Monday Morning Musings: Revisiting the Importance of Indoor Gardens

The "topic" of decorating an indoor succulent garden is something I have not addressed here on TLLG's Blogger, tumblr, or Facebook in quite some time; but even though it is the season when my outdoor (urban) garden calls for "overtime" attention, I have not neglected my wonderful indoor succulent garden, a garden of unusual succulents that, depending on the time of year, is "visited" by unique figurines. This is a fact you may recall from seeing my indoor succulent garden — here in cyber-space — when it has had very different "visitors" for Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall as well as for "off season" celebrations such as Penguin Awareness Day.

And, once in a while, as you may recall, dear reader, figurines of fruits such as apples 'n oranges, as well as pears (that all visit my succulent garden), "weighed in" on their life experience in my succulent garden.

So today, on a stormy Monday morning, when it is impossible to be tending the garden I have on my terrace, I have been given the opportunity to share the 2012 summer look in my indoor succulent garden, as evidenced by a bathing beauty figurine who is new to my succulent garden. I was given this figurine (over the weekend) by a dear friend whose husband also has an indoor succulent garden, as I described in an entry here on TLLG, which you may refer to by clicking here.

In any event, the bathing beauty figurine was welcomed by my succulents and by a little frog — who jumped on a succulent container — to get a closer look at her (as you can see in the image posted at the top of today's entry)!

I am hoping that my other bathing beauty figurine, who also visits my succulent garden, and can be seen in the image below,

will enjoy having some company, even though, like yours truly she enjoys her time alone. (The aforementioned figurine was given to me last summer by the same friend.)

The "story" of the importance of indoor gardens will be included in the series of Virtual Stories (mini movies) which I will be producing for a campaign that I launched late last week on indiegogo, a campaign whose mission is to give voice to the garden, and in doing so remind folks that "The very old, they are miracles like the just born; close to the end is precious like close to the beginning."

It's Chester Greenwood Day!

Today is the first Saturday in December which means that it's Chester Greenwood Day! He can be seen in the photo above, wearing earmuffs, an accessory that he invented!

A Reason For My UNWRITTEN Musings? (Including The Third Sunday of Advent)

The image above this blog entry is a copy of an essay by E.B. White. According to Rebecca Hall, who produced a collection of White's essays, this piece was published in The New Yorker in 1930. It is an essay that I've read and re-read a number of times as it truly speaks to my heart when I'm experiencing moments of frustration as a writer.

Often when folks hear of one's inability to move forward with his/her writing, they attribute the "plight" to the author having writer's block. While this may be true, I think, in my case, the inability to move forward on composing a certain piece, might be due to the reason White offers re an inability to write about a given topic: "writing about them might prove embarrassing."

Humpty Dumpty Honors Penguin Awareness Day

With all the "year-end review talk" going on in my urban (NYC) terrace garden, the Humpty Dumpty figurine in my indoor succulent garden (pictured above, and you might recognize his face from other entries here on TLLG) is now feeling nostalgic.

Repeal Day is today. It commemorates the repeal of the 18th Amendment!

Today, December 5th, is Repeal Day! It commemorates the repeal of the 18th Amendment.  Once more, Americans were free to buy, sell, and consume alcoholic beverages. According to Holiday Insights, in "the early 1900's, many of the good people of America believed that alcohol was the root cause of many social ills in the country. Prohibition on a national scale, was promoted in part by the American Christian Women's Temperance Union. This movement grew in popularity. Ultimately, the United States Congress passed the 18th amendment on January 16, 1919. The 16th Amendment prohibited the manufacture, transportation, sale and consumption of alcohol.  

"The ban on alcohol did little to improve the social conditions of the country, or to reduce crime. Rather, crime increased as racketeers got into the the business of making and selling alcohol.  The popularity of the 18th Amendment waned. More and more people and groups sought it's repeal.  

"Congress passed the 21st Amendment, effectively repealing the 18th Amendment. On December 5, 1933, the State of Utah voted it's approval of the 21st Amendment, achieving the 3/4 of states need to approve this amendment. Thus on this day, the 18th Amendment was formally repealed."

And in honor of this day, one of the things I'd like you to know is that the hats and scarves which you may have used on your bottles of hard liquor, liqueurs, as well as wine, can be re-used once your bottles get tired of wearing this apparel!

The photo atop this blog entry features a few of my bottles decked out in hats as well as scarves; and it may be an image that you recognize, as I featured it in a 2011 post, Rockin' Around the Hens and Chicks! In any event, bottles filled with alcoholic beverages get tired of wearing the same accessories year after year, and, so they shared some ideas on how their articles of clothing could be used for charitble purposes!

In Honor of the Eve of Card Reading Day

When it was brought to my attention (by a newcomer to my home who is the Queen of Hearts figurine, seen in the image atop this posting) that today was the eve of card reading day, I thought she was talking about Tarot card readings! For as soon as she announced today's holiday, she went on to exercise her bragging rights in her role of being a representative for the Queen of Hearts!

"It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information."

According to Oscar Wilde, "It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information," and, with that in mind, my blog post today is designed to right that wrong, and to provide you, dear reader, with what might be some useless information, as I may have done in some of my previous posts, in the guise of having you think you could apply it to your own endeavors. For example, both this past April 2011 and December 2010, in blog entries which you may refer to by clicking here and here respectively, I shared with you some thoughts and images on how I enhanced my indoor succulent garden.

