Thursday, July 31, 2014

My First Dragonfly

Good morning Folks ~ I feel much better this morning.  Had a good night’s sleep and today is a new day.

Since I started ribbon embroidery and seeing the tutorials on Crafty Attic, I have wanted to make a dragonfly, and here is my first attempt. It could be better as this guy has a vertebrae out of whack and his antennae could be longer as could the little pointy things at the end of his tail. It was fun to do and I am looking forward to doing these guys in different colors.

07-31-first-dragonfly

The symbolic meanings of dragonflies are the following:

adaptability and transformation,

joy and lightness of being.

Have a great day or evening wherever you are. I’m planning to do some straightening up here in my little cottage, make a loaf of banana bread, and just enjoy the day.

FlowerLady

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Heat, humidity & a possible hurricane

Good afternoon Friends ~ Sorry I’ve not posted anything newsy in a couple of weeks. Summer is very draining with the heat and humidity and missing my dear husband is draining at times too.  This is a new way of living, it takes getting used to. I miss having someone to talk to, to share things with, to laugh with, to love. I miss him, he was quite a character, the love of my life.  Last night I dreamed I went into the workshop and there he was and he had cleared the work tables.  I asked him how he did that, but he didn’t answer me, he just smiled. I went out into the workshop this morning to get something and looked at the work tables that I have filled up, after having cleared them off soon after he left this planet. I thought I’m not doing anything with this until cooler weather comes. It will all still be there for me to tackle then and it will be nicer.

Thank you for emails and comments, they mean a lot to me. You care and you don’t even know me except through this blog.

I have days where everything goes along pretty normally, then I get zapped by something that triggers lots of memories. Tears are sometimes because of sorrow, but there are also tears of joy for what we had and I am so thankful for our 43 years together. I laugh right out loud at times thinking of things too.  So, it’s not all gloom and doom, it is just a learning curve and I am doing better than I was in the beginning. God has been my strength, seeing me through each and every day. This morning when I woke up I thanked Him for the new day, and asked Him for strength to get through whatever came up in the day.

Summer is really the pits down here. It can be in the 80’s but with the humidity it feels like it is in the 100’s and you feel like you are in a sauna as soon as you walk out the door. I try to get outside between 7-8 and work for 2-3 hours.  It all depends on how hot and humid it is and if there are breezes or not. With all of the rain we’ve been having, weeds and vines have been running rampant and I’m not keeping up with it very well at all.  My dear husband used to take care of the vines on the fencing and in the back 40, but now I’m doing the work of two and it isn’t easy or fun. I wake up in the middle of the nights thinking of all the work and it is overwhelming at times. I am working on getting rid of the iron and ‘junk’, that I don’t want to keep, but it is slow going.

07-17-before

Before

I did the clearing a week or so ago, and there’s still more to do, but I’ve not had the gumption. The piece of iron is an old clamping device of some sort, very heavy and I think I’ll just let flowers twine up it.  The piece of tree in the background is artistic too so I want to work with that.

After

07-17-after2hours

I really shouldn’t complain, and I do count my blessings. My little place is paid for, my van is paid for, I am still working a couple of days a week. My gardens bring me joy and make me feel thankful.  I enjoy working with needle, threads, ribbons and beads.

I did buy some needle working tools and supplies yesterday and created two felt hearts this afternoon. The roses and leaves and stems are all created in white ribbon, then colored with my alcohol ink markers.  Such fun!

07-30-heart

07-30-heart2

07-30-heart3

07-30-heart4

Below is one of my favorite blooms here in my tropical gardens.

I have a red flowering one two grown from cuttings, but it hasn’t bloomed yet.

Passion Flower

07-30-passion-flower

The orange blossoms of the Poinciana tree caught my eye this afternoon with the stormy skies behind, and caravan roof in the foreground.

07-30-stormy

This is something I worked on in the bedroom this week. I found this shelf unit curbside on my way to work a few years back. I grouped mementos and photos here by the bed and I like it.

07-27-sweet-memorabilia

So, there you have it. A little of what is going on down here in s.e. Fl.

Hopefully the weather activity they are watching east of here will not turn into a hurricane heading in our direction.

I wish you all peace, love and contentment.

FlowerLady

Sunday, July 20, 2014

‘Hugs-n’-kisses’ Hibiskiss

 

To answer the question some of you have asked regarding my collage of this wonderful hibiscus, yes these blooms are all from the same plant.

Here is a link about these wonderful variety of hibiscus.

Here is my collage once again. If you can find this grab it, you won’t be disappointed.  I bought mine at Home Depot in March of last year, three months after my dear husband went to be with Jesus. The colors of the blooms made me gasp and head over to them, and then seeing the name of the plant did it to me, I loaded it up into my cart.

