17 Replies to “Gifts”

  3. Rett – I've been married to the same man for 49 years and have two grown children. After 33 years of service to the State of New York, I took the plunge and retired. I am still getting paid; but the only difference (besides the money) is that I don't have to wake up each morning to the tune of my alarm clock. Sweet!! In my spare time, I create greeting cards, scrapbook pages and have recently dabbled in mixed media projects. I have a ga-zillion favorite bookmarks for easy access to all of the creative inspiration out there.
    retta519 says:

    Dropping by for a visit….smiled the whole time. Thanks for sharing your talent with the world.

    Reply
  5. oceannah – I'm a lover of Earth Mother, giver of life. My organic homestead in the mountains of NY state is a place of constant learning. My people skills are better than my computer skills. Swimming in the briny blue ocean brings me deep joy.
    oceannah says:

    Oh the backlighting is divine!
    *anna

    Reply
  6. inkpaintwords – A feminist writer and artist with a penchant for all things French, living in Washington DC. My love of language led me, indirectly, to my pleasure in gardening, drawing and watercolor. It began with a book, a collection of New Yorker garden columns by Katherine White, wife of its founding editor E.B.White. Her enthusiastic appraisal of the literary merit of various garden catalogs led me to collect and keep her favorites as well as to hoard with them some more recently-emerged seed, bulb and seed catalogs. The beautiful catalogs inspired me to little by little turn our entire front lawn (our home had a wooded ravine close behind) into a garden. That grew into a lovely site with two simple arches, a gliding bench on a little sitting patio and modest slate paths winding through beds of shade lovers and whatever plants supposedly in need of full sun that I could manage to coax into colorful healthy bloom. A curiosity about color and color theory emerged as I became keenly interested in impressionist painters; that interest merged in some way with my urge to garden. I acquired more than one book about Monet’s garden and gardens of other impressionist painters, both French and American. One day I picked up a magazine for painters, and found inside an article about a painter I’d known. Among examples of her splendid watercolor paintings was her watercolor of her garden at that time. Suddenly I could think of nothing more exciting than painting my garden. I enrolled in her watercolor class in The Art League in Alexandria, VA. The influence that the collection of Katherine White’s columns about the literary merits of certain garden catalogs has had on my life has come full now. Ink, Paint & Words combines what has become an obsession with drawing and watercolor with my passion for language. Yes, I still garden. A table full of blooming potted plants sits on my apartment patio, backed by an ivy covered fence with park trees behind. My patio, and my larger environment of Washington DC, together provides wonderful vistas for drawing and painting. For a number of years annual trips to France gave me and my companions extravagantly colorful panoramas and charming tableaux for brush and pen. And yes, now I’ve painted in Monet’s gardens several times. But that, as they say, is another story.
    inkpaintwords says:

    You see so much, so we do too. Thank you.

    Reply
  7. heavenhappens – Welcome to my life. You can share my grown up world here at http://heavenhappens.me where I blog my thoughts, my life, my travels, my photographs and my poetry. Growing up just after the war was a grim experience. So, now that I have 7 grandchildren, I am reclaiming my childhood by seeing the world anew through their eyes. Every minute I spend with them is magical. So this blog is for them ~ Ben, Rosie, Tiffany, Stanley, Thea, Mateo, and the youngest, Olivia! I hope, when they are all grown up, they will enjoy reading it and finding out about their grandma’s life, and know how very happy they made her. I hope you enjoy reading my posts, leave a comment or a link and I will get back to you. I’m sorry to say that my darling husband died of Covid on Good Friday 2020. Since then the wind has gone out of my sails and I’ve hardly written a thing. I will try to pick up my life and start writing again one day. But for now please enjoy exploring my life🕊️
    heavenhappens says:

    Beautiful words x

    Reply

  8. A simple and beautiful message- just tweeted it on.

    Tom

    Reply
  9. thedogwalkinggardener – I love dogs and currently do not have any, so I am a dog-mommy when I can be. Gardening is my passion. I've always loved birds and I'm learning a bit at a time from all the Birders that I meet. Swan Lake is my second home! .
    Anne-Marie says:

    lovely light shadows on the leaf ….

    Reply
  10. Gretchen Del Rio – Crestline, California, USA – I first discovered the magic of water based colors when many years ago I began to paint with procion dyes on silk. I loved the unexpected quality of the process. It was so exciting to never be sure what the colors and water would combine to produce. It seemed as though the medium had its own passion. Painting with watercolors and paper is much the same. I love the color combinations and separations that occur spontaneously as the color floats on the water. You can never totally predict what effect will result. If you try to control the medium too much, your painting will be very tight losing its aliveness. The artist must be bold and decisive or the work will not be clear and fresh. It is really like a dance. It becomes a controlled folly in knowing when to let go and when to take charge of the direction that the painting is taking. The images that I paint reflect my emotions and are expression of my life experience. They are not extensively planned, but rather evolve as the painting progresses. I am always surprised by the end result since it comes into being because of what the medium and emotion has suggested. The paintings are from my heart and I always fall in love with the subject. I believe that we are all connected and, if an image touches you, it is because we all have the same heart even though our paths may be different. Most of all, painting what I paint makes me happy. The paintings are my own path unfolding. They are an opening door for me and contain my own passion for life.
    Gretchen Del Rio says:

    The word caption below this unusual and beautiful photo is so contemplative. Thanks.

    Reply
  11. hopesquires – I've left behind the daily grind to write full time and to figure out what my own flourishing tree looks like. I'd love to help you flourish and grow along the way, so that you, too, can cultivate a life that pleases God.
    hopesquires says:

    I love this photo! It makes me excited about the promise of fall just around the corner. Thanks for reminding me to keep an observant eye and an open heart. And thanks for stopping by my blog again. I love repeat visitors!

    Reply

  12. An open heart with light and shadow…very inspiring:) *Thank you.* Needed to see just that.

    Reply
  14. sharonstjoan – Poet, writer, and advocate for wildlife, wild lands, and the earth. President, Forest Voices of India - a U.S.-based group which aids charities in India that further education, culture, the well-being of women, children, and animals, and the restoration of sacred groves. websites: https://wordpress.com/view/forestvoicesofindia.com https://wordpress.com/view/echoesinthemist.com https://wordpress.com/view/wildvoices.world book: Glimpses of Kanchi https://www.amazon.com/Glimpses-Kanchi-Sharon-St-Joan/dp/1982901179/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Glimpses+of+Kanchi&qid=1581769003&sr=8-1
    sharonstjoan says:

    Reblogged this on Art, animals, and the earth.

    Reply
  16. natureanalyst – Calgary, Alberta – Avid student of horticulture, active volunteer with the Horticultural Society, maker of beautiful garden spaces. I am now available for Garden Design services, custom planters, DIY consultations in Calgary and surrounding areas. Inquire at 403-837-9980 or wnealyo@gmail.com
    natureanalyst says:

    I love how you see and express what I feel. There is no end to the marvels of the natural world that so many would never experience without your eye and artistry.

    Reply

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