HerbnArts

   ... Everywhere I looked it was green.  The trees were in full leaf, the lawns were green and growing much too fast.  Many of the spring flowers were giving way to early summer blooms and there was an ease all around signaling that summer gardening is finally here. Everyone was eager just to get out of the house and do something, even if that something was annoying mowing. For months people were cleaning house to the point of obsession, and now they could turn their attention to the  outdoors. Dreaded yard work was not so bad after all.  At least it got one out of the house.  Coping with lockdown and the re-opening protocols made life quite different.  I have always understood about having to re-invent one's self every few years, and now the world was beginning to understand the concept. Just the other day a neighbor asked me if I planned on having my little garden again this year.  I assured him that it was about to happen.  Here in O...

Black Raspberries    ...Snow blew across the landscape as the groundhog's revenge zapped us, again.  That predicted early spring had better happen soon.  However, an all-white terrain beats the dreary gray blah of January we experienced here in the Magic City.  Today I spent my day looking through my herb books under the pretense of straightening up my bookshelves.  Actually, I have realized that I am yearning fpots of little green herbs growing in pots in Le Petit Jardin.  I even dug out some seed packets with the dream of sunflowers while devising how I would keep them safe from the neighborhood groundhog as they grew big enough to fend for themselves.                                                    As I perused my photo files, the sparkling image of raspberries jumped out at me.  The Herb of the Year is ...

HerbnArts: In Search of Christmas Joy... : Thunderbird     ...Vibrant blue skies filled with fluffy clouds, orange golden sunlight pouring through naked trees, these were the cond...

Thunderbird     ...Vibrant blue skies filled with fluffy clouds, orange golden sunlight pouring through naked trees, these were the conditions of the day that said anything but Christmas time in the Magic City.  It was early December and we had only a whisper of snow over the area.  The golden sunlight made me want to play outside, but it was cold, in the 40's, and there was no one to play with anyway.  Quiet holiday music floated on the air from my radio as I began remembering Christmases past.  I should be out there taking photos, but the light would fade into evening before I could get anywhere interesting to capture on camera.  It is that hour of frustration that makes me crazy as I struggle with restlessness before dark.  For the photographer in me, light and color can be so distracting at times.               The approaching holidays have left me a bit numb as I am yet to do any seasonal decorati...

Beaver contemplating the Beaver Moon Rosemary blossoms          ...Looking as though someone had shaken a giant snow globe, the Magic City was experiencing its first squall of the winter season.  At least it wasn't brutally cold.  This is the kind of snow that makes it fun to take a walk.  It has been ever so amusing to watch my newest kitty, Midnight, getting so excited about those white things flying around outside.  Her inky little nose has been pressed against my windows all morning.  Occasionally she tries to touch the active flakes through the glass.  This is her first experience with snow and she is utterly fascinated by the white wonders.  My other two fur babies couldn't care less about the snow event and are participating in their morning snooze event instead.             Strains of holiday music filled the day as we are hardly half way through November.  My ...

Last leaf magic of the season Milkweed Pod seeds Rosemary branches in decorative basket ...Once November rolls around, the weather in Ohio is up for grabs.  Wet and cold are the day's beginning with what has been predicted to turn into snow. A lot of people struggle with the time change differences, and adding insult to injury is the arthritic wet that has come upon us. Strangely enough, I don't seem to have quite the same problems a others seem to struggle with.  I am sure that is due in part to the myriad of herbs and vitamins I take throughout my day.  Holy basil is a huge help to me as the sunlight continues to hide from the Magic City.  Investing in a pontoon boat might be wise, too.  But I digress. Yes, it has been raining a lot.  Between wind and rain, the autumn color is lying soggy on the ground everywhere.  Rain water makes colors pop, if one is willing to venture out into the rain to capture interesting leaf magic before snow cha...

...Gray and dreary, the day became a lot colder here in Ohio. Every time the wind dares to blow a bit, the trees rustle sending a torrent of suddenly colorful leaves raining down everywhere.  These are the days that make me think about seasonal goodies.  I know that I often mention having a cookie with my tea.  Actually, this is more of a wish than an action for me.  If I gave in to the cookie dream, I would be the size of a small barn by now.  And tea for me is still unsweetened.  I like tea, and I want to actually taste the particular tea I am drinking at the time.  Maybe that is a Japanese mindset, but it works for me.  And yes, I am a bit of a tea snob.  Whenever I visit friends I take my own tea.  Of course I share my tea with them if they are so inclined, but I drink what I like and refuse to suffer nasty tasting "rot-gut" tea.  There, I said it...tea snob I am.  As for the rare cookie accompaniment, I am a snob there, to...