Garden Art

Flowering Plum

Spring is in the air…

Tiny blossoms are springing forth on the flowering plum tree. You have to look hard to find them, but they’re there. I think I’m wrapping up the Garden Art series with this one. It’s time to move on!

Speaking of things in the air… do you ever feel like a fraud? I don’t mean “fraudulent” as in committing dastardly crimes, I mean that strange sensation that you’re not who you think you are.

I’ve been in that kind of a funk lately. I think I’m going to journal my way through it. Not in one night. This baby might take a while. I can’t figure out if it’s that inner critic that I should ignore (the one that always tries to sabotage me) or if it’s that still small voice that I need to heed.

Honestly, I think a lot of it has to do with the two new jobs I just started. They are jobs that I took because they allow very minimal hours, but I have to say that they’re SO not me. Maybe going so far out of my comfort zone is what’s causing this fraud alert thing.

I mean, not only am I doing something that I’ve NEVER done before, I’m doing something that I don’t really care to do. It’s strictly for cash. And no it’s nothing illegal. 😉

I feel so strange when I go to work… like I should be looking over my shoulder to make sure no one I know sees me! Ha! Is that weird?? I don’t know. Now that I’m thinking this out loud, I think I’ll have to finish these thoughts later. It’s after midnight here and my mind is finished.

Has anyone else ever felt this way before?

Anyway, I know these thoughts have very little to do with the featured image, but then again… maybe they have everything to do with it. Spring is in the air! Time for cleaning—to get rid of useless crap. New things are waiting to be born—ready to flourish. That sounds like the perfect time!

If it doesn’t nourish your soul, get rid of it.

Thanks for reading!

I’ll be back to finish my thoughts later.

—Janet

Peace & Love!!

Brussels Sprouts Art

Finding my Muse in Brussels

Sprouts that is.

Actually… I had no idea WHAT this plant was when I decided to use it in my Garden Art. This may be one of the last pieces in that series, too. For now anyway. I started working at two (very small) part time jobs, so when you add that to school, things are starting to get hectic.

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Loquat Tree

Another Day in Paradise

If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.

Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

One of the things that I love the most about the Garden Art series is the fact that it’s limited to my backyard. Well, with the exception of my neighbor’s Flowering Pear that is.

There are so many cool things in our yard, but the truth is… I don’t go out there as often as I should. Been there, done that maybe? What I’m trying to say is that I—like many others—tend to take what I have for granted.

Things lose their appeal after a while.

To go a step further, I’m no real fan of our Loquat Tree. The fruit gets brown and a great deal of them end up on the ground. You can see squirrel bites in them, too. It needs to be topped, so it’s too tall and the branches rub against the cables that stretch across the sky.

I know, I know… I sound like a cranky old grumbler. That’s my point. This Garden Art series is forcing me to forget what I think or feel about the things that have been around me for what seems like forever… and to look at them in a whole new way.

That’s what makes this piece special to me. That little star of the show is just two inches in size. I see growth, regeneration and renewal in this shot. It wasn’t easy to see, I had to look for it.

I see tropical flair, beautiful colors, and glistening light… things I don’t normally notice. The backyard looks brand new!

I feel very blessed today. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and it’s another beautiful day here in paradise!

Thank you for reading!

Enjoy your day… and may everything seem brand new!

Wheatgrass

In the Jungle

If I were a flying insect…

…this might be my view as I make my way through the wheat grass.

Something is Stirring

I thought I would use this particular Garden Art piece to do a little journaling and (publicly) admit something. I’ve been wanting to share this for awhile now, but I didn’t want it to be another one of “those things” that I bring up and start… and then never finish.

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Blueberry Blossoms

Blossoms of Light

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.

Alfred Austin

Back to a black and white with some more Garden Art. I thought these blueberry blossoms deserved a little illumination. They reminded me of little church bells, shining in their glory.

Bee & Broccoli

Garden Party

I visited our backyard this morning to see how the garden is growing. I may get my Garden Art series going again. My son has gone “vegetable crazy,” so we have lots of fun and interesting (and edible!) plants out there.

This is the broccoli aisle… and the bees just love this area!

I thought this would be a good submission for Brashley Photography’s Photo for the Week – 55 – Insects.

The flower doesn’t dream of the bee, it blossoms and the bee comes.

Mark Nepo

Have a Bee-utiful day!

Sacred Space

Petals of white satin guard the stairway. As I make my way up, their feathery ends sway in the wind, draping the earth like a wedding gown train. Pillars of amber rise above the entrance to touch the sky. As I enter and take a seat, I see soft silk brushes, painting the clouds with gold. I am in awe, and then suddenly I realize…

I am home.

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Flor de pepino

Garden Art: Flor de pepino

I’m always nagging on myself to go visit exotic places and see new things. In rebellion (I don’t like being nagged), and contrary to my own advice, I decided that what I really need to do is be present and see the beauty that’s in front of me—right here, right now.

I’m going to work on a new series; Garden Art, and this is the first in the collection. It’s a cucumber flower in our backyard garden.

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