Splendid Little Stars

Thursday, June 21, 2012

eat

some of the edibles growing in my garden or in pots on my deck...

Meyer lemon

There are several lemons on this plant! They are about the size of a couple cherry tomatoes put together. Here's a photo of the lemon in my hand. ↓ See the beautiful sweet-scented lemon blossom in an earlier POST.

hot peppers

I've brought this plant inside for 2 Winters now. During that time, it lives in my basement and is very neglected and is watered very little. It revives when brought outside and exposed to sun and watering.

baby mixed lettuces

Growing lettuce, Asian greens, Swiss chard, and spinach in pots is so easy! I simply pick the outer leaves and the plants keep on growing.

yellow cherry tomatoes

My FIRST ripe tomato! I'm so excited! and it's not even July yet! Yes, yes, I do know it's small...but it's ripe...and it's my first!

stevia

I have 2 kinds of stevia growing in pots on my deck. The leaves are a natural sweetener. The tags says "300 times sweeter than sugar without the calories." I had a plant in the past which I over-wintered in my basement. I suppose it was too neglected because it didn't make it. Stevia is hardy in zones 8-10.

thyme, rosemary, and a couple basil leaves visible in the back

I love basil! I grow several varieties, which I start from seed, in pots on my deck. Both basil and rosemary smell so heavenly! I bought these 3 plants and put them together in one pot. Only the thyme is a perennial in my zone, so I'll plant that in the garden in the Fall.

thyme in the garden

Thyme is in the mint family and spreads by runners underground and by seeds. I think it is a pretty and low growing addition to the garden. The lavender flowers attract bees.

parsley flower and leaves

The parsley is going to seed. That's great because fresh, new plants will soon be coming up. (This parsley is growing in the pot in which the Carolina wrens made a nest. See that post HERE.)

EAT: to consume or ingest food to provide for nutritional or medicinal needs, especially for energy and growth. All heterotrophs* must eat in order to survive.

We all know what eating is, but the question that remains is what exactly is food? According to Michale Pollan, humans ingest much edible food-like substances. One of his food rules is "Don't eat anything incapable of rotting.” (In Defense of Food:An Eater's Manifesto)

In thinking of food, we do need to consider how it was raised. Our health is at stake. I won't go into any depth here.
I will share this list that I recently came across. It is published by the nonprofit EWG--Environmental Working Group, whose mission "is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment." The list is a Shopper's Guide to Pesticide in Produce. The link is in the list below. I will share with you here the 3 worst produce items: apples, celery, and sweet bell peppers. The website itself is interesting to peruse.

*heterotrophs--organisms that need carbon but cannot fix it themselves.

LINKS:

115 Michael Pollan quotes

Fresh, the movie, BLOG

EWG Shopper's Guide to Pesticide in Produce

I'm linking up with my favorite teacher, Ms Jenny Matlock, as we work our way through the alphabet. Please do go visit the other students, for you never know what gems you may find--humor, poignancy, information, visions of far away places, stuff you've never even dreamed of! Check it out HERE. You may even wish to join in yourself!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

derriere

Lost and lonely, this bighorn sheep was wandering the parking lot at Logan's Pass in Glacier National Park. Finally, he found the edge and is peering over. He seems to be scanning the view for something familiar.

Do you ever feel like you've lost your way--even momentarily?

I'm linking up with my favorite teacher, Ms Jenny Matlock! See others' completed homework assignments HERE. Come join in the fun! This week our letter is "D."

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

TRAVEL

on my way home Saturday after going on a (very cool, organized) tour of my city--Cincinnati. (more about that later)

SILLY

detail of a display for Bikes in Boom, an art display event all over the town of Milford, Ohio, sponsored by the Greater Milford Events and Arts Council. This one is outside of a Walgreens.

BLACK AND WHITE

I've interrupted Oliver 's window time to snap his picture by teasing him with a toy.

SPOTS

a calla lily leaf. These spots are not white but are translucent.

PAPER

Baby Swiss chard plants are growing in a pot on my deck.

a pile of cards I made with friends last Friday evening.

This is a very fun meme hostessed by Ashley Sisk in which 5 prompts are given and one must then take a photo to illustrate each one. Come see how others have interpreted these words HERE! You have till Tuesday, June12 to join in.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

cats are cute

right?

right!

So we want to snap their portraits, natch.

Problem: How do you get a cat to pose?

"What is it you are expecting of me?" says Oliver (to himself: "If treats are involved, I may grace you with a cursory glance.")

