Mosaic Monday: Early Spring

I took these photos a few weeks ago, at the Leonard J. Buck Gardens in Far Hills, NJ.  The gardens are about two or three miles from my house, and I love going there especially in the spring to see all the woodland beauties.  I think my favorites this spring are the tiny fiddlehead ferns unfolding -- so soft and delicate!  The yellow marsh marigolds have to be a close second.  I love the way they carpet the marshy garden in spring.  Finally, I have always loved the bright green new leaves of the skunk cabbage -- not a pretty name, but a beautiful plant.  Do you see the star magnolia?  It smelled divine!  :)

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

Thursday's Inspiration: Tree

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.  ~J. Lubbock

And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.  ~William Shakespeare

I find myself grasping for words today, so I must let others speak for me.  I ♥ trees.  :)

Now, for the next few weeks, let's see...
May 2:  spring
May 9:  breakfast
I will be out of town from May 13th through May 23rd, so no posts for those weeks, except if someone else wants to take over?

Just a Few Thoughts

It's a beautiful spring day here in New Jersey, and I was able to find some pink ranunculus yesterday.  I took a few photos, but I've got more plans for these beauties tomorrow.

I often listen to cable news as I work at my desk during the day, editing photos or doing the dozens of other tasks that come with a photography business.  This afternoon, I listened as Vice President Joe Biden spoke at the memorial service for slain MIT officer, Sean Collier.  He was 26 years old -- the same age as my son.  By the time James Taylor was singing "Shower the People" along with the MIT acapella choir, tears were streaming down my face.  How often do we take the people in our lives for granted?

Well, that's my little menopause moment for the day.  I really only posted here to invite you all to join me tomorrow for Thursday's Inspiration.  The word prompt is trees.  The post will be up by 2:00pm.   I'm in the process of loading Photoshop and all my photoshop actions onto a new computer.  Wish me luck!

Mosaic Monday: My Etsy Shop

Oh, I had such big plans for Mosaic Monday this week.  I was going to begin sharing some of my spring garden photos with you.  I had streams bordered with a sea of yellow marsh marigolds.  I had a still-furled fiddlehead fern.  I had new skunk cabbage, with it's bright green crinkles.

I had a laptop with almost no space left on it.  When I tried to make a mosaic, my startup disc was full.  :(

So instead, here is a marketing card for my etsy shop, which just happened to have a mosaic already on it.  Small miracle.  In case you're wondering, the template for this mosaic is from Design Aglow's Pinnable Modern Mood Boards.

I will be investigating my computing options this week.  Wish me luck.  ;)

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

Thursday's Inspiration: Blue

Thankfully, we had some blue skies earlier in the week!  This was shot at the Leonard J. Buck Gardens, near my home.  More to come for Mosaic Monday.  Gotta go -- I'm in triple red alert.  Trying to get my very messy house straightened and cleaned for a luncheon tomorrow...  Aaaarrrgh!  :)

Next week's prompt:  tree

I Took a Walk

I took a walk in the woods yesterday.  And also in the fields and gardens.  Spring is here in my part of New Jersey.  Finally and wonderfully.   Hallelujah!  Suddenly, I've got hundreds of photos to edit -- an embarrassment of riches.  I can't wait to show you all the lovely sights I've seen this week.  :)

In the meantime, let me just remind you that the word prompt for Thursday's Inspiration is blue.  My post will be up by 2:00pm New York city time tomorrow.  Hope to see you then!

Mosaic Monday: Pink Hyacinths

I've been playing with books and flowers again.  :)

And pearls and watches and dirt...

We picked up this pot of pink hyacinths at the supermarket, discounted after Easter.  The perfume has been divine.  As they started to fade, I knew that I had to shoot them quickly, and pulling one out of the dirt to lay on it's side was just something a little different.  Because I don't want to be too predictable, right?

I'm happy to report that it is finally looking like spring here in New Jersey.  Hooray!  The forsythia are blooming their hearts out, and soon the flowers and trees will tumble one over the other in their exuberance.

I love spring.  ;)

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

Thursday's Inspiration: Sky

"Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth, 'You owe me.'  Look what happens with a love like that, it lights the whole sky."

