Friday, May 31, 2013

The Country Cousin Lilies

The Country Cousin Lilies


A late bloomer this year but lovely all the same. These daylilies are seen all over the place in Texas gardens and usually grow profusely once they are established. Whether or not they are considered “native” plants or not I don't know . We had lots growing in our yard when we moved in but mostly in shady areas so we don't get as many blooms as we would like.
I will try and move at least some of them into a sunny spot where we will get a better display next year.


The other lilies ( the birthday lilies)are cultivated lilies and did very well but are entirely a different kind of lily. These country cousins as the name implies , only last a day before they fade away. The good thing is they often have 2 or 3 buds then waiting to open.

I just love the color among the green.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Too much Green

Too much Green  
First attempt.

I tried my first water color landscape painting and I think I bit off more than I could chew. The original photo was one I had taken in our garden in early Spring just when the trees were all coming out in that fresh apple green color and a few irises were blooming. I liked the photo and thought it gave a lovely feeling of Spring.

My photo


I started the painting by covering the whole paper with a light green yellow wash. The tree trunks were the main element in the composition with the bridge thrown in for added interest. To say painting it was difficult was an understatement. The green was just overwhelming and I kept losing the tree trunks and branches in the foliage. It never seemed to be just right. The more I kept trying to make it correct, the more it seemed to get worse so finally I stopped and thought next time I do a landscape I'll keep it simple.
I can see by comparing the painting with the photo I needed to make a lot more contrast in the painting.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Mexican Hats

Mexican Hats


A dull cloudy but warm day so I went out to do yard work mostly clearing up the dead stuff, pulling up finished flowers and de -seeding poppies. If you have a garden area as big as mine you could work outside for 24 hours a day and never finish so I do a bit here and there whenever I feel like it. I am definitely a “pottering gardener”.
I was checking on the front easement along the road outside our house. The local ordinance requires us to keep the grasses etc under 12inches. A couple of weeks ago I had cut the grasses being careful to leave anything I thought might just be a wild flower . It looked rather messy when I had finished as I had tufts of grasses sticking up all over the place. Since then we have had a little rain and lots of sun so I thought I would check this morning to see if it needed mowing again.
What a lovely surprise I got.

Mexican hat

( No nobody had been out there and mowed it for me.)
There was a lovely area of Mexican hat wild flowers growing. These are pretty tall flowers in various shades of yellow and browns and you can see they get their name from the very distinctive shape. So pretty when nearly all the other flowers have gone.

Looks like the mowing will have to wait until another day.


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

The Amazing Fly Deterrent

But Will it Work?


When I saw this idea going around the web , I thought that will never work. Then a friend said she had tried it and it certainly DID work.
It's the amazing fly deterrent.
So we were at our son and daughter -in -laws house for a Memorial day get- together sitting outside by the pool under semi cloudy skies. As soon as we sat down a few flies decided to join us. They could smell all the delightful pre-dinner snacks out on the table. Oh I thought this will be the perfect place to try out the fly experiment because as soon as we sat down a few flies decided to join us.
I went inside , found a sandwich bag , put some pennies in it and then covered them with water. I sealed it up and then with grandson Mike's help we hung the bag above the food . I explained what I was doing and I could see they all thought here's crazy old Grandma again with her weird ideas!!

How does it work they all wanted to know?
As I have no idea even IF it would work let alone know if it did, how it could deter flies , I just said wait and see.
So we waited and all I can tell you is yes the flies did seem to keep away from the table.

A debate ensued then about was this a chemical reaction between the pennies in the water or a smell or even the smoke coming from the smoky BBQ cooking the sausages. I preferred my idea that the coins reflect in the water and to a fly with its multiple eyes , it looks like another creature with masses of eyes so it is scared away. Sounds logical to me anyhow!!

I think I'll try it again and hang a couple of bags over this computer because there’s a d*** fly that keeps on trying to read this as I am typing!! Obviously it doesn't want this deterrent to catch on.


