Wednesday, January 13, 2016

The Sparkle of Snow


We received a dusting of snow last night so I took my new camera out this morning to capture some of the sparkle.  Have you ever noticed that when the sun hits that white stuff that it sparkles like a gemstone? I love that part of snow.

I have been busy painting.  I started a new one a couple of days ago but the sparkle is gone.  Yes, the paint brush still picks up the paint and adds it to the canvas but my desire to work on it just isn't there.  I'm not sure why I'm stuck with this one.  I like the subject matter and I can see the finished work in my head.  This is usually enough to keep me going but at the moment it's an "oh bother, I need to paint".  I hate that feeling.  But, I've made a commitment to paint at least 30 mins a day even if I don't want to so I know I will get past this soon.

Oh, by the way, I am painting a copper flower bucket holding Queen Anne's Lace.  I love painting this type of flower...at least it looks like a flower to me.  I recently read that the old timers called it "Wild Carrot" and used it in a variety of recipes.  

Share...Inspire...Create...Believe

~willa~


Tuesday, December 8, 2015

I've been playing...




Yes, I've been playing with my Christmas gift.

What was I to do?

 It was sitting there on the bed.  Tempting me!

 So, I opened the box and put it together.

Read the manual and started clicking away.







A Nikkon D3300 camera.  I can say....I'm going to love it!

But...it's time to pack it back up so it can be wrapped and put under the tree.

Hmmm....I'll need to practice my surprised look.

Share...Inspire...Create...Believe

~willa~

Friday, July 31, 2015

Blackberry Summer


Nothing says summer like fresh summer fruit off the vine.  I picked this bowl of blackberries off our vines this morning.

They are so warm and summery delicious, like sunshine on the taste buds.

We planted our thornless blackberry vines 5 years ago.  The first summer we eagerly awaited the blooms to fill the vines....

didn't happen.

The second year we waited for the blooms.  There were a few but no fruit appeared behind them.

The third year, with little hope and convinced our vines were from a non-producing off shoot, we checked them and to our delight there were blooms with the tell-tale signs of fruit.

A few times a week we checked on the fruit and were delighted to see the berries were growing.  That year we harvested a hand full or two, the bears and deer enjoyed the rest.

By the 4th year the vines were loaded with berries.

We made jars and jars of blackberry jam, cooked yummy blackberry cobbler with scoops of ice-cream and put some in the freezer to enjoy during the deep cold grip of winter.

This year is another abundant harvest.  Yum!

Till Next Time
~willa~

Monday, November 17, 2014

Scones

Good Monday morning.  I would say "I can't believe it's been a while since my last post" but that wouldn't be an accurate statement.  The most accurate statement is "Whew! time has flown by since my last post"! I never intend to stay away so long but things happen and one day slips into another.  I guess I'm just trying to stay up with life.

I've been looking through some Pinterest pins to find a recipe for scones. The more I drooled over the photos the more I just had to pull out the ingredients and get down to business.

After measuring and blending and mixing and patting and slicing...these are what jumped out of the oven.

Yummy blueberry scones with a light confectionery frosting. 

I took this photo with the camera on my phone so it's not the best quality but there's plenty of quality in these scone.  

In case you get a "hankering" to make a few of these you can find the recipe Here

These delectable treats were made on the spur of a moment, I didn't have the heavy cream on hand that the recipe calls for so I substituted yogurt for the cream. In spite of the substitution the scones turned out delish!

Share...Inspire...Create...Believe

~willa~

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Change, Change, Change....


This is Camus, he's my daughter’s "baby" which in essence makes him my grandpuppy. He has come to live with us while his mom is going through changes in her life.  For the moment everything seems temporary as she prepares to move overseas to teach. To add some stability to Camus' life ( plus she can't have him at her month by month rental apartment) he is making his home with us.

Camus is a "city boy".  He grew up in the city, went to dog parks, enjoyed "diner sur la terrasse" at local eateries, traipsed city sidewalks, had his "lawn deposits" cleaned up immediately, went to the dog groomer and doggy daycare regularly; he had the hustle and bustle of city life around him.



But now he lives at Green Acres, no Park Avenue for the time being.  He's living the country life.  He has a green lawn to play on, eats off paper plates that someone puts down, he walks on soft terra pathways through tree canopied trails; and those "lawn deposits" well, they are scooped up once a week before the mower is cranked up; he has a bath under the water hose every couple of weeks; and, the hustle and bustle of city life has given way to sunning himself on the porch, chasing bugs in the lawn, skiddering after rabbits and the sound of crickets and katydids serenading him to sleep.

I think he's enjoying this country life and the change has been good for him.

Share..Inspire..Create..Believe

~willa~

Monday, July 28, 2014

Berry Picking

Saturday we woke to a glorious summer morning...and what was on my mind?  Blackberries!  I have many memories of picking blackberries when I was a child, a tradition I want to force teach my grandkids.


It wasn't long before realizing they needed more than long sleeves and a hoodie; shoes and long pants were a good idea too.

My sweet, neurotic border collie, Sadie, is a fine berry picker. The only problem, she doesn't add any to the bucket...maybe that's a good thing!



There is something about picking blackberries that hurries the morning along. I will mention to my sweetie "just 10 more minutes" and 30 minutes later we are in the next patch still picking. It's hard to turn away when you see those big juicy berries hanging there, ripe and calling to be picked.


Look closely, you will see 2 berry pickers in that patch.


We picked about 2 gallons of berries.  I made a cobbler and a dozen jars of jam.  There are a few more "pickings" left on the vines, I hope to freeze a few more gallons for blackberry smoothies and more cobblers.

Share..Inspire..Create..Believe
~willa~

Friday, June 27, 2014

My Little Visitor


So far only one little guy and one little gal has shown up at my hummer feeder.  I hope  more make their way here but for now I'm happy to watch this little guy.

He's been swooping around the feeder as I've worked in my garden. I decided to take a break and see if he would pose for me.  It took a while but I finally caught him with my camera lens. 

The hot days of summer have arrived here in Northern VA along with the humidity.


I hate to start thinking about Autumn but it will be here in a flash!  I've been seeing lots of Autumn pins on Pinterest so I know I'm not the only one thinking about this season but for the moment, I'm enjoying the colors and warmth of Summer.

Share..Inspire..Create..Believe

~willa~





Friday, June 6, 2014

When The Chips Are Down...


Turn them into chocolate chip cookies.

It's a cool crisp Friday morning

A perfect time

To make cookies



I used a recipe from an old Betty Crocker cookbook

This book taught me a lot about cooking when I was a  young bride

It has become ragged over the years



dog eared

and worn.

I've moved on to other cookbooks and recipe websites

But

I still come back to this one for my chocolate chip cookies

Share..Inspire..Create..Believe
~willa~

Friday, May 30, 2014

Bizzzzzzy Working In My Gardens


I'm not the only one buzzing around my garden.  I couldn't resist stopping for a break and snapping a few photos of some bumble bees buzzing around the wisteria.  It was no small feat to takes these photos.  It almost took more patience than I have but in the end my forbearance won out.

There is nothing like standing among hundreds of blooms while several bumble bees buzz from flower to flower.

The bzzz...bzzzz sound brings back a long forgotten memory from my childhood.

As a child, there was no sitting in front of the TV or video games in the summer.

No texting friends

Or surfing the internet.

No local mall

There was a porch

And a book.

There were bicycles

And dirt roads to ride them on.

There were open fields

and a soft ball

There were neighbour houses

Where friends lived

There was a creek

And fishing poles

There was a large garden

And a hoe

And there were bees buzzing

On the vegetable blooms

The clover

And the flowers next to the porch

That is where the buzzing

Of the bumble bees

Took me.


Share..Inspire..Create..Believe
 ~willa~

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

My Purple Bloomers...


I'm talking about my wisteria, of course.  This wisteria was planted on an arbour situated between the house and detached garage.  It is always a "pleaser" with it's abundance of blooms and it's heady sweet fragrance.

I know the arbour needs a good scrubbing but I like the "aged" look...maybe I will clean it next year...maybe

I have been working in the flower beds.  I neglected them last spring and fall and some English ivy took the opportunity to creep throughout one of the beds.  It took me 2 days of clipping and pulling to put it back in its place.  

Share..Inspire..Create..Believe
~willa~

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