Tag: City Sonnet

Project – Broken Bits and Shells – Part 2

On By TimelessladyIn Projects10 Comments

Broken Bits Part 1 demonstrated how to create a necklace out of small pieces of shell that are broken or have a small hole in the middle. I still have cups and bins full of very similar pieces. Another way to use these bits, and other small shells, is to make an OCEAN portrait with them. In this case, a heart filled in with bits and bobbles from the sea.

A glue gun was my method for attaching the shells. It was quick, relatively painless, and was ready to hang as soon as the last shell was in place. Goop glue, would have been a good choice too, but it takes a long time to dry, has a strong (perhaps dangerous) odor, and is expensive. The downside of the glue gun is the fact that I will be pulling spider web type strings from the finished heart for years.

I have gone back to the project after I thought it was completed and filled in gaps. I also found I enjoyed placing a double layer of shell or sea glass in some spots. Most of all, it was so much fun, and almost free.

Pheathers – Winter Robins

On By TimelessladyIn Pheathers8 Comments

The woods that border my neighborhood is a cherished retreat for me in all seasons. Of course, today’s first frosting of snowfall prompted me to grab my camera and head outdoors. I managed to zoom in and get a close-up for Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge.

On the path before me a robin rustled among the leaves for insects. As I captured his image, I realized the woods was alive with a large flock of robins.

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The robins are drawn to our woods by the native holly trees growing tall beneath the canopy of larger oaks, tulip trees, and sweetgums. I stood for quite a while, taking photos, an easier task than usual as there were dozens of birds all around. I stayed in one spot, and they soon perceived I was no threat. One few so close overhead, I was sure his wing must have grazed me as he swooped by.

It was a curious morning; the wintry frosting of snow belied the springtime sparkle of the sun. Half of the surrounding view shouted, ‘Spring,’ but the cold air and flurries adorning the foliage sagely disagreed and whispered, ‘Winter.” I felt myself in a natural sanctuary, blessed by the song of the birds, the brilliance of the sun. The atmosphere around me was aglow with one of my favorite colors, a light-infused ethereal green. I added my voice to the praise and thanksgiving, “Thank you Lord, this is one of my best days.”

A few of the friendly flock of robins. Amazing to see so many on the first day of February, 2023.

Though my orientation hadn’t changed, my feet exactly on the same stretch of ground from where I photographed the robins, I somehow captured the image of a new bird with my lens. This photo is part of Skywatch.

Phlowers – Longwood Conservatory Winter/Part 2

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers8 Comments

The Longwood Gardens Conservatory boasts a gorgeous display of orchids. Not only can you view hundreds of varieties, you can also gaze out upon the ongoing construction of Longwood Reimagined in the Orchid room. There are many signs on the grounds, and articles available on the web, that apprise visitors of the future gardens and buildings. It’s quite exciting to imagine myself walking in these structures in the future.

The orchids in today’s post are part of Cee’s Flower of the Day.

While the sun glare, magnified through the window, can make it difficult to take a larger photo, a close-up of these beautiful blooms in the orchid room is enhanced by the back-lighting.

There is no one dominant species of orchid in the display, but I am always drawn to the faces of the Paphiopedilums. Just like pansy blossoms, they seem to have a perky personality.

This lovely orchid almost seems artificial. The inner recesses of the labellum are sunrose yellow, the January 30th color for City Sonnet’s January Colors and Letters.

Purpose – Monarch Time/Protecting through TLC Part I

On By TimelessladyIn Purpose9 Comments
Teeny-tiny Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar on Milkweed

Sunday afternoon, I spotted five Monarch caterpillars on my milkweed plants. If I let nature take its course most will likely become victims of insect predators. The Monarch Butterfly Garden posted a list of bugs that dine on butterflies, their eggs, and caterpillars. A large portion of these insects are important pollinators too, essential to home gardens and crops. My small contribution towards a solution is to raise as many Monarch butterflies on my porch as possible.

Milkweed Leaves

An additional problem to solve is cannibalism. Yes, Monarch caterpillars are voracious and eat smaller caterpillars and eggs. A quick fix is to keep them well-fed and provide one whole leaf for each caterpillar at all times. I grew quite a bit of milkweed this year, I can keep the caterpillars supplied with plenty of food, and also make sure they are in containers with same-sized companions.

