From Giverny to Ellington

At about this time last year,  my daughter and I had just arrived home from a trip to London and Paris.  It was a wonderful trip, but one of our favorite days was the one spent visiting Monet's house and garden in Giverny, France.

While there were thousands of gorgeous flowers,  

Annie and I were drawn to the poppies.

I purchased a packet of red poppy seeds in the gift shop that day

for planting at home.

The delicate field poppies were everywhere along the roadsides too.

Ever since then,  I have been on a mission to grow poppies of my own.

Very early this spring, when snow was still on the ground, I spread the

packet of seeds from Monet's garden.  I also spread seeds from various

other types of poppies that I had purchased online.

And THEY GREW!

The first ones to blossom were the very delicate California poppies. 

The petals are thinner than crepe paper and the seeds 

are yellow.  I love ALL of the shades of pink, coral and red!

Every morning,  I go outside to see more and more blooms.

I've been picking them daily to enjoy in the house too.

A taller, sturdier variety just began blooming today!

It's very pretty with more layered petals and a darker center.

This is what makes gardening so much fun.  I don't like to see the same

garden year after year.  I'm always moving things around and adding new

flowers that catch my fancy.  Sometimes things work out and sometimes

they are a flop.

It makes me VERY happy that this is a time when THEY GREW!

Wicked Tulips

 Yesterday, I did something I've never done before.

I went to a tulip farm with my two daughters.

We drove to Johnston, RI to

Wicked Tulips Flower Farm.

Tickets are needed in order to enter.  They can be purchased on

their website, but the tickets sell out pretty fast - especially for weekend days.

There were two areas on the farm.  

One field was just for "show".  

Tulips were labeled and planted in groupings.

No picking was allowed here.

The rest of the farm was open for picking

with a charge of $1 per stem.

It was a beautiful day - sunny and warm with a gentle breeze.

There were many colors and varieties of tulips to choose from.

We spent over an hour at the farm, picking flowers and taking pictures.

Before checking out,  we went to a wrapping station to bundle

and count our stems.

After stopping at a store to get a few buckets and some water to help our 

$40 worth of tulips survive the heat, we stopped for dinner 

at Cindy's Diner in North Scituate, RI.

Chocolate milk shakes, grilled cheese, french fries, hamburger -  everything

was soooo good!  And it was a very friendly atmosphere too!

When I got home,  I made two beautiful arrangements!

Putting them in ice water revived the drooping tulips.

I'm so happy that both of my girls live close enough

for us to be able to do things together. 

It was a very simple day,

but a very good day!

                   *****************************************************************************

Do your tulips droop when you put them in a vase?

 Try this.

The reason they droop is that the stems are hollow and

as they attempt to soak up the water, they get air bubbles

that can't escape inside the stem.  The air bubble prevents

water from going up to the flower.

If you poke a hole in the stem right below the flower

with a pin or toothpick, the stem will remain straight

and won't droop!  Try it!

(I hear this also works for other hollow-stemmed flowers

such as Gerbera Daisies.)

A Different Birthday Blog

I have a standing tradition of posting a blog on the birthday of each of my kids to celebrate their lives in a special way.  In the past,  I've included lots of pictures.  I have thousands of pictures from their childhood days, school events, and family times to draw from.  

Today I am faced with a dilemma.

It is unlike dilemma's I've faced in years past,  such as whether or not it's time to potty-train
or what time to set a curfew for teenagers. 

For the first time, this year,  I feel like it isn't appropriate anymore to post pictures of my angel-faced little boy at different stages of childhood.  BUT, at the same time, I also don't feel it's appropriate to brag about my grown-up son and how wonderful he is - not to mention how I just scrolled through my phone and don't have a single photo of Adam from the recent past.  

The funny thing is this:  I don't wish I could go back in time.  I don't wish that my son was still a teenager struggling to find himself.  I'm happy that Adam is a successful man who has a meaningful career, living in a city that he loves.  I love that he's happy with himself and his life.  I am proud of who he is and look forward to all the future has to offer him.

