A Sweet Memory

The First Fruits

A long ride of togetherness,

made us tired and feeling trapped

 in the confines of our transport.

Country roads, mile after mile,

provided  no resting places.

-

We found simple shade. 

It had been long standing beside the road,

 advanced in years. We recognized,

the pecan tree, although barren of it's fruits.

 We found them scattered

 beneath the tall grasses.

-

 I placed the dried fruit in the folds

of my sweater, and

he boasted  his hands could hold many.

-

Safely kept in my memory of that day,  is his

 breaking the shell, as he prepared

the first fruits for me.

~Dee Dee

-

A JOY FOREVER

A memory without blot

or contamination must be an

exquisite treasure, an

inexhaustible

source of pure

refreshment.

~Charlotte Bronte

-

Have a blessed day....Dee Dee

Still Winter.....And Time To Draw

With pencils, watercolors.

I saw a similar image on a magazine and could

hardly wait to draw. The Mister was concerned

with her mouth , especially her teeth.

"It's art," I said.  "She'll grow on you."

Have a great week!

Dee Dee.....

Not So Ordinary, Simple To Make Chicken Soup

When one mentions chicken soup, it sounds rather ordinary.  

Not true, with my not so ordinary, simple to make

chicken soup.

Dee Dee's Chicken Soup

And how to make it.....

-

Good chicken pieces cooked until falling off the bone.....

for a very nice stock.

-

Ingredients added to stock:

Chicken pieces

Strips of  bacon cut into small pieces.

Potatoes cut into small bite size pieces.

Fresh tomatoes cut into small pieces.

Salt and Pepper.

Chopped green onions.

Grated Parmesan Cheese

-

Simmer all ingredients,( accept the onions and cheese),

for a long while until potatoes are tender.

-

Serve......

Ladle into individual shallow serving bowls.

Top with chopped onions

Splash with heaping tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.

-

Complete the flavors by serving with a nice crusty bread.

-

Have a grand weekend dear family and friends....

and a Blessed Lord's day.....Dee Dee

-

The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

~Numbers 6:26

Staghorn Fern

A beautiful place to walk with my friend, and discovery.

The Staghorn Fern, hanging from a large Holly tree,

seems to be "blooming where it is planted"

as the old saying goes.

I found it amazing, this small courtyard

landscaped with a large variety of tropical plants.

Glad I had my camera, and hope

you enjoy the beauty as much as I did.

Blessings.....Dee Dee

Ducks and More Ducks!

Our walk by the lake, yielded more beautiful photos.

Where there is a natural lake, most assuredly

you will find ducks.  We did!  Plenty of  Ducks!!

 I was partial to this one?

How could you not love this sweet thing?

The only white one in the bunch.....

reminding me of
"The Ugly Duckling" story. 

Ducks were everywhere!

I suppose only a mother could love this ole face.

The  large Muscovy duck is native to Mexico

and Central America.

If I were a duck, I would very decidedly  call this place my home.

-

Come and see the world of God,

awesome in the deeds done for us.

~Psalm 66:5

Blessings....Dee Dee
please double click on photos to enlarge further

Nature Sharing Her Miracles.....

Our good friends  live on a beautiful natural

lake, near Lutz Florida,  just a short drive from our home.

They had invited us up for the day, and we were so looking

forward to our visit and  spending time together.

We had visited their home before, and knew of the amazing

scenery  they awakened to each morning.

The lake so gorgeous, I brought along

the Mister's new camera. 

What we would see, were scenic views

that  I wanted lasting memories of.

Shortly after our arrival at their lovely home, we

set out to walk around the grounds and look

for wildlife.

Words cannot even describe how beautiful the day was,

and the photo opportunities I had. 

The weather, light jacket fabulous, was perfect

for our walk and photo taking.

The Blue Heron, White Ibis and White Egret

were all within a few feet of me, as my camera clicked

at maximum photo speed.

I hope you enjoy my efforts of trying to capture

nature sharing her miracles on what seemed

like a most perfectly magical day.

Blessings....Dee Dee
double click on all photos....

