Gathered

Autumn Reflections :: Turnin' From the Past, At Last

Now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turnin' gold
And like the sky my soul is also turnin'
Turnin' from the past, at last and all I've left behind

                                                               Ray Lamontagne

An Alternate Point of View :: The Blanco River

What do Rebar, Shadows and Garden Tours Have in Common?

I enjoyed the company of fellow bloggers Pam, Shirley and David last Saturday while strolling several Austin gardens.  Gardens on Tour 2013, sponsored by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, offered a glimpse into an eclectic mix of gardens featuring native and adapted plants.    

While sifting through the photos, these three captured my imagination with their form and light play.  This rebar awning at 2001 Westridge Drive was fantastic.  Just shows how much hardscape can play a vital role in design.

I'm sorry to say I still haven't regained my blogging mojo so please visit my friend's posts (just click on their names) to get a detailed description of the gardens.  You'll find tons of gardening inspiration and a variety of styles showcasing the many beautiful plants that call Austin home.

In this present day. In this present moment.

I choose gratitude ...

How about you?

North Wind Blowin' - Winter Eve

"A cold wind was blowing from the north, and it made the trees rustle like living things."

                                                                                                                          George R.R. Martin

                                                                                                                                

Even After All This Time

Even

After

All this time

The Sun never says

to the Earth, 

"You owe me."

Look

What happens

With a love like that.

It lights the 

Whole 

Sky.

fourteenth century poet Hafez

 

Great Writing: A Few Blogs For You to Check Out

 

 {afternoon reflection of a single zinnia bloom in the kitchen window}

Lee of A Guide To Northeastern Gardening has graciously awarded me the One Lovely Blog award.  Thank you, Lee for the honor of such sweet recognition.  Gardening in Long Island, New York, Lee shares her knowledge and love of design and horticulture with her readers.

The rules for the One Lovely Blog Award are:

Thank the person who nominated you for the award and link back to their blog.
List seven things about yourself.
Nominate up to ten blogs for the award.

• fritos and bean dip are not safe in my presence
• i can type nearly 100 words per minute
• reading the dictionary fascinates me
• it's all about the hunt:  flea markets, estate sales, and consignment shops rock 
• i marvel daily at God's unwavering grace
• my best friend tells me my nose crinkles when I laugh
• there can never be too much football...high school, college, pro - it's all good

Honestly, all who take the time and make the effort to create quality posts are worthy of recognition for this award.  I'm constantly in awe of the quality information and images I find in the blogosphere.

Lately I've been really inspired by a few bloggers whose writing has captured my imagination and I'd like to nominate them for this award.  I hope you'll visit their blogs.

Austin Agrodolce
Deb is a fellow Austinite whose writing is quirky, authentic and intelligent.  She weaves stories that transport and entertain.

Foxglove Lane
Catherine writes from Ireland and has a keen sense of observation.  She captures life's moments both with her eloquent words and her beautiful photography.

Mulish & Co.
Roberta also hails from right here in Central Texas.  She says "This blog is not my first rodeo, as they are wont to say in Texas. It may be, however, my first true blog, the first blog I've kept that resonates with me. I keep it to track my path to a writing life. A life in which, creativity, and writing in particular, come first."

Two Sharp Pencils and a Broken Crayon
My friend Julie writes on creativity with razor sharp wit and deep insight.  She will have you thinking about creativity in a whole new way and will inspire you to pursue your creative dreams.

Happy reading,
Cat

Begonia Blossoms and Why I Blog

Why I Blog? 

You might not think this such a difficult question to answer.  I didn't.  But given that I've been thinking on it for a week now and have tossed away more ideas to answer the question than not, my opinion of the question has wavered. 

In an effort to not bore you, it seems the answer should be brief and to the point.  But considering that we are emotional beings, nothing is ever simple is it?

This stem of angel wing begonia blossoms was found on the ground this morning.  It seemed a shame to toss it.  It's delicate, feminine countenance called to be photographed. 

I suppose that is one of the most significant reasons I blog.  To share with you small moments of wonder that draw me in, moving me to the point of expression through words and photographs.

