It's Coming!

It is the official start of the Holiday Season now that Turkey Day is under our belt. Or should I say for some of us "under our unbuckled belt."

I dug out my cannas today. Two wheelbarrows full of 'em. They are a lot of work and I am not so sure why I continue this yearly ritual with them. My father always admired them but he never planted them. He was probably way smarter than me. They are a flower that easily grows wild and all year long in the tropics. Here, this far north, they must be pampered. They love lots of water, sunshine, loamy, and slightly acidic soil. I call them "big eaters" because they must be fertilized heavily if you want those huge gorgeous blooms. They come in lots of colors but I stick with the red. There's a surprise.

I could have left the rhizomes in the ground a little longer as we have yet to have a really hard frost but I was looking for an excuse to get outside. It's good exercise and fun to get really dirty and not have to worry. It hit 60 degrees today and with much glorious sunshine.

I expanded my Rain Garden a bit and I am already dreaming about next year's designs. Christmas is right around the corner and for me, being in the yard is like being in nature's great big craft store. I was thinking about what I could do with the pine cones that have fallen. I noticed that the holly trees already have their lovely red berries on them. Unfortunately, they do not do so well in dried floral arrangements because they do not last long. I was glad to see that both the long and short needled pine trees have lots of branches and I am certain they were already offering themselves to me for a wreath or two.

I have a commitment to play some holiday piano music and so I have started practicing the Christmas Carols on the piano. A Chanukah song or two as well. It has been a year you know, since they were last played. It seems like Christmas rolls around faster with every year. Anyways, here is a holiday card for you. It was inspired simply by the midnight blue color of the card stock. I used lots of white and shimmery gold and silver paint. I couldn't resist adding the pink and mint green flowers that were caught up in the frost. Brrrrr. It does put a chill in the air. My friend said it made her feel cold and alone. I guess that is ok since art is supposed to be evocative. But I do hope you take comfort from the North Star placed strategically in the sky.



“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.”
―C.S. Lewis