Saturday, March 31, 2012

My World: A Study in Bloom



Most of you know I've been complaining this week about the cold I have.
When I don't feel well, I don't want to do much.
Staring out the window into the garden is about all I've wanted to do.
So, I decided to take photos of the amaryllis as it started to bloom.



Amaryllis



I'm not good at keeping track of the names of my amaryllis.
This one is the first to bloom in Musashi's Garden this year.



Amaryllis Mosaic



I took photos every day, sometimes several times a day
to document its journey from bud to bloom.


Mosaic Amaryllis



I got up one morning and WOW!
The journey was done.
A beautiful amaryllis in full bloom.




Amaryllis



Thank you to Mary at Mosaic Monday,
The  Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday, and 
 the wonderful hosts at Our World,

Wishing you WELL and much JOY!



Friday, March 30, 2012

Hippity Hoppity!



Easter is on the way!



Miss Molly Easter Postcard



Reproduction vintage postcards from
the Easter Rabbit Postcard book published by Darling and Company, Seattle.





Happy Easter Postcard


Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday each week.

***

I have a cold.
I haven't had a cold in years and
I DON'T like it.

What's good about a cold?
 I don't feel like doing anything but I have really enjoyed the garden.
I go out with my camera a few times each day and take a few shots. 
I watch the birds at the bird bath .. two blue jays right now. 
I'm forced to slow down.
I tried to knit on another scarf. It's off and on, but I may get another done.
I'm losing weight --- canned soup is about all that interests me.
Spending more time with the furbabies is always good.
I picked up my color pencils and played with a mandala.

Mandala


I DON'T like having a cold, but it's not all bad!

Wishing you WELL and much JOY!

P.S. My friend the Birdwoman at Gardening With Nature gave me the Liebster Blog Award.
Twisty Lane may be a tag/award free blog, but it's always nice to know I inspire
someone! Thank you! Please drop by and visit my pal.




Thursday, March 29, 2012

Good Morning!

We're Adults.

When Did That Happen?

How Do We Make It Stop?


Monday, March 26, 2012

Tea and Roses



Tea and Roses.
Who can resist?
I couldn't when I found this lovely tea cup at The Guild Shop
(a cross between Antiques Roadshow and Grandma's attic). 


Tea and Roses


It is a pale bluish grey with a gold edge on the saucer, gold rim on the cup,
and a splash of gold on the handle.
The saucer is lightly fluted as is the hour-glass shaped cup.
The cup has a small pedestal base.
Look at the little rose on the inside of the cup.
Perfect (or purrrfect as Teddy and Cassie would say)!
The bottom of both the cup and saucer are marked:
Elizabethan Fine Bone China England.


The rose is from my balcony garden.
I'm having Rose Petal Tea by The Republic of Tea.
It is a limited edition tea that was available during February for Valentine's Day.
Rose Petal Tea is tea for the Queen of Hearts! 
Black tea leaves blended with rose buds and petals ... a very pretty tea.




Tea and Roses


***"All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong,
but like it a little stronger with each year that passes."
~ George Orwell, "A Nice Cup of Tea"

Tea inspires celebration.

"One sip of this will bathe the drooping spirits in delight,
beyond the bliss of dreams."
~ Milton


Wishing you WELL and a wonderful cup of tea!

*** Quotes from 365 Things Every Tea Lover Should Know"

Saturday, March 24, 2012

My World: Blooming In Musashi's Garden!



The roses are blooming in Musashi's Garden.
This is Irish Gold.
It was the first rose I tried growing in a pot and it seems to like its home.
It is a hybrid tea rose first hybridized in Northern Ireland in 1966 by a gentleman named Dickson.
It's original name was Grandpa Dickson.
I think I like the original name the best.
It makes me smile!

Enjoy!



Irish Gold Rose


Irish Gold Mosaic


Irish Gold Mosaic


Irish Gold Mosaic


Irish Gold Rose





Thank you to Mary at Mosaic Monday,
 the wonderful hosts at Our World,

Wishing you WELL and much JOY!



Friday, March 23, 2012

This and That



It's Friday.
It's Spring.
It's more tulips, but this time it is not a postcard, but a photo of mine!
Thank you to the hosts at Focusing On Life.



