River Bend Ranch - Patty Van Dorin

off just a day

  today's journal pages

for some reason I keep thinking today is Friday when it is Thursday the 29th, so I am off on my journal.

Sometimes it's just like that.

Butterfly Blue

Currently Blooming:

Scabiosa Butterfly Blue with a sprig of lavender

love love love these tiny little arrangements

has it been that long since I worked in the journal, guess so.
some visual journal pages

can you tell I have been listening to Neil Diamond!!

quite a while back I did a mail art swap

These beads were in the package and I am intrigued with the colors and texture of these little beauties. A little treasure from South Africa that I can see every day.

I know I will never get to visit but the mail art exchange brought a small slice of a South Africa to my world. Check out Bronwyn's blog at Smoke and Ochre

I call this my "from Texas to Africa" bottle and it is ready and waiting for some flowers.

Memorial Day 2008

 

currently blooming

currently in bloom this sweet crape myrtle
and guess who won the waiting game with regards to the solitary peach on the newly planted tree.

ME!!!  I am feeling powerful today with the fact that I outwitted a squirrel.

New Collage Sheets - Birds and Microscope Slides

 Several new collage sheets have been added to the Tuscan Rose web site. 
Microscope slide and collage birds are the newest

getting the most out of a lazy weekend

with pleasantly cool weather it was impossible to stay inside for very long this past weekend.
I could be found outside counting and plotting the Horned Lizard population.
spiny liazrds were also found and noted
   
As a participant in Texas Horned Lizard Watch, I am "on-the-ground" – collecting data and observations about populations of horned lizards, their food sources, their potential predators or competitors, and their habitat characteristics. (see ealier post for a horned lizard photo)
  digging in the dirt making flower beds, I found these Indian looking artifacts, maybe they are just discarded boy scout projects, regardless they are neat. Now unearthed, I will find a way to use them in the garden.
  Over the years, I have been dreaming of the time when I could have fig trees and was finally able to plant a couple this year. Fig trees were a part of my youth. I have fond memories of my grandmother's fig preserves.  I am a long way from having jars of canned figs lining my pantry shelves but I was excited enough to document my very fist baby fig. Stay tuned for continued documentation of it's journey to ripening.
  In addition to the careful monitoring of lizards and figs, this peach is the subject of close scrutiny. It will be a contest to see who gets this peach when it is ripe, the birds or me.  Stay tuned to see who comes out the victor.
 
and there was plenty of dog soccer playing

Ralph the dog takes his games of soccer very seriously
 
soccer keeps Ralph in top form for herding

or maybe it's the herding of livestock that keeps him in form for soccer
and the only remotely artist painterly activity I did this weekend was paint the white sewer clean out a camo green. 

and that's as good as it get on a weekend in a remote part of Texas.

More Charms

just added a few more soldered china charms in my etsy shop. Click here to go etsy shopping.

Today's charms have a tarnished patina, one of my favorite finishes. They are a perfect ornament for a cottage decor.  I like to tie ribbons on these charms and hand them here and there around the house. They also work nicely as embellishments.

32 pack cat

  yesterday's visual journal pages, prepped and ready for notations
  a sweet spot
  another
  the cute fuzzy face of a whole lot of orange cat lovin'
  the little face is just the tip of the iceberg with this Texas sized kitty...note this is a 32 pack size soda flat. 

more than one journal

At any given time, I have several journal going. My favorite will always be working in the visual journal. Some of the journals themes are a daily type, an inspiration journal and a garden journal.  I have several garden journals from houses that I have owned over the years. They are not pretty like the visual journals but they are fun to look back through over time.
  I like to make notes of plants that I have grown, what worked, what the deer devoured and plants to try next season. It is a good place to put inspiration from magazines and dreams of what I would like to try. Garden journals smugged with dirt.
  every month I try to take a picture for the journal to show that I have actually made progress.  For this garden journal, I used a composition book and started the first page with pictures of the day I moved in.
  slowly, very slowly progress is being made (gosh, a better photographer would have moved the bags of mulch and potting soil before taking this picture).

The previous owners of my little cottage were not gardeners. I am thankful for many large pecan trees and the gigantic sycamore is a treasure but I could have done without all the poison ivy and throngs of weeds.

Rocks are being sorted and the ones with interesting fossils are getting the best seats in the flower beds so they can be studied and enjoyed as the gardens mature.
cute tiny blue faces framed with rich deep purple leaves
  I would love to have several large pots and planters on the patio.  A start is made with this one I put together yesterday.

remembering you today, there is a void in my life without you. I am thankful for the time we were given. You are my inspiration.

Amaryllis

  Currently Blooming - Amaryllis
  high winds today are knocking down the Amaryllis providing the opportunity to cut armfuls of flowers.

**after Christmas sales are a great opportunity to pick up these bulbs cheap. In my climate zone, I am able to plant the bulbs and leave them in the ground all year long. They multiply fast and are quite resilient. I have moved the bulbs with every relocation. This move I didn't have time or a place to plant them and I forgot about the bulbs for about 2 months. When I opened the box some of the bulbs were starting to flower, so I quickly popped them in the ground. This fall I will move them to a place that is more protected from the wind. Even with the neglect, they are rewarding me with a magnificent flower show.