Happy Holiday

Otis and Riley want to wish you all a very safe and Happy Labor Day weekend!

Enjoy!

Two paintings

I did this painting on watercolor paper using acrylic paint.

Narcissus ~ The December Flower

This one is a watercolor painting. Old pottery.


You can find both of these on my etsy shop, whimsytwo, along with other paintings and whimsical things!

Caterpillar update

I went out to the patio this morning to see how much of my parsley was left.

I couldn't believe how much they ate overnight!



They seem to be multiplying.



I'm actually enjoying the little guys, just watching them chomping away. They eat pretty fast.
And there's a beauty to them. Look at those colors, and the pattern.



I've decided not to disturb them. They can eat as much as they want. I will plant more parsley next year.

Rain!

Rain showers my spirit

and waters my soul.

~Emily Logan Decens

Finally, today we are getting rain! Much, much, much needed rain!

And while I was outside enjoying it, I noticed a bunch of caterpillars on my parsley plants. What are these?! I once heard that caterpillers on dill and other herbs actually turn into butterflys. Hmmmm....I had to go and google this and here's what I found.

"It's the caterpillar of the beautiful black swallowtail butterfly. This butterfly is commonly seen in our gardens during summer. These caterpillars feed on plants in the parsley family. This includes parsley, Queen Ann's lace, carrots, celery and dill.

The adult lays eggs on these plants, which hatch into tiny dark colored caterpillars with a white band. These go through several stages of development. The mature caterpillar is about 2 inches long and is distinctive with a basic yellow-green color and black and yellow banding. This is the stage you are seeing on your parsley. An environmentally concerned herb gardener may then be confronted with a quandary about caterpillars on the parsley and dill. Do you destroy the caterpillar, or do you decide to sacrifice the parsley, knowing that you are adding to their numbers?

As with most choices, there may be a middle ground. Divide the parsley into "yours" and "theirs" and every few days relocate the caterpillars from yours to theirs. You might consider planting more parsley and dill next year. Your big, colorful caterpillar will develop into a pupa, a resting stage inside a protective covering, called a chrysalis. In summer, after about 10 days, the mature butterfly emerges from the chrysalis. In the fall, the pupa will remain in the protective shell over winter, emerging in the following spring. The adult butterflies are 3-4 inches across, black with either a band or row of yellow spots near the back of its wings. The female has a prominent iridescent blue band on the hind wing. They are a cause for stopping your watering and weed pulling and admiring their beauty."

I guess I'll be planting more parsley and dill next year! I'm looking forward to seeing the beautiful black swallowtail butterfly gracefully flitting to and fro around the garden.

Nature brings with it wonderful surprises.

Quiet time

Since I'm up at the crack of dawn now (5:15 AM) with hubby, I have some quiet time in the morning after he leaves for work. This is my time for reading. I pour another cup of hot coffee and curl up on the sofa. It's dark outside.

This morning I got lost in the pages of my new Victoria magazine. It's the September/October issue and the warm colors of fall are everywhere in the magazine. True Autumn delights!

Lovely decorated rooms.

Pumpkins everywhere.

Beautiful places to travel.

More wonderful decorating.

I think I may have to do some decorating of my own today and get a few fall things out of the attic. Such inspiration!

I'm also reading another one of Maeve Binchey's books, Evening Class. So good!

Quiet time in the morning. It's one of my favorite times of day.

A tag and an award

I've been presented with the "Perfect Blend of Friendship Award" by Pat at Mille fiori favoriti. Thank you, my dear friend, Pat! I always enjoy going over to Pat's because she lives in New York (one of my favorite places) and I love to see all the wonderful sites and great places she visits. She loves to travel and I love to travel right along with her!

This friendship award is much appreciated, Pat! And now I will pass this on to some more friends:

Mimi Sue at Mimi Sue's Cottage

Lynn at The Vintage Nest

Penny at Lavender Hill Studio

Kim at Happy at Home

Please pass this on in friendship, too!

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. ~Douglas Pagels

And, I've also been tagged by Kim at Happy at Home for a fun activity. I am supposed to list five songs that I am embarassed to admit that I like. Hmmmm.......ok, here they are:

Kermit the Frog's Rainbow Connection ~ I remember singing this song with my girls when they were small.

You are My Sunshine ~ my grandmother would sing this song to me, and I would sing it to my girls as well.

The sound track to Under the Tuscan Sun ~ ever since I saw this movie (and loved it), I had to have the CD. Sometimes I listen to the music all day long.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow ~ just love it.

What a Wonderful World by Louie Armstrong ~ my Dad's favorite song.

And, there you have it!

If you've read this and would like to join in the fun and play along, consider yourself tagged! You're it!

A change

A big change has taken place in our little household. My husband, Galen, started a new job with a local company last week. His old sales job required lots of traveling (5 states), and he would leave on a Monday morning and would not get home until Friday evening, staying in hotels the whole week. I would only see him on weekends.

This new sales job is a lot less driving, in fact, he'll be home every evening. He's been wanting this change for awhile, we both have, and now it's finally happened after way too many years. I have my hubby back!

I have to get used to sharing the house again! What a difference having him around every evening. It's a good thing!

I'm slowly adjusting and getting into a new routine and feeling a sense of contentment, peace and happiness.

Here's to getting my hubby off the road and back home again!

Congratratulations, Galen, on your new job!

Busy week

It's been a busy week full of activity. Sunday we had our "kick off" meeting for the Hemophilia Walk-A-Thon with a good turnout and all kinds of ideas for the walk on October 18. Lots of excitement!

And our granddaughter, Maddie, spent most of the week with us. Maddie is a ball of energy, and she wore me out but we had a wonderful time!

"Imagination Station", a hands on science museum.

It's hard to believe summer is almost over and school is starting already. Maddie's classes start on Monday.

I hope to get some R&R this weekend and I'll be catching up with everyone real soon!

Time to play

I'll be away from my computer for the next few days. I'm spending time with my granddaughter!

Cardinal

Another bird painting. This painting I just finished last evening. It's acrylic on watercolor paper 4 x 6.

The cardinal is our state bird here in North Carolina.

It is sometimes called the Winter Redbird because it is most noticeable during the winter when it is the only "redbird" present.

Goodwill find

In case you didn't know, my car has this tendency to turn into our local Goodwill. So today while out running some errands, guess where I ended up? That's right. And look what I found!


A wonderful "Bones" canister for Otis and Riley's treats. It was only $1.99. How great is that!







Did I say treats?

OK.

Rain!

We got some much needed rain today. It was the kind of gray day to stay inside and get some things done, which I did. I organized the desk, did some paperwork, gave Otis and Riley a bath, and did three loads of laundry. I also went outside and took some photos.

Puddles on the picnic table.

Overflowing bird bath. The birds were really chirpy today, more than usual, and the hummers were flitting around the feeder all day.

My dry and wilted flowers have once again perked up!

Everything is lush and green again.

This is Lil Miss Priss in the rain. She is one of my drawings from several years ago.

Lil Miss Priss in the rain

Donna's Art

Night lights

Evening settles in with a peacefulness.


Warm lights aglow.


I light a candle on the back porch and sit awhile.



The garden comes to life with little white twinkle lights strung in the tree branches.




Darkness falls.
I go inside and get the coffee ready for the morning.


Nodding off while reading my book, I turn the lights off.

Twilight drops her curtain down, and pins it with a star.

~Lucy Maud Montgomery

Garden therapy

Although I dread the thought, and deeply sigh whenever it's time to prune the hedge, I must admit, it's good therapy.

Today, I decide, is a good day to tackle the job. I get my trusty garden tools out; trimmers, pruners, gloves, ladder, rake, compost bin and broom.

Taking a long deep breath and another sip of hot coffee, I position my aluminum ladder and start in. I feel a gentle, cool breeze. It's heavenly and helps immensely. Before I know it, I'm moving along with the greatest of ease. I feel like Edward Scissorhand!

clip, clip, clip

Here we have a cut through, or an underpass in the hedge as you walk through the gate and into the garden. Our neighbors call our back yard "The Secret Garden".

I round the holly bushes at the end of the driveway.

Another rounded holly bush at the entrance to the garden.

Look at all the berries, even after all the pruning.

So here's a bit of color after looking at all the green. Don't want you to get bored.

The birds were obviously hungry.

It's now late afternoon. A bit of clean-up yet.

Done.
And now I enjoy a cup of coffee on the back patio. I look around at all I accomplished today. What a great feeling!

Truly garden therapy.