PicMonkeyCollage

Looking at this collage again, I am truly amazed and the wonderful colors!!!

I am starting to think I might have a new love in hibiscus.  Besides this one I have 5 others in pink, red and salmon.

FlowerLady

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Yes, I’m still here

 

One of my followers, Rebecca, asked if I was still here, after that last post of hot, muggy temps. I am, and it is still hot and muggy. Just walking outside the sweat starts to bead up, it is awful! Yesterday morning I mowed, still need to weed whack, but that’s for another day.  I just can’t handle anymore than three hours outside in the mornings during the summer. Then I come in and veg the rest of the day in the a.c.

I visited PicMonkey yesterday and made a collage of the hibiscus, Hugs-n-kisses.  It shows all the wonderful colors and variations.  I just LOVE these flowers. Click on photo for a closer/larger view. These blooms are all from one bush.

PicMonkeyCollage

While I was in here sitting at my computer yesterday afternoon I heard a thud.  I thought to myself, what is that? A car door? I checked out the window, no one was in the driveway. I took my camera outside a few minutes later because I wanted to get a photo of the carved wooden arms of an old Italian chandelier that was broken. Well, when I went outside I saw what I had heard. One palm frond was in my Queen Crepe, which I had to lift then pull out.  The fall broke a center limb of the QC, Sad smile but that’s a small thing in the overall scheme of life. New growth will happen. I then looked in the driveway and there was another frond.  I’ve never had two down at once and they look they had been torn from the trunk, they didn’t just come off naturally.  I got the tree saw and cut these into thirds and took them out front to be picked up by the brush people on Friday.

07-15-palm-frond2

07-15-palm-frond1

 I had a wonderful surprise visit Monday afternoon from my sister Cheri and brother-in-law Vaughn. They live in the northwestern part of our state. We’ve not seen each other in about 18 years. It was a short visit but a happy one. It was also very emotional which left me drained afterwards and I felt sad yesterday too.  But, today I am feeling more like my old self again.  When Cheri and I hugged I just sagged into her comforting and loving embrace. I am so thankful for the visit we had, it was a real blessing.  Cheri walked around mentioning things she had seen on my blog, which was really neat. Of course, she saw all the nitty-gritty, not just the select views like I show in my blog. Winking smile

Here are the pieces from the chandelier. I will pull out the light wires later. The arms had an iron rod inserted for the wiring and that rod was then welded to the chandelier framework in the center. I told them what I was thinking of doing but that I couldn’t cut them off. I had tried with a hacksaw, but that didn’t work. Vaughn suggested a saws-all and I told him I have saws-alls but was/am afraid of power tools. He asked if I had one with a metal blade and I said I didn’t know, so we went inside the workshop to look and there was one, and he proceeded to cut the arms off. Thank you Vaughn.  That is a blessing to me and a project to cross off my list of projects to be done.

The chandelier has been sitting on the outdoor workbench since I brought it home. It was broken, in two sections, and my boss threw it out. Well, you know me, I was ‘trained’ by a curbside shopper and after years of finding goodies, I could NOT let this go to the landfill to be buried. The two sections have just been sitting there as an ‘eye sore’. This whole area outside the workshop is a work in progress of cleaning up.

07-15-chandelier

The arms are 9 inches at the widest part for the small, 8 inches high, and three inches deep at the cup looking part at the top. The larger one is 12 inches wide by about 8 1/2 inches high, cup is the same size as smaller one.

They have a red bole with silver leaf on parts as you can see. I’m thinking of selling these in my Etsy shop in pairs.

07-15-chandy-arms

07-16-close-up-chandy-arm

 

Here is my finished needlework piece, ‘Trust in the Lord’.

Overall size is roughly 9” wide x 8” high and a couple of inches thick.

I crocheted the flower and the butterfly. Used some old lace and trims, seed beads and fresh water pearls, and did some silk ribbon embroidery too.

I made it into a little pillow, lightly stuffed with poly-fill and backed with felt.

07-09-trust-in-the-lord

07-09-trust-in-the-lord3

07-09-trust-in-the-lord4

07-09-trust-in-the-lord5

07-09-trust-in-the-lord2

07-09-trust-in-the-lord6

Now here come some sunrise pictures from the other day.

‘Red sky at night

sailors delight,

red sky in the morning

sailors take warning.’

We did have thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Seeing the moon from the bedroom window is what made me go out with the camera to get pictures below.

These are looking west.

07-13-moon-setting-at-sunrise

07-013-moon-setting-at-sunrise2

07-13-moon-setting-at-sunrise4

07-13-moon-setting-at-sunrise3

07-13-sunrise

07-13-sunrise2

07-13-sunrise3

These are looking east.