Monday, May 27, 2013

Memorial day

Memorial day -

Give thanks today for all the brave men and women throughout the years that have fought to keep their country free and safe. They did it for you and me.
Pray for all those in active service that they may return safely home.

                    
"The Last Poppy" photo by Mike
Here is the Youtube video of the famous poem” In Flander's Field” spoken by the poet.
Listen carefully to the words and remember.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Toadstools

Toadstools


They appear from nowhere. They are all different neutral type colors. They range from tiny to large, They seem to appear and then disappear quite suddenly,
Well that's how it seems to me.
I put all kinds of seeds in my garden vegetable plots and amongst the growing seeds up came loads of toadstools. These were the same color as button mushrooms and looked like that . I thought Mike might think I had started growing mushrooms there were so many. Even as I cut them out the next day there would be more. It ruined the seed growth. I had one lowly bean that made it through the forest of toadstools.
Then this morning as I did my walk there on a tree stump was another growth. You couldn't help but admire the way they were growing through a crack in the wood . They were so delicate and dainty with a white fringe underneath. Reminded me of bride's dress.

Just another wonder in the garden.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Gnomes This Way Please

Gnomes This Way Please
a quickie painting

It seems the Royal Horticultural Society in England has for years frowned on that popular item of the English garden, the friendly gnome. During the Victorian period these little figures , mostly little dwarf type people, became very popular to place in your garden and were supposed to bring 'magic “ to your flowers and garden. Still today as your tour around the gardens of England you will see the happy little men around the plants doing their magic by making the gardens look beautiful.

Now this year something happened . At the Royal Chelsea Garden show the little dwarfs were actually invited in to the show.. Some were decorated by celebrities and then they were to be auctioned off by Ebay to help fund a project to encourage school gardening. 
What a lovely idea.Some even made their way into the fabulous displays they have at this show.

It seems the Gnomes are here to stay.

There was a very good article and photos by NPR if you wish to read more. I found it fascinating.


Friday, May 24, 2013

Round The Horne




Yesterday evening Mike and I went out to see a radio program. It was performed by a group called the Generic Radio Workshop. It was very interesting , funny and well presented . It reminded us of the “good old days” when we would all sit in our armchairs and listen to the wireless. Some of the shows we would listen to would be comedy shows , like Hancock's Half Hour or the Goon Show or more serious stuff(!!) like Dick Barton, a detective mystery which ran for I think 15 minutes every evening or The Archers a daily show about life in the country .Some of these programs were on every day and some just once a week. The characters and their punch lines became part of our lives.This was mostly in the days before television or the telly took over and radio shows were passe.

The show we saw which was very well performed, was a scripted version of 'Round the Horne” and the performers took the parts that had been originally  performed by Kenneth Horne, Hugh Paddick, Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden and Douglas Smith.
This particular show was not one of my favorites although I did listen to it occasionally. Obviously the audience last night made up of  British people and also Americans thought it hilarious. Whether  the jokes were understood by all it's very difficult to say but it was a lovely evening and made us remember those”good old days”.
I did look on the internet and saw that on BBC4 you can still hear some of these old radio shows.Here is a link.http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00c7q4l













Kenneth Horne with Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Bill Pertwee, Betty Marsden and Douglas Smith. Written by Barry Took and Marty Feldman


Thursday, May 23, 2013


A Habit Grows.

I guess you could say that blogging each day has almost become a habit now. It was not my intent when I started writing this blog to let it become one, but gradually that's the way it is now. Throughout the day I start thinking of what I should write, paint, listen to, chat about etc on my blog and as the habit grows , get down to putting it on the computer. It really started as a challenge to see if I could do it everyday and so far so good.
Now as for the 2nd part of the saying, whether the habit is forming “excellence” or the other way round is still pretty debatable.  I can go along with a similar saying “Practice makes perfect”.Excellence I am not sure about. In fact this is one of the things I tried to install in all my beginning readers when I was teaching Grade one kids. "Keep practicing until it becomes a habit and you will be great readers".

