February.

Last weekend, while traveling on SC 25, I was mentally gathering items for this month's still life (see January's here). I had been jotting ideas in my journal all month---things individual and particular to this time (February 2010) and place (the South).

The sun was rising behind me as I drove and the sky melted from deep indigo to a pale wash of cerulean blue. This blue faded into a warm raw sienna backlighting and highlighting the line of trees. Trees that were a mixture of hardwoods with charcoal fingers stretching and reaching, and swaying vermilion pines. Laid out in front of the trees and rushing up to meet the road were stubbly straw colored fields encased in frost. As the sun tipped over the horizon it turned the trees copper and crimson and liberated the fields with light and life.

HERE

 on this day and at this time

 were the things of February...

 echoed in the colors of the landscape:

• The leafy greens so prevalent now in the garden evidenced by the pines.
• Bare branches and many, many, many nests made obvious by the absence of leaves seen in the branches of the hardwood trees.
• Everywhere the twittering, whirring, hopping, and pulling of the beautiful breast of the American Robin seconded by the blaze of color on the trees.
• Swelling buds encased in the sheen of velvety layers mimicked by the fields swathed in icy frost.

Vermilion, charcoal, velvet, and copper

Eating Seasonally

Another bountiful box...

Carrots, Arugula, Sweet Potatoes, Baby Butternut Squash,

Frozen Blueberries, Kale, Cilantro, Flat Parsley, 

 Broccoli, Celery, Tomatoes.

For those in Augusta who want to know....

Garden City Organics on Broad Street. 

Dawn on SC 25

February 20, 2010.

Thinking

In spite of the frigid temperatures here, the buds on the trees and shrubs have continued to steadily swell. It is especially evident after a rain---everyday there is just a little more there. On my morning walk, my thoughts are drawn to the bare branches and growing buds---among those buds, is there a rebellious soul...like me? Maybe a flighty dogwood that, thinking she is being individualistic and creative, decides “I will put this task (of growing her buds) aside for a while so that I can grow my roots deep into the warm soil. I think it is probably better, especially since it seems easier and more comfortable than reaching my bare little tips out into the cold air.” Then she leans over conspiratorially to her friend, the steadfast redbud, on the pretense of “getting her opinion,” but in reality the dogwood just wants a confirmation of her own decision. What the poor little dogwood doesn't realize is that by putting aside the tasks placed closest to her, she destroys all hopes of a glorious bloom that season. The short window of time for setting and growing the buds that year is lost...forever.

"We look for visions from heaven

 and earth shaking events

to see God's power.

Yet we never realize

that all the time God is at work

in our everyday events

 and

 in the people around us.

 If we will only obey,

and do the tasks that He has placed closest to us,

 we will see Him."

My Utmost for His Highest, February 7

Oswald Chambers

Seeing

“Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes

were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a

shame that this beauty should not be seen and

appreciated by others. Every crystal was a

masterpiece of design and no one design was

ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that

design was forever lost. Just that much beauty

was gone, without leaving any record behind."

(Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, 1925)

"My fascination with snowflakes was renewed when I recently read that they are not white. Their brilliance surpasses our own vision. Each one contains millions of tiny, clear, light-reactive prisms. Imagine millions of prisms. What a sight to consider. While these prisms break up the light that strikes them into all the colors of the rainbow our own eyes see “white” instead. With all the mystery of such splendor as snowflakes, I learned that we don't see the half of it. The millions of prisms creating millions of colors in each snowflake are too beautiful to even perceive."

 (Samuel J. Alibrando, Nature Never Stops Talking)

Thinking

Because God

has made us for Himself,

our hearts

are restless until they rest

in Him.

(Augustine)

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Southern snow...

In Bloom...almost

Flowering quince: Chaenomelea speciosa

In Bloom

Forsythia.

Eating Seasonally

Recently we joined a CSA group(Community Supported Agriculture) in which we receive a box of local produce each week. The beautiful vegetables that arrived in my kitchen this week were: Butternut Squash, Swiss Red Chard, Green Cabbage, Canistel (a persimmon-like fruit), Tomatoes, Watercress, Carrots, Lacinato Kale, and Green Bell Peppers.

Capturing a Moment

Winter dawn at Phinizy Swamp.

Seeing

When one door of happiness closes,

 another opens;

but often we look so long at the closed door

 that we do not see

 the one which has been opened for us.

Helen Keller

January.

Woodsmoke, cerulean sky, and clementines

Blessed to be a blessing.

Yesterday, I wept for the Haitian people.

 It was this photo from my morning edition

 of the Augusta Chronicle that did it.

 I was riveted by this child's eyes---

they are locked on his mother's face.

I know that look.

 I have seen it in my own children's eyes

in times of extreme fear.

 But thankfully, it has never been from the fear

of the world collapsing around them.

And I thought of the many children searching

for mothers and the many mothers searching for children.

