Charm of the Carolines

Bullet Point Blessings for September 6, 2019

Artists are different. 

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic. 

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world. 

I am such an artist.

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♥  Red Lipstick

In the fourth grade, we had a substitute Sunday School teacher at church, a very pious, spinster lady whom I never could decide was either Puritan or Victorian, warned us ten year-old girls of the evils of wearing red lipstick. This was her opinion and not the position of the church, but still I never forgot it. Or really cared, frankly. Red lipstick was simply not my shade. Or is it?

For those of you who know me well, know it is continually 1942 in my brain. And never before in the history of mankind have so many people stood defiant in favor of vanity, beauty, femininity, and red lipstick than the Allies of WWII. It may have even contributed to the outcome of the war.

England entered the war years before the US and were actively involved in the western front. With glycerin needed to make explosives and supply ships being sunk and factories being bombed, many items were rationed, if available at all. Lipstick was one of those items. 

Yet, women on the homefront were encouraged to remain glamorous to raise morale among their menfolk and sweethearts serving in the war. Many resorted to beet juice to rouge their lips. Heaven forbid!!

The US Lipstick production continued uninterrupted during WWII, though polished cardboard replaced brass tubes since the metal was required for the war effort. It was the essential non-essential to keep women feeling confident and in their naturally vivacious spirits.

In a US Marine recruiting pamphlet, female recruits were told to match their lipstick and nail color to the scarlet cord on the hat of their uniforms. The Helena Rubenstein red lipstick was named "Regimental Red." The shade I wear is by Besame and named "Victory Red."

In Germany, however, the Nazi Party banned lipstick, preferring German girls prepare themselves to become the archetype Germanic mother. The news of the ban reached the US, but the media preferred to fixate on England's lack of lipstick, encouraging American women to include red lipstick in Care Packages to British women serving in the armed forces. For anything the Fuhrer disliked, Americans and Britons cherished. And so do I.

Remember ladies,"Beauty is a Duty." 

 

♥  QuiverSmiths 

I have discovered members of our tribe halfway around the world in the Philippines. Iana, Avie, and Louis are Filipino artists who love to travel and bring with them the tools of their craft to collect their memories in photographs, words and paint. I love them already!!

Every plein air and illustrated travel journalist knows how important packing light can be, so these three have created a line of small to miniature journals and watercolor supplies for their own use and offer them to other artists like us through their website QuiverSmiths.

Their small and lightweight journals and watercolor sets are ideal for carrying around in your pocket or purse every single day, not just while traveling. This way when the creative pulse beats at an odd time or location, you will be prepared to chase your whims, paint in your journal and write the words that have come to you that you don't want to lose. Every idea your daydreams throw at you will have a charming place to reside.

Do you not love them, too??

They even have miniature cabinets to house your miniature journals. 

 

♥  The Watercolors of John Singer Sargent

One of the joys of being an art instructor (or Creative Awakener, as I prefer to call it) is introducing my students to the artists, both contemporary and those who've gone before, whose work I love and admire. High on the list is the work of John Singer Sargent. 

Last year my Creative Spirits students and I toured the Frist Museum of Art to see an exhibit of art of WWI, including the Gassed, John Singer Sargent's 9 foot by 21 foot oil painting depicting the aftermath of a mustard gas attack on WWI soldiers. It was poignant, beautiful and disturbing at the same time, and masterfully painted. 

As familiar as I am with his Sargent's oil paintings, I didn't even know until recently that he also painted in watercolor. 

The Watercolors of John Singer Sargent arrived just this week, and I find the photos of his work utterly enchanting.

 

I found his collection painted in Florida especially lovely. Without a doubt, it is because of his ability to capture the warm light. 

♥  Viriditas

In the last issue of Bullet Point Blessings, I shared how fascinated I am by both rich colors and lush words, phrases and expressions. They are the building blocks for creativity in my world full of painting and writing.

One word I discovered is already slated to be my "Word of the Year" for 2020. It's the word Viriditas, meaning "blooming life force." Isn't that scrumptious??

The Latin word Viriditas means "greenness" or "greening" but more poetically, it means "all of the goodness Life has to offer that is fresh, budding, and vital."

According to Wikipedia, Viriditas is particularly associated with the German abbess Hildegard von Bingen from the Rhineland convent, who used it to refer to or symbolize spiritual and physical health, often as a reflection of the divine word or as an aspect of the divine nature.

 

"I can not make my days longer, 

So I strive to make them better."

