DRIED FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS/ EVERLASTING BEAUTY FROM YOUR OWN GARDEN.

February seems to have taken wings. It's time to think Spring. Spring means gardening. A type of gardening that brought me more pleasure then I'd even expected was the year I planted Everlastings. It was my intention to fulfill a dream I'd had for years. I'd heard that some of the original dried flower arrangements that had decorated George Washington's home are still there today. That, to me, was fascinating. By Fall of the previous year many of the perennials I'd started in summer with this in mind had begun showing through the ground. Now, it was time to start annuals. In early March I purchased several "Peat Pellet Greenhouses" designed to hold 72 seedlings each. In them I placed Strawflower, Statice, Hare's Tail, Quaking Grass, and any other seeds I could find listed in seed catalogs under the heading "Everlastings". Blue and purple larkspur and blue flax, an excellent choice for dried flower arrangements, had always been a garden favorite and I knew I could count on them to come through each spring as soon as the weather warmed. Perennial Baby's Breath had been planted the previous summer and its appearance was being eagerly awaited, too. Meanwhile, with snow still on the ground, my tiny seedlings would flourish. Warm and snug they sat watching, through sunny window panes, the melting snow outside being replaced with warmer and warmer days. Windows could then be opened to allow the delicate plants exposure to real sunlight, little by little, as long as no cold breezes blew over them. Later they would be transfered outside onto a picnic table to become gently conditioned to the elements, being brought back inside at night. As the seedlings became stalks and the nights warmed they would be left outside permanently, except if heavy rain came. Some of them grew vigorously, a little too vigorously for the tiny peat pellets to sustain them any longer. Those, I simply placed into larger peat pots filled with potting soil. This allowed them to thrive until it was time to set the entire peat pot containing them into the garden soil. Planting in this way protected them from the shock transplanting sometimes causes. There they would be fed organic compost, mulched and tended as they grew and burst into blazing colorful blooms and grasses. Later I will discuss harvesting and utilizing these beautiful heirloom everlastings in numerous ways to beautify your home all winter long.

WATER GARDEN BEAUTY - PHOTOS SHOW SEASONAL CONTRAST. Snow/Rain/ Ice...Tranquility in the Midst of Chaos

Weather-wise, the past few days have been incredible, to say the least. It was bitter cold when snow began falling, then a warm front moved in dropping rain and sleet. With ground temps still frigid the rain sank into the snow and turned it into solid ice. Before it was over, rain turned back to snow dropping several more inches over top of the icy landscape. We were in to stay. No one would be going anywhere. Schools and businesses closed. Motorists on near-by major highways became stranded for DAYS. The National Guard was called out to distribute food and assist them in any way they could. Clearing pathways here at home had to be calculated carefully. We first needed to figure out how to clear a way to the most necessary places with the least possible effort. Chopping, chipping and picking was only the first step. Then came lifting the heavy chunks and finding someplace to put them. After having lived for well over a half a century I cannot recall ever having had to deal with worse conditions during winter. Whether this is yet another freaky weather experience to be chalked up to global warming (or global dimming, as some say) one can only guess. But it does make you wonder. Being stranded in a warm cozy house offers time and opportunity to ponder these things - and to count our blessings. Here we can sit snug as a bug watching myriads of gorgeous songbirds filling our backyard feeder and drinking from the balmy forty-degree water in our little pond. Amazing! Tranquility in the midst of chaos.

AN ARTISTS PLAYGROUND - DISCOVER THE ARTIST WITHIN YOU - RIGHT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD

When we first moved into our new home with its tiny backyard I thought gardening was a thing of the past. After placing a picnic table and some lawn chairs we saw little room for anything more than a few flowers. As we inched slowly toward retirement it seemed to be all we really needed anymore. I was trying to recover from a serious health problem that had left me weak and with very little energy. It seemed my productive years were pretty much a thing of the past. I was in for quite a surprise! Our memories from years of homesteading were never going to vanish. Instead, life experience gained from it was crying out to re-surface - in entirely new and invigorating ways. Without the drudgery and hard work that was a necessary part of our past lifestyle, we now had time to rest and just relax. As we sat meditating and drinking in our new mini-environment ideas began streaming in from out of nowhere. Before very long our barren little plot was hosting a gorgeous tiny water garden, complete with mini-falls, grasses and an arbor of climbing vines. Butterfly gardens emerged here and there. Bird houses and feeders went up. Shrubs and bushes fenced the back portion of the yard and provided cover for songbirds. A fragrant herb garden evolved. My life began overflowing with new and exciting artistic endeavors I'd always yearned to get into but never had time for. As I began feeling better and better I grew some everlastings to harvest and turn into dried flower arrangements. Later I found even greater joy in learning to do framed pressed flower artwork. I thoroughly enjoyed gathering and pressing blooms, storing them to be pulled out in the dead of winter when they could be transformed into framed works to fill the house with their beauty and serve as handcrafted gifts for friends and loved ones. Sketching and painting birds, butterflies and flowers also began filling my life with peaceful contentment. It is my intention to present ideas that will inspire and encourage you to discover your very own unique creativity and release the artist within you. It is all there, just waiting to be discovered - right in your own backyard. Have fun with it.

Groundhog Day/Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Early Spring

Today is Groundhog Day. According to news reports Phil did not see his shadow this morning which means an early Spring is on its way. That is laughable. Our backyard is screaming out that Spring is already here. Tulips have been anxiously pushing through the ground for weeks. Daffodils stand tall with buds ready to burst open. Throughout winter I've continued to pick lush green parsley from my herb garden. The lawn is a gorgeous green color. Periodically, a golden dandelion shines through. Now, when we are nearing the time to begin searching for these early signs of spring they are already here, evident everywhere. Yet, the weather has just finally begun turning wintry here in south central Pennsylvania, with temps dipping down into the low teens and a dusting of snow here and there. What this will do to all of these early risers remains to be seen. I will be watching them closely. Today climate scientists are in Paris reviewing all of the evidence for and against global warming. Isn't it time to stop "talking" and begin "doing - changing the way we do things - encourage young and old minds to find new earth friendly technologies in every direction? These earth changes are real. They are really happening. We need to look no farther then our own backyard to witness natures confusion and see with our own eyes these strange changes taking place. Nor, do we need to go elsewhere to find things we can each do to help in our own little way. Or, in the words of Gandhi, "Be the change you want to see in the world."