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Dillo Games


Dillo Games


So I went out on the back porch to throw out a bowl of water with lots of fragments of veggies in it. I do this so my sink and drains don't get blocked . This happened once before but that is another long and involved and not very interesting story.
To continue-I poured the water over the fence that goes around the deck so that it could water the bushes that grows there.


 What a commotion ensued! This little semi pink and gray fellow in a complete armored suit jumped out onto the deck in instant panic. He rushed here and there with me trying to get out of his way. The cats sat around blinking one eye in their sleepy state but didn't seem a bit bothered by all the fuss. The dogs rushed out the doggy door intent on saving me and then rushed off towards the front gate.
Little Dillo continued to rush back and forth , He didn't seem to have any sense of direction as to where he should go. He finished up behind the BBQ,
Then the dogs rushed back and I knew if they caught Dillo it wouldn't be pleasant . We have found dead dillos in the yard a few times and this obviously was a young, not very bright dillo. So I put the dogs indoors, got my camera out, found a broom then came out and pushed the little fellow in a general direction to the hole under the deck from whence he had come.


It took some doing as he kept jumping back up on the deck. It was just like level one in a video game. But in the end I won and I even managed to take a few ( blurry) photos.
I shall hope Dillo knows that this isn't a good place to spend the summer.
He was kind of cute though.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Man and Dog


Man and Dog
My painting 

I have figured out I am just not good at getting proportions right when I sketch. I really will have to work on that. It might not show so much on a landscape but on people and animals it certainly does. This watercolor painting was just a quick study but as I was painting I found the body was  not right on either the dog or the man and I couldn't adjust it easily.

Original photo

 I also rather liked the painted effect halfway through better than the finished painting.I should have stopped earlier!!
I guess you learn something every time you paint.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Tornado Time


Tornado Time
Photo from NPR


To live in Texas in April or May, you get to be very aware of tornadoes. They come about as the weather changes from cold to hot, usually lovely Spring like weather that is crisp and clear to the muggy humid hot stuff we will get throughout most of the Summer. And where the systems meet that's where the tornado forms.
They usually come in the afternoon or evening times as the heat of the day builds and seem to come out of nowhere. You can have a blue sky and clouds will form and will darken and it will turn very dark . The wind will start to blow very hard and before you know it you have a swirling, whirling tornado that can do tremendous damage to anything in it's path.
For years sirens would sound in the towns to let you know to take cover but these days we find our best communication is by television as the weather channels have a good sense by looking at the radar,just what is heading which way. They do a great job and will often stay on for hours following the storm path. We also at our house have an emergency telephone call system that will alert us to any imminent danger in our immediate area.
You are told to stay away from windows and get into your safe room which should be somewhere on the lowest part of the house, (not many basements here,) or in a bathroom or closet in the interior of the house.
Fortunately we have yet to have been anywhere near a tornado. That might be because we are in a fairly sheltered area of undulating land and tornadoes seem to favor mostly flat lands.
We have had some very bad storms though. These come through at the same time as tornadoes and bring heavy downpours , violent winds ,lightening and thunder. They also bring hail sometimes the size of baseballs. That has happened to us twice and resulted in 2 new roofs and a very damaged garden and house paint. We considered ourselves lucky. No one was hurt and it could have been far worse.It sounded terrible!
Look at the photos of the Oklahoma tornado this week and you will see what I mean. We pray for all those people that had to experience that tornado and wish for a speedy recovery time.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Thinking about Lilies


Thinking about Lilies



Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Luke 12.27


From where I sit in my reading chair I can look out over my garden. This afternoon I glanced out and thought whatever is that big patch of white in the flower bed? When I went outside I saw that all the lilies had come out in bloom and there were a bunch that were so white and beautiful that I just had to capture them. I can see why the lily is known for it's purity and perfection.

It made me think.