~Henry David Thoreau

 

"Sometimes the smallest things

take up the most room in your heart."

~Winnie the Pooh

 

"There is nothing that makes its way

more directly into the soul than beauty."

~Joseph Addison

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*NEW* Creative Horizons Daily Paintings Class

Beginning September 12 at 2pm, the Creative Horizons painting class will be offered. This weekly class will focus on smaller, simpler paintings based on the national trend started back in 2004 by Duane Keiser, the father of "Daily Painting."

 

We will paint for an hour a small (6 x 6 up to 10 x 10) painting with a simple subject comprised of basic shapes using my 5-Step process. It's light, colorful, fun, and stress-free. Perfect for advanced students wanting more painting time or beginner students who want to learn creating easier paintings.

It's called Daily Painting because the trend sparked a movement among artists who challenged their discipline by painting and completing one painting a day. Several websites popped up to host the onslaught of miniature paintings and galleries began hosting Six Squared and Miniature shows. People who would have never considered investing in original art found where they could love and afford these miniature beauties which are priced between $10 and $1500. But more about all that in class. 

Join us won't you?  To register for classes or workshops, please call me at 615-668-8263.

 

Adventure Awaits! Illustrated Travel Journaling Workshop

The September Adventure Awaits! Illustrated Travel Journaling Workshop is scheduled for September 14 at the Athenaeum in Columbia, Tennessee. We may even do a walking tour over a block to see the Gallaway-McKee House. This was the headquarters of cavalry genius Nathan Bedford Forrest during the Civil War, but to those of us who live in Columbia, it was most recently the home of Phil Everly from the music duo "Everly Brothers." Phil passed away in 2014. His wife Patti sold the house and moved back to California. It was purchased by Kings Daughters and is now home to their administrative offices.

To register for classes or workshops, please call me at 615-668-8263.

 

 

 

Bullet Point Blessings for August 23, 2019

Artists are different. 

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic. 

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world. 

I am such an artist. 

"An Artist gives:

gives visually, gives through workshops or with free advice,

through generosity of spirit and through the need to share."

~Veronica Roth

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♥  The Exception

Available on Netflix is a romantic war drama set in the WWII era, and based on the novel The Kaiser's Last Kiss. It's not one I would have readily watch based on the description, the trailer, or the publicity photos. The only reason I turned it on Friday evening was because I adore the actress Lily James. You may know her best as Cousin Rose on Downton Abbey or as the young Donna Sheridan in Momma Mia 2 - Here We Go Again. 

Although this film is historical fiction, it did open my eyes to a couple of things: 1) Not every soldier serving the Reich was a Nazi, and 2) Kaiser Wilhelm II was a king. Not sure how I completely missed that fact or that Prussia was ruled by kings up until Wilhelm II. Now I want to learn more about the history of Germany. 

In addition to Lily James, the film stars Christopher Plummer as Kaiser Wilhelm. The fact that the only other role I've known him to play was another high ranking military official threatened by the Nazi regime was not lost on me.

This film is so well written, the scenes so beautifully set, and the actors so attractive, I can't believe I've never heard of it before. And the plot nuances were so subtle, I found myself watching the movie again to pick up on clues I didn't catch the first time. Yet beware, it is rated R deservedly for violence, language, sex, nudity and adult themes. 

♥  Figs!

It's fig season at Windy Acre Cottage and the one fig tree that stands on the property is prolific!

Our Heavenly Father, revered in his majestic glory for creator of the universe and author of salvation, kindly winks at me and smiles on a daily basis. His sense of humor is subtle at times, but when you get the joke, it's not only funny, but ingeniously creative. For example, the fig. It's not a fruit. It's a flower... an inverted flower. So how in heaven's name can the butterflies and bees pollinate it for reproduction? They can't. The process requires a fig wasp. I kid you not!

The female fig wasp descends into the hard, green, inverted fig flower and lays her eggs, but this only works if she has chosen a male fig which is perfectly suitable for her wasp egg nursery. During this process, she picks up the pollen located inside the male fig and shares it with other figs. If by chance she has entered a female fig, the pollen is still deposited, but the environment is not suitable for a nursery and she dies from either starvation or exhaustion. 

Back to the male fig... the eggs hatch, first the male wasps who bore holes to help the females leave when they are hatched, and then later the female wasp babies emerge and fly out through the holes created by their brothers. And with them they take pollen to the next tree of figs. The fig wasps can not survive without the fig tree and the fig tree can not survive without the wasps. It is a totally symbiotic relationship. 

