My Garden-themed Note-Cards

I received a notification from Fine Art America (FAA) that "someone" purchased my greeting cards and one of them, A NYC Rooftop Garden is featured in the image atop this entry. 

The other one, Echinacea Triplets, can be viewed in the  screenshot directly below.

FAA does not disclose the name of a given buyer but every now and then a buyer lets me know which is the case with GK, the woman who purchased these cards. She notified me that she had bought them and I'm grateful for the sale and that she took the time to let me know. GK and I met over ten years ago when Vivianne Tvilling (owner of äskling a boutique that was on the UWS for a number of years) had an event.

As for these particular cards, they feature views of my garden, which is the setting for my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.  These are directed to children and adults who are curious about gardening as well as birds and want to learn about them from a unique perspective.

MY BOOK SERIES

The stories are set in my garden and these books are narrated by a female cardinal whose picture is on the cover of each volume. 

They make a perfect gift anytime but especially during the Easter season which began on April 14th 2021 and lasts until May 23rd.

They're Back..... (Tuesday's Truths WK 188)

"Chives"
(a greeting card that goes beyond communication) 

"Never say never," the saying goes, and I suppose that applies to saying, "I no longer....," which I did in my 2018 addendum to a number of my posts here on Blogger, where I proclaimed, "I no longer actively produce event program covers, invitations, and the types of greeting cards described here or on my website but arrangements might be able to be made under certain circumstances. My focus is on the 'Words In Our Beak' book series."

WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

For today, in my 188th segment of Tuesday's Truths, I'm here to announce that at the advice and action  of Chris Deatherage (CD), my book series (Words In Our Beak) formatter, who is also my web-master (for patriciayoungquist.com; I now have some versions of the all occasion greeting cards that are referenced in many blog posts where I initially put my 2018 addendum available via Fine Art America (FAA), because CD has uploaded them to that location.

A picture of one of the aforementioned cards (known as "Chives") can be seen atop this entry, and it is also an item I've discussed in a few prior posts here on Blogger.

Pink Coloration in Nature

Yesterday when I was at the Samuel Untermyer Fountain (which is located within The Conservatory Gardens) in Central Park, the pink flower seen in the picture atop this entry caught my attention. This isn't surprising because ever since this past National Pink Day, I've noticed how often the color pink can be found in many types of flora as well as fauna.

Bees & Butterflies have similar behaviors. (Tuesday's Truths WK 134)

Welcome to my one hundred and thirty fourth segment of Tuesday's Truths which is inspired by my observing a bee and a Red Admiral Butterfly. I came upon both of these insects dining together atop an echinacea flower which grows near Shakespeare Gardens in Central Park (as seen in the image atop this entry).

I've often seen bees alighting on flowers and I've often seen butterflies engaging in this activity but up until this past Friday, I'd never seen them engaging in this behavior at the same time, which prompted me to do some research.

The Bee & The Echincea

OTHER BEES ARE FEATURED IN VOL 1

OTHER BEES ARE FEATURED IN VOL 1

OTHER BEES ARE FEATURED IN VOL 1

My seeing a bee taking nourishment on an Echinacea flower in Central Park (seen in the photographs posted above as well as the ones below)...

OTHER BEES ARE FEATURED IN VOL 1

OTHER BEES ARE FEATURED IN VOL 1

... caused me to think of these lines from HUM, a poem by Mary Oliver:

"... The little

worker bee lives, I have read, about three weeks.

Is that long? Long enough, I suppose, to understand

that life is a blessing..."

Bees are featured in my movie, Here's The Buzz (which can be viewed on my Vimeo Channel). And the Echinacea flower is featured in another one of my movies, The Echinacea Elaborates (which can also on Vimeo). Moreover, Bees and this plant variety are discussed in my book series, Words In Our Beak.

THE WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

Tuesday's Truths, the Ninety-Second Week: "Vous pouvez porter blanc toute l' année!"

CoCo Chanel's quote, "Vous pouvez porter blanc toute l' année," that's within the title of today's post may sound familiar to you, dear reader, as it was included in the title of a blog post that I published here on the Tuesday after Labor Day in 2011 (although at that time I was not running my Tuesday's Truths series).

Incidentally, the picture atop this entry was also featured in the aforementioned entry. When I wrote that entry, I referred to the white flowers which were growing in my rooftop garden including a variety of Echinacea, such as the one seen in the photos directly below....

...  as well as the flowers growing on my Autumn Clematis.

I'm not sure why I didn't mention (in the blog post which I've been referencing) the white flowers produced by my Tree Peony — AKA Paeonia suffruiticosa — whose flowers are featured in the images below...

THIS PEONY IS FEATURED IN VOLUME ONE

THIS PEONY IS FEATURED IN VOLUME ONE

THIS PEONY IS FEATURED IN VOLUME ONE

... perhaps I failed to do so because by the Tuesday after Labor Day in 2011 this particular shrub was long past its thriving days (which always occur in April through early May).

Monday's Musings

A Northern mockingbird, who appears to be checking out a ball-shaped terra-cotta object which is on the floor of my rooftop garden, is featured in the two images atop this entry.

The object of this bird's interest is an upside down planter that is better suited as an outdoor sculpture than the planter it is supposed to be. This is because it is very difficult to plant flora inside of it. You might suspect this from seeing the next image, which was taken in 2011, and features creeping thyme attempting to thrive in the round container.

In any event, to the mockingbird's right (or left in the first two photos) is a grape that has rolled off a saucer of grapes (which can be seen near to the container).

An imaginative person, upon seeing the mocker staring at the terra-cotta object, might envision that the mocker thinks the round structure is a huge grape. Whatever this bird may or may not be thinking, remains private with him/her, for he/she has not revealed any thoughts on the matter.

Admittedly, the two top photographs are quite similar, but they are not identical. The gaze of this mocker is slightly different from picture to picture, the same holds true for the next sets of photos.

Another month over . . .

Thirty days hath September, and by the end of this day, the month of September will have ended for 2013. It has passed slowly for me on a certain level for I have spent the month recovering from an accident I had one month and one day ago on August 29th 2013. 

Additionally, I was knocked out of commission by a nasty virus/cold for nearly twelve days beginning on September 15th 2013 (two days after my last posting here on Blogger) until this past Tuesday, September 24th when Juan V came to work in my garden and ultimately took the image atop today's entry.

"another year over AND a new one just begun . . . " PART TWO-D (June 2012)

Today's post is part two-D of a series of posts pertaining to a year-end review for special occurrences in my rooftop garden for the year 2012 (this series is described in part one as well as part two-A of this topic) and in today's entry I will be reviewing the month of June for the year 2012.

"If it's Tuesday, it must be tumblr . . . " Week No. 24

This morning Juan V was here to work with me in my rooftop garden, and, as he always does, took a few aerial photographs (using my camera) for me. I added the orange double-pointed arrow to one of his images as a "sneak preview" of what I plan to post about down (way down) the blogger road on Monday, July 16th 2012: Mark your Calendars!

You can see that the double-pointed  arrow is "aimed" at an empty chair and at the base of a container whose color is Black Forest Green. That container was refurbished this past week-end and "houses" my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines) whose claim to fame was their role in my first garden themed Virtual Story (movie), titled, "The Kiwi Speaks! Fifteen Minutes of Fame . . . almost," which has been referenced a number of times here on TLLG's Blogger Blog, including a post which you may refer to by clicking here. The Virtual Story itself may be viewed within my You Tube Channel. In any event, after many "production" delays of this Virtual Story sequel, my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines) will return as a guest blogger, here on TLLG, Monday, July 16th, (boasting about their refurbished digs) to talk about his starring role in the sequel, so please stay tuned.

Rainy Days and Mondays in the Garden

It is Monday. And it is raining. And, if you are of a certain age, you may recall the combination of "rainy days and Mondays prompted a song that the pop singer, Karen Carpenter, made famous, known as, well, Rainy Days and Mondays.

Snow Day

Today, January the Twenty-First, NYC (where I live) had the first snowfall for the year of 2012. In fact, we had no snow in December of 2011, and the snow for November of 2011, was a "residual" from our Halloween 2011 snowstorm.

One of my ornamental grasses, Ophipogon planiscapus (Black Mondo Grass) triplets, pictured here, and who, as you know if you follow this blog, recently won a coin toss in my urban (NYC) terrace garden in which the prize was being the solo host and or co-host with yours truly to a number of year-end review segments (details available by clicking here and here), was so thrilled by nature's gift topping its black tufts and the brilliant green blades of his friend, Mr. Blue Shag (pictured below),

as well as the squiggly blades of his playmate, Ms. Juncus effsus (Unicorn Soft Rush), 

that he declared it a snow day for a year in review segment (ie he and I are not doing one today).

But he hopes, as do I, that you have enjoyed the ones we have done so far here on TLLG's blog for my Physocarpus opulifolius (Coppertina) and for my Tropaelum majus (Nasturtium), and my Phlox Subulata, as well as the segments in movie format we have done for my Echinacea (which is called Echinacea Elaborates and was posted on nybg's – New York Botanical Gardens –  tumblr and my Hyssop with its visiting bees, whose movie was featured on TLLG's Facebook Page. 

However for those of you who "don't do FB", you can view the Hyssop's movie on Vimeo by clicking here.

Meanwhile, the Ophipogon planiscapus spokes plant and I are in the throes of creating other movies, which we like to call Virtual Stories; so stay tuned.

P.S. For those of you who are not familiar with Blue Shag or Juncus effsus look like without snow, see images below.

Blue Shag

Juncus effsus

"If it's Tuesday, it must be tumblr!" Week 19

As I announced here on TLLG yesterday, one of my Ophipogon planiscapus (Black Mondo Grass) triplets (pictured above) won the coin toss in my garden and, hence, will either be the spokes-plant or my assistant in "show-casing" year-end reviews for some of the 80+ things which I grow in my urban (NYC) garden. 

