Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary. Be sure you visit!

I have a small mosaic today. It's been really hot and humid and we aren't venturing too far from home. I went out into Musashi's Garden (our back yard) and took some shots of what is blooming.

Zinnia, Dianthus and the tomatoes are from our balcony garden. I decided I should take a shot of them before we eat them all up. With the temperature rising, it will soon be too hot for any more tomatoes to *set*. I have another dozen or so on the two plants to pick. There is nothing like a home grown tomato -- so sweet and tasty.

Have a wonderful week!

Joy to You!

Camera Critters

Camera Critters is hosted every Saturday by the lovely Misty. Be sure you visit!

Yesterday I went out into Musashi's Garden to take some shots of the newly blooming zinnias.

This is what I found.

Who is that peaking around the corner?

Come out, come out. Whoever you are!

There you are!

Happy holiday weekend everyone.

Stay safe, enjoy and remember what Memorial Day is all about.

Joy to You!

Postcard Friendship Friday

Postcard Friendship Friday is hosted by the lovely Beth. Be sure you visit.
Today Beth has posted a postcard honoring Memorial Day as
well as a card reminding us that today is Hug A Cat Day!

I knew I could find a Hug A Cat card and here it is:

From the back of the postcard: Woman with a Cat, c. 1875, by Pierre Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919), Oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington/Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin E. Levy.

This postcard is just one of many from The Cat Postcard Book by Running Press Book Publishers.

I'm off to hug my kitties!
Oh, Teddy -- Riley ... hug time!

Good Morning!

***

Snippets:

I'm wearing my gym clothes. After watering the garden I'm off to the gym.

I'm reading two books: THE BUDDHA AND THE SAHIBS by Charles Green and BLACK HILLS by Nora Roberts.

In baseball news: The Conference USA tournament started yesterday with a Rice win over ECU. It didn't count for much since it was *out of their pod*. Why do conferences do such silly things? Finally, the Astros score enough runs to support Roy Oswalt. Shock!

The weather: Hot and Humid.

Watery Wednesday

This is my first venture into Watery Wednesday. Be sure you visit!

You may be tired of shots from the Japanese Garden, but I'm not!

Joy to You!

Hooky Goodies

You might remember this from a previous post -- some of my favorite things.

The scarf was started while Mr. Dragon was in the hospital. I collected lots of fun yarns (it was an excuse to visit my favorite yarn shop, Nancy's Knits, and fondle the yarns) and added them to my stash in an attempt to get rid of them! I just played. Mixed the yarns. Mixed the pattern. Took it out at least 3 different times until I took it apart for the fourth time and switched to a hook!

I asked Mother Goose (the latest in my teddy collection and my Mom's Day present) to model the finished scarf and she agreed as long as the goose didn't have to come along! So, here it is -- 50 inches long and about 5 inches wide. Crocheted with an I hook and single crochet. I am much happier with the way the different yarns show up and crocheting makes a much sturdier scarf. Crocheting uses more yarn, too.

I enjoyed making this scarf so much I decided to make another (I have lots of yarn in the stash) and here is Mother Goose once again modeling the second scarf.

I've just about used up all the pinks and will start on another color group. It's good meditation!

(Can anyone say Holiday presents??!!)

Joy to you!

Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday is hosted by Mary at The Little Red House. Be sure you visit!

I took some time off last week. We had a doubleheader baseball game and lots of thunderstorms and lightening. This mosaic is a catch-up of sorts ... what's been blooming in Musashi's Garden -- new Irish Gold Hybrid Tea Rose and Double Knock Out Roses; the Jane Cowel

Hibiscus continues to bloom and bloom and bloom; the first harvest of Blue Lake Green Bush Beans from the balcony garden; the garden smells like gardenias -- heavenly; the one and only yellow day lily (note to self -- get more day lilies); the gorgeous red cannas; the pink cosmos dancing in the breeze and last, but not least to us, our baby doves both fledged on the same date and this is one of them. Exciting! They both are still around and eating at the buffet in Musashi's Garden. We'd know those beaks anywhere!