The relationship between the figs and the wasps is vital to producing figs... you need both. This is the reason I grow my figs organically. I don't want to chance killing the wasps vital to the process. So if you visit Windy Acre Cottage and want to pick a few figs, wear long sleeves and boots. You may get bitten by a bug or two. 

 

    

P.S. Yes, the dead female wasp's body remains in the female fig, but the fig will digest it. You will not find her in her original form in your fruit. Circle of life. 

♥  Southern Living Cookbooks 

 

Depending on your age and location, you, too, may have been raised with the latest edition of Southern Living magazine atop the family's living room coffee table. I was. Today, there are many magazines celebrating the southern lifestyle, but for decades none compared to Southern Living. 

Admittedly I don't subscribe to Southern Living or any magazines at the moment, though thoughtful and generous friends, family, and students have gifted me with several, various subscriptions. However, I never fail to purchase old Southern Living cookbooks when I run across them. They have the BEST recipes. 

My sister-in-law wants to make Fig Preserves from the abundance of figs being harvested daily, so I hoped to find a good recipe in these pages. 

I wasn't disappointed. 

Directions:

Coarsely chop figs and place in dutch oven. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Drain figs and set aside. 

Combine sugar, lemon juice, and 6 cups water in Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Add figs, return to a boil and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add thin lemon slices and boil 30 minutes until figs are tender and clear. 

Carefully remove figs and lemon slices with a slotted spoon and set aside. Boil syrup 15 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon. Return figs to syrup. 

Pack figs and hot syrup into hot sterilized jars close to the rim. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Cover immediately with lids and screw on bands. 

With this much sugar used, it should be safe to simply store in a cool, dark place until used or gifted. However you may want to process in a water bath for 5 minutes for added assurance the jam is preserved.

Yields:  8 half-pints

♥  Goods for the Study

The bucket list has a new line item. The destination is a little stationery store in New York with one location on Mulberry Street in Soho and the other in the West Village on W. 50th Street. It is the Fatherland for the pen obsessed!

I love writing as much as I love painting, but with colored pens you can do either! They also carry exquisite writing instruments, leather carrying cases, interesting notebooks, and custom stationery. They even have a fountain pen club!!

Allow me to thank friend and student Carol Hearne for the gift of a Blackwing pencil. I love it! And they carry Blackwings here, too.  

And thank you to friend and student Judy Davies for sharing with me the treasure her son-in-law inherited, a handmade wooden box filled with WWII Medals and a collection of fountain pens, pens, and mechanical pencils from the 1920s-1950s. I was in heaven!!

Goods for the Study Photo Credits: Deedee DeGelia

♥  Jolie Laide

I am fascinated by rich colors and lush words, phrases and expressions. They are the building blocks for creativity in my world full of painting and writing.

The french expression "Jolie Laide" is one I had not heard of until recently, and I'm haunted by it's meaning. Literally translated it means "Beautiful Ugly," but the connotation is much deeper. It's basically a woman who is unconventionally beautiful or attractive despite possessing physically "imperfect" or ugly features. 

Say what you will about the French, but I applaud a culture that embraces beauty in all it's forms, even the unconventional ones. In the 1980s, Cindy Crawford showed amazing courage and self-confidence by refusing to have her upper lip mole removed when a modeling agency insisted. Apparently they didn't find her asymmetrical face perfect enough to grace the covers of magazines. Boy, were they wrong!

Barbara Streisand didn't have her nose surgically altered, and Freddy Mercury didn't have his teeth fixed even though they were both scrutinized in the public spotlight and had the financial means to do so. Both more interested in perfecting their art, than their faces. 

Vive la difference!

"Love is a great beautifier."

~Louisa May Alcott

 

"Beauty is Truth."
~John Keats

 

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful,

for beauty is God's handwriting."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

"Beauty is not in the face: beauty is a light in the heart." 

~ Kahlil Gibran 

 

 

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Adventure Awaits! Illustrated Travel Journaling Workshop

The September Adventure Awaits! Illustrated Travel Journaling Workshop is scheduled for September 14 at the Athenaeum in Columbia, Tennessee. We may even do a walking tour over a block to see the Gallaway-McKee House. This was the headquarters of cavalry genius Nathan Bedford Forrest during the Civil War, but to those of us who live in Columbia, it was most recently the home of Phil Everly from the music duo "Everly Brothers." Phil passed away in 2014. His wife Patti sold the house and moved back to California. It was purchased by Kings Daughters and is now home to their administrative offices.