"And now what? We're very busy checking out the air flowing from this grate." say Oliver and Earnest

"I have sites to see and smells to smell, but I will stop for a quick snap because I'm a very loving kitty," thinks Huck, the farm cat.

"Oh hi. We're rather busy. We were napping you see. But we'll look up because we love you since you bring us catnip and lots of fun toys. You play with us a lot, too." say Bunkie and Tigra (my daughter's kitties)

And now I'll leave you with this very fun kitty, who is oh so charming--Simon's Cat

Link:
Simon's Cat

Cat Man Do film (in case you can't watch it above)

A new round of Alphabe-Thursday has already started and we're on letter "C"! Come on over and join in! This is such a fun meme! Visit HERE.

photos by me © 2010-2012 all rights reserved

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Spring Blossoms: a Challenge

My Blogging Business Artisans team on etsy hosts a monthly Challenge. You don't even have to be a team member to participate! The idea is to be inspired to create!

This month, Sharla of Beaded Tail gave us the following Challenge:

Your challenge is to incorporate your favorite inspiration into a project of your choice. Are you inspired by nature? Create something to show how nature makes you feel! Do your kids motivate you? Have them join you in a crafty project!

Do your pets "help" you with your craft? Let's see their pawsome contributions! Have fun just letting your inspiration lead you to do something crafty!

Glacier National Park

I am so inspired by the beauty of nature. Imagine a deep blue pristine lake surrounded by snow peaked forested mountains with meadows of flowers at your feet. Huge vistas inspire awe. But so do the tiny intricate details of a painted flower.

For this challenge, I decided to paint a silk scarf with flowers. I didn't have a plan in mind except that the flowers would be pink. That's the starting point. I let inspiration lead me from there...

I've used several techniques and processes in creating this scarf.

ONE

Wash scarf.

Soak in solution and let dry.

I began by painting the petals and their outlines. I added a little salt for some texture.

Let cure.

TWO

Wash scarf.

Soak in solution and let dry.

Paint petal details and center of flowers.
Add a little salt.
Paint green stems/vines.
Add dots of pink and green.
Add 4 flowers of a different shape in 2 shades of pink and add green stems.
Let cure.

THREE
Steam.
Wash.
Iron.
Air dry.

FOUR

Photograph.

↑ details ↑

The completed scarf--hand painted on China silk--light and breezy and perfect for Summer. You can find this in my etsy shop HERE.

Intrigued by our team challenge? Come on over to our BBA BLOG and see what others have made! Create something yourself that fits the theme and link up!

QUESTION: What inspires you to create?

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Black Bean Salsa

This is a fabulous recipe which I've tweaked over time. The beauty of it is, that you can use as little or as much of each ingredient as you wish. Every time I serve this salsa it gets rave reviews.

Ingredients

onion, tomatoes, chilies, corn

♦2 cans of black beans rinsed and drained

♦1/4 C chopped onion (use your favorite)

♦2 ears of fresh corn, shucked (of course!) and cut off the cobs

♦@ 10-12 oz or @ 2 C chopped tomatoes

♦1/2 of a 4 oz can of chopped green chilies

cilantro from my garden

♦1/4 - 1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro (1 T more or less when chopped finely)

♦1 t olive oil
♦salt and pepper to taste

♦2 avocados, diced (ripe but still firm)

♦2 limes, zest and juice

Directions

chopped avocado marinating in lime juice

♦Dump rinsed and drained black beans into a bowl.

♦Add onion, tomatoes, corn, chilies, and cilantro.

♦Mix.
♦Add oil, salt, and pepper to bean mixture and stir.

♦Zest and juice both limes. Add zest and half of juice to bean mixture. Mix. Set aside rest of juice.

♦Dice avocados and pour reserved lime juice over them. Mix gently.

♦Add avocados to bean mixture and mix gently.

(Instead of chilies, you could add chopped hot peppers or pepper powder.)

Serve with chips.

served on a bed of mixed greens with chips as an entree, garnished with a sprig of cilantro blossoms

PS:
♦I read a great way to grow cilantro is to plant it crowded together and to keep snipping off the top leaves. This is because it goes to seed very quickly.
♦Judie says sliced radishes add zing!

A new round of Alphabe-Thursday has begun! This is such a fun meme! I know that you too, dear reader, would love to join in. So come on over HERE ---join in and/or visit others' submissions. This week our letter is "B."
[Sorry, Ms. Jenny. no broccoli cheese. I hope I still get an A though. ;-) ]