Thursday, April 30, 2009

She Came From Kentucky

May first....today is her birthday. My grandmother, Ida Macey Compton, born in Kentucky, has been gone from this earth for more than thirty years. Still, I remember this day and celebrate it each year, quietly in my heart. She married young, bore sixteen children, lived through hard times and had a long good life. She knew the Lord and read her Bible each evening. I loved and adored her and to this day, I miss her and still try to emulate her. Often I see or hear things that remind me of her. This week, I've seen Lilacs. They were her favorite flower, and I remember each spring her telling me so. The painting, is my imagining her as a child. Happy Birthday Grandmother....I miss your "Butterfly Kisses."
A garden of Love grew in my Grandmother's heart.~Unknown

Burgers and Pink Asters



Okay, so I was feeling a little guilty about serving hamburgers and fries for dinner. Not any more. I'll bring out some nice stemware, light some candles, and.....one more thing....fresh flowers for the table. Pink Asters should do it. Very nice ambiance, don't you think?....presentation is everything!

"AWWWW................."

click on photo...

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Garden Surprises





Our garden has so many interesting tropical plants. We've grown accustomed to the different varieties, and as they seem to meld into the landscape, we sometimes miss unique and beautiful displays of nature. Late one afternoon as the sun was lower in the sky, the reflection on these plants made a beautiful presentation. How could I have not noticed them before? click on each photo....

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Make It Happen

Okay, so it's been a few years, but I remember it like yesterday. I learned to drive a car on back country dirt roads, in the hills of Pennsylvania. I was sixteen years old and the car was a 1951 White Ford. I'm not so sure I learned to drive that summer, but I know I managed to keep the car on the road. It had been a spur of the moment thing and I took the wheel without any rehearsals. You know, I've been thinking how life is so much like that. Sometimes an impromptu happening, sometimes planned, but eventually you take hold of life's wheel. You manage quite nicely to stay in the middle of the road for a while, for that's where it feels safe. The crossroads are there and that's when you make it happen.... family, career choices, faith, all contributing factors to your life's path. Life passes by one day at a time until finally, your at another beginning, now back in the middle of the road..."retirement." You'll find yourself there, with a lifetime of experience and a good bit of wisdom, wondering. Again, you make it happen.
Living just by itself...what a dirge that is! Life is a classroom and Boredom's the usher there all the time to spy on you; whatever happens, you've got to look as if you were awfully busy all the time doing something that's terribly exciting...or he'll come along and nibble your brain.
~Louis-Ferdinand Celine~

Hot Weather Treat


This is one of my favorite drinks for a hot summer day. With the weather now in the 90s, it's "smoothie time." So simple to make, very satisfying and the presentation is a winner. Place all the following ingredients in blender.....

Crushed Ice
one small can frozen pink lemonade, plus l/2 of the can filled with water
one tablespoon powdered sugar
Peaches with peelings left on, cut into med size pieces
or you might enjoy Strawberries
Blend until ingredients are smoothie consistency.
Garnish with mint or fruit

Enjoy!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Snow Bushes....Continue To Make A Showing


Unfortunately, we continue to have watering restrictions here in our area. This spring, we have had very little rain, putting a strain on our lawns and our landscaping. Throughout our neighborhood I can see that certain types of grasses have "given up the ghost," while others seem to thrive. Water shortage is a very serious matter and the city has a "water patrol" department to see that the citizenry cooperates by watering one day a week. Having dealt with this problem for quite a few years now, we've learned a lot about "Zero Landscaping." Some of our plants require very little water and seem to thrive in extreme conditions. I've posted our Snow Bushes before, but they are worth taking another look......gorgeous shades of pink, they continue to make a beautiful showing.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Extreme Bedtime Reading

Television and radio are seemingly a deterrent to relaxation at bedtime, at least in my case. I have tried these methods and find my mind stimulated by nearly all types of programing. Listening to radio talk shows, or watching news, whether local or national, is a definite no no. These days, this is most assuredly going to elevate my heart rate, generate conversation, and in no way be conducive to rest. I am the kind of person that needs to relax before sleep and find that reading from a good book each night, seems to help. I have a lamp that attaches to the head of the bed, directing light onto the pages of my book. Propped up against two fluffy pillows, reclined just so, I am in position for extreme bedtime reading. Some nights I read for an hour or so and other times, I read only a short time, before my eyelids become heavy and sleep happens. A little quote by Kathleen Norris could have very well been written by me....Just the knowledge that a good book is awaiting one at the end of a long day makes the day happier.