               Hafiz

Well, I managed to find some blue skies yesterday, along with the teensiest bit of help from Photoshop.   As for the quotation, it has always been a favorite of mine.  What can I say, I guess I'm a romantic at heart.  ;)

I can't wait to see what you've come up with for this prompt.  It's always fun to see what kind of weather your friends are having and besides, I'm waiting to see how many of you are more romantic or philosophical about their skies.  I'm sure all of you will be more well-spoken.  :)

I've been loving your interpretations of the word prompts so far.  It's so much fun to see all the different ways a single word can be celebrated.  Here are the word prompts for the remainder of April:

April 18:  blue
April 25:  tree

Next week I'll get thinking about May's prompts.  Any ideas?

Who Knows Where the Time Goes...

Just a reminder that tomorrow's word prompt for Thursday's Inspiration is sky.

Seriously, what was I thinking?  Did I not realize that our skies an be awfully grey at this time of year?  "April showers..." and all that?  I have been keeping an eye on the sky today (I'm a poet and I don't even know it!) and have managed to catch some fluffy clouds.  Thank you, Lord.  :)

So I hope to see you tomorrow, with a look at your skies... even if they are an unremitting grey.  I'm hoping that someone has a photo of the sky reflected in a puddle, or in a glass building, or in a coffee cup.  I had wanted to do that, but never got around to it.  Honestly, I don't know where the time goes some days.  In the meantime, here are a few tiny spring flowers, gathered on a recent walk and displayed on one of my mother's violet tea cups.

Happy Spring!

Mosaic Monday: Grape Hyacinths

Last weekend, when we ran out to Home Depot to get a refill for our gas grill in a fit of eternal optimism,  I saw this pot of grape hyacinths.  And I just couldn't resist.  I know I say that about a lot of things.  In fact, I probably have said that about most of the milk glass pieces you see here.

I couldn't resist.

I do love blue flowers...  and signs of spring...  and the way hyacinths perfume the whole house.  ;)

So that's my excuse.  I couldn't resist.  And of course I also couldn't resist taking a few pictures.  Because that's just what I do.  :)

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

Thursday's Inspiration: Bread

I thought about doing this prompt without my "our daily bread" dish, but in the end, I just could not do it.  I found this dish in a local antiques shop a few years ago.  It is apparently from the 1880's, and it's crackled glaze shows every one of those years.  The opposite side of the dish says "give us this day."  As soon as I spied it in the shop, I knew it had to come home with me, if only for the photo prop value.  ;)  Oh, and the little hand-painted bird dish is one of a pair I found at my favorite thrift store.

I don't eat bread these days.  Or pasta, or cake, cookies, muffins, etc.  I'm pretty much gluten-free.  And sugar-free as well.  Last January, I came across the Wheat Belly blog, and decided to give it a try.  It's been great for me.  I don't replace wheat with gluten-free products.  Instead, I eat more vegetables and fruits.  I've lost around 30lbs. and I just feel so much better.  The surprising part is that I used to LOVE bread and pasta.  I honestly don't crave them anymore.  This year, my husband decided to go semi-gluten-free.  He's still eating the occasional piece of rye bread.  (I'm hoping to wean him of that completely.  Don't tell him I said so.)  ;)

***** 

I've been loving your interpretations of the word prompts so far.  It's so much fun to see all the different ways a single word can be celebrated.  Here are the word prompts for the remainder of April:

April 11:  sky
April 18:  blue
April 25:  tree

Letters

Does anyone send old-fashioned letters anymore?  It seems as if our world has broadened to include "friends" from across the globe, while at the same time our conversations have contracted to 140 characters or less.  And although it is always lovely to read about our friends on Facebook, or garner some comments on the blog, I wonder if we are losing the ability to think deeply and to translate those thoughts into words.  I also wonder if we are leaving our children with no letters -- no examples of our penmanship, our memories, our thoughts, our lives...  after all, how many of our emails will ever be saved?

Just a few random thoughts for today...  :)

Please join me tomorrow for Thursday's Inspiration.  The word prompt is bread.  My post will be up by 2:00 pm New York time.  Hope to see you!  xoxo