Peanutted FlowerLady

 

Hi Folks ~ Hope your weekend is going well so far. I finished another beaded heart pin, which I am giving to a long-time friend. We met 27 years ago when we had antique shops with our husbands. Life has brought us both changes, but God has been and is seeing us through them.

Thank you all for your kinds comments on my last post. My faith in God is in tact, has been, it’s just that I am a worrier, anxious about things and always have been, but more so since losing my dear husband. I have been drawn closer to God these past 33 1/2 months, I just need to relax and give him all of my burdens big or small. Nothing is too hard for him. We don’t always get what we want in this life, and things don’t always work out like we think they should, but we can  know this, God is taking care of things for our good and his honor and glory. We will understand it all one day.

As to my orchids, none of them are inside, I don’t have a single plant growing indoors. My orchids grow will-nilly in the gardens, in the trees, hanging here and there and they seem content. They are mostly in the shade or semi shade. When we do have temps around freezing, which is hardly ever, I try to put them in a protected space.

The little kitten is still around, and of course, you all know why, it has a ‘sucked’ FlowerLady into putting out food. It is a tiny thing, and meows when I talk to it, and it is hidden from view. One of my blogging commenters, Suzie of ‘Persimmon Moon Cottage’, suggested the name ‘Rosebud’ after the poem I had quoted about a kitten. Well, I thought that a great idea or a variation on the theme, so have already started calling it ‘Rosey Posey’ if it is a girl, and if it’s a boy he will be ‘Rose Buddy’. It will know it’s name.  When it is big enough, and if I decide to keep it, I’ll have to take it to get fixed, hopefully it will be my sweet little friend by then. Our four other girls were all feral little babies on this property and we won them over.  I’ll keep you posted.

Another blogging friend posted a cute ‘peanutized’ picture of herself on her blog, Beads & Birds. I went to the Peanut website here and went through the little fun process and came up with a peanutted version of myself, with what I had to choose from.

Get yourself Peanutted here.

Love, hugs & prayers for all of you,

FlowerLady

Be Anxious for nothing

 

Hi Folks ~ Here it is another Friday.  I hope you all have lovely weekends. Tomorrow I’d like to do some inside ‘homecaring’. I decided against the expensive Mopnado, and did more Google searching and found the most popular wring mop is the Libman Wonder Mop, $8.99. (Better for my budget.) So I bought one and some Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Lavender Multi-Surface Concentrate from my Publix grocery. Haven’t used them yet, as this morning I weed-wacked and mowed and wore myself out.  My left arm was weak and shaky after weed wacking, and is still a bit weak even now at 7:16 p.m. I have more to do but that can wait til next week.

It may be fall by the calendar, but it sure doesn’t feel like it down here in s.e. FL. Very hot and humid still, a.c. running.

This morning I noticed a fresh opened orchid bloom from one of the orchids I bought this past spring at our botanical gardens orchid show and sale. There are several more buds on this one. I just love this orchid.

Izumu dendrobium

The yellow orchid from the other day has opened fully and it is

Sunflower Phalaenopsis

This is a ground orchid about to open.

Yesterday I also bought a dawn to dusk LED light that either mounts to the wall or you can have on a garden stake. It plugs into an outlet. I mounted it to the workshop wall. Boy does it put out the light. I still have to tweak the position but I am happy with it. It lights up behind my cottage. The old security light finally croaked last year I think, maybe earlier this year, and I’ve needed something, so I did more Googling and decided to try this light, which you can get at HD.

This morning in my email I got Max Lucado’s devotional and after reading it I went to his website where I found something by him, just meant for me today. I have a confession to make, I’m not as strong as some of you may think. My faith wobbles at times, but I talk to God a lot throughout my days and nights, telling him my thoughts and prayers, and also thank him for his many blessings. He blesses me with peace and is my strength when I am weak.

The piece I watched today really blessed my heart and at the end something triggered tears, I’m not sure what at the moment. God cares deeply for each of us and we need to keep our focus on that instead of what is going on around us or happening with us.

Here’s the link Be Anxious For Nothing, by Max Lucado. He is a very gentle, kind speaker and blesses many.

