Not your...

You have seen those "not your mother's jeans"? Well these hydrangeas that are so beautiful they look fake are NOT your sisters...they are your mother's! I put them in the window near my sad and pitiful hydrangeas hoping to inspire them. Green thumb? I wish. (fcp)

Leftovers

didn't know these old lilies were left in a pot from last year until they bloomed

Brugmansia (fcp)

Ever heard of this plant? I discovered it this morning at the farmer's market. It is a tropical plant that blooms all summer long, closes up at night like the photo below...

and when it is growing on the plant, it is upside down like this:

I was told that it starts out a pale buttery color when closed, looks white when open and begins to turn a peachy pink like the one above when the flower begins to fade. 

So having a combination of old and new flowers in a vase together looks a lot like having a bouquet of different kinds of flowers! I think the closed up version is my favorite and is very Georgia O'Keefe-esque. 

Irises (fcp)

"I am following nature without being able to grasp her. 

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers"...Claude Monet

time for peonies...(fcp)

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them"...Henri Matisse

pretty in pink (fcp)

Happy Mother's Day!

"The artist is the confidant of nature.

 Flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. 

Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs toward him"...Auguste Rodin

Our Mother's Mother's Mother's Roses

Rain, rain . . . go away

unless I can wear these rainboots from Santa Fe . . . . .

I hate it when that happens . . . .

"Look before you leap, for snakes among sweet flowers do creep"
~old proverb~

the five fam (fcp)

(photo by Teaworthy)

"If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents, and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people"...Thich Nhat Hanh

doves (fcp)

I was so excited to see that after several days on a nest (built by robins last year), that doves had chosen this location. Then within one day after I saw the egg, it had disappeared along with the mom. I watched as they tried to build another nest over a doorway ledge. The straw kept falling off because the ledge was so narrow, so after another week, they abandoned that effort, and she appeared to have relocated atop a hedge. Eventually they gave up on that effort too. Sigh. 

Podophyllum peltatum

We have a zillion May Apples this spring. They begin in a closed umbrella shape and then as they open up to a full umbrella shape they cover a lot of space and provide a great sea of green. This little May Apple caught my eye because she did not have that shape at all and was standing straight up. Or . . is it a guy?

up in the air

North or South?
Don't care . . . I'm packed . . .


I finally saw the movie . . . . what a difference a book makes!

ode to spring (fcp)

Enjoying Pop's "Purplebud" trees with my best girl. 

a n d . . there it is

e v e r y b o d y wants to know what's goin' on

the waiting game

I have not one purple iris. I have 'moved' all my bulbs, even Mamo's, which really makes me nervous. Including her peony! I had all the old spent azaleas pulled out. And, all of Ms. Bark's lilies. My beautiful Easter lily that my son gave me years ago. Making way for new azaleas and moving all the other stuff to sunnier beds. They are all in clumps, pots and buckets. Just hankering to be planted. As in . . . when the landscaper gets the beds ready . . . the one that was scheduled to be here last month . . . So . . . I took a walk in the woods. Which is actually only feet from the back door. And, I found some purple. Have no idea what it is except that it is a wildflower. And, remember May Apples?

a little Purple for Prosperity (fcp)

"My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece"...Claude Monet

could it be?

After much coming and going, could it be that I now have new tenants? 

happy b-day

"Thanks to modern medical advances such as antibiotics, nasal spray, and Diet Coke, 

it has become routine for people in the civilized world to pass the age of 40, 

sometimes more than once."  ~Dave Barry

shamrocks (fcp)

An Irish Blessing

"May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam. May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures. May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!"

all gone . . . .

www.freshtulipsusa.com

I was looking for my favorite Irish butter today to go along with all the traditional fixings and there was none to be had. Leaving the store I spotted these fresh tulips. They are grown by a family in Virginia - so, I was thinking about our Irish ancestors that traveled down thru the Shenandoah Valley and thought these would be appropriate . . . Erin Go Braless

open house today! (fcp)

Apartment for rent. Cozy abode for two,

 Great location for starting a family!

 Nice view, shelter from inclement weather,

 Accompanying ledge/deck for entertaining or learning to fly.

 Must be accepting of nosy landlord with camera.

 No cats allowed. 
Every spring is the only spring ~

 a perpetual astonishment. 

 ~Ellis Peters

blues . . .

I do love those grays . . looks like we were in the same neighborhood?

grays (fcp)

I never appreciated gray days until I started to paint, but now I know neutrals make colors really pop. But then you have always embraced those muted shades, haven't you? I'm just slow to get it, I guess.

the best girl

"I wanted so badly to study ballet;

 but it was all about wearing the tutu."

Elle Macpherson

hey...you lookin' at me?

"Could you keep it down out there? I'm trying to get some sleep here....

Hey, is it snowing again?

then again . . . . .

this was about five weeks ago - it still looks like this

chocolate (fcp)

"All you need is love. 

but every now and then

 a little chocolate doesn't hurt"...

Charles Shultz

WishieWashie

We have beautiful turquoise skies today. Crispy cool but very pleasant. And, just look what I found at the grocery . . . . . I miss the snow . . . .

complementary culahs (fcp)

Colin Cowie says food looks best in white plates where they are the star, and while I "get" that, I also love how orange looks against the blue. These look a little anemic because I used a flash, but you get the picture.

Sweet Potato slices, drizzled with olive oil and a little salt, baked in the oven--a little vitamin A for you today.

Stay warm--our snow melted already!

It's all good

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”

Draw back your bow . . . .

A handsome and sexy man dressed in the most sophisticated manner walked into a bar. He noticed a woman staring at him. Flattered, he approached the woman and said in his sexiest deep voice - "Be my valentine! I'll do anything you wish, beautiful lady, but on one condition." The woman was trapped in a moment and asked as if in a trance - "What's your condition?" The young man replied, "Tell me your wish in just three words." After a long pause, she looked deeply into his eyes and whispered, "Clean my house."

strawberry hearts (fcp)

with Ina Garten's lemon cake recipe here--a lovely (but somewhat time comsuming) recipe. Or maybe that's just me. That is her cookbook in the background--looks like she likes blue and white, too.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and your favorite little "stirrer"... '

"I believe that if life gives you lemons,

you should make lemonade...

And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party."

Ron White

sky

I took these photos within a three minute time frame around 6:30 AM (and yet I wonder why plein air painting is such a challenge).

"Red sky at night

sailors delight~

red sky at morning

sailor's warning..."

and holding true to this proverb,

the snow fell all afternoon!

best wishes

All the world is a birthday cake . . .
so, take a piece . . .
but not too much.


George Harrison

wish on everything (fcp)

(these were fun to make~ would have been tons more fun if you had been here too)

"Pink Cars are good, especially old ones.
And Stars of course, first stars and shooting stars.
Planes will do if they are the first light in the sky and look like stars.
Wish in tunnels, holding your breath and lifting your feet off the ground.
Birthday candles.
Baby teeth...
Wish on Everything”...Francesca Lia Block

The Sisters! The Sisters!

In keeping with the I'm Older Than Dirt Theme - do you remember the name of the restaurant we would go to in Manhattan and the owner would greet us and look around to all the other customers and say "The Sisters - the Sisters!" Good Lord. And, not only take us over to Audrey Meadows and introduce us but insist that we take the table next to her? I miss that. What I really miss is the fact that we used to go to NYC about every other year and see all the great plays. And, stay in the theater district. And, did we always have great seats or what? We could have reached out and touched Jill Clayburgh. Or Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. Tommy Tune. Remember Ann Reinking? And, taking the D train to watch the Mets ? MoooKee . . . MoooKee! Having a slice for lunch? One summer day everyone - everyone - was in the streets to see Michael Jackson. You ran, I walked/ran a 10K thru Central Park. The shoe shop at Trump Tower not only had beautiful shoes but the beautiful Mom and beautiful daughter that were trying on a few pair, that we bumped into again later at one of the plays, was Ivana and little Ivanka. That was when the 'Queen of Mean' owned Helmsley Palace. That was when we would go to the skating rink at Rockefeller Center - not 30 Rock. That was when what's his name sold Studio 54 and had opened the Palladium . . . which was later demolished. Moma Leone's. When we went to Windows on the World Restaurant in the World Trade Center North we could see forever. We would walk Wall Street all the way down to South Street Seaport. Or, be in heaven on Mulberry Street in Little Italy where LaBella Ferrara had the BEST cannoli's EVER? I'm thinking a road trip . . . . . Strawberry Fields Forever . . . .

Sisters Wedding Dance

How old am I? Well, you're gonna find out. I have always loved Rosemary Clooney. She was born in Kentucky in May of 1928. She did her best work singing standards for Johnny Mercer and Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, George and Ira Gershwin. She became one of America's best-known popular singers in 1951 with a song called ''Come-on-a-My House,'' which was a huge hit record, and followed that with other novelties like ''Mambo Italiano''.

In 1954 she appeared with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye singing Irving Berlin songs in ''White Christmas.''

In later years she had been appearing in the best cabarets and on concert stages, singing pop-jazz standards that earned her new audiences and renewed respect. She got especially great reviews at Michael's Pub in Manhattan (remember when we hung out with Woody Allen there?)

She was nominated for an Emmy award for an appearance on ''E.R.,'' and she was given a lifetime achievement Grammy award a month after she was hospitalized for lung cancer surgery.

And, of course, she was George's Aunt.

So, enjoy this - another song of hers I really liked - by these two darling sisters . . .

Sisters Wedding Dance

there are others out there....

Miss you...

Morning shadows on snow

'Desire is like the shadow caused by the morning sun; it gets longer when you run to catch'
~ Sai Baba ~

snow shadows

"Snowmen fall from heaven... unassembled."
(author unknown)