To register for classes or workshops, please call me at 615-668-8263.

*NEW* Travel Journaling Workshop Open Studio

Can't make it to an all-day workshop? Or want more time and guidance to paint illustrations in your travel- or nature-journal? You may want to consider attending the Adventure Awaits! Open Studio for Illustrated Journals. Offered on September 5 from 2-3:30, you'll have an hour and a half to work in your journals using your photos from your travels, and I'll be available to assist you with any questions you may have or help you need with your illustrations. 

The Open Studio fee is only $25, and students can register by calling 615-668-8263.

 

*NEW* Creative Horizons Daily Paintings Class

Beginning September 12 at 2pm, the Creative Horizons painting class will be offered. This weekly class will focus on smaller, simpler paintings based on the national trend started back in 2004 by Duane Keiser, the father of "Daily Painting."

We will paint for an hour a small (6 x 6 up to 10 x 10) painting with a simple subject comprised of basic shapes using my 5-Step process. It's light, colorful, fun, and stress-free. Perfect for advanced students wanting more painting time or beginner students who want to learn creating easier paintings.

It's called Daily Painting because the trend sparked a movement among artists who challenged their discipline by painting and completing one painting a day. Several websites popped up to host the onslaught of miniature paintings and galleries began hosting Six Squared and Miniature shows. People who would have never considered investing in original art found where they could love and afford these miniature beauties which are priced between $10 and $1500. But more about all that in class. 

Join us won't you?

Reserve your easel by calling 615-668-8263.

Bullet Point Blessings for August 16, 2019

Artists are different. 

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic. 

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world. 

I am such an artist. 

Each Friday, I'll share with you a few beautiful, delicious, intriguing treasures I'm grateful to have discovered.

Or simply things I'm just grateful for... Period.

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

♥  Cotton Paper, Deckle-edge Illustration Journal

All summer students, friends, followers on social media, have been asking me where I got my green, cotton paper, deckle-edged illustration journal, and I knew I purchased it on-line, but couldn't remember where. Finally, I found it!! Click the link to be taken to Amazon to see the details (and full disclosure, if you purchase one I'll get 3/10th of a penny and in twenty years when the pennies add up to $10, I'll get a check).

It's true. I love this journal. Maybe a little too much. It's so precious to me, I rarely use it for the purpose intended. It gets saved for special occasions and on a more regular basis I paint in my Michael's Sale Rack perfect bound, hard back sketch journal. 

If you want to start your own Illustrated Travel or Nature Journal, you simply need a sketchpad or sketchbook, pencil, and watercolor set. I have a dozen or more watercolor sets ranging in quality and price, but my Winsor Newton Travel Watercolor set is still my favorite. Compact, light, fitted with paints, well, brush, palette, it's really all I need. Just wish I could find a short, mechanical pencil to fit in the case and then it would be perfect. 

♥  Mrs. Wilson

I'm a huge fan of PBS and subscribe to the PBS Passport whereby I can watch virtually any PBS program at any time through my ROKU. But even if you aren't a PBS Passport subscriber, you can catch the encore presentation of this amazing, "fact-is-indeed-stranger-than-fiction" story of Ruth Wilson's grandmother during the 1940s. Ruth Wilson is the actress in the photo portraying her own grandmother.

It's a three-episode series that will be re-aired Sunday evening, September 1, starting at 7pm central on NPT, the PBS Nashville affiliate. You may need to consult the schedule of your local affiliate if your station is not NPT.  

  

♥  Fleur de Rocaille 

One thing that never changes is my love for all things 1940s. I can't explain it, but I know what I love.... patriotism, clothes lines, aprons, vintage radios, Big Band Swing, dreamy box office stars, traveling by train, it's an unreal, romantic notion of a time in which I wasn't born, and if I had to live through it, I don't know if I would cherish it so dearly. I'm not blind to the Nazi atrocities, threat of fascism, communism, and invasion, war, racial discrimination, gender inequality, lack of medical care as we know it, the internet, even TV. Still, it's a happy place in my head and lived every day at Windy Acre Cottage. 

In this world, I collect perfume from the 1940s (or slightly before and still available in the '40s), and my absolute favorite is Fleur de Rocaille 

I learned about this perfume watching Bomb Girls on Netflix, and thrilled to learn it's still in production. And if you haven't see Bomb Girls, you are in for a treat. 