Monarch on Vitex Blossoms

Is it worth spending valuable time to boost the Monarch population by a few butterflies? Oh yes, the flash of glowing orange wings alighting on my garden flowers and plants fills me with joy. I want to do all I can to increase the numbers of these beautiful butterflies.

Plant – Colossal Lily

On By TimelessladyIn Plants4 Comments

Lilies, yes, they are colossal. A perfect fit for the Monday Ragtag Community Challenge. The flowers are eye level to me, and I am of average height. The petals are a blazing yellow-gold with beautiful rust speckles and pretty anthers. They seemed perfect for Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge. My lilies also fit right in with City Sonnet’s Colors and Letters challenge for June 20th, which is the letter L.

I love taking part in challenges, though at times, try as I might I come up dry. Today the creative juices were flowing and the challenges fit what is blooming in my garden. A big thank you to the Ragtag Community, Cee, and CitySonnet for their daily challenges.

Photo Challenges – South Jersey Spring has Sprung

On By TimelessladyIn photo challenges12 Comments

On occasion, I enjoy taking part in Restless Jo’s Monday Walks. Warm weather is perfect for a springtime stroll in the small woods behind my neighborhood. There isn’t much budding yet, but I still found plenty of God’s art to admire.

Circular patterned stumps were a good choice for Ryan Photography’s Photo of the Week. I enjoy aged wood and stumps; gnarly pieces of branches adorned with moss give my spirit a lift.

I came upon a hollowed out portion of a tree. “That’s where the dolls come to get a drink after everyone’s sleeping.” I heard the voice of my beloved grandmother as if she stood beside me. She told the best stories about dolls and woodland animals and their naughty shenanigans when children and their parents slept. At that moment the water inside the hollow really did seem magical as it took me back in time, oh, about fifty years.

Of course, the rest of my walk was enchanted with lovely memories. I found fairy wishes bursting out of a pod and released them into the air. I thought my camera didn’t capture their image, but when I downloaded them, I could just see the outline of one wish as it flew through the air. Can you see it against the sky? A fairy wish floating through the air is also something that lifts my mood.

I don’t know if Spring has completely sprung but the lichen were thriving in the warmer temperatures.

Once again, I heard my grandmother’s voice telling a story, “The dolls used the lichen as a ladder and climbed all the way to the top of the tree, but they couldn’t get back down again! ‘Oh no!’ cried the dolls, ‘What are we going to do?'” How rich my life remains because she helped my imagination come alive. I hope I can do the same for my grandchildren.

Pheathers – Monochrome Monday Mockingbird in Snow

On By TimelessladyIn Pheathers12 Comments

Mockingbirds are a favorite of mine. I captured this beauty outside my window today, perched on a branch of the Bald Cypress tree. The beautiful snow is reason enough to gaze out the window, making eye-contact with a mockingbird is an added bonus. Is it possible to develop friendship with birds, moments of real trust? Possibly this morning was an inroad to even better relationships with the backyard flock. I trudged out in the snow to throw a bit of seed on the ground, and into the feeder hoping to give them a few minutes of nourishment before the snow covered my breakfast offering over again.

This Monochrome Monday post is part of Skywatch.

Place – Walking the Flip Side

On By TimelessladyIn Place18 Comments

I have to laugh at the sign stating “Lifeguard Not On Duty.” I feel sympathy enough for lifeguards sitting in their stands in the blazing sun of summer. Could you imagine an eight-hour shift on this Cape May Beach in the winter? Brrrrrr. No problem, I will find a way to walk on the beach and search for treasure even when the sand is covered with snow. My heart is anchored for life to the seashore towns and the ocean waves, and I can’t imagine living in a land-locked area.

February is living up to its reputation of being unpredictable. It was fun to walk the beach for a few minutes, but soon the cold wind penetrated our tightly-buttoned outerwear and we skedaddled back to the shelter of our car.