Camellia-A Pleasure To The Senses

 I watched for weeks, waiting for these

beautiful blooms. Double Camellias

are pure pleasure to the senses.

Imagine, in the dead of winter,

nature showing off.

Have a blessed day....Dee Dee

White....

I've been visiting blogs with 

beautiful winter scenery,

 poetic, making 

lasting impressions.

-

Oh, beautiful wintertime splendor array,

Your lovely white blanket is now on display.

~Matheney

-

Snowfall....Like downy feathers fluttering

upon the winter wind.

The breath of beauty's whisper is light upon the air.

Before my eyes the miracle of whiteness everywhere.

~Easley

-

I found white in our neighborhood....at the beach.

Somehow, it's not quite the same.
I'm so enjoying your winter wonderlands bloggy friends....

-

Winter blessings......Dee Dee

Good Thoughts For You......

"May today there be peace within.

May you trust that you are exaxctly

where you are meant to be.

May you use the gifts that you have

received, and pass on the love that

has been given to you.

Let this knowledge settle into

your bones, and allow your soul

the freedom to sing, dance,

praise and love.

It is there for each and every

one of us."

~Mother Teresa

-

Blessings ......Dee Dee

Shopping For Warmer Clothing? Just Maybe....

Thirty-nine degrees!!

The house was cold when we

awakened this morning....early.  We turned

that thermostat up a little, needing warmth, so's to
dress for church without shivering. Good hot
coffee seemed even better somehow.
The Mister wore a sweater vest beneath

 his tweed sport coat. He looked real nice and I
know he was warm.  With my winter suit , and  that
bulky warm scarf wrapped around my neck, I was
ready for frigid weather.
 Maybe not frigid, just colder than usual weather.
The conversation was the same

with just about everyone we spoke to today.......

they all mentioned  the cold weather.
I overheard someone say,   

 "If it drops below 70 degrees, it's too cold for me." 

I've been thinking, if Florida's

weather continues cold, I just

might shop for warmer

clothing.  A few more warm scarves, and a nice

  sweater with a "cowel-neck

collar".... whatever happened

to "mufflers".....when did they go out of style?

I could have used one of those this morning.

Even so, I'm enjoying winter, and hope you are too.

Stay warm family and friends......Dee Dee

Pals.....

They're  brother and sister....Pals.

My grandchildren, 

nearly six and eight years old,

are the oldest of the four children

belonging to our youngest daughter. 

  Both are home schooled by

their mother and father, and they love

and thrive on learning. 

 Lily (beginning to loose her baby teeth)
 loves to read, and

her siblings are grateful for this. 

The library is visited 

twice during the week.  As big sister,

she sets the standards for the other

children in the family, and is somewhat

of a little "mother hen."

In this painting, her facial expression, with

an arm placed around her brother, are

both indicative of her sweet gentle heart

and caring for him.

The mere fact that her brother allows

this, is a quiet language of his love for her.

-

Learning to draw and paint is especially fun

when my subjects are children.

Enjoying the moments......Dee Dee

Take Thought On This.....

Now and then I paint something meaningful to the Mister.

An ole' Navy guy, he is and has always been fond of the

water.  This is one of his favorites, and now hangs on a wall in our home.

As I painted this, I thought of how finally, I have time to do

things that I placed on hold  for so many years. 

-

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by

 the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did do.

So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

~Mark Twain

-

Make it happen dear friends.

Blessings....Dee Dee



Resplendent, Magnificent, Delightful, Wonderful CAMELLIA Bloom

FIRST CAMELLIA BLOOM.... 2011

LARGE CAMELLIA BUDS

PLAYING WITH NATURE'S PERFECTION-PHOTOSHOP

For weeks, I have been waiting and watching for the first

Camellia blooms.  The plant has hundreds of buds, that

had seemingly at one time become dormant.  During

the colder temps, they remained small, as if  they had

received natural signals that now is not the time to grow. 

It was as if they could read the weather signs and

heeded the warnings.  We've had several days of gloriously

beautiful sunshine, coaxing the Camellia along

and then announcing  a time to be born.

Yesterday, while raking and tidying up around the garden,

I ventured between the fence, and behind the giant

Birds of Paradise plants.  Surveying the plants from the back

side was new and  magical to me. As the Mister was warning

of critters to be aware of, it was then  I noticed the

Camellia bloom, growing close to the ground, almost hidden from view.

 Oh my, what a beautiful sighting. The sun was shining through the

taller plants, letting just the right amount through to encourage

the growth and  bloom of the Camellia bud. 

 I went for the camera, of course, and spent

a while in discovery of all that was perfection in this

amazing part of His creation.  You can see some of my

efforts made, so that I might look again another day, and recall

the time and place where nature showed off for me

.......that sweet moment in time.

Have a blessed day......Dee Dee



The Lolly-Pop Tree

Several years ago, we planted a tangerine tree in

the courtyard portion of our garden.  Within a year

or two, the tree was producing fruit that looked

like small tangerines, but tasted like lemons.

A labor of love, the Mister keeps it trimmed....

affectionately calling it the "lolly-pop tree."

Hmmm....feeling thankful for another beautiful day.....

....Dee Dee

Garden Images

Garden images on a cold January day....

the sun was shining brightly and the

sky a beautiful blue.

Flowers growing in large pots

seemed to appreciate all of the elements.

While taking their photo,

I felt the same way....

Enjoying all the beautiful moments....Dee Dee

Thoughts of Queen Victoria

"I love peace and quiet, I hate politics and turmoil.

We women are not made for governing, and if we

are good women, we must dislike these masculine

occupations. There are times which force one to

take interest in them, and I do....

of course intensely."

Ah yes, I'm most agreeable sweet Queen.

Blessings.......Dee Dee

Candlelight Set The Mood....

Humor me a while longer.

As you can see, I'm still playing around

with Photoshop.  I'm calling it a new

art form, for now.

The lantern was a gift for Christmas,

the photo taken as we celebrated

that Holy night. Candlelight seemed

appropriate and set the mood.

In the photo,

you can see packages  under the

tree and a white Poinsettia 

on the table.

I'm loving the color combination,

the blues, bits of

turquoise, pink, green yellow,

umber, white and black.

I think pretty.
-

Have the best week ever.

...Dee Dee

Have you ever done something so unusually good,

 that you never forgot the experience,

not even for a moment?

We took a train ride into the Adirondack Mountains,

in the late fall of the year, with winter fast approaching.

The train was old, just used now for

sightseeing.  We lowered the windows and

allowed the cold air to blow into our faces,

as we looked upon all that was beautiful and good.

-

TO CULTIVATE the sense of the beautiful,

is one of the most effectual ways of cultivating

an appreciation of  Divine goodness~Bovee

-

THE BEAUTY SEEN is partly in him

who sees it.~Bovee

-

Every year of my life, I grow more convinced

that it is wisest and best to focus our

attention on the beautiful.....

-

Have a blessed Lord's day.....Dee Dee

My New White Orchid

I wanted them both for the living room,

my choices were a lovely pot of Paperwhite bulbs

already poking out from the rich black soil,

or the beautiful white Orchid (Orchidaceae).

I brought the Orchid home, 

along with a bag of fertilizer and a new

found determination to keep this pretty

thing alive and healthy for a long long time.

"Talk sweet to your plants"

 I've been told

and they will thrive on your kind words.

My first words to the Orchid....

"Hello Gorgeous!"

-

Look close at the photos,

I think I see a little smile.

Blessings....Dee Dee

Tropicals Still Thriving In The Cold

As long as the temps stay above freezing,

I think the Crotons and Tys will be okay.

So far, so good.

Some plants we've been covering up each

night, but these tropical plants are

still thriving quite nicely.

-

Hard to believe the weekend is here

already.  Time just passes by quickly

when you fill your days with pleasant

thoughts and good things.

Lord bless....Dee Dee



Cold Florida Sky At Sunset

When the Mister called....

"Come and look at this beautiful sunset."

I came quickly, rushing back for my camera and
took a few shots.
 I captured "beauty" in all it's winter skies splendor,

 as the sun was setting over the trees.
The skies ever changing, this is the view
from my front door.

-

I know so little of how to use my photo program,
but as you can see, I an discovering all sorts of

wonderful things to enhance my photos.

