in the freezer and let them harden. Believe me when I warn you touching them right out of the oven will firmly attach them to your finger or the knife you are using. When they were fairly frozen, I flipped them and let the sticky underside harden in the freezer.
The marshmallows turned out to be a pretty good stand-in for the meringue.
I also left a portion of the cheesecake edge bare.
The marshmallows are cute, but I prefer whipped cream on almost all the pie I eat.
Whoops! Almost forgot to mention the taste of the pumpkin cheesecake is fabulous! Definitely a recipe to keep. The recipe is on the Martha Stewart Living Website – Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie with Gingersnap Crust
“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12
I love the sounds of nature. On this Sabbath Day I am remembering the joyful singing of the rocks on Block Island, Rhode Island. The pound of the surf across the sand is followed by the gentler roar of the waves receding. The stones seem to sing as the water flows back into the sea. I might be inland, but in my heart I am hearing the briny symphony of those New England waters.
Try to take some time today to hear the clapping of the trees, the singing of the rocks, the chirping of the birds. Take a walk and listen to the Lord’s gentle symphony. A blessed Sabbath to you.
