Every Picture Tells a Story

Just when you least expect it, someone reaches in and grabs your heart and just won’t let go.

That happened to me a few decades ago when my baby sister was born. It happened again a few days ago when she gave me this birthday gift.

I’m not sure when she first started making collages, maybe in her teens, but she has for as long as I can remember. She creates them for loved ones and puts much of herself into every one she creates.

Making collages, when done well, is a painstaking process that takes hours of time and requires an artistic eye, as well as a spirit of adventure. Rosie is a talented artist with a husband and children and just starting her own business so just knowing that she took all the time needed to create the collage shown above — just for me– means more to me than I can ever adequately express.

And, then there is the content of this collage, I am amazed! In fact, it warms the cockles of this old girl’s heart and will for many years to come.

Thank you, sweet Rosie!

Garden Art …

Posted by goodoldgirl

I’m lucky in that I get to work at home a couple of days a week. One of the nicest things about working at home is the view — my garden. Granted, it’s not the biggest or best looking garden in the world, but it sure beats the heck out a gray office wall.

You see, I live in a condo that’s a townhouse with a small garden area that is mostly my patio with a couple of small flower beds on either side of it that is wedged in between my house and carport. My love of gardens was a gift from my mom and my small garden is precious to me.

The flowers …

I supplement the flower beds with containers of flowers scattered all around.

I like my garden. It’s peaceful. It’s sunny during the day and shaded in the evening. It’s homey. It’s mine to do with as I please. (Well, technically, the bank owns a small part of it, but it’s mostly mine.) One of things I like most about my little garden, and gardens in general really, is the art folks place within them.

The art …

We all have our preferences for garden art. Some of us like statues of Greek gods and some like little bunnies.

Me, I like them all. For example, I like vintage plant stands and almost anything done in wrought iron, especially wall art. I like kitties, and bunnies, and turtles, too. I adore my St. Francis statue and my rusted tin cat.

And, peace overwhelms me every time I look at my little cross.

Do you indulge in garden art? I hope so.

I love my flowers, but my garden art adds personality that the flowers alone can’t convey.

If you’d like to see pictures of my garden, click on the pictures tab above, or just click here!

Oh, almost forgot, what’s in your garden? What is it about your garden that makes you smile every time you take a peek at it?

Monet Flower Garden Comes to Life in the Bronx (proflowers.com)

Some pics are worth more than a thousand words!

Posted by goodoldgirl

I piddled around with photography in college – decades ago – but never really got the hang of it. I mean, I could point and click, but I just didn’t get all that business about f-stops.

I guess that’s why when I see a picture that stops me in my tracks I want to share it with the world. I came across a cache of such pictures recently, taken by a former coworker from another life.

I knew he was a talented cartoonist, but hadn’t a clue he was a talented photographer as well. Anyway, rather than wasting your time trying to describe his art, I’ll just point you to it:

http://500px.com/brad_cantrell/photos

Thanks, Brad, for the wonderful view!

A few of my favorites: