Monday, January 31, 2011

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

Sunday, January 30, 2011

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.....

Saturday, January 29, 2011

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

Friday, January 28, 2011

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

Thursday, January 27, 2011

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....

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

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

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

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

Monday, January 24, 2011

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

Sunday, January 23, 2011

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

Saturday, January 22, 2011

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


Friday, January 21, 2011

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


Thursday, January 20, 2011

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

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

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

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

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

Monday, January 17, 2011

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



Sunday, January 16, 2011

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

Saturday, January 15, 2011

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

Friday, January 14, 2011

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


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

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

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

"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


Monday, January 10, 2011

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

Sunday, January 9, 2011

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