Have a wonderful week.

Joy to You!

Reading

The Open Road: The Global Journey of the XIVth Dalai Lama by Pico Iyer



I don't know where to start! I mentioned several times to Mr. Dragon that I never write in books ... just one of my *laws*, but I sure wanted to write in this one. Finally, after hearing me say this daily, Mr. D looked at me and said "write in the book"!!! So I did. There is just so much in it that I want to remember and look at again. Pico Iyer in this book "tried to be a general reader speaking to other general readers, and bringing little more than the curiosity and interest of a journalist who has never practiced Buddhism and knows little about it but is intrigued to see how it might expand the thinking of anyone, Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike." He looks at the paradoxes of the Dalai Lama's position -- religious leader, monk and the head of state of a government in exile. He looks at the Dalai Lama's work and ideas as a politician, scientist, philosopher and the idea of globalism. There's just to much to talk about and review. One of the delights of this book comes at the end under the section READING ... book after book on Tibet, Buddhism, the life of the Dalai Lama ... a lifetime of reading. Iyer first met the Dalai Lama through his father some 30 years ago and has published five books on modern globalism.

Camera Critters

Camera Critters is hosted each Saturday by the lovely Misty. Be sure you visit!

I missed last weekend because of thunderstorms in my area.

Today I'll finish with the critters we found on our adventure to the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park.

The turtles were out sunning themselves.

I think the mallards have a nest under the bridge.

And last, but certainly in his mind, not least ... the mockingbird who did not want his portrait done. Too bad!

Happy Critter Day everyone!

Joy to You!

Postcard Friendship Friday

Postcard Friendship Friday is hosted by the lovely Beth at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy.
Be sure to visit!

This is a postcard from one of my postcard blogging buddies.
I LOVE zinnias and it also reminded me of the wonderful farmer's markets --
all the wonderful produce and flowers and goodies that you find there.

Here's an extra HooRay for Farmer's Markets and organic produce.
Happy PFF!

Good Morning!

(Image from Northern Sun)

Forget not ...

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."

~Kahlil Gibran

Sunday Morning

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

~Buddha

Postcard Friendship Friday

Our lovely hostess for Postcard Friendship Friday is Beth.
Be sure you visit and see the beautiful sleeping beauty Beth has posted.

On the beautiful woman theme, how's this beauty with the baby unicorn?

The back of the postcard reads: WOMAN HOLDING YOUNG UNICORN
Brown and white chalk on grey paper. 29.2 by 44.4 cm.
"Now the Garden shone with a holy light, as on a joyous morning when the dew still sparkles and every leaf is green ... Days then had little meaning, and time passed in unaccounted bliss. The memory of that unsullied glory lingers to this day, which is why even our sweetest quietude is touched with a sense of exiled longing."

From the book UNICORNIS: On the History and Truth of the Unicorn published by Running Press. Copyright 1983. 1986 by Michael Green.

Happy PFF!

Good Morning!

(Image from Cafe Press)

52 Ways to Build Your Courage

I like lists and here's a good one from Christine Kane....

52 Ways to Build Your Courage
by Christine Kane

“Excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.” - Aristotle

Courage is a muscle. Just as you wouldn’t go into the gym for the first time and lift a 100-pound dumbbell - you don’t have to begin building courage by running for President.

People often think that courage has to be big. Like sky-diving. Or giving a speech to a stadium.

Those things do require courage, yes. But in some ways, that’s baby courage. It’s obvious courage. I call it Bungee-Jumping Courage.

Bungee-Jumping Courage is convenient because it lets us define ourselves as “not courageous.” When you set the stakes that high, then you never have to approach it. You simply get to say, “Hmm, I must not have courage.”

I’m not letting you get off that easy.

Why?

Because there’s a deeper level of courage. It makes you strong. It makes you fall in love with yourself. It makes you fall in love with your life.

