hi ya cupcake!

we all shine on...

like the moon, the stars and the sun...John Lennon

happy valentine's day . . .

godiva is good. the real story . . . my granddaughter wanted just one little chocolate covered strawberry and I ended up with a half dozen . . . plus truffles.

getting ready . . . .

for the Grammys

I Heart Martha . . .

hearts

heartbreaker

so...

what would you guess?

around three hours

on the treadmill?

if it is more than that,

be a friend and

just don't tell me...

Perseverance 101

She thought about it. Looked at it from every single angle. Carefully weighed her options. Measured it with her eyes over and over. And then finally, with hunger outweighing fear, she jumped out with every ounce of courage she could muster and grabbed the wire and shimmied down to her reward. After that initial success, she effortlessly leaped out time and again, never again hesitating, never questioning what was possible.

Proof that what holds us back is confined to what we tell ourselves. I never know what clever disguise my next "teacher" will choose.

in my mind, pt 2 (fcp)

...in my mind, I live in an anthropologie store.

perhaps you have seen me there?

Déjà vu . . . .

all over again . . . kinda



schools have been closed since before way Christmas except for five days . . .


see the wood stacked for the fireplace - next to the kitchen door?

now you don't? that was a little over a week apart . . . . .


this was about two hours ago . . . got a lot more now. See you this weekend?? I have to - I will have a big pink coconut cake with 81 candles to deliver . . . .

winter schminter (fcp)

The forecast is for more snow?

Cabin fever? she asked (eye twitching).....

Nah, I'm traveling (in my mind) to a place of warm ocean breezes.....besides, all my rowdy friends are comin' over tonight:

Hugs to you! Load up the babies, sled on over and join us.

vigilante force

So... here I am, sitting by the window enjoying my book and a cup of tea, when I glance outside and spot this "rodent with a tail" trying to figure out how to reach my bird feeder.

he quickly went high and low, contemplating his strategy....

when suddenly, he glances over and sees ME at eye level, staring out the window at him.

Clearly he has a problem with being photographed because...
the next thing I knew, he flung himself through the thorny rose bushes and landed on the window sill where he tried to figure out how to get in. And do what? Tell me all about it? The more I think about it, I'm fairly certain I've seen him somewhere before because he looked very familiar....

dawn's early light

snow, ho, ho...

This awesome tree is in Nashville's Centennial Park. It not only grew out of concrete, but extends down into the water and back out--a seemingly impossible feat--and what a grand reminder from the universe to be flexible as we embrace and adapt to our environment in our own unique way.

eye in the back of my...

I suspect would-be predators think the markings appear to be eyes and faces? He/she is pretty cool, huh? (click to enlarge)

"lake potatoes"

leaves (fcp)

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower"...Albert Camus

I just wish this "second spring" lasted longer!

Hostas Gone Wild . . .

wabi-sabi

What does it mean that my summer roses are much healthier and prolific now that winter is approaching?

"Every new year is a surprise to us..." Henry David Thoreau

dive in...

"The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible,

but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for staying ashore."

...Vincent Van Gogh

Remembering

Sitting on the front porch this morning thinking about old friends and family. All of a sudden this brilliant light came thru like a sign from above . . . . .

“. . . . openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.”

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.