 The verse from Matthew 2:18

(which quotes the verse in Jeremiah)

came immediately to mind:

"A voice is heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted,

because they are no more.”

Today I am asking what can we do? We can pray. Prayer transcends time and space. James tells us “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” And we can give. If you feel called to help monetarily here are some organizations recommended by our church that will use your donation responsibly for the Haitian people:

 Mission to the World

Mission to North America

MAP (Medical Assistance Partners)

Good Morning

With the new year have come
 bright, clear days and cold, cold nights.
 The coldness seems to have driven
the wading birds up into our end of the creek.
Each morning we are greeted by
 Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, and Green Herons
 standing, fishing, and flying.

School

My First Born participated in a Science Fair over the weekend---making batteries from fruits and vegetables. He commissioned me for a photograph of the fruits and vegetables used in the experiment. I used an age old idea—the “Old Master” still life...

Thinking

"You don't have a soul.

You are a soul.

You have a body."
C.S. Lewis

In Bloom

.

Fatsia japonica.

A Gift

At times, when life becomes full one has to choose between living it and recording it. December burst upon us on the heels of Thanksgiving with many wonderful opportunities to share meals, spend time, and make memories with family and friends. And although there were many moments to capture I found myself choosing to live in the moment rather than preserve it---thus not many photographs to share. But we always have the memories. I hope you have had a memorable year also.

From our home to yours

we wish for you the gift of new beginnings.

Happy New Year!

O come...

let us adore Him!

Evergreens and Hollies

I love parties where you actually do something.

 Last week I attended just such an event:

"Deck the Halls" sponsored by Historic Augusta.

Those of us with tickets gathered at 10:00

 at the beautifully restored home of Joseph Lamar.

The front rooms of the house were empty

except for several round tables

skirted in burlap

 and covered with seasonal fresh greenery.

The first table boasted potted paperwhites,

small olive and evergreen trees,

and white hydrangeas.

All in gorgeous aged clay pots.

But in the center of the remaining tables

were large baskets overflowing

with cuttings of fresh evergreens and hollies.

Also on the table

was a soaked oasis in a contatiner

 for each participant.

While sipping Poinsettias (champagne and cranberry juice)

 and meeting new friends

 we created our own arrangements.

We all went home

with individual compositions of fresh greenery

to bring the beauty of the season into our homes!

In Bloom

Camellia sasanqua.

Another Moment Captured...

Similar to my previous post,

 Capturing a Moment,

this shot happened in a instant.
 A cold front had swept in overnight

 and upon waking I noticed heavy evaporation

coming off the creek. As the sun peeked over the eastern end

everything was transformed by the light.

The mist gathered itself

and danced across the surface of the water

as my shutter clicked away.

Reflections

I am incredibly blessed

to have these shining faces around my table.

Each one unique with their own special set of

years, talents, beauty, and troubles.

Each one touches me

in a particular place only they can reach.

Each one brings out a special aspect

only they are able to reveal.

And each one an immortal image bearer.

Giving Thanks...

for Life.

Late Afternoon Light

Still life in the dining room.

Preparing

“What is asked of us...

is that we break open our blocked caves

 and find each other.

 Nothing less will heal the anguished spirit

 or release the heart to act in love.”

thoughts of Father Tim,

Chapter 4, A Light in the Window

 Jan Karon

As the holidays approach, I find relationships on my mind.  I have been re-reading the Mitford series and having just finished the second book (A Light in the Window), I am struck anew with how we all struggle in our relationships--as evidenced by Father Tim and Cynthia.  We want deep, meaningful relationships that are celebrated by the holidays--a coming together of hearts and minds.  But...our world is broken, and we can't love like we were meant to love...without Christ. I pray that Christ will break the blocked caves, closed doors, and fortified walls of my heart.

Seeing

"We can all see God in

exceptional things,

 but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline

to see God in every detail.

 Never believe

 that the so-called random events of life

are anything less than God's appointed order.

Be ready to discover

 His designs anywhere and everywhere."

November 14,

My Utmost for His Highest,

Oswald Chambers

Seeing

Fall sunset
on the obelisk chimney of the
 Confederate Powder Works.

In Bloom

Confederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis).

A southern passalong,the Confederate Rose, has been blooming in the Augusta area since the beginning of October. The enormous blossoms look like a cross between a peony and a hibiscus and only last a few days.  Some forms bloom white and turn pink, while others bloom pink and remain pink.

The leaves are large, as are the tight rounded buds that pop up all over the shrub.  Petals are tissue thin, similar to crepe paper, and arranged in a ruffly ballgownish form. Propagate by taking cuttings now and placing them in a bucket of water until spring when you should see some roots, then plant for spectacular fall color and cuttings to share. 

November?!...

I'm not sure if I'm ready!

A Treat

Fall eye candy...

Have a fun and safe weekend!