Saturday, May 18, 2013

One Thousand White Women,


One Thousand White Women,
The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus


I picked up this book at a book sale and I am so glad I did. I found it to be one of those books that once you start to read it , you can't put down.
The author, Jim Fergus starts off the book with an author's note saying this book is entirely a work of fiction. He has good reason to do this because it is very hard to read the journals written by May Dodd, the main character in the book, and not think this actually happened.
In 1854 there was an historical event ,a peace conference held at Fort Laramie between the Northern Cheyenne Indians and the US Army. The Indian chief requested a gift of one thousand white woman as brides for his young warriors. Any children born of such a union would be considered being of their mother's tribe and the Indians saw this as a perfect means of assimilating into the white man's world.
The request was denied , the peace conference collapsed but from this idea this novel was born. It is the story of a group of assorted women who did become the brides of the Cheyenne Indians. It is told in journal form by May Dodd , one of the brides.
It is extremely interesting and certainly did a great deal to make me understand the history of that time.
A great read. Find it if you can.

One Thousand White Women: the journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
Published by St Martin Griffin in 1998
ISBN 978-0-312-18008-9

Friday, May 17, 2013

Poppies AGAIN!?

My painting


I finally got around to trying a watercolor of a poppy scene that I had photographed in the yard. Poppy scenes and poppy paintings are all over the internet. I guess the vibrancy of the red poppies just draws you in.
My poppies in the yard are finally all gone. There are a few pastel pink ones appearing in the flower beds but these don't look like the cabbage type ones that came out in the woody area.


I tried this time to work in a looser fashion with not so much detail and to let the water do most of the work for me and I really like the effect on this one.
As Mike says this looks more like a watercolor.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Frank and Sammy the Swinging Owls


Frank and Sammy the Swinging Owls

Please view the video clip first


Mr Froggy was quite surprised to see he had 2 visitors that had come to see his new ice rink. Not only that they were having a swinging good time.
'Hi there” he croaked,” Who are you?”
Well, i'm usually know as Frank “ said one owl as he went past flashing his blue sparkly eyes.” I bet you can guess why!”
And I'm Sammy” said the other . “ I'm his friend and sidekick”.
Gosh you have a neat place here with lots of room” Frank said as he swung past.”So much nicer than our old place on Cape Cod”.
Frank and Mr Froggy

I guess we'll hang out here a while and keep you company.

 One day your ice will come.
Sounds like a song to me." and with that he started singing as Franks always do.
I guess the owls are here to stay.

( sorry about the song not being on the video , technical error!!)

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

It makes me wonder...


It makes me wonder...
It certainly makes me wonder just why the car companies don't put out a basic car any more. These days the new cars are so loaded with gadgets and gizmos that the driver needs a computer class sometimes just to get in the car and start it, let alone drive it.
Two people I know have recently bought late model upscale cars and both had trouble understanding how to get the basic requirements to work. These were not older people but people that are used to cars and driving.
Most people especially older folk like me, want a no- fuss reliable, economical and comfortable car that will get them to their destination safely. They wants seats that can be adjusted easily so that their driving position suits them. They wants doors that they can lock and unlock without the car doing it for them. The same with windows. What was wrong with wind up windows with a handle?
 A basic car doesn't need a GPS monitor. If you are going somewhere you don't know check it out on a map or on the computer before you go. Driving with one eye and sometimes two, on the various screens within the car is dangerous.
We all know that driving and using the telephone is another no- no but people will still do it anyway whatever laws you have.So why not have a car made which will only record messages for you when the engine is running so you have to stop to make and receive calls.
Inattention while driving is what causes accidents and the cars these days have so many distractions built in to them for people to use that I really wonder we don't have a lot more accidents.
One last thought ,do you really need to eat a hamburger as you are driving?
Or put on your make up?
Or fiddle with the radio?
Or take a drink?
No wonder there are accidents.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013


Stella


This is my latest attempt at painting in watercolor.
Stella is one of 2 puppies that are now part of our family. Lola is the other pup-a German shepherd.
These pups are the newest addition to my granddaughter and her husband's family so I guess you could call them my great- granddogs.
Stella is a darling little boxer, with a merle type coat of rusty brown and black with white tummy, legs and a blaze of white on her head.
This painting was done from a photo which was taken when she was very young probably about 8 weeks old.
I wanted to do it as the color is quite interesting and of course the eyes really stand out.
It will be interesting to paint her again when she is fully grown.

Monday, May 13, 2013


A Birthday present appears
The Lily box ,How they should look!!

If anyone remembers reading my blog about my birthday this year you might remember my granddaughter Chrissy and her husband Ben gave me a lovely box of lily corms which I duly planted in the flower bed in my garden.
I was very pleased when they started to grow and would count them as they came up. I was very surprised when of the nineteen that I planted, nineteen actually grew and looked pretty healthy.
2 set of red lilies so far

Now they have started to bloom. The buds have been forming on quite a few of them for a while now but then one came out , followed by another and then another.

Photos are all by Mike

They are just wonderful colors and by the look of things will all eventually bloom and give us all such wonder at their magnificent colors. Coming into bloom at the same time would have been spectacular but this gradually bloom is just as nice and our enjoyment of them should last well into June.
What a lovely birthday present.
Thanks once again Chrissy and Ben.

A Fancy French Apple Tart


About 3 weeks ago I went to a meeting at a friend's house and she served up a delicious French Apple Tart. It was just so lovely that I decided to make one as soon as I had an opportunity.
It so happened that while I was out shopping I saw a lovely tart pan with a removable bottom which makes it so much easier to remove the delicate tart after cooking. So I bought it and decided to make the tart for our lunch for the family on Mother's Day.
I looked up a recipe in my French cooking book, and Mike went out to buy the apples and the other things I needed. It wasn't difficult to make but I couldn't make out just why the measured ingredients didn't seem to quite fill the pan. It wasn't until it was cooking that I reread the recipe and saw that I had made an 8 inch tart in an 11 inch pan. No wonder I had had to use extra apples!!
As Mike says when he is woodworking” read twice, cut once” or as I will now say
read twice and very carefully, then cook once well and then enjoy “.
It was a very nice tart with just the right amount of sweetness in the tart.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

A memory of my Mum on Mother's day


A Memory of my Mum on Mother's day.


When your mother has already passed on, Mother's Day becomes a day to look back and remember. It's hard not to do when all around are Mother's Day cards or stories about mothers. I am no different. Mum ( Flo) is on my mind today.
My Mum was a woman you had to meet to appreciate. She was a modern woman in a changing time who lived through 2 World Wars with all the difficulties and frustrations of those times. She loved to go to new places, She fearlessly loved to try new things. She wasn't afraid to stand up for her children but never became a problem by over- mothering as some ladies tend to do. She never smothered us and left us to make our own decisions. That taught  us to be  thoughtful and strong, wise and independent as she was herself.
She made us laugh without being aware that she was doing so. She was always willing to do anything she could to help you. She was very proud of all her 3 daughters .
 So on this Mother's Day I found a song on You tube to share that she really loved. It was the song played during football (soccer} games and for my Mum there was nothing so good as watching Football and cheering on her team.
So Mum this song is for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQA72UAE7Us with singer Norwegian tenor, Marius Roth Christensen sing You'll Never Walk Alone froma Norwegian Show called Beat For Beat with lyrics added




Saturday, May 11, 2013

Then & Now


Then & Now
Denton train station

I am a bit behind with my blogs because my friend Karen has been staying with us for a few days.
While she was here she picked up a book of the town where we lived in England many years ago. As she read out bits and pieces and asked questions I realized I know a fair amount about “then “ but not much about “now” of the place where I grew up.
We don't always realize that change is happening on a continual basis until we look back over the years at old photos. A good thing to do once in a while.

Brand new train

While she was here we visited Denton, TX the small town close to us. It has recently started the railway service with a brand new train that travels into Dallas . Most of these small towns around here were originally linked by the railway but like many other things over the recent years disappeared. So we were please to see the brand new station and shiny new train.
Maybe one day we will ride on it to the big city!!
Wall painting of Old Denton station.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Mr Froggy Waits


Mr Froggy waits


I had this low spot on the rock patio where when it rained water and mud would collect so I decided to turn it into a hockey rink for Mr Froggy because as you can see he has a hockey stick and has been asking for a long time when the hockey rink will be ready. He has waited a long time since he was transferred from Canada.
So Mike had some cedar boards and quickly built a lovely flower box . Oh I mean hockey rink. I explained to Mr Froggy than he would have to wait until we had ice and snow in Texas before the hockey rink would function well. Being a very understanding fellow , he said that that was fine he could wait. So meanwhile we have planted moss rose and portulaca in the box and Mr Froggy will guard it from peeing cats. We hope!

The pretty purple plant


The pretty purple plant 
verbena rigida

So last year I noticed this pretty purple plant growing in the Spring flowers. I never gave it much thought but it was attractive. The butterflies and bees loved it. Little did I realize that it was verbena rigida, a very invasive verbena. This year it is everywhere. It grows not only by seed but by stolons under the ground so it has gone all over the flower beds. I won't worry too much as it is still a lovely purple plant and I can always dig it up when I don't want it.
As I am trying to convert the "lawn" into a more environmentally natural , less water -needing area, this might just be the plant that can help. I will try it and find out.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

The Glorious Sunflower


Sunflowers


Just another of my very favorite flowers. You can't help feeling happy when you see them. At least I can't. I haven't had much success in growing them in my garden. I have tried quite a few times with all kinds of seeds but none came up or came up only to die before a flower bloomed. 


This year , the birds took my failure in hand and planted some seeds all over the yard so here and there we have tall sunflowers and some are actually blooming. Of course, the culprit gardeners just might be the squirrels as they love to snack at the bird feeders as well.And guess what we have in the feeders? Sunflower seeds.
I feel another painting coming on and I haven't painted the poppies yet!!

Monday, May 6, 2013

What is it?


What is it?


Mike came to me the other day and said “What it this?”
I looked at the odd brown smelly shape in his hand that looked like an old brown tennis ball that had been left out through a couple of winters and said,” I don't know. What is it? Where did you find it”
It appears he found it in the back of the car which we take when we travel. It had rolled with it's identical twin into the corner and no one had noticed them before.

I held it in my hand. It was hard and groovy and it did smell kind of musty.
A momentary flash of memory passed through me.
Didn't Jean, our friend in Canada , pick that up when we were out visiting the nature reserve last year? Mike didn't think so but he did remember going to the nature reserve. I thought again. “I think maybe she said they are black walnuts”. “No” Mike said, “ we were  looking at persimmon trees?”
I disagreed and said“No if thse were persimmon fruit they would have dried up all swishy and I am sure the smell would be bad. I bet they are black walnuts.”

So I did what I usually do. I looked up black walnuts on the computer and there they were just like the 2 we had found.
So problem solved.
Now what do we do with them??

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Butterfly on Poppy Painting


Butterfly on Poppy Painting
My painting in watercolor


So I tried to capture Mike's photo of a beautiful swallowtail butterfly on one of the many poppies we have in the garden in watercolor paint.
The most difficult part was getting the wing color dark enough; I must have put 5 different washes on it to get the color to stand out. I am still so used to mixing the color once as I do in acrylic without having to go over it again and again. Also the pattern on the wing was complicated. Still I knew that from the previous painting of butterflies.
I enjoyed painting the poppy petals and will try some more poppy paintings as I still haven't got the translucent look I want yet.
Photo by Mike

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Morning has broken


Morning has broken


Such a lovely fresh morning that I went out early this morning and took some photos. This kind of morning always makes me think of the hymn/song,” Morning has broken like the first morning”. It is one of my favorite songs. I remember singing it at school at mornng assembly. I hope to have this played at my memorial service. It is so uplifting.

Morning has broken 
Like the first morning,
Black bird has spoken 
Like the first bird.
Praise the singing! 
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing 
Fresh from the Word! 
Sweet the rain's new fall 
Sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dewfall 
On the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness 
Of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness 


Where His feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight! 
Mine is the morning.
Born of the one light 
Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, 
Praise ev'ry morning,
God's recreation 
Of the newday!


Words: Eleanor Farjeon
Here is the link to thr youtube version by Cat Stevens.