This week I became a member of a small group in part of a world wide Bible Study, by BSF, Bible Study Fellowship. This organization is over 50 years old, it is inter-denominational. My sis-in-law told me about this new study just starting up last week. She’s been a member for 19 years now and is a leader of a small group where she lives, which is over an hour away. Each small group has around 15 ladies. In my group, I’m the oldest and the only widow. I look forward to getting to know each of these ladies and to be blessed and drawn closer to God in the study, which is the book of Revelation this time. We meet for 30 weeks at a host church, where we get together for singing, prayer and a lecture on the upcoming study, and we divide into our smaller groups to discuss what we learned from reading the scriptures and answering questions for the last week. It is really good. One of my blogging friends who lives in VA has already found a BSF group meeting in her area and hopes to be able to go. If any are interested, you can go to their website and find out if there are any studies happening in your area, by clicking the following link, BSF.

I’ve been enjoy your blogs about fall and cooler temps happening in your areas.  Enjoying seeing how you decorate for the season, reading recipes, etc. You all inspire me.

Have a great weekend ~ be thankful ~ FlowerLady

***

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Wind Song, Mopnado, House painting, A kitten

Hello Folks ~ I hope you all had a nice weekend and are off to a good start this week. Some of you are enjoying cooler temps, not so down here in s.e. FL.  Right now it is 87 degrees F and with the humidity it feels like it is 96 degrees F.

Rain has ended for a few days, I was able to wash and hang out a load of laundry yesterday, also trimmed the secret garden’s hedge. This morning I didn’t get up or out early enough to do much before the sun got overhead, just did a little path clearing in the St. Francis garden.

More rain is expected with afternoon and evening thunderstorms for the next few days, which is our normal summer weather pattern.

***

This morning I did some online searching for a mop and for house painting prep work. I think the best reviews I found for a mop is the Mopnado Deluxe Spin Mop. I read product reviews and saw some you-tube reviews for top 10 mops.   Does anyone have this mop?  I have used sponge mops, string mops and been on hands and knees, not feasible these days, but in my younger years. Haven’t been happy with any of the mops so far.

I have laminate faux oak wood and vinyl flooring.

***

Since I’m thinking about house painting I checked you-tube and came up with this guy John Burbridge. I went to his website too. Just watching one video really inspired me. Like one of my commenters  said in my last post, just do one wall at a time, and that was what I was already thinking, but her comment was encouraging and made me feel ready to tackle the project when cooler weather gets here. The prep work is going to be the worst part, but, it’s important.  One of the tools he suggested was a Walkman Radio. Maybe I could find one at a thrift store.  This guy has a sense of humor and at this time in my life it’s something/another thing I miss about my DH. He had a great, quirky sense of humor and knew how to make me laugh. Laughter is good medicine.

***

Last week I was at Walmart to see if they had any beading foundation material, didn’t find. Walked around killing time until the Bead Store opened at 10. I remembered reading, when I was doing another online search for Wind Song cologne, that Walmart had it, so I headed to that dept. They did have it and I decided to buy it.

Here’s the story behind my liking this. When we were on our 60 day European trip by Eurail before we came home from Spain, (DH was in the US Navy and we lived in Rota, Spain for a little over three years), I found a spray metal container of Wind Song in the bottom of the armoire in our room in Venice. I sprayed some on and immediately loved it. I did a Google search on it the other day after I got home with my ‘natural spray’ bottle. From what I read, it’s no wonder I liked it. You can read all about it here. Here’s a bit from the website. “Wind Song by Prince Matchabelli is a Floral fragrance for women. Wind Song was launched in 1953. Top notes are coriander, orange leaf, mandarin orange, tarragon, neroli, bergamot and lemon; middle notes are cloves, carnation, orris root, jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose and brazilian rosewood; base notes are sandalwood, amber, musk, benzoin, vetiver and cedar.”

Pics from the box it came in. Front, side, top and back.

I don’t remember hearing of this or smelling it until I found this spray in Venice. I don’t remember TV commercials either.

I wore Woodhue in my late teens. Here’s some info I just found on it ~  Woodhue perfume was launched in 1944 and was extremely popular 50-ies. It opens with the notes of orange, bergamot and citrus. The heart is composed of jasmine, laid on a base of sandalwood, vanilla, cedar and musk.

I like a lot of different scents, there are some good musks that I’ve worn, florals and earthy scents too.