Photo Challenge – Weather Vane Wednesday & Sea-Beans

On By TimelessladyIn photo challenges16 Comments

I spotted the weather vane as we drove over the bridge into Cape May. We were there for a winter getaway. The weather never cooperated…nothing but cloudy sky. Bah! Oh well, we told ourselves, at least the indoor pool will be warm. Bah! The heater in the pool was broken, the water about as cold as the ocean water. I swam one lap in that cold water and felt like a Viking conqueror. It’s been eternally dreary here this past year. We had over 140 days with precipitation, and that doesn’t even include the days that were overcast and grey.

We walked the beach anyway, for only a few minutes though, my husband was one of the unlucky ones who came down with a terrible case of cold/flu that lasted for weeks. In NC, my sister told me, they call this sickness, “The Crud.” Someone even invented a medicine to combat it called Carolina Crud Crusher.

Even though our beach walk was short I found a pod, a sea-bean pod. Determined to make the best of the day, I took that bean pod home, sure it must have followed the gulf stream from the tropics to the beach of Cape May. (It might have, but it is also possible it is a pod from a local tree.) I consider all beach drift a gift from the sea. A love of natural beach detritus will probably never die in me. I put the pod in the pocket of my winter coat and took it home. This past week I added some unknown seeds found on the edges of bay waters to my sea bean cache.

I nicked the edges of half the seeds in the pod and have them soaking in water with a discarded rotisserie chicken container at the ready, filled with potting soil, a stand-in for a greenhouse. I will plant them tomorrow after their overnight soak. I can’t wait to see if they will grow.

Thank you to these bloggers for taking part in last week’s challenge. Take a look at their terrific weather vanes:
The 59 Club – Double Duty
Exloring Colour – Weathercock

The Photo Challenge: Each Wednesday, I post a photograph of a Weather Vane with a short description of where it can be found and any history connected to it. The main focus of the challenge is the photo of the Weather Vane and the location. The challenge can be Wordless if that is what you choose. If you would like others to see your post leave a link to your blog in the comment box. You can also tag the post #weathervaneweds. If you place a link to my post in your post you will create a pingback that will appear in the comment section. The challenge is open all week for comments and posts. Thanks so much for taking part in my challenge.

Many thanks to Cee, of Cee’s Photography, for including this challenge in her listing of WordPress Challenges. If you love challenges take a look at this page and while you are there check out some of Cee’s terrific posts. Thanks Cee!

Quote & Photograph – The Heart of November

On By TimelessladyIn photograph, Quote17 Comments

“November is usually such a disagreeable month as if the year had suddenly found out she was growing old and could do nothing but weep and fret over it.” ~ Anne Shirley (L.M . Montgomery)

I love the heart of Anne Shirley in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables novels. There are so many wise quotes and life lessons in the books. I’ve read the stories many times over and love to rewatch Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in the 1980’s series, Anne of Green Gables.

November is full of change; the glorious jewel-like colors of Autumn leaves have vanished and left behind the rough textures of grasses burnished to golden hues by the frost. The cooler weather has cleared out the dense undergrowth in our forests, giving us the opportunity to indulge in a short hike this past weekend.

We’ve always wanted to see this beautiful pond up close, but it would be lunacy to try and forge through the massive amounts of undergrowth in summer. In November, when bare branches rule the day, it was finally possible to clamber over the strands of thorny, but leafless brambles to get our first look at this small pond near Belleplain State Forest.

Photo Challenge – What is That?

On By TimelessladyIn photo challenges12 Comments

On Saturday, during our walk at the Tall Pines State Preserve, a forest filled with beautiful pines and deciduous trees, we came upon a beautiful lake. We noticed a strange bird, or large bug of some kind, hovering over the water. Could it be a late-season hummingbird?

I took out my camera and zoomed in.

And zoomed again even closer…

There it hung, a lure cast too close to the tree branches. It will probably hang for years on the ultra-durable monofilament fishing line. Unless of course someone like me, who doesn’t mind getting wet feet, wades out and cuts it down.

We have quite a collection of washed-up fishing lures collected from beaches we visit. The photo shows our largest find. It is about six inches long and has gigantic hooks. It hangs on our back porch year round, far out of reach and beyond the height of anyone’s head. One day I’m hoping to make it the stationary piece of a ‘found lure’ mobile or wind chime.

I wonder if the Tall Pine’s lure will still be hanging when I visit again.

This post is part of Kammie’s Oddball Challenge.