37 Replies to “Sweet Magnolia”

  1. I’m always amazed how early magnolia comes into bud, and how long it takes for those buds to mature and open – but they are well worth the wait!

    Reply
  2. blondie63 – I love crochet, knitting, photography, dogs, cooking, baking, scrapbooking, music ,blogging and did I mention dogs? I also love to collect movies which is a big hobby of mine!
    Lisa says:

    I love how you make your pics come to life with your poetry! Very beautiful!!! Hugz!

    Reply
  3. Vanessa Lee Thomas – United Kingdom – floral photographer, wife, s-a-h Mom, genetic counselling supporter, martial arts fan, nature lover, writer, marketing enthusiast and freelance journalist
    Vanessa Lee Thomas says:

    Lovely pic and beautiful words. Just thinking about how beautiful the magnolias usually are this time of year.

    Reply
  6. maryoconnor12 – Along the Connecticut shoreline – I am a writer, poet, community volunteer, pupil of psychology, writing instructor, guest speaker, artist, lover of nature, curious traveler and author of Life Is Full of Sweet Spots, An Exploration of Joy, as well as Dreams of a Wingless Child, a book of award-winning poetry. An advocate of the power of writing as an agent of change, I enjoy speaking to community groups about the joy of making words sing and conduct creative poetry writing workshops for inmates at the State of Connecticut’s York Correctional Institution. As a writer and a painter, I enjoy living along the Connecticut shore, where I infuse everyday observations of the natural world with the sensitivity and insightfulness that tend to define my experience of life. It is these reflections that have helped me realize that one need not look far to find an element of peace, of celebration, of joy, in this inordinate world of which we are all a part.
    maryoconnor12 says:

    A perfect reminder on this cold day to just hunker down…warmth is coming!

    Reply

  7. Are they late this year….. Image they will be with all this cold and snow…can’t wait until they are n full bloomo

    Reply
  9. Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing – Chicago – Michelle Kogan is an artist, illustrator, instructor, and writer, creating colorful allegorical figure, flora and fauna paintings and children's illustrations, which have a sensitivity to endangered species, and the environment. She is an art instructor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Evanston Art Center and offers Plein Air Painting Workshops at nature venues in the Chicago area including the Lincoln Park Conservatory, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and Lurie Gardens at Millennium Park. Visit her online Etsy Shop at: http://www.MichelleKoganFineArt.etsy.com and her website: http://www.michellekogan.com
    Michelle Kogan Illustration, Painting & Writing says:

    lovely words, and strong image with contrasting values!

    Reply
  11. Cathy Ulrich – Fort Collins, CO – I am a creative, first and foremost, and I love writing and photography. As a bodyworker and energy healer, I enjoy sharing my experiences and insights as well as some of my more eclectic and creative adventures here on this blog. Feel free to read more by clicking the "About" link. Welcome!
    Cathy Ulrich says:

    Beautiful!

    Reply
  12. 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 giant dogwoods on my property are trying their best to sing their song of spring. In a few more weeks their flowers will burst open. This is truly spring then.

    Reply
  13. Dr. Denny Wilkins – Dr. Denny Wilkins professes journalism at a small, private university in the Northeast. He has climbed, hiked, kayaked, photographed, skied, and otherwise meandered aimlessly throughout the American West for decades. He has degrees in geology, environmental studies, and communication — and has tried to make use of them as a co-founder of the progressive cultural blog ScholarsandRogues.com. He’s broadly interested in how the world works and why it works that way. He hates writing, although he does like having written well.
    Dr. Denny says:

    Well written. Excellent wording.

    Reply
  15. Laurel Leigh – Western Washington – Laurel Leigh, M.F.A., is a writer, teacher, and editor and freelances internationally. She is a co-founder of Dogpatch Writers Collective and author of the blog Dear Writers. She also loves looking at everyone else's gravatars. www.LaurelLeighWriter.com www.DogpatchWritersCollective.com http://DearWriters.com
    Laurel Leigh says:

    Nice site!

    Reply
  18. Helen – I'm drawn to blogging as a way to share ideas and consider what makes us who we are. Whether it's in our working life or our creativity, expression is a means to connect.
    helenvalentina says:

    Gorgeous poem, photo, and gorgeous blog in general!! 🙂

    Reply
  19. typewriterpoet – I enjoy many poetry styles but enjoy short poetry the most and a little bit of microfiction, but the challenge of a long poem has it's enjoyment as well!
    typewriterpoet says:

    Beautiful contrast, cannot wait to see those bloom!

    Reply
  20. lavendermoongirl – I am inspired by the natural world and walking with my dogs every day. A spiritual person, Reiki Master with a love of crystals, aromatherapy and flower essences. A poet, writer and photographer, writing daily in response to my encounters with nature. An artist, intuitive, mother, daughter, wife and friend. I have a B.A Honours degree in Writing & Publishing and English & Literature, gained when I was a single mum. Past careers include: Art Director in Advertising, Lecturer of English, Communication and Journalism studies and CLAN (City literacy and numeracy) tutor for the Scottish government, Health and Literacy Project Tutor and learning advisor(Scottish NHS, CLAN partner) and WEA (workers education association) Adult literacy tutor. I live with my husband and two dogs in rural Bedfordshire, England. I have a wonderful son and daughter in law, who live and work in North Yorkshire
    lavendermoongirlblog says:

    Beautiful, very Japanese. Delicate.

    Reply

  21. silhouette against the blue sky and white clouds.. very artistic and lovely!

    Reply
  22. FictionFan – My middle name is Eclectic...but <strong><i>you</i></strong> can call me FF. My blog is called <a href="http://fictionfanblog.wordpress.com/">FictionFan's Book Reviews</a> - not the most imaginative name perhaps, but accurate.
    fictionfanakaff says:

    I look forward to your beautiful pictures and words every day. Thank you!

    Reply
  24. 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 Voices and Visions.

    Reply
  25. Cynthia Guenther Richardson – Pacific NW – Hello fellow readers and bloggers, Writing has always been a powerful connector to diverse ideas and people. We each are a meaningful part of this beautiful, ever-widening web of life. Blogging enables more interaction, which I love even after 11 years of blogging posts on three different sites. For thirty years I was an addictions/mental health counselor and also a manager of home care services for elderly folks. Now that I have hit 70 and am more devoted to a creative life! I've published online or in literary journals/collections several times, including fiction and creative non-fiction pieces and poetry over five decades. Additionally, I was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for an excerpt of my novel-in-progress, Other than Words (the work gathering dust at present), about a mute dancer and her impact on her adopted community and a world-travelling photojournalist. I also am working on a connected set of stories about a close-knit town in northern Michigan. On Wordpress I enjoy writing about living richly despite (or because of) life's setbacks and a diagnosis of heart disease at age 51. Posts tagged "memoir" share spiritual adventures, interactions with nature, the healing of trauma's impact and challenges of writing full-time. Short stories and creative nonfiction, and poetry are favorite genres but I enjoy sharing my photography as well My hope is my offerings reflect a profound faith in God and our humanness which cloaks spiritual natures. I include myself as part of the diverse group of writers who discover and share the illuminating, positive experiences amid life's uncertainties and hardships. Let me hear from you when you visit--I appreciate your comments a great deal. Blessings and regards, Cynthia
    Cynthia Guenther Richardson says:

    When are you publishing a book of these?

    Reply
  28. RMW and BTC – We are problem solvers, who are very interested in the relationship of mathematics to interactive human behavior. We believe that with only four postulates and two corollaries we can account for virtually all IHBs, gain a better and more truthful understanding of ourselves, discover a more global form of education, and understand the precise conditions necessary for world peace.
    Robert M. Weiss says:

    The contrast in the photo is striking.

    Reply
  29. ShimonZ – Jerusalem – I find my pleasure in art and literature. My primary language is Hebrew, but I enjoy English as an international language. Have worked most of my life in photography, and writing. Have also taught in college. Enjoy a good adventure.
    ShimonZ says:

    like

    Reply
  31. chrisbkm – Chris Morrison was born on the north shore of Lake Superior and currently lives within moments of the Atlantic in Nova Scotia, Canada.
    chrisbkm says:

    Nice one. Really like the image of the buds hunkering down in their fuzzy jackets.

    Reply
  32. leiflife – I have lived most of my life as a dancer,but I have been daughter, sister, lover, wife, mother and, more recently, grandmother, writer, sculptor, musician, and visual artist. Balancing all these aspects of my life continues to be a challenge. I was born on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, but have also lived in New Orleans, Texas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York City. My father was the artist and naturalist, Walter Inglis Anderson, and my mother was Agnes Grinstead Anderson, an elementary school teacher and a writer. As a child, I loved to dance naturally, inspired by the trees, birds, wind, and waves that greeted my every day. Eventually, I took lessons and my mother encouraged my dream of becoming a great ballerina. I studied ballet with Lelia Haller in New Orleans, and the atmosphere of competition, and the sense that one could never be good enough, daunted my dreams and exhausted my spirit and body. In 1965, Three things happened to free me from the tyrannical world of ballet and move me further toward the balance my soul craved. I discovered Isadora Duncan, the great revolutionist of modern dance, I gave birth to my daughter, Moira, and my artist father died. From here on I would claim the freedom to explore and express the whole of my life through dancing. I was free to become the many-faceted star I was born to be. Since then I have mothered and performed, loved and written poetry, taught the dance technique I called Airth (after the balancing forces of air and earth). I have shared my life with husband or lover, raised my children and kissed them goodby and hello repeatedly. I have also kissed my students goodby and enjoyed teaching workshops from which I could walk away, glad to relax in the company of various dogs and cats. I have read huge quantities of extraordinary books, making friends with the authors through their engaging characters. I have also written poems, memoirs, children's books, and one novel. I have two published books: DANCING THROUGH AIRTH and DANCING WITH MY FATHER. My brush and ink drawings, sculptures, and paintins dance through the homes of strangers while I make occasional journies to Paris and dance anonymously on Paris Streets. At age sixty-five, one is tempted to settle into complacency, to say "I have done the best I can; so be it. I would rather die.
    leiflife says:

    Exquisite image… Thoughtful and sensitive words… Thank you.

    Reply

  34. excellent silhouette , Wallpaper material 🙂

    Reply

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