A wise person once said there are two important gifts a mother can give to her child.  The first is roots.  The second is wings.

  Check.
  Done.  
  Finito. 

Since this is a birthday blog,  I have one more thing to do before I'm done.

Adam,  I have known you and loved you longer than any 
other person on this earth - 27 years to be exact.  

I wish you the happiest of days, today and always!

(see you next weekend!)

Love,  

Mom

Happy National Siblings Day to My Sister, Lori!

I did not get my love of photography from my parents.  

On this National Siblings Day, 

I was hard pressed to find decent photos of

me and my sister, Lori, before the age of 20.

The ones that I show here are from our old 

"home movies"

that replaced real photos in our house at about the

same time that my sister was born.

Nonetheless, I was able to capture screen shots from these

grainy, blurry 8 mm film reels to create some of 

our history together as young children.

I am 4 years older than my sister, Lori.  We used to ride

the mechanical horse together when my mom took us to 

the laundromat .

This actual photo was taken the day of Lori's baptism.  

She was held by Aunt Connie as I looked on adoringly.

Here we are running down the sand dunes on Cape Cod.

Most likely on the same trip, we were splashed by a giant wave

on the beach with my mom.

This was Christmas morning with our snap-on curlers still in our hair.

I believe this was filmed when we were on our way back

from the camp store with ice cream treats.

Another beach picture - this time with my dad.

I still remember this bathing suit - but I don't remember what

those strategically placed emblems were on my patriotic

bathing suit!  Stars?  Mom, what were you thinking?

We were twins in our red Danskin shirts 

 in Florida that year.

I don't know who took this once-in-a-lifetime shot, but it was taken at 

the Canadian Open with my heart-throb - Jack Nicklaus -

and only half of me made it in the picture!

There have been many good pictures since then.

And I hope there will be many, many more!

On the National Siblings Day 2018,

I hope you know how important you are to me.

I hope you know I am always here for you.

I hope you know how much I love you!

I Didn't March Today

I made this poster yesterday in anticipation of attending March for Our Lives in New York City today.  I was unable to make the trip this morning.  Initially, I was disappointed that I couldn't be a part of this historical event.  However, as I watch the non-stop coverage of the March for Our Lives event in our nation's capital,  I know that this is what I was meant to do today.  

I am so proud of the youth of our country that are participating in rallies against gun violence.  I am in awe of these young people who are fearless as they go up against the government and the NRA.  The pain and anger they feel propel them into action.  They are not intimidated by elected officials.  They do not believe adults who tell them change is impossible.  They speak with confidence and clarity on national television.  They grieve together and inspire each other.

I am now watching Martin Luther King Jr.'s granddaughter with tears at the hope in her eyes and the response of the crowd to this little girl who carries on the dreams of her grandfather.  I can so easily remember when I was a young teen who was untarnished by the world of adults.  I felt deeply about issues of my day.  I, too, was idealistic.  This is the way of the young.

The top-selling book of my teen years was Jonathan Livingston Seagull.  It was a story of a young seagull with big ambitions. He was determined to be more than an ordinary gull. Against the conventions of seagull society, he learns to fly higher and faster than any other gull.   I remember reading this book often and being inspired by its words.  I remember crying tears of joy for Jonathan as he learned to do the impossible.  

Here are some quotes from the book that apply to these young people today and in the coming days, months, and years as they too strive to accomplish what others feel is impossible:

These young people are choosing the kind of world they want to live in.  They have learned this the hard way.  They have been on the receiving end of gun violence and believe that they can overcome what others feel are incredible limitations.  They believe they are capable of being the force of change in this country.

I'm sure many people view these young people as idealistic yet unrealistic.  They may not believe these kids are capable of making a difference with lawmakers against the NRA.  A few weeks ago they were just high school students, yet today they have organized an incredibly moving rally of more than a million people.  Their message is well-spoken.  They are young but it is apparent that they are very powerful.  They are united in mission - from all parts of the country, from all ethnicities, from all economic backgrounds - to make America a safer place.   I can't wait to see what they are able to achieve in the weeks, months, and years to come!