♥  Bomb Girls

The BBC created a series on PBS called "Land Girls" which I dearly, dearly loved. After watching this series I wanted more and went searching for anything similar, and found the Canadian production "Bomb Girls." Regretfully, there were only two seasons, but thank goodness, the fans revolted and the producers created a made-for-TV movie to give us closure. 

Set near the Canadian Coast during WWII, it's the fictitious stories of four young woman and their shift matron (played by American actress Meg Tilly) who risk their lives every day working in a munitions factory building bombs. But just as with any piece of historical fiction, there are pieces of truth spun throughout. For example, one episode deals with the AMAZING story of Dunkirk. I can't believe I had never heard of this before. (Since the airing of this show, a major motion picture was produced to tell the tale.)

For those of you not familiar with the story of Dunkirk, it took place before the US entered WWII. It was the only battle I am aware of that was neither lost nor won officially; it was simply a miracle. And the way I remember it told, was the the British forces began a retreat across France that backed them up to the English Channel to the north and the German army to the south. There was no way out. With them were other allied forces from France, Belgium, Poland, and possibly others. 

The decision was made to evacuate the soldiers, but how? Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were stranded and in need of evacuation off a beach. Big ships can't even get close. And German forces were quickly moving in.

Many improvised piers from tanks, trucks, whatever they could find. Would it work? Was there time? Would the ships arrive safely? Would they make it home alive?

And then it happened. The miracle. A civilian navy made up of fishing boats, sail boats, tug boats, trawlers, yachts, a flotilla of privately-owned watercraft manned by civilians who knew how to steer towards France was drafted at the last minute to rescue more than 400,000 troops stuck on the beaches. The idea was sheer madness. Or necessity. Or genius. It happened for real. 

And I had never heard this story until I watched a campy, soap-opera style serial set in the 1940s. 

I am forever grateful to the Greatest Generation. 

Sidebar:  Both of my father's parents worked at the Arsenal in Milan, Tennessee, during the war, and how I dream of time travel to go back and see them as young people and the work they accomplished. Maybe that is why this show speaks to me. I've added a link to the DVDs on Amazon, but I think it's available on Netflix, too. 
 

 

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues,

but the parent of all the others."

~Winston Churchill

 

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Adventure Awaits! Illustrated Travel Journaling Workshop

The August 24 workshop of Adventure Awaits! Illustrated Travel Journaling to the Belle Meade Mansion is currently full. If you would like to have your name added to the wait list, please contact me at 615-668-8263.

The September Adventure Awaits! Illustrated Travel Journaling Workshop is scheduled for September 14 at the Athenaeum in Columbia, Tennessee. We may even do a walking tour over a block to see the Gallaway-McKee House. This was the headquarters of cavalry genius Nathan Bedford Forrest during the Civil War, but to those of us who live in Columbia, it was most recently the home of Phil Everly from the music duo "Everly Brothers." Phil passed away in 2014. His wife Patti sold the house and moved back to California. It was purchased by Kings Daughters and is now home to their administrative offices.

To register for classes or workshops, please call me at 615-668-8263.

Bullet Point Blessings for August 9, 2019

Artists are different. 

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic. 

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world. 

I am such an artist. 

Each Friday, I'll share with you a few beautiful, delicious, intriguing treasures I'm grateful to have discovered.

Or simply things I'm just grateful for... Period.

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

♥  Tomato Art Festival, East Nashville

On the second Saturday of August for the past sixteen years, Meg MacFadyen and crew have celebrated the glorious and coveted summer, homegrown Tomato. Is it vegetable or fruit? It's both! (legally a veggie, but biologically a fruit... yes, it is. Look it up. *wink*)   Considered a Uniter, and not a Divider, people of all walks of life gather in East Nashville for a day of celebrating our beautiful oneness and diversity. 

Events kick off with a push - pull - walk parade dedicated to the juicy, red fruit. Blocks and blocks of vendors under tents are selling a wide variety of unique wares. Wading pools are set up for the comfort of the four-legged among us on one of the hottest days of the year. And bands play music all day long. 

The real draw for me is perusing the myriad of Tomato-inspired art. Even the most classically trained artist may take this opportunity to show a little whimsy. Or not. As long as the art is Tomato-inspired or dedicated to any fruit or veggie of summer. 

My entries this year are rather tame, but I like them. I hope you will, too. 

 

Make your plans to visit the Tomato Art Fest on Saturday, August 10. Or better yet, purchase tickets to attend the Patron's Party on Friday evening, and get a sneak peak at all the wonderful art.  