"May I Be In Thy Presence Lord?"

There comes times when I have nothing more to tell God. If I were to continue to pray in words, I would have to repeat what I have already said. At such times it is wonderful to say to God, "May I be in Thy presence Lord? I have nothing more to say to Thee, but I do love to be in Thy presence."~O Hallesby

Saturday, April 25, 2009

"Beach Morning Glorys"

Growing up in the country, we all knew about Morning Glory plants. We planted seed in the spring of the year and by mid summer they covered everything in their pathway. Here in Florida, the Beach Morning Glory, (so many similarities) is a tropical creeping vine that grows on upper parts of beaches, a widely distributed salt tolerant plant. Photo taken at Bungalow Beach Resort on Bradenton Beach, Florida. On early morning walks, these beautiful plants were always in full bloom.
One cannot fix one's eyes on the commonest natural production without finding food for a rambling fancy.~Jane Austen

Friday, April 24, 2009

Beauty Shop Chair

Painting by Vikki North
When a woman sets in a beauty shop chair, she expects a miracle and usually gets one. Generations of women have brought their daughters to this place to begin a ritual defining a coming of age, a passage or beginning into womanhood. From the young lady's first visit on, she will learn how to care for her hair, her skin and her nails (toe nails and finger nails). She will learn by listening and looking at magazines of hair styles, and fashion. She will learn beauty shop talk about girlie things. She will learn unnecessary things about movie actors and actresses. She will come into the shop with great expectations. Each visit she will receive a most glorious procedure of hair washing, done by expert hairdressers trained in this art. Magical hands will place her in an hypnotic state, lasting five minutes or more. Scissors, blow dryers, curling irons, hot rollers, perms, up-dos, hair spray, gels, frosting, highlighting, acrylic nails, and hair dye are all words she will hear. Most of these words will become familiar to her and be used by her at some point in her life...hair dye in the later years or her mature years. She may even hear words like Botox, see "big lipped women" and girls with purple hair. Yesterday, was my day for beauty shop glamour. I was not disappointed and came away feeling happy, feeling much prettier. I was pleased with the girlie talk, the hypnotic hair washing, the sounds of scissors and my my new hair style. I went there expecting a miracle and got one.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Words

A writer lives in awe of words for they can be cruel or kind, and they can change their meanings right in front of you. They pick up flavors and odors like butter in a refrigerator.~Anonymous

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Abandoned Houses

Some years ago, I was a painter. Never an artist, just a painter. I was intrigued by old abandoned houses, and on road trips would stop to observe them and take photos. I think I was drawn to such places, not only by my curiosity of a forsaken place, but for the wonderment of how it all began and how it came to end. I wanted to paint on my canvas, the story, the whole story. I haven't thought on this for some time, but more recently, I've become curious once again about such places and my old desires to paint old shacks and houses has somehow been renewed. Once upon a time, these homes were new. They had smells of new wood, the windows had clarity that allowed the outdoors to come inside. The kitchen perhaps held a family that was happy, that sat at the breakfast table and planned the day. A mother hung out wash that may have included diapers, coveralls and linen. They may have had a girl child, that set under a tree in the yard, reading books allowing her to dream of one day becoming a wife, a mother, a writer or a school teacher. A boy child may have helped his father plow a field, hoping to one day have a field of his own to plow, a wife and a family to care for. What happened in their lives that allowed the house to become old, the wood to rot, the windows to break? I think life took directions they could never have expected.