‘Happy’ is a wonderful scent my friend Nanci gave me. Info found on it ~ Clinique Happy is a fragrance of joy, the essence of a sunny, happy morning. Wear Happy and be happy! Fresh apple, plums and bergamot mixed with the fresh-air accord as top notes proceed into the egzotic floral heart composed of freesia, lily, rose and morning orchid. Musk and amber are in perfume’s base. It was created in 1997.

Many years ago my Mom gave me a bottle of Tatiana by Diane von Furstenberg, someone had given it to her but she did not like the scent.  I loved it. Info ~

Tatiana perfume from the fashion house Diane von Furstenberg was launched in 1975, packed in bottles designed by Serge Mansau.

Top notes: bergamot, hyacinth and orange blossom. Heart: gardenia, jasmine, narcissus, rose and tuberose. Base: amber, musk and sandalwood.

My sis-in-law Fern gave me Jessica McClintock Eau de Parfum a long time ago and I loved that too. Info ~ Jessica McClintock by Jessica McClintock is a Floral fragrance for women. Jessica McClintock was launched in 1988. Top notes are cassia, basil, ylang-ylang, bergamot, black currant and lemon; middle notes are jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and rose; base notes are musk and woody notes.

Perfume info found on Fragrantica.

Now, that I’ve read all of this, I can see why ‘FlowerLady’ liked the scents.

***

The other night before bed I heard what sounded like a pitiful kitten meow out off the kitchen. It was dark out, and even with the porch light on, I didn’t see anything and of course, it didn’t meow when I went out there. It meowed a couple of more times, then all was silent. The next morning when I went out to the barn to visit the barn girls, feed them and clean their litter,  they seemed weird. I was talking to them like I always do, when I heard a ‘meow’.  I went outside to where I heard the noise coming from and talked to the kitten, and it would meow, but wouldn’t come out. I went back inside to the girls, and then I heard the meow at the doorway where I come in. I caught something out of the corner of my eye, so decided to put some dry food there and also got a container of fresh water. I went inside the house for my camera too, and barely caught the little critter.  A little black one.

Yesterday I didn’t see or hear it. This morning when I went out to feed the girls, something black caught my eye at the glass door, and sure enough there was the little critter and of course he/she ran away when I got up and headed in his/her direction.

I don’t need another cat, but the pitiful cry tugged at my heart strings.

“A kitten is, in the animal world, what a rosebud is in the garden.”
Robert Sowthey

So that’s what’s going on here at Plum Cottage.

FlowerLady

***

“A good fragrance is really a powerful cocktail of memories and emotion.”
Jeffrey Stepakoff

“Sometimes a scent is more evocative than a photo or an image. It is a primer for the deflagration of sensation, emotions, desires, uncontrollable atmospheres, dejavus that flood and wrap us like honey, until they make us drown in an unrepeatable moment of wellbeing... olfactory hallucinations that lead us anywhere: to the North of any South, to the East of any West...”
PROFUMUM ROMA

“They ask me what kind of perfume I wear or how I choose a signature scent or what to wear to what occasion. The truth is, I just go into the perfumery and pick out the most beautiful smell. I sniff the scent and then see with my mind’s eye the vision that it brings to my heart. If I want to wear that vision with me every day until the bottle is all used-up, then that’s the perfume I’ll purchase. And I do use it up until there’s nothing left and only then do I go out to buy another one. Another vision for another year or two. Fragrance, to me, is about wearing a perspective on your skin. The scent itself is the vehicle by which you can be reminded of those pictures that those notes have opened in your soul.”
C. JoyBell C.

 

 

Rain, rain & more rain

 

Hello Folks ~ Rain is camping out over Florida, it’s been a wet week and more expected through Sunday. There was a little window of sunshine earlier today. I’m sure glad I got out and mowed on Monday. I would say our drought conditions are over.

Plum Cottage is sitting in a jungle more so than usual.

Below are different greenery growing on trees.

The first two photos are on the palm tree.  Isn’t it neat? The different colors of green and different textures.

Resurrection ferns that only look like this after it rains, otherwise it looks brown, dried up and dead most of the time. Notice the house paint colors on the wall. I was looking at this wall today and there is a lot of flaking paint. Sheesh!  I’ve got my work cut out for me this fall/winter/spring, as I want to get the cottage painted.  I do finally have a color I’m happy with, now I just need to go buy 5 gallons of it, pressure clean the walls, scrape paint, caulk, then paint.

This is a sweet flowering tree, Bahinia, white orchid tree, with a delicate scent.

