Nancy Bond at Soliloquoy has a wonderful post about the Olympic bouquets that are given to each Olympic winner, gold, silver and bronze medal winners all. It has been difficult to get a good look at the bouquets. They do not seem to be given or received with much ceremony, which is a shame because they are lovely. Nancy tells the full story about constraints and requirements for designing these bouquets which is fascinating. It's made me think…
I am still in the middle of reading and planning season. Two very different books have sent my imagination into high gear. Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars: Grandma’s Bag of Tricks by Sharon Lovejoy ($14.95 Workman Publishing) is ostensibly for grandmas, but among the 130 activities described and illustrated with engaging photos and charming drawings, many will engage mommies and daddies as well. The opening chapter, Preparing Camp Granny, gives advice about welcoming a visiting grandchild so that…
We awoke to a silent world, muffled with another layer of snow. There is nothing more to be said.
I've been browsing through the online Creepy Crawlies exhibit of children's books from the Cotsen Children's Library at Princeton University. These books date as far back as the 1744 edition of Tom Thumb's Pretty Song Book. The Terrible Cockroach by the Russian Kornei Chukovski and illustrated by Sergeii Chekhonin, published in Leningrad 1925, tells the nonsense tale of a threatening cockroach who is so fierce that he terrifies all the animals who are out to enjoy a picnic.…
Now you know why I chose the name commonweeder. I love common weeds. Otherwise known as wild flowers. In some circles. I call this wildflower garden my flowery mead. Others may call it my lawn. Lawns have become controversial because they can take a toll on the environment. Herbicides and pesticides can runoff into streams and other waterways causing pollution and killing wildlife. Many people water their lawns when the weather is hot and dry, using that precious…
For more Wordlessness, logon to Wordless Wednesday.
I've ordered Therese Bugnet again. She is a rugosa that Heirloom Roses lists with their Damask roses because of it double form. It is not only very hardy, it is very fragrant. Unfortunately, the first time I ordered it, the rose that was delivered looked nothing like this. I confess I didn't notice at first. I forgot what the catalog photo looked like, but I have learned over the years that mis-labelling does happen, even in neighborhood garden…
I haven’t always liked hydrangeas. As a child living in the Bronx, I saw a number of houses on our street wirh tiny yards that held a blue hydrangea or two. In spite of the interesting color and flower heads that everyone called ‘snowballs’ I did not like them. Who can explain dislikes? And the things a child takes against are even more mysterious. Though I rarely saw hydrangeas in gardens as a new gardener, over the past…
Sastrugi is the name for the ripples, waves and caves that the wind forms of snow. Our Sunken Garden is the foundation of an old barn that was struck by lightning in 1990 and burned down. The wind comes sweeping across the open fields all winter dumping snow into the Sunken Garden, caught on the edge by a row of white rugosa roses which help to sculpt the snow into ever changing works of art. The snowy shapes…
Why is it that dawn skies are always so beautiful. I was nearly blown off the Welcoming Platform while taking these photos. For more skies click on Skywatch Friday.