Abandoned Houses
Abandoned houses are illusion reaching its end;
Wind and rain and time root for the ground.
They have the calmness brought by defeat,
the bearing of farmers who are whittled
and resist no more than enough.
See how easily the earth takes them back;
an eye here, a bone there, the same rite
as with the animate,
The open windows are in the flight path of
night tired and bound for home.~Zorika Petie

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Little Mockingbird Family

Baby Mockingbird....Lolly-pop tree with Mockingbird nest....
This morning, I was determined to finish setting out new bedding plants in the area of our garden we call the courtyard. Even before breakfast, I gathered all my tools and began working. I began digging under the Tangerine tree easily recognized in the photo as being shaped like a lolly-pop. The fruit has never tasted good, and we've always thought it a Tangerine tree that thinks itself a Lemon tree. Under the tree we've set out large Philodendron plants and Snow bushes. Anxious to add color beneath the tree, I began digging holes and planting pink Periwinkles. In no time at all, the tree seemingly came to life with the sounds of birds....soft baby bird sounds and very loud mama bird and daddy bird sounds. The area above my head was filled with activity of birds swooping and flying back and forth. Let's just say the kind of activity that makes the hair stand up on your arms, was happening. Finishing in record time with my planting, I backed away from the area. Although they may not realize it, we are quite happy to have the little Mockingbird family make their home in our garden.

New Summer Designs







It's not unusual for me to make a few seasonal changes in the decor in my home. I've found that my love for white, the lightest possible color, allows me to play with my palette in so many beautiful ways. With selections of whites, my cottage being small, appears airier and seems to radiate the light. I'm really pleased and having fun with the introduction of black for the summer.

Monday, April 20, 2009

How Often Do You Pray?

Chinese Christian man praying....
How often do you Pray? The question was asked in April's issue of Reader's Digest, and it seems that most likely where you live, may have an influence on how much you pray. A global survey revealed folks in the East out prayed those in the West. At least 66 percent of people in Malaysia, the Philippines and India say they prayed each day. Sadly, in Europe....the opposite. In the United States, 55 percent of Americans pray daily. I may suggest that certain circumstances could change these statistics and even to the extreme. I've seen it happen before....September 11, 2001, a day we Americans all prayed together. In desparate times we were on our knees. Perhaps it's not quite so obvious as a plane hitting a building, but some of our citizens are going through tough times.....we need to get back in praying position....people need the Lord.

Periwinkles...A Remarkable Garden Presentation

Periwinkle in shades of Fuchsia.....
Sweet hanging basket of pink Periwinkle.....Very pale pink Periwinkle flats ready for planting....
I've been visiting the flower nurseries for weeks now, hoping to find flats of Periwinkles. Finally they have arrived and in some of my favorite pink colors. Early tomorrow morning I will bring out my gardening tools and proceed to line the walkway, in the courtyard, with lovely pink flowers. Each spring I go through the same routine, and am always pleased with my efforts. Periwinkles are drought resistant and require very little attention during the summer's heat. One little plant will produce an amazingly large display, so I will place them a foot apart. I also have placed hanging baskets in a few places, with Periwinkle of different colors. Each new flower in the garden, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem, always surprisingly makes a remarkable garden presentation eventually. click on photos....

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Hill Of Crosses-Lithuania

Tens of thousands planted on a hillside in Lithuania. They began appearing in the 14th century and today pilgrims continue to bring crosses to this place.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Popovers


Odd that I should come across a recipe for "Popovers." I haven't thought of them for many years, and prior to now, all the way back to seventh grade Home Economics class. Not a difficult thing to make, a combination of flour, salt, milk and eggs, mixed together, they turn out quite a tasty bread. Hmmm..Home Economics...I wonder if they even teach this in public school now days. A study that deals with the management of the home, including such topics as cleaning, handicrafts, sewing, clothing and textiles, cooking, nutrition, food preservation, hygiene, child development and family relationships. The bottom line is, it prepares students for homemaking. What a brilliant concept is that? I for one think it a worthwhile thing for both boys and girls. Can you just imagine how much better equipped for marriage young couples just might be, should Home Economics be taught? Add to the curriculum "Budget Keeping and Banking 101" along with basic moral values of honesty and kindness. Do you think just maybe we might have a better world?