A Day To Celebrate the Beauty of Corn (Tuesday's Truths WK 100)

Today is National Candy Corn Day, a holiday which I've discussed in a few entries here on Blogger, but since this year it coincides with my Tuesday's Truths series (for which I've already published a post) the figurine featured in the image atop this entry has asked me to remind readers that this holiday (as I mentioned in my 2017 post) "is intended to celebrate the beauty of corn..."

As you can see, she is carrying a Jack-O-Lantern-style container to hold any treats she might get when trick or treating — which might include candy corn!

It's The Year of The Rooster!

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's the Chinese New Year! And this time, it's The Year of The Rooster! In honor of the occasion, I've placed a figurine depicting a rooster in my home (he can be seen in the image atop this blog entry).

I was not born in The Year of The Rooster, rather I was born in The Year of The Horse. And during the Chinese New Year of 2014 (which was The Year of The Horse), I paid homage to the event by writing a post for hometalk and by placing a figurine depicting a horse within my home.

Frankenstein Friday for 2017

Earlier today I posted an entry re a Praying Mantis, who visited my rooftop garden, Now, before this day comes to a close and in all fairness to the figurine (pictured above) who likes to dress up as Frankenstein during the Halloween season, I need to remind readers that today is the last Friday for the month of October, which means it's Frankenstein Friday. It's a holiday that I referenced in yesterday's blog post.

Frankenstein Friday celebrates the birth of Frankenstein and it is a holiday that I've written about in prior posts here on Blogger. He was born in 1818 when Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley, at the age of 21, wrote the story Frankenstein. I've also written about Shelley in prior entries here on Blogger. In both instances, this image of little guy dressed as Frankenstein for Halloween was featured in my posting.

I don't really like to repeat content, but in this instance, I'm doing it for the beloved character that Mary Shelley created. Therefore, I'm reiterating what I've stated in the past: Frankenstein Day is celebrated on August 30. That particular day is in honor of author Mary Wollenstone Shelley who was born on August 30th in 1797. She wrote the book Frankenstein in 1818. But as I said in my introduction, Frankenstein Friday celebrates the birth of Frankenstein.

Friday Follow-Up: The Celebration of Festivus

Today is a holiday known as Festivus! I blogged about it in 2010 in an entry where I included fun facts about my Japanese Larch (Larix Kaempferi) which grows in an urban garden that I have on my rooftop in NYC.

Be that as it may, the hot-looking figurine seen in the photo atop this entry is admiring the way she has made herself look for the celebrations (and yes that's plural, she gets around) which she plans to attend on this holiday!

It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween... (at least that's the case in my armoire)

Once again, it's beginning to look a lot like Halloween in my armoire. My costume clad figurines have returned in honor of Halloween 2017. These whimsical characters can be seen in the first image atop this blog entry, where they are participating in a dress rehearsal for yet another vow renewal ceremony, for which guests have been told to wear their Halloween costumes. I say "yet another," because last year there was a different vow renewal ceremony that occurred here.

Three Days After... Photographs & Musings: Macy's 2016 Thanksgiving Parade Part Two-B

Welcome to the conclusion of my coverage re my experiences with the 2016 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. If you follow this blog, then you know that every day from November 15th 2016 through the eve of Thanksgiving (November 23rd 2016), I provided posts with cool information regarding the participants (mostly the character balloons and novelty balloons). And on Thanksgiving Day, as well as the day after, my blog entries were centered on what took place during this year's parade. Today's blog entry will be my last one for the 2016 year of this particular event.

Sunday's Sentiment: National Black Cat Day (An Excuse to Celebrate Black Squirrels Too?)

Today is National Black Cat Day. According to many sources, including holidayscalendar.com, this occasion is "celebrated on October 27th, just four days before Halloween... National Black Cat Day is a holiday which celebrates an animal (who) has an image problem. Black cats are not only considered bad luck in the United States but they are also one of the cats that is the least likely to be adopted...

While no one is exactly sure when National Black Cat Day was founded, what is known is that the attitudes about these particular felines are different during different parts of history and in different parts of the world. For example, in Great Britain and Japan, a black cat is considered good luck. However, in the United States, it has come to symbolize bad luck or evil forces. In some parts of the world, if a black cat crosses your path, then it’s considered to be a bad omen. In folklore, black cats are often depicted as agents of evil or even evil itself. In some parts of Europe, they were considered so evil that they were burned alive by superstitious villagers in giant midsummer bonfires..."

I don't have a black cat (or any cat for that matter), but I do have a figurine of someone dressed as a black cat for Halloween.

He/she can be modeling his/her costume in the pictures atop this entry.

Wednesday's Wisdom: Ode to Oscar Wilde

According to a number of sources, including Holiday Insights (HI) tomorrow, January 12th is yet another holiday. It is known as Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day! HI has the following info re this event: "Splash Your Friends Day is undoubtedly a day just for mischievous fun. After all, any kid knows that splashing and jumping into puddles is fun. And, when that results in splashing a friend, your joy is complete."

They also state, "We sure would like to find the creators of this day, to better understand why it is observed in January. In mid January, many puddles are frozen!"

AND HI makes a disclaimer re this holiday, saying, "We don't encourage you to splash your friends. It's a quick way to lose a friend, and get two moms angry at you. We're just reporting and describing the day!"

Knowing this fact regarding today, makes me think that Oscar Wilde might have re-thought his opinion when he stated, "It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information."

In any event, the figurine pictured atop this blog entry probably doesn't find Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day to be "useless information."  As you can see, she looks well-dresseed for this occasion!

Tuesday's Truths WK 47-B: It's Independence Day (And Many Figurines Are Celebrating!)

Welcome to the forty-seventh week of my