There are countless photographs of this angel wing begonia in bloom on my hard drive.  It's planted in a colorful ceramic pot with complementary plantings but none of those pictures has ever moved me to post about it.  It's the small, beautiful and simplest of moments that I find myself wanting to tell you about. 

Maybe it has something to do with gardening in such a pernicious climate...where what might appear to be a simple happening is really a triumph in survival.  The mercury was climbing toward 90 degrees when I came across this bloom still looking as fresh as those thriving on the plant.

What is it about a stem of two blossoms in a vintage Listerine bottle that inspires someone to write about why they blog?  Who knows!  We humans are complicated.  All I know is I followed my heart's desire.

It's my hope that this blog will inspire you to create and grow a garden, literally or as a metaphor for life, that is a reflection of your heart's desire.

In Matters of the Heart and Garden

Happy Valentine's Day persistent gardeners!

Oxalis Abstract

Arriving at December's Door

Hello, December!  How did you sneak up on me?

November was so enjoyable...a slow stroll through the month finding gratitude in life's small moments.  The 30 Day Challenge of finding thanks is a fine way to arrive at December's door.

It's sometimes hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it is 70 degrees outside but today is joyfully rainy!  I spent a little time reading through some blogs and came across a photograph that really piqued my curiosity.  My best friend is a professional photographer so I asked her how the photo was captured and she told me it was done with a Lensbaby.   And, best of all, that she has one!  {Thank you, sweet friend}

These are just a couple of quick shots from the test drive I took with the lens of the Christmas lights on our front lawn.  Oh my gosh, I was giddy I tell you!  Apathy is out the window and I'm ready to light the whole dang house up!

Where are you finding your inspiration for the Christmas season this year?  Drop a note, I'd love to hear what has you excited about kicking off this festive month.

Gotta dash, I'm off to write my letter to Santa...

EDIT:  My apologies.  I see from Marguerite's comment and my rereading of this post that I wasn't very clear in my explanation of why I was so excited.  The Christmas lights are just regular, plain Jane lights.  It is an accessory of the lens kit that causes them to appear star shaped in the photos.  So sorry...the result of a late night post!

You Might Find This Helpful...

There are countless sources for photography instruction out there and it can be overwhelming trying to vet them to determine which are going to be useful.  I recently came across this article what it takes to be a competent photographer and found it really helpful.

Don Peters speaks to the novice photographer about how he went from using a point-and-shoot to a DSLR.  What caught my eye right away was his thought about the breakdown of what it takes to be a competent photographer.

Equipment - 5%

Technical Knowledge - 10%

Processing - 15%

Composition - 70%

The article breaks down each category and offers practical suggestions along with sources that he has found useful in honing his craft.  I find myself in agreement with his breakdown.  Maybe because I don't really enjoy the technical aspect so much, I found the numbers a relief.  I also agree with him though, that when I finally got the nerve to take my camera off the "auto" setting, my skills improved dramatically.  I had to change my thinking.  It is very similar to the thought of painting a room in your home a daring color...you tell yourself, it's just paint.  I can always repaint.  Well, with photography, it's just space filled on a memory card and you can always erase.  So twist that knob toward the aperture, shutter speed or even manual setting and see what happens.  I think you'll be surprised at how easy it is once you get the hang of it.

Based on Mr.Peters' suggestions, I'll be looking for two books, both related to composition.  Jim Zuckerman's Techniques of Natural Light Photography and Michael Freeman's The Photographer's Eye. 

Many of you have expressed a desire learn more about capturing the beautiful, magical moments in your gardens through photography.  I hope you'll find this article as helpful as I have.

Love

Macro in a Mason Jar

Wow - what a challenge in patience and creativity this contest is!  Gardening Gone Wild  is hosting a photo contest with the theme of Macro in a Mason Jar.  The mason jar is used as a tripod of sorts to keep the camera very steady and thus causing a super sharp macro image. 

The materials I used were a crystal biscuit jar, a vintage table cloth, some black rocks, water and a single, hot pink gebera daisy.   I waited (and waited) for a sunny day with lots of natural light pouring through the window to try this technique.