Location:   Friday August 9th: Preview & Reserve your special 2019 tomato art piece before everyone else and without the long lines of Fest day by attending our Tomato Art Preview Party at 1106 Woodland Street (formally Art and Invention Gallery), Friday, Aug 9, 2019 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.         

Saturday August 10th: Visit 1106 Woodland Street (formally Art and Invention Gallery) between the hours of 9:00am - 6:00pm to view and purchase tomato art during the Fest.

♥  Persephone, goddess of New Beginnings

 
I love new beginnings.

For years I've purchased a new journal just in time for New Year's Day, and in it jot down plans, and goals, and resolutions, always looking for the next bit of fun, adventure, service, travel, painting, museum, workshop, and friends. Little did I know I was also doing the same thing every August, anticipating Back to School time and the new semester. Only in the past 5 years have I started purchasing a 17-month calendar beginning in August and starting my second New Year's Day of the year. Luckily for me, it's roughly mid-year and as an entrepreneur I need the mid-year reflection to make sure I'm on course for my business as well as personal goals or if I need to change course.

When I discovered Persephone in my middle school years studying Greek mythology, I learned she was the daughter of Zeus, King of the gods, and she was the goddess of springtime, gardens, and flowers. Only recently did I learn she is also the goddess of new beginnings. 

Being a child of the divine Creator who wakes every morning with the refreshed knowledge the sunrise and God's love afford me another day to try to get it right, make the next right decision, and atone for the mistakes of yesterday, the metaphor was not lost one me. 

 

♥  Choosing Keeping

I found my happy place. It's located at 21 Tower Street in London. And just in case you're in the neighborhood, the nearest tube is Covent Garden or Leicester Square. Regretfully, I've not been there in person, but I visit every day in my dreams. It is not only a happy place, it is a mecca for my tribe... the Artist*Writer*Gift-Giver*Make Everything Joyful*Lovely*Art of Slow Living*Smelling the Roses Tribe.  Our coat of arms is bejeweled with quills, nibs, paintbrushes, watercolor, hearts, and flowers, and it's inscribed "Character, Service, Love, Creation."

This is the home of the English shop Choosing Keeping. They are purveyors of exquisite fountain pens, alluring deckle edge papers, delightful gift-wrapping supplies, and charming travel watercolor kits. Even half a world away, my heart races just thinking about visiting there one day.  

Is your heart racing a little faster now? Mine is. 

♥  Surprise Lilies 

The Surprise Lilies at Windy Acre Cottage are resplendent this year! 

For years they never appeared, except on my neighbor Suda's front lawn. And then one morning, Ta-da!  Surprise Lilies were lining my back fence row. And it was immediate, overnight. One day nothing is there, and then *poof!* Surprise!

 Also known as Naked Ladies, these lilies resemble an amaryllis with their funnel-shaped blossoms on a long stem. Their leaves sprout in early June, but wither, yellow, and die without much fanfare. Only in the sultriness of August do these long-legged, Naked Ladies appear. 

Coincidentally, more have blossomed in my yards this year, in the flower beds along the picket fence and in the one on the west side of my cottage. 

And if I'm lucky in a couple of weeks after the blushing pink variety is spent, the fiery red Spider Lily cousins will bloom. Fingers crossed.  

 

“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal.

It’s the courage to continue that counts.”

— Winston Churchill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Adventure Awaits! Illustrated Travel Journaling Workshop

The August 24 workshop of Adventure Awaits! Illustrated Travel Journaling to the Belle Meade Mansion is currently full. If you would like to have your name added to the wait list, please contact me at 615-668-8263.

Plans are currently in the works for the September date and location, preliminarily scheduled for September 14 at the Athenaeum in Columbia, Tennessee. To register, please call 615-668-8263.

 

And if you just can't get enough of famous quotes on New Beginnings, here are a few more of my favorites....

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“It’s never too late to become who you want to be. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth… not going all the way, and not starting.” –Buddha

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” – Lao Tzu

“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

 “Every moment is a fresh beginning.” —T.S. Eliot

“The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.” –Steve Jobs

Happy National Watermelon Day!!

Happy National Watermelon Day

16 x 20 Acrylics on Canvas, $497

by susan elizabeth jones, 2019

Happy National Watermelon Day!!

August 3

It's the happiest day of the year celebrating the official fruit of summer .... the juicy, delicious watermelon!! How do you plan to celebrate?