07-13-sunrise4

07-13-sunrise5

07-13-sunrise6

07-13-sunrise7

Sorry for the power lines, but it is what it is.

07-13-sunrise8

Today is a new day and I am going to be pampered this afternoon, treated to a shampoo and cut for my work with the FNF blog. My hair is long and I want to keep it that way, I’m just going to get it trimmed and tapered up the sides. The stylist has long hair herself and several customers with long hair, so I feel rather safe in her hands.  My dear husband used to trim my hair, but alas. I am looking forward to having this done.  I think having my hair washed by someone else will be very soothing. The last time anyone did that for me was my husband after we had been in a car wreck. We took a shower together and he stood behind me to wash my hair, which had some blood in it from my scalp being cut by my hair beret when slammed against the seat by the airbag.  It was a very tender moment, one I’ve never forgotten. I miss tender times, but have lots of memories of old ones.

Wherever you are whatever you are doing, create and cherish tender moments. Thank the God of all creation for your many blessings. Ask Him for strength whenever you need it. If we believe in Him, He has promised to never leave or forsake us.

 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…Deu 33:27 

Happy Summer ~ FlowerLady

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

It is hot and humid ~ 83 but feels like 106

 

Good morning Folks ~ It is a hot, muggy morning, right around 10:30 and just miserable out as you can see by the title of this post. We had some rain earlier, but now the sun is shining. I got a load of laundry in the machine, and hope to get it hung out and dried before afternoon thunderstorms roll in. I mowed yesterday afternoon around 4:30 and was soaked from sweating when finished.  At least there was cloud cover. I’ve more yard work to do but not today.

I took some pics on the 4th, and some this morning, the 8th.  I’ve moved potted roses over to my St. Francis garden, so that I can water them easier, and I love the new look.

Click on photos for a larger view.

07-08-st-fran

Everything is growing like crazy, flowers and weeds, I’ll just show the flowers though not the weeds. Smile Below is my front patio jungle with the main garden at the back of photo with the gazing ball.

07-04-frnt-patio-jungle

Here is the ‘caravan’. My homemade arbor is being covered by moonflower vines and confederate jasmine vines.

07-08-morning2

A few weeks back I was having a hard time with closing the door to the caravan. Then one morning it came off the hinge.  I thought ‘what the heck now?’ I looked and the hinge pin had worked it’s way out somehow and disappeared. I found it under the step up into caravan, then had to wrangle holding the door while aligning the two parts of hinge, one on caravan and the other on the door.  Finally got it and now all is well again in that dept.  I added the mailbox which has heart cut outs on it, and the other iron piece on the left side, plus the little iron holder, that is holding a heart shaped rock. I’ve not done anymore in the inside, except to put ‘stuff’ in there, neatly in shelves and plastic drawer units.

07-08-morning

Here is my favorite hibiscus.  The coloring is more mellow in this bloom than in blooms past, but it is still a beauty. This is ‘Hugs-n’-kisses’.

07-04-hugs-kisses

07-04-hugs-kisses2

This is Tahitian Gardenia.  I just love these big wonderfully scented blooms.

07-04-tahitian-gardenia

This is the dwarf white orchid tree. These flowers have a nice delicate scent.

Bauhinia acuminata.

07-04-white-orchid-tree

07-04-white-orchid-tree2

Here are some sky shots this morning. The first one is looking in a southwesterly direction.

07-08-am-west

Now this is looking south.  Stormy weather heading our way.

07-08-am-south

The next three are looking east.

07-08-am-east3

07-08-am-east2

07-08-am-east

Now here are some rose blooms.

‘Bon Silene’

07-04-bon-silene

07-04-bon-silene2

07-04-bon-silene3

I think this is ‘Heirloom’.

07-04-heirloom

‘Knockout’ in red.

07-04-knockout-red

‘Maggie’ an old favorite with two blooms that I almost missed. I need to make cuttings of this rose as it is an ‘old garden rose’ and one of my favorites, and I’d hate to lose it.

07-04-maggie

This is an unknown wonderfully scented rose.

07-04-noid-lavender

Unknown miniature.

07-04-noid-red-mini

07-04-noid-red-mini2

This miniature rose is called ‘Picnic’.

07-04-picnic-mini

This is an old-time favorite, ‘Prosperity’.

07-04-prosperity

07-04-prosperity2

07-04-prosperity3

07-04-prosperity4

‘Louis Philippe’ known as the Florida Cracker Rose. I’ve had this rose for years and years, and it’s a cutting from my original which I had for many years.

07-08-louis-philippe

07-08-louis-philippe2 

Another unknown miniature.

07-08-noid-mini-peach

And

‘that’s all folks’,

as Bugs Bunny used to say.

I hope you all are having a good week so far.

Count your blessings and ask God for strength to get you through rough times.

FlowerLady