I started by testing the focus without the water, flower and rocks.  The mouth of the biscuit jar was too wide to support my camera so I ended up using a heavy duty set of tongs and rested my camera between the arms of it.  This worked pretty well - I kept the camera strapped around my neck just in case my tool failed.  Didn't want to fish my camera out of the water!

As the flower floated in the water, different perspectives were offered...the background changed

because the pattern on the tablecloth is diverse.  I love how the yellow and cream in the second circular pattern of the flower complement the yellow and cream of the tablecloth.


This is my favorite though.  I really love the circular pattern of the flower center and petals and how that is repeated in the circular pattern of the table cloth and the biscuit jar.  Also, notice how the light is reflected through the cut crystal onto the flower petals?  That detail adds visual interest and texture.  Also, the lines of the cut crystal on the bottom of the biscuit jar shoot out in the same direction as the petals...love that!  But really, the detail that I love the most is how the little cut outs of deterioration at the tips of the petals mimic the table cloth detail in color and shape.

This is a favorite among my family but I felt like the other image offered more detail as far as the theme...you can tell the photo was taken within a jar and the background and cut crystal added more compositional interest.

Head over to Gardening Gone Wild to see the many entries in the contest.  And special thanks to David Perry for judging this contest!

GBBD~Was It Something I Said?

Dear beautiful Spring weather, I miss you.  

Was it something I said?

                                                                                                          ~"Skipper" Kim Corbin

Winter has come at last to The Whimsical Gardener.  Temperatures of late have been colder than we're used to but there is no complaining as I know many of you are up to your unmentionables in snow and cold air. 

So this month for Garden Blogger Bloom Day I was really scratching my head because there really isn't much going on around here other than the paperwhites which have already made a couple of appearances on this blog.   And then, while taking a moments break, I espied the most wonderful surprise...

You may be unfamiliar with my word of the year.  Each year I choose a word to use as a marker to help me stay focused.  This year's word was really more about slowing down and really "seeing" things...opportunities, small miracles, anything that I might miss if not focused and present in the moment.   If you'd like, you can read about how my 2011 word was chosen here.

This year my word is espy (ih-sphy) which simply means to catch a glimpse of something.  Even in the grip of below freezing temperatures a small miracle was unfolding.   The whole yard is bleak right now with the exception of this one lone antique rose (Martha Gonzales - you gotta love her).

This picture was taken about a week or so ago... just beginning to unfurl her delicate petals.

And here she is today in all her winter glory...a bit tattered around the edges but shining brightly in the pale winter light.

The Martha Gonzales antique rose is a great choice for your garden (zone 7-10)...it doesn't require a lot of water, is disease resistant and is fairly compact and low growing.  It can even tolerate some shade which is why it is so welcome in my yard!  The dense foliage is a beautiful grayish-green and the new growth has a dark red tinge.   During the growing season the flowers are about 1 1/2" however, during the cooler months, the flowers are darker with a more velvety texture and are larger - 2 1/2 - 3" in size.  And how can you not love a rose bush that continues to bloom in the dreariest of circumstances?


I'm grateful to have paused long enough to "see" the small winter miracle unfolding in the garden this bloom day.   Carol at May Dreams Gardens hosts Garden Blogger Bloom Day each month on the 15th giving us an opportunity to slow down and look around!  Be sure to stop by and see what others have espied this month.

Wordless Wednesday~Inspirational Graffiti

Remembering the sunny, warm days of autumn.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

A Thanksgiving Tree

Usually we start thinking about our Christmas trees this time of year but I like to have a Thanksgiving tree first.

Find an interesting vessel...

Get some branches and anchor them into the vessel (these needed to be banded together and anchored in newspaper) and add some florist's moss, raffia, nuts, pine cones - whatever you like to cover the newspaper.

Find some fall colored ornaments to adorn the branches...

The branches can be decorated for any holiday...I've had these in the house since last autumn.  I change the vessel and ornaments depending on the season.

Scatter a few little autumn touches around the vessel and you're good to go!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Pretty in Pink

Flowering tree spotted in a lovely garden off South Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas...can anyone id it for me?