Dang!  I missed seeing this until it had already opened and closed. This is on the front gate and I haven’t been checking this cereus cactus to see if it even had any buds on it. They sneak up on you, and if I’m not looking up, I miss them. This is the second bloom on this cactus.  The first bloom was the one DH and I photographed three years ago.

Salvia coccina ~ Looking at this photo makes me itch to paint the cottage.  Maybe I’ll start with this wall.

This little orchid is sweet, don’t know the name of it. Tomorrow it will be full open.  These two photos were maybe a few hours apart.

Picnic

Crepuscule

An unknown.

Oatmeal bread. Hmmm, hmmmm.

Hamelia paten flowers with our state butterfly,

the Zebra Longwing.

My little house mate, Miss Tork. This is where she sleeps most of the time, it’s her chair.

Well, it’s lightly raining again, my stomach is rumbling and that’s the news from Plum Cottage.

Have a wonderful weekend ~ FlowerLady

***

"How beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and the heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!"

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Rain in Summer

Hurray!

 

Thank you all for your kind thoughts about my going to the dentist on Friday. For something not being planned, it sure all came together, and I was in and out, minus the offending tooth, in under an hour. She gave me the ‘sr. citizens’ novocaine amount, and I did much better this time than last. The numbness was gone by 2 p.m.

She had give me a prescription for pain, Vicodin (sp.?) and my sis-in-law said that’s really strong and makes one feel loopy. I decided not to fill the prescription.  I had already did the credit card thing, but the pharmacist said I didn’t have to take the prescription if I didn’t want to. He reversed the credit card payment, and I opted for Ibuprophen, which I ended up only taking three of.  The Vicodin would have been $30 for 12. I don’t think so.

Anyway, I feel so much better having that tooth gone. It’s been bothering me for quite awhile now.  I may end up getting a partial plate, but not right now.  I was so thankful for my sis-in-law being with me.  She was GREAT moral support.

Yesterday morning I moved potted roses to a sunnier location, now that the sun is heading south, they were not getting enough sunlight. I did a little weeding too, but that was it for outside work, about an hour. I came in ate some yogurt, took and ibu. then took a nap.

I took some pics of blooming flowers the other day.  The gardens are so overgrown from all of the rain we’ve been getting. I look forward to getting out there and tackling the overgrowth. Fall is coming and I keep feeling it in the air.

Mexican Petunias

Rosinweed, a Florida native

Pentas

Cuban Buttercup

Philippine Violet

Cocktail

Maggie

Unknown

Picnic

Now here are my latest bead creations. I learned how to make little beaded wire flower sprays the other day, by watching you-tube tutorials.

This one I made for and gave to my sis-in-law, Sue, for taking me out to see my mother. It has seed beads, bugle beads, and fresh water pearls.

This one is made with seed beads, bugle beads and an antique rhinestone as the large flower center.

This one I’ve started the beaded edging on but it doesn’t show up very well, so will choose other beads, plus I had forgotten to sew on the pin back to the back of pin, so had to pull the two pieces apart, they were glued.

This is the one I’ve been working on, started it yesterday morning. Look at my bent beading needle.  This is what happens to them after awhile of being used. This needle has a big eye, which I love, there’s a big split in the needle that you spread apart to put the thread through. Easy peasy.

I want to thank you all for you kind and encouraging comments about my Mom and I and our visit. I encourage those who need to put the past behind, to do so, if at all possible. I know some times it is not, because of circumstances. So much of what we go through though is really petty in the overall scheme of things.

As we age we see things differently, losing someone changes our views of things too.

I think most families have ‘stuff’ that needs to be released so that they can be free to grow, as families and individuals.

 

To forgive is to set a prisoner free
and discover that the prisoner was you.
Lewis B. Smedes, "Forgiveness — The Power to Change the Past,"
Christianity Today, 1983 January 7th

Forgiveness is a funny thing.
It warms the heart and cools the sting.
William Arthur Ward

Forgiveness does not change the past,
but it does enlarge the future.
Paul Boese

God’s blessings on all of us as we live our lives each and every day.

That’s it for now. Time for some supper. Thunder is rumbling to the south. Which reminds me, I had another lightening strike real close as I was rinsing my feet with the garden hose the other day. Sheesh. Thunder had been in the distance that time too, like that last close strike, and no other strikes that close afterwards.

Have a great week ~ FlowerLady