ABC Wednesday - "P"

"P" is for PEACH

It's just a baby peach, so far, but I'm keeping my eye on it! If it survives to maturity, it will be juicy and sweet. Yum!

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "P."

ABC Wednesday - "O"

"O" is for Optical Assistance

I have worn "optical assistance," otherwise known as glasses, eyeglasses or spectacles, since I was in my mid-2o's, almost 50 years. My mother told me I wore out my eyes by reading so much, but that diagnosis was not confirmed by the optician. My first glasses were "single vision" lenses, meant only to sharpen and enlarge figures and print, and I did not have to wear them except when doing close work. My eyes were otherwise fine; I could spot a hair on a fly at 100 paces!

As I grew older, that changed, and by the time I was in my late 30's I required bi-focals; optical assistance for both close work and distance clarity. Flies at 100 paces were now completely safe; not only could I not see the hairs on them, I couldn't even see the post they were sitting on. Sigh!

Getting used to wearing bi-focals took some time. For a few days, my eye-brain connection thought that I was walking on a surface that had a lot of holes in it. I did a lot of high-stepping and swerving; I'm sure I must have been comical to observe, and probably was thought to be under the influence of an intoxicant. Those feelings passed, and I happily wore my bifocals for several years. Then...

... "Tri-focals? What do you mean, I need tri-focals? Just because I can't read your silly chart, nor see the speedometer clearly, I need tri-focals?"

And, so it was, in my 50's (entirely too young) that my eyeglasses were ground with corrections for close, mid-range and distance vision.

Over the intervening years, the corrections have become stronger and stronger. I now have not only pretty strong tri-focal lenses, but also a pair of glasses especially ground for viewing the computer screen, and some cute (hah!) little reading glasses. The prescription for all of these changes (gets stronger) about every two years, and I am temporarily financially distressed when I have to get new glasses, because I generally have to replace all three.

Did I already say that I am very, very thankful to be able to see to drive, and read, and blog? No? Well... I am!

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "O."

ABC Wednesday - "N"

"N" is for Nest

While visiting a friend a few days ago, I noticed that a mama Blue Jay had built a nest on top of the security light in her carport. I don't think I've ever seen a jay's nest before, and I was amazed at the size of the sticks and twigs she used. There's a plastic bag in there, too; for cushioning, perhaps? When I inquired, I learned that the light had been turned off when they discovered the nest building going on. That is a good thing; I imagine that a halogen light would put out enough heat to bake the eggs.


ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "N."

ABC Wednesday - "M"

"M" is for Minnie Mouse Quilt

In 1939, when I was 5 years old, our family lived in El Paso, Texas. My mother had a dear friend, Mrs. Barney P., whom we children called "Mrs. Pahdough" because we couldn't properly pronounce her last name. I don't know for sure, but I think the P. family did not have children of their own, and sort of adopted me and my younger sister. But "Pahdough" and I especially loved each other. At some time that year, so that I could have my very own quilt, she made a series of twelve quilt blocks, each featuring Minnie Mouse, a Disney character that was all the rage at the time. Each Minnie is dressed in a different outfit, with a different umbrella, hat and shoes.

As fate would have it, our family moved from El Paso to New Mexico before the quilt could be constructed. My mamma kept the blocks put away in tissue paper, pending the day she would have time to make the quilt. In 1950, we moved to Arkansas, and the quilt blocks moved with us, sheltered safely in Mama's cedar chest.

Finally, in 1954, in the summer before I was married, the ladies of my mother's Sunday School class constructed a quilt using "Pahdough's" blocks, and it was given to me by my mother as a wedding present.

What does a 20 year old with her head in the clouds know about taking care of a hand-made quilt? I used it on my bed until my children were born, then it covered their beds in turn. It had milk and hot cocoa spilled on it; it went to the laundromat; it was used to wrap breakables when we moved. By the time I had sense enough to realize what a treasure I had, it was just about worn out.

But, wait.... it's the surrounding QUILT that's worn out... not the blocks, even though the colors are a bit faded (but not as much as I would expect from fabric 70 years old), a few of Minnie's ears have worn spots, and there are one or two places where the applique stitch is beginning to ravel. I still have hopes of carefully removing the blocks from the worn out pieces that hold them together, and having them reset into a quilt for a grandchild, or a great-grandchild.

(detail from a block)

In the meantime, the bed covering I have always called "Pahdough's" quilt is resting, wrapped in tissue in my own cedar chest.

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "M."

ABC Wednesday - "L"

"L" is for

The building shown above is the newest addition to the municipal buildings in my city. A part of the Central Arkansas Library System, the grand opening of the Esther Dewitt Nixon Library was held on February 14, 2009. This building is a much-needed improvement on our former library, which was housed in an old and relatively small, flat-roofed building. All things considered, the accomodations might have been OK except that the flat roof gathered and held excessive amounts of water during heavy rains, which we often have here. Twice in the last five years, parts of the roof gave way, causing extensive flooding in the library, and even worse, much damage to the books in the stacks.


To my discredit, I haven't been involved in community affairs to any extent during the years I've lived here. However, I am a book-lover and the last episode of flooding caused me such consternation that I went straight to the mayor's office to express my displeasure and to urge the funding and construction of a new library building. I don't assume to take any credit for influencing the final decision to do just that, but was delighted to see it come to fruition during my lifetime. I've watched the progress of construction from ground-breaking to the grand opening. It doesn't hurt a thing that it is located within walking distance (on one of my good days).


The interior is spacious and well-arranged, the stacks are full of books with new, transparent covers (even the old books look new again), there is a generously-sized meeting room, a new and cleverly decorated children's area, benches and chairs upon which to sit and read, and an ample area designated for the new computers, which are available to any library patron. All in all, a wonderful improvement.


Not seen in the photograph because of the angle from which I shot is is the gently pitched roof! No more water accumulation!

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "L."

ABC Wednesday "K"

"K" is for Kwanzan Flowering Cherry Tree

prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan'

The Kwanzan Flowering Cherry tree, also known as a Japanese flowering cherry tree, is one of the most popular cultivars of the flowering cherry trees. This deciduous tree rapidly grows to height of 20 to 30 feet. The blooms are a clear pink, double flower (multiple petals like a carnation). The blooms tend to last 3 weeks, yielding to a light green foliage with a red tinge.

I was visiting my "green thumb" daughter this afternoon with camera in hand. Her large yard is a riot of color, with all sorts of blooming plants, and I need to stock up on photos of such.

"I need a "K" photo," I said, "but that tree in the courtyard is beautiful; I'll get some shots of that while I'm here."

"Ha!" she replied. "There is your "K! That's a Kwanzan Flowering Cherry."

Ask, and ye shall receive.

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "K."

ABC Wednesday - "I"

(photo may be enlarged by clicking on it)

"I" is for Icon

(photo may be enlarged by clicking on it)

In 1993, my daughter and her family were living on the island of Crete, Greece. I had the pleasure of spending 4 weeks with them and exploring the island -- and the shops, which offered many opportunities to spend my drachmas. Along with many other things, I bought the icon pictured above. According to the label affixed to the back: "Byzantine Icon This icon is handmade by the priest Refki, who learned the Agiography technik in Athos."

In addition to the Madonna and Child in the center, the icon features the archangel Michael on the left "door" and on the right, the archangel Raphael. (3/19/09 - correction: on the right is the archangel Gabriel. My sharp-eyed reader, rhymeswithplague, correctly interpreted the notation. It was all Greek to me.)

The icon is solid wood and has a stout hook on the top back to allow it to be hung on the wall, but since the base is quite sturdy, it sits on my bedroom dresser, as it has for almost 16 years.

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "I."

ABC Wednesday - "H"

"H" is for Hands

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "H."

ABC Wednesday - "G"

"G" Is for New Growth

(all photos may be enlarged by clicking on them)

New growth on the moss at the base of a tree in my back yard.

New growth on the rose bush

New growth on the Peach Tree

New growth on the sweet Pussy Willow

With all this new growth, can Spring be far behind?

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "G."

ABC Wednesday - "F"

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"F" is for British Soldiers?

Whilst taking my "D" photo a couple of weeks ago, I discovered an interesting growth on the old timbers of the bridge upon which I was standing. I had never seen such before, and had not the faintest inkling of what I was observing. I took my camera, with photos, to my gardening daughter's home and we looked it up in her Fungus book (she has a book for just about every sort of thing one might encounter in the great outdoors.) Turns out that what I had on my camera card was a lichen named British Soldiers. A quick Google search revealed the following:

"British Soldiers is a lichen which gets its name from its resemblance to the uniforms worn by English soldiers during the Revolutionary War. A lichen is not just one organism, but a fungus and algae living together to form a new organism.

The fungus in British Soldiers is called Cladonia cristatella. The algae is known as Trebouxia erici. Because lichens take the name of the fungus part of the relationship, British Soldiers is also known as Cladonia cristatella." - The above information taken from the Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools web site. More information on British Soldiers can be found here.

This fungus/algae combination is really tiny. I estimate that the longest of the growths shown in my photo were about an inch long.



ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "F."

ABC Wednesday - "E"

"E" is for Emerging

It takes only a few days of moderate temperatures for daffodils to start pushing their way up through the still cold ground and the layer of leaves which have sheltered them from the most bitter cold. It won't be long until bright yellow blossoms are nodding their heads in the breeze and silently whispering "Come on, Spring!"

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "E."

ABC Wednesday - "D"

"D" is for Ditched

We had a torrential rain about dawn this morning, and the flood relief ditch that runs between the neighborhood park and a housing subdivision was deep with rapidly moving water. A late afternoon visit to the area found the water level significantly lower, with more than a few pieces of trash caught in the weedy undergrowth. As I looked into a patch of weeds near the bridge on which I stood, a piece of footwear caught my eye. I couldn't help but wonder how it came to be in a place where it could be washed away, and from how far upstream it might have come. Someone is missing what looks to be a perfectly good, if currently waterlogged, left boot.

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "D."

ABC Wednesday - "C"

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "C."

"C" is for Ceramics

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of taking my younger sister, Carol, to visit a fascinating place in the northwest part of Arkansas: Terra Studios, located in the community of Durham. Terra Studios is perhaps best known for producing those sweet little blown-glass Blue Birds of Happiness that one can find in gift shops almost everywhere. Perhaps not as widely known are the wonderful ceramic pieces they produce. I am the very happy owner of the piece in the first three photos, the work of potter Marty Reed.

The vessel, as I would call it ("pot" is entirely too common a name for it), is a bit over 12" wide at the widest point, which includes the face, shaped in relief so that it stands out from the rounded sides of the vessel itself. The two photos below may give you a better idea of the relief.

I fell in love with this when I first saw it in the showroom , but it was priced beyond my means, and so I left it there, with a parting caress, thinking it would be only a pleasant memory. Imagine my surprise when, a couple of months after the visit, a large package arrived on my door step. Inside, very carefully wrapped, was this beautiful vessel containing a card which read "Happy Birthday! Love, Carol." It has held a place of honor in my home ever since.

In addition to the smaller ceramic pieces displayed in the showroom, the artists at Terra Studios also produced some very large pieces which were on display in the grounds surrounding the studio. During my visit, I took photos of many of them, two of which are shown below (these were scanned from hard copy photos.)





This representation of the Native American dwellings at Mesa Verde, Colorado, is composed of individually cast ceramic pieces, fitted together as a mural, and is at least 12 feet in width. I found it fascinating.


The dragon in the photo below (sorry for the visual clutter in the background) is 5 to 6 feet high. I learned through inquiry that it was fired in a single piece, in a very, very large kiln! Amazing!





I'm way overdue for a re-visit to Terra Studios. I hope the dragon and the murals have stood the test of time and are still on display. Come warm weather, I think a trip to northwest Arkansas may be in order.

ABC Wednesday - Round 3 - "I" - Post 79

INCREDIBLE

photo by O.J.Moser

I've outlived my threescore years and ten, and have seen a lot of things. One thing that I had not seen until Monday of this week was this: a Monarch Butterfly caterpillar in the actual process of changing from a squiggly, voracious worm into a jade-green chrysalis which will protect it as it metamorphoses into a beautiful butterfly. My daughter, whose photo of the pupating event is shown, has about 20-25 chrysalides in her home, along with another dozen or more Monarch Butterfly caterpillars. She's sort of a nature nut, and her children are fascinated by all this (as is her mother.) I hope to be present when the butterflies emerge; I haven't witnessed that before, either.

While watching this transformation, all I could say was "incredible, just incredible." With this in mind, my ABC Wednesday's "I" post was created.

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "I."

ABC Wednesday - Round 3 - "G"- Post 71

Garlic Chives Blooms

Growing in my garden are Garlic Chives, which are now in bloom. I photographed this flower head yesterday after I had done the mowing to get ahead of the rain from Tropical Depression Gustav.

ABC Wednesday was created by Mrs. Nesbitt. Please visit the ABC Wednesday site to view others' interpretations of this week's letter, "G."