Storytelling

With more opportunity to read these days, I've given it some thought as to why I'm attracted to the type of books that are somewhat lighthearted. In doing so, I've concluded that what I like is "storytelling." I like discovering information about the characters, finding that a series of events in their lives all seem to interconnect with a much larger picture. By connecting the dots, I can eventually see the whole picture. In good story telling, the truth is actually masked until almost like magic, the truth is revealed. I suppose my enjoyment of storytelling began long ago as a child, hearing stories told by a beloved character named Uncle Remus. Writer Joel Chandler Harris, a white man, is given credit for these black folktales, but from what I've read, he only wrote what he heard when visiting a plantation, owned by his employer. White and black children then and now enjoy hearing tales of critters like Brer Fox, Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit. I would have to say ole Uncle Remus had a handle on good story telling, having some great characters,struggling in some very exciting plots, that all seemed to come together magically revealing a truth or a valuable moral lesson. At a young impressionable age, I learned quite a few lessons from this old gentleman. Now days, I do a pretty good immitation of Uncle Remus's voice and dialect. A few of his stories I know by heart, having told them so many times to my children, and now my grandchildren. I also have some pretty good stories of my own, although not quite as exciting as Brer Rabbit's tales. I'm hoping storytelling will continue on in my family so that future generations can share in beliefs, faith, traditions and folktales once told by Dee Dee.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Mermaid Spotted



Our little village has a lot to offer on its streets and back alleys. Proud to be home of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team spring training camp, things are kept in pristine condition. You could spend hours wandering these quaint streets, where you'll find antique shops, cafes, coffee shops, restaurants and museums. The marina and pier are popular places most evenings and the most perfect place to watch for a beautiful Florida sunset. I never seem to tire of walks in these same places again and again, and nearly always see something new and unexpected. On a more recent occasion, down by the marina, I spotted a "Mermaid."

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

A Time To Read



Not often do we have rain all day long. We began the day listening to the bad weather reports, and learned that severe storms had caused a good bit of damage to several homes north of our area. Trees had been uprooted and roofs torn away by suspected tornadoes. The skies looked threatening, and a few palm fronds on our trees, succumbed, from the constant whipping back and forth. The forecast indicated that rain would most likely continue on throughout the day and into the night. What to do, what to do.
The time to read is anytime: no apparatus, no appointment of time and place, is necessary. It is the only art which can be practiced at any hour of the day or night, whenever the time and inclination comes, that is your time for reading, in joy or sorrow, health or illness.~Holbrook Jackson

We should read to give our souls a chance to luxuriate.~Henry Miller

A blessed companion is a book,-A book that, fitly chosen, is a lifelong friend,......a book that, at a touch, pours it's heart into our own.
~Douglas Jerrold

A Reliable Source "The Manor"

You know, there's lots of positives about this thing called blogging. I have favorite blogs that I visit each day, and all of them contribute a bit of "food for thought." I've learned to rely on certain folks, in making suggestions for movies, books, travel and recipes. From the very beginning, I found a reliable source in all such matters, from a lady who lives in an old Manor. In more recent times, I took her suggestion and purchased a book of poems by Donald Hall, titled White Apples And The Taste Of Stone. It came with a CD that was specially recorded by Hall with more than an hour of his favorite poems. Hall has a most distinctive sonorous voice and reads with a most unusual humorous style. I went on to watch him on YouTube, and found his poetry not only to my liking, but thinking him pure genius.