I managed to do something quite fascinating...almost
silhouette like. The palm fronds from my

Robellini Palm that grows just outside the door.....

were blowing back and forth, just enough to get into my view.
-

In my composition, are a variety of trees.
A lone Norfolk Island Pine is seen
towering above  the houses in our neighborhood.
In the center of my photo,  is a tall
Pine tree, that is frequented by Florida's many birds.
I've seen flocks of White Ibis, on occasion,
 settle in the highest branches.
The massive  tree to the right, completely
bare of it's leaves this time of year, is an Earpod tree.
Those of you familiar
 with the Mimosa tree that grows  in the south.....
this tree blooms in the spring and it's  leaves are
very much like the Mimosa tree.
-
So, a beautiful end to a  cold winter's day....
Staying warm, hope you are too....
-
Loving all that He created......Dee Dee

She's A Red Haired Girl

I have a great deal of fun drawing

all of them....the girls....

By now, you've noticed she's 

"A Red Haired Girl"

....I love her style.

Once finished with her,

I began thinking of 

"Charlie Brown"

Poor little guy, you just

have to give him a lot of credit for trying.

-

"If I stand here, I can see the

Little Red Haired Girl

when she comes out of her house....

Of course, if she sees me peeking around

this tree, she'll think I'm the dumbest person

in the world....

But if I don't peek around the tree, I'll never

see her....which means I probably am the

dumbest person in the world....which explains

why I'm standing in a batch of poison oak."

~Charles M. Schulz

-

Having a grand ole time.....

Blessings....Dee Dee

"When A Lady Needs A Hanky"

Pencils and Watercolors

and all that is gloriously fun with photo programs.

I continue to enjoy drawing and painting young ladies

from the 40s period. I  suppose it has something to

do with all those old  movie star magazines

I read in my teens, and those great old movies

we set up late to watch  on Friday nights.

I loved the fashions the starlets wore then

and yet still compared to fashions today.
It seems to me, that back then  

a lady was particular with her

wardrobe beginning at the top

of her head......fabulous hats,

elaborate and gorgeous dresses

and of course the beginning

of outlandish stiletto heels.

Loretta Young and Mareen O'hara

were two of my favorites and

were stylishly fabulous.
-

And in those days,  what proper young lady

would be without a delicate hanky tucked away for

tears she might shed at any given moment.

Thus the lacey hanky in the hand

of my young subject.

Interesting how she came to be, as

I never know the particulars, when I begin to draw.
She has just a hint of sadness in her eyes,
and perhaps the beginning of a tear......

-

Enjoying and learning about art,

and loving  all the moments.....

Have a great week!......Dee Dee



Layers Of Enhancements....

For as long as our

Roses in the garden flourish

 I will continue to fill this little

crystal bowl with them.

Hopefully, this will be all winter long.

I find them to be the epitome of 

 all that is lovely to look at.

With a new photo program

to work with, they are the

subjects of my curiosity

as I cover them with layer

after layer of photo

enhancements.

Thereby, they have given

me more than enough

time-filling

entertainment this

cool winter afternoon.

Wishing you good things....Dee Dee

The Great Blue Heron

A while back, we we're  vacationing

at Bradenton Beach Florida.

A favorite place for us, 

a couple of hours drive  from our home.

As is true of most areas on  Florida's

coast, there is a thriving bird population.

Even today, I have sweet clear memories

of a particular incident we had, while fishing on

a heavily birded fishing pier.

 While catching very

little in the way of saltwater fish,

as is a usual thing,  

my interest

began drifting elsewhere. 

  I began noticing

the variety of birds, focusing  especially on a

tall  Great  Blue Heron.

I am quite sure, "dinner" was

on his mind, having no fear of us

and waiting for the "catch."

As I recall, we did eventually...

feed him, by tossing him our bait.

No fish for either of us....

but he did allow for photos

taken by me, being a good sport.

From this memory, and

in keeping with my painting theme

"birds"

  for now,

I thought it a good idea

to paint the

"Great Blue Heron."

I hope you enjoy my efforts.

Blessings....Dee Dee