Yellow Tulips




You knew there would be a postcard or two and here they are.
Bunnies celebrating Easter.
They are both reproduction vintage postcards.


Easter Postcard


Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday each week.


Bunny Postcard


***

Speaking of bunnies.
This bunny was willing to model a scarf I just finished.
I've been working through my yarn stash.
Nice to have a few extra scarves for gifts and it keeps my fingers busy.




Knit Scarf

This scarf is made from two skeins of Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair.
I used a pattern from Knit Picks that was free years ago.
It's become one of my favorites - quick and easy:

Diagonal Garter Stitch Scarf

Directions:
CO (cast on) 22 stitches.
RS: (right side) Knit into front and back of first st, knit across to last 2 sts, K2tog. 
WS: (wrong side) Knit.
Repeat these two rows until scarf is desired length.
BO (bind off) loosely and weave in ends. 

***

I've been reading.
I've been a fan of Penman's historical novels for years and I'm always excited when a new one is published. She spends so much time doing research that she really brings the characters and time period to life. While LIONHEART is not my favorite of her novels, it was a good read. I learned a lot about going on a Crusade and much more about Richard the Lionheart and the politics of the time. 

It is an unauthorized *authorized* (my words) biography of Elizabeth II written so that it was published in time for The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. I found it fascinating and thought Smith did an excellent job covering so much information from the time Elizabeth was a young girl all the way up to the present. While she didn't interview the Queen, she had access to many others in the know. It was another book that I can say I learned a lot and came away quite impressed with the woman Elizabeth and with the queen Elizabeth. The book was also an interesting look at Prince Philip, the relationships between The Queen and *her* prime ministers, and other members of the royal family. 

"What a blessing it is to love books. Everybody must love something and I know of no objects of love that give such substantial and unfailing returns as books and a garden."
~ Elizabeth von Arnim

Wishing you WELL and much JOY!






Thursday, March 22, 2012

Sunday, March 18, 2012

My World: Japanese Garden

It's no secret that the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park
is one of my favorite places.

I hope you enjoy my latest visit as much as I did. 

Japanese Garden



Mosaic Japanese Garden



Japanese Garden Mosaic



Mosaic Japanese Garden





Tea House Japanese Garden


Thank you to Mary at Mosaic Monday,
 the wonderful hosts at Our World

Wishing you WELL and much JOY!


Friday, March 16, 2012

Happy Friday!

Spring is just around the corner along with Easter.
Since the sun is shining here today,
I thought I'd share one more tulip postcard from the Pacific Northwest. 


Tulip Postcard



From the back of the postcard:
"Topping" involves cutting off the tops of the flowers that are just past their bloom. This keeps petals from causing decay in the lower stem of a tulip and redirects the plant's energy into feeding the bulb for next year. 
Roozengaarde Garden, Mount Vernon, Washington



Easter Postcard

To celebrate Easter a reproduction vintage Easter postcard.
This one makes me smile with Daddy Rabbit buying eggs from the chicken for little bunny.

Bring on the bunnies!

Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday each week.

Wishing you WELL and much JOY.


Monday, March 12, 2012

My World: Circle of Animals

Back to Hermann Park and Ai Weiwei's Circle of Animals.
You might remember from last week that Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads
is Ai Weiwei's re-creation on an oversized scale of the traditional zodiac sculptures
that once adorned the fabled fountain at Yuanming Yuan outside Beijing.


Designed by two European Jesuits in the 18th century the original animal heads surrounding the fountain-clock of Yuanming Yuan spouted water every two hours. In 1860, French and British troops raided Yuanming Yuan, and the heads were looted. To date only seven of the legendary 12 heads have been recovered; the location of the remaining five is still unknown.


Ai Weiwei's Circle of Animals


The Circle of Animals overlooks McGovern Lake in Hermann Park.
Each head, without the pedestal, measures at least 4 feet in length.


Horse


The Horse

Circle of Animals Mosaic


The Goat, The Monkey, The Pig and The Dog




Rooster

The Rooster

You might remember Ai Weiwei, Chinese artist, architect and social activist,
 from the 2008 Olympics in China.
He designed the famous Bird's Nest. 
Because he is a critic of censorship and human rights violations, he has been in prison, tortured and is currently on a heavily restricted travel visa.
That made siting this exhibition difficult.
Google maps helped save the day!