The Tropaelum majus (Nasturtium) managed to receive its year-end review on the last day of 2011, but many of the other things that I grow here will have their year-end reviews between now and when they wake up in April of 2012. We began yesterday with my Phlox Subulata, and today we are featuring my Echinacea, with a mini-mini movie (Virtual Story), called An Echinacea Elaborates, but since it's Tuesday it must be tumblr, so you'll need to view it there by clicking here.

"We have gotta say good-bye for the winter."

Mama Reindeer, seen in the "middle" of the image posted above, is someone whom you may recognize, dear reader, as she came with her twins (standing to her right in the aforementioned image), to spend the 2011-2012 Christmas season in my urban (NYC) garden, and as of today's posting, January 2nd 2012, they are still here. 

The Gathering of Rosebuds

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, 

Old Time is still a-flying: 

And this same flower that smiles to-day"
 To-morrow will be dying."

Most everyone is familiar with the aforementioned "quote" as it includes the words which are the opening stanza to Robert Herrick's famous poem, To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, a poem, that was the inspiration for the painting, Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May, by John William Waterhouse. The painting is pictured above in an image from Wiki.

As Wiki concurs, Herrick's poems were known for their "overriding message", that "life is short, the world is beautiful, love is splendid, and we must use the short time we have to make the most of it".

"If it's Tuesday, it must be . . ." tumblr. Week Twelve "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

It's Tuesday, so it must be tumblr but before I  lead you there, here's a little (as usual) digression: The images posted above are of my still-flowering-in-December Tropaelum majus (Nasturtium) and White Swan Echinacea both of which I grow in my urban (NYC) terrace garden. 

Additionally, my Helichrysum bracteatum (Strawflowers) and the roses, from all three of the shrubs that I have of them, are still thriving. This is quite unusual for this time of year in New York City, as by now we have usually had some snow.

"That's Life": Pearl Bailey's Influence on my Helichrysum bracteatum

The images posted above are of one of the Helichrysum bracteatum AKA Strawflowers that grow in my urban (New York City) terrace garden. They were taken on December 5th, 7th and 8th respectively. Like most of the things (80+) which I grow there, they love to sing. In fact, as you may recall, from a previous blog post (which you may read by clicking here), soon after this past Thanksgiving my Helichrysum bracteatum flowers, along with my White Swan Echinacea, were singing Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

This past week, however, they were singing, "That's Life", and putting emphasis on the following lyrics:

"That's life, I can't deny it, 

I thought of quitting, 

But my heart just won't buy it. 

Cause if I didn't think it was worth a try, 

I'd have to roll myself up in a big ball and die."

Earth laughs in flowers?

Even now, as we are in the first week of the end of December, in New York City, where I live and have a terrace garden, my Tropaelum majus's (Nasturtium) flowers (in the image to the right) are still going strong; and they were in a particularly whimsical mood yesterday morning (when I took this picture), inspite of the torrents of chilly rainfall that we were experiencing. 

These red and yellow flowers like my "famous" no-slave-to-fashion herb, the White Swan Echinacea, and my CoCo Chanel loving ornamental grass varieties, Ophipogon planiscapus (Black Mondo Grass), which also grow in my garden, were joking about "rules" regarding what was fashionable, what was in style, and what was passé, when the Hamatreya skirt (pictured below, image credit is here) came up in their conversation.

The Hamatreya skirt has the same name as a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which has a line in it that is often (mistakenly) attributed to e.e. cummings, and the aforementioned line is this: "Earth laughs in flowers".

"If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun." OR "Flowers, they just wanna have fun. . . "

Today is the last Saturday in November, and twenty-three days (including today) have passed since I "featured" Thomas Hood's poem in a blog entry on TLLG, about the "NO" in November which I'll post here again:

No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon -
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds -
November!

The reason I've returned to this poem is that, fortunately, most of my fun loving things that I grow in my urban (New York City) terrace garden apparently decided to consider Katharine Hepburn's quote, "If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun", and to stick around for at least the duration of November, therefore defying the "no flowers" norm (and perhaps an unwritten "rule") Hood cites in his aforementioned poem.

Wednesday's Wisdom: " . . . black has it all. White too. Their beauty is absolute. It is perfect harmony."

Today's LLG blog segment on Wednesday's Wisdom, is being authored by a guest blogger, who happens to be my prolific Ophipprolificogon planiscapus AKA Black Mondo Grass, featured in a photograph that I took of him yesterday in my urban (New York City) terrace garden, and this image can be found in the top lefthand corner of today's blog entry. 

The Ophipprolificogon planiscapus shown here is one of the three of the Black Mondo Grass triplets, which I have had for many years in my garden, and he is the most vocal of the three. Therefore, he wanted to voice his opinion regarding something that I posted both on nybg's (New York Botanical Garden) tumblr page as well as TLLG's Facebook Page. (He will get into that later.)

For now, it is sufficient to say that my Black Mondo grass is no stranger to voicing his views on the Internet.

In any event, since today's LLG post has the distinction of being authored by my eager-to-weigh in Ophipprolificogon planiscapus, please allow me, without further ado, to hand my keyboard over to him.