At its core, courage is about strengthening your relationship with yourself.

Here are 52 ways - little and big - to build your courage. Some of them seem completely foolish. But they’re not. They’re just uncomfortable. And that’s the whole point! Success in life is directly related to how uncomfortable you’re willing get. Now, get uncomfortable and go be courageous!

————–

1 - Paint your nails green. (Guys get extra credit for this one!)

2 - Begin to live your life as an “experiment.”

3 - If you’re always spontaneous, plan something in advance and stick with it. If you’re a meticulous planner, do something spontaneous.

4 - Quit your job.

5 - Start a blog.

6 - Take a drawing class.

7 - Learn a new language.

8 - Begin yoga.

9 - Do something tourist-y in your own town.

10 - Get up in the morning after having a bad day yesterday. Encourage yourself to begin again.

11 - Give money away.

12 - Look into people’s eyes when you’re in public - on the street, buying groceries, etc.

13 - Hire someone to do a regular task you can’t stand doing. (i.e., mowing the lawn.)

14 - Play music more. Watch TV less.

15 - Get rid of everything in your home that’s not an Absolute Yes.

16 - Put on a goofy smile and look at other drivers when you stop at lights.

17 - Go vegan.

18 - If you never host parties or dinners - invite friends over for dinner.

19 - Teach a workshop.

20 - Start a mastermind group.

21 - Be bad at something. Do it anyway.

22 - Make requests. Don’t complain.

23 - Join a writer’s group.

24 - Hire a life coach.

25 - In social situations, allow people to talk with you instead of running around the room “networking.”

26 - Worry less. Act more.

27 - Enter a writing contest.

28 - Start your own business.

29 - Ask someone out on a date.

30 - Make a business card for yourself.

31 - Eat at an ethnic restaurant you’ve never considered.

32 - Respond. Don’t react.

33 - Get some music from another culture. Sit down and really listen.

34 - Listen more. Talk less. Especially to your kids.

35 - Take a swing dance class.

36 - Hire a physical trainer.

37 - Start a book club.

38 - Test-drive a luxury car.

39 - End a relationship that drains you or hurts you.

40 - Pray.

41 - Quit smoking.

42 - Take different routes to work each day.

43 - Drive around and get lost on purpose.

44 - Wake up at 5am and write.

45 - Assumptions are the enemy of success. Question them often.

46 - Excuses are the enemy of action. Stop making them.

47 - Admit when you are wrong.

48 - Write a fan letter to someone who’s not famous - a teacher, a grocery store clerk - anyone who delights you or touches you.

49 - Pick one incomplete in your life. (A cluttered garage, for instance.) Tackle it for 15 minutes a day.

50 - Do an open-mic night.

51 - Pay the toll of the person behind you.

52 - Run for President.

Performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane publishes her 'LiveCreative' weekly ezine with more than 11,000 subscribers. If you want to be the artist of your life and create authentic and lasting success, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to LiveCreative athttp://www.christinekane.com/.

WANT TO SEE HUNDREDS MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?

See Christine's blog – Be Creative. Be Conscious. Be Courageous – at ChristineKane.com/blog.

Mosaic Monday: Japanese Garden

The hostess for Mosaic Monday is the lovely Mary at the Little Red House. Be sure to visit to see the other mosaics.

I'm also linking to My World Tuesday where you can travel around the world without leaving home!

Here are some more photos from the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park.

Designed by world-renowned Japanese landscape architect Ken Nakajima, the garden was built to symbolize the friendship between Japan and the United States, and to recognize Houston’s thriving Japanese community.

It was a beautiful day in this island of serenity just steps from the Texas Medical Center.

You could hear the water gently falling and the leaves in the trees -- talking to us in the gentle breeze.

Joy to You!

Camera Critters

Each Saturday Misty hosts Camera Critters. Be sure you visit! It's a wonderful place for critter lovers.

Back to the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park.

We rounded a corner to view the Tea House and found this little guy.

We kept looking and found his friend.

By the time we walked all the way around the lake near the Tea House we had found seven Black-crowned Night Herons ... all little statues ... standing very still, quiet, beautiful.

Last week there was an article in our little neighborhood newspaper about Black-crowned Night Herons and Yellow-crowned Night Herons nesting in a neighborhood near Hermann Park where the Japanese Garden is located. I think Mr. Dragon and I will go heron hunting this weekend!

More critters in the Japanese Garden next week!

Postcard Friendship Friday

Postcard Friendship Friday is hosted every week by Beth at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy.
She is celebrating Mother's Day this week with a wonderful postcard and information about Mother's Day in Australia. Be sure you visit.

I didn't have an official Mother's Day postcard, so I thought a cat and kitten might do.

The back of the postcard reads:
Cat and Kitten, 1986, by Pamela Higgins Patrick (American).
Pastel on paper.

From The Cat Postcard Book: A Celebration of cats, with 30 full-color portraits to mail, share, and cherish

Happy PFF and a Happy Mother's Day!

Good Morning!

Wordless Wednesday

Mosaic Monday: Japanese Garden

It's Monday and that means Mosaic Monday, hosted every week by the lovely Mary at The Dear Little Red House. Be sure you visit.

Edited to include link to Today's Flowers -- a virtual flower garden. So many of you have enjoyed the iris, I thought I should share them a little more!

Mr. Dragon and I went to the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park last week.

It was a beautiful afternoon. The humidity was low and we had the garden almost to ourselves.

With its waterfalls, bridges, and stone paths that wander among crepe myrtles, azaleas, Japanese maples, dogwoods, and peach and cherry trees, the Japanese Garden is a peaceful hideaway in the Park. This particular garden is a daimyo style, and includes a tea garden, a kaiyushiki stroll garden, and a scroll garden.

I have lots of photos and you may have to put up with them for several weeks!

This is the Japanese Tea House and all of these photos are shots from or around the Tea House.

We were too late for the azaleas in the Japanese Garden, but there were a few Iris still blooming.

More next week!

***

A quick update on Mr. Dragon. The feeding tube is out and he is learning how to eat all over again. Much easier said than done. He doesn't have much energy, so when we go out we make sure there are plenty of places to sit and rest. The Japanese Garden was perfect. Going in the afternoon, all the school children (at the museum of natural science or the zoo) were gone and we could find a good parking place. He's lost weight. Each day is an adventure, but the doctors are happy about the pathology report and very optimistic. We keep plugging along.

Thanks again for all your love, prayers, support, white light, et al.

We do appreciate it and you!

Celebrate April

The first day of May.

 It's a good day to take a look back at April here at Twisty Lane.

 April was a month of bunnies, flowers and the lovely Miss Cassie.

Happy Spring!

Mosaic Monday is hosted each week by the lovely Mary.

Wishing you Well and a JOY filled week.

Camera Critters

Camera Critters is hosted every Saturday by the lovely Misty. Be sure you visit!

Last week Mr. Dragon and I decided to visit the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park.

It was a beautiful afternoon. Little humidity.

On the way to the Japanese Garden we saw a few feathered critters.

A couple of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks with friend.

Black-Bellied Whistling Duck

I have a story for you about the Whistlers. Last year Mom Whistler made her nest in the sculpture garden at the Museum of Fine Arts -- several very long blocks from this lake. When her eggs hatched, several birders at the museum kept an eye on the youngsters and one day were able to capture them and take them to the lake at Hermann Park. They figured Mom could and would fly over, but the youngsters would never make it across the streets to water. I'd like to think that the Whistlers we saw are those same babes all grown up.

Inside the gates of the Japanese Garden we found this little guy.

He has a white tail ... cotton tail perhaps.

This little bunny was smaller than the first. A little family.

More critters in the Japanese Garden next week!

Happy Critter Day!