The Pilot Of 1918
He discovers himself on an old airfield. He thinks he was there before,
but rain has washed out the lettering of a sign. A single biplane, all
struts and wires,stands in the long grass and wildflowers.
He pulls himself into the narrow cockpit although his muscles are stiff
and sits like an egg in a nest of canvas. He sees that the machine gun has rusted. The glass over the instruments has broken, and the red arrows are gone
from his gas gauge and his altimeter.
When he looks up, his propeller is turning, although no one was there to snap it.
He lets out the throttle. The engine catches and the propeller spins into the wind. He bumps over holes in the grass, and he remembers to pull back on the
stick. He rises from the land in a high bounce which gets higher, and
suddenly he is flying again. He feels the old fear, and rising over the fields
the old gratitude. In the distance, circling in a beam of late sun like birds
migrating there are the wings of a thousand biplanes.~Donald Hall

Monday, April 13, 2009

His Name Was William

It's been quite a few years, but now and then I think back on an older gentleman friend named William. He was in his seventies when I was introduced to him, and he looked every bit his age and maybe a good bit older. He was a small man who walked with a cane. William and his wife Martha, married for over fifty years, had no children, and both devoted their years to educating other people's children, in the public school systems of Pennsylvania. Martha had been his whole life, and he missed her every single day. When she died, William went through a period of grieving that would almost end his time here on earth. When I met him, he had learned to cope quite nicely. He had settled things in his mind, and found that he could talk to Martha each evening before sleep, right after talking to the Lord. Somehow this made life okay, that, and Louis L'Amour paperback novels. I would say William had been reading these western fiction stories for years, evidenced by his bookshelves. He could tell you about each and every one of L'Amour's stories and loved to do so. One time I thumbed through a few pages of one of his beloved books, and kind of wondered what this older gentleman saw in these kinds of stories. They seemed more suited for younger boys, with childlike imaginations, encouraging the reader in adventures of the wild west. William has long ago been reunited with his sweet Martha, in heaven, but now and then something will happen that reminds me of him, and such is the case today. While reading Jan Karon's "A New Song," I came across something Louis L'Amour wrote. Listen to this...."We are finally, all wanderers in search of knowledge. Most of us hold the dream of becoming something better than we are, something larger, richer, in some way more important to the world and ourselves. Too often, the way taken is the wrong way, with too much emphasis on what we want to have, rather than what we wish to become." You know, just maybe, my old friend William may have been on to something in those books he would read. Mr. L'Amour sounds like a mighty smart man.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

HE IS RISEN!

Believe and celebrate that Jesus is the living Lord and Savior.

Blooming In Time For Easter





A few days ago I brought home Tulips for Easter. This morning they have quite beautifully opened and just in time for the celebration. "Hmmmm......so pretty and again I say...God does good work!"

Easter Preparation



This is going to be a high energy day and I'm up to the task. I seem to enjoy the maddening crowd at the grocery store, and you'll always find me there at the last minute, gathering special foods for our holiday dinner. Baked ham, at the center of the affair, will be served with favorite and traditional dishes. Of course, there will be "kid friendly" foods in abundance, for the "wee folk." Well, I have lots to do, so Ill be on my way....Sending you positive thoughts today!

The Crucifixion

Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29

Friday, April 10, 2009

Celebrating Poetry Month

Picture Puzzle Piece by Shel Silverstien
One picture puzzle piece lying on a sidewalk,
One picture puzzle piece soakin in the rain.
It might be a button of blue on the coat of the woman
who lived in a shoe.
It might be a magical bean, or a fold in the red
velvet robe of a queen.
It might be the one little bite of the apple her
stepmother gave to Snow White.
It might be a veil of the bride or a bottle with some
evil genie inside.
It might be a small tuff of hair on the big bouncy
belly of Bo Bo the Bear.
It might be a bit of the cloke of the witch of the West as
she melted to smoke.
It might be a shadowy trace of a tear that runs down
an angel's face.
Nothing has more possibilities
Than one old wet picture puzzle piece.

You've probably heard of Shel Silverstein and quite possibly have read one of his many books. But, did you know that not only did he write children's books, he was a song writer, screenwriter, composer, cartoonist and a poet? You might know of The Giving Tree, a moving story about the love of a tree for a boy. Silverstein once talked of the difficult time he had trying to get the book published. Everybody loved it, they were touched by it, they would read it and cry and say it was beautiful. Some thought it too short. Ultimately, both adults and children embraced the book. What a legacy, thank you "Mr. Shelby" for everything. Enjoy the Shel Silverstein website at: http://www.shelsilverstein.com/