The exhibition will move on to Princeton University 
and then to the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C.

Thank you to the Our World hosts.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week. 

(P.S. I'm having back problems. Not nice since I had back surgery in 2003. Sitting at the computer is difficult. I'll see you when I can.)

Friday, March 9, 2012

This and That

Fridays are becoming This and That days.

***

Are you tired of the tulip postcards?
That's what I thought.
Here is one more:


Tulip Postcard

From the back of the postcard:
 "Because of its nurturing climate and rich soil,
 the Northwest produces America's most abundant crop of tulips." 
Lefeber Bulb Company, Mount Vernon, Washington

Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

***

Monday I spent a lovely day in Hermann Park.
I arrived around 9AM hoping to miss all the school buses dropping off children at the zoo 
and the Natural History Museum.
I knew it was going to be a good morning when I succeeded 
and found a great parking place.
I wanted to take photos of Ai Weiwei's Circle of Animals 
and then play the rest of the day by ear.


Tea House



After finishing at the Circle of Animals, 
I headed to the Japanese Garden.

Do you have a connection to Nature?
Do you like to walk in the woods, on the beach?
Do you like to work in the garden, smell the flowers?
How does it make you feel?

Walking in this beautiful place, suddenly I'm calm, smiling.
All my cares and worries are  gone.
All the sadness disappears.
I feel Nature giving me a hug.
I felt myself slow down.
I noticed things ... the iris are coming up (a big deal with our drought).
Some of the Black Bellied Whistling Ducks that I'm so fond of were in the garden.
I'd never noticed them there before.


Black Bellied Whistling Duck



Look at the reflections! 

I wanted to take off my shoes and feel the ground!
 Lie down on the grass and watch the clouds in the sky.

It made me feel blissful.

"Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you."
~Maori Proverb

***

Then I spent the rest of the afternoon at the zoo, had lunch and finished
off my day by sitting under a tree, eating a chocolate/vanilla swirl ice cream
and watching children enjoy the zoo.

Wishing you WELL and much JOY.

Inspiration for this post from Tiny Buddha and Liv Lane and the Bliss List.

Monday, March 5, 2012

My World: A Public Sculpture Exhibition

East meets the West with the first major public exhibition of sculpture by the internationally renowned Chinese Contemporary artist Ai Weiwei titled Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads. It is presently on view outdoors overlooking McGovern Lake in Hermann Park.

Comprised of 12 monumental bronze animal heads, each weighing 800 pounds and standing roughly 10 feet high, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads is Ai Weiwei's re-creation on an oversized scale of the traditional zodiac sculptures that once adorned the fabled fountain at Yuanming Yuan outside Beijing. Erected in the 18th century, the original animal heads surrounding the fountain spouted water at two-hour intervals until 1860, when French and British troops raided the palace and looted the heads. To date only seven of the legendary 12 heads have been recovered around the world; the location of the remaining five is still unknown.


Ai Weiwei's Circle of Animals



I really like the location overlooking McGovern Lake in Hermann Park.



Rat



The Rat ... the first of the Zodiac Animals.


Mosaic of Zodiac Animal Heads



The Ox, Tiger, Rabbit and Snake.


Dragon




The Dragon.

Six this week and six more next week!


Thank you to the Our World hosts.
Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week!




Saturday, March 3, 2012

Month At A Glance: February




The beginning of a new month means it's time to take a glance back.
Here's a quick look at the month of February.



At A Glance: February





February Month At A Glance


Thank you to our hosts: 
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday
Mary for Mosaic Monday.

Wishing you Well and JOY filled week!




Friday, March 2, 2012

Happy Friday!

So many of you enjoyed the postcard last week that I thought I'd share some more tulips.

Tulip Postcard


From the back of the postcard:
"Cut flowers from Washington's Skagit Valley are shipped overnight across the United States almost year-round."
Roozengaarde Garden, Mount Vernon, Washington
The photograph was taken by Jon Gnass/Gnass Photo Images

A big thank you to the lovely Beth for being our hostess each week for

***

Sometimes Tiny Buddha just hits the nail on the head. I have edited the original down, but I wanted to share with you:


YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TO-DO LIST

This is a contribution by Jen Saunders
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” ~Pericles
Every day we are swamped by tasks. Catch up on work. Buy groceries. Reply to those emails. Do the housework. Hand in that project. Pick up the dry-cleaning. Make that appointment. Go to the gym.
The constant connection to social media, as amazing and valuable as it can be, adds even more tiny tasks to our never-ending to-do-lists. Upload. Download. Tweet. Reply. Blog. Comment. Follow. Pin. Update. Check-in. Watch. Like. Read. Send.
With all these never-ending tasks consuming me all day, it’s easy to become stressed, irritable, and negative, and to forget what is most important: love, happiness, kindness, laughter, and gratitude.
YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TO-DO LIST:
1. Smile at yourself.
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
How many times do you see your reflection in a day? And how many times do you see yourself actually looking happy?
Smiling at yourself can make you feel just as good as when someone else smiles at you. You smile at your friends, your family, colleagues, peers, even strangers, so why not show that same love to yourself?
2. Smile at others.
“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” ~Mother Teresa
There’s a pretty good chance that anyone you smile at will smile right back at you. (And if they don’t, keep smiling anyway!)
Whether you smile at a loved one or smile at a stranger, it’s a great happiness booster for all involved. It will leave you feeling so good about yourself that you won’t be able to wipe the smile off of your beautiful face!
3. Commit an act of kindness.
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” ~Lao Tzu
Give up your seat on the bus. Pay for the order of the person behind you in line at Starbucks. Buy someone flowers. Give compliments. Leave a love note on a bathroom mirror or on a seat on a train or in a clothing store fitting room.
Today, with the awesomeness of social media, you can perform a kind act for a stranger without even leaving the house! A great example of this is the DropALoveBomb crew, who write supportive comments every week on the blogs of people going through a tough time.
Whatever you do, being kind to others is a win-win situation, and one kind act can often lead to another—and another, and another—creating a ripple effect of kindness and love.
4. Laugh.
“A smile starts on the lips, a grin spreads to the eyes, a chuckle comes from the belly; but a good laugh bursts forth from the soul, overflows, and bubbles all around.” ~Carolyn Birmingham
Everyone loves to laugh, and with all the scientific research showing just how much we benefit from it, there’s no reason not to enjoy a good giggle everyday.
Watch your favourite funny movie or sitcom, hang out with that friend who always puts you in hysterics, or search for “laughing baby” or “sneezing panda” on YouTube, and let the soulful laughs roll!
5. Say thank you.
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~Melody Beattie
Taking time every day to think of, or write down, everything you are grateful is an amazing way to boost your happiness and see the world in a more positive light.
Gratitude shared is even better, so say thank you to someone who helped you out.
Thank whatever higher power your heart connects with, for all the blessings in your life today, and for all the blessings that are on their way.
At the end of your day, whether you have completed all your tasks or not, if you have checked everything off this to-do list, you have succeeded.
***

Farm House Delivery

Farm House Delivery
I need to eat more veggies. A baseball buddy told me about Farmhouse Delivery. I could have veggies in season delivered to my front door every other week. Everything is organic, grown locally on small to medium sized farms. This is my first bushel and I'm eating well! Mustard greens, spinach, arugula, purple carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, a head of cabbage, oranges, grapefruit and tomatoes! The tomatoes didn't last two days. They were so sweet and delicious ... just the way home grown fresh tomatoes should be. The grapefruit disappeared quickly, too. I am enjoying the greens and am going to try the Arugula And Pasta recipe on the Farmhouse website. That's the other thing that I like. Farmhouse provides hints on how to store the veggies and lots of recipes to try.

Arugula Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan


1 pound fettucine or spaghetti
1/4 c. chopped green garlic
1 strip bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/4 c. grated parmesan
2 c. arugula
olive oil

Saute bacon in small skillet and cook till just done; place in large bowl with arugula. Use same skillet to saute green garlic and add to bowl with grated parmesan. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente. Drain and reserve 1/2 c. pasta cooking water. Add pasta and water to bowl with arugula and toss all together. Season wit salt and pepper. Easy!!

But veggies aren't the only things available at Farmhouse. I can order dairy products, grass fed beef, lamb, pork, chickens, eggs, bread, desserts! Oh, my! I'll be sticking to veggies while I find my way around Farmhouse.

Thank you to my baseball buddy and thank you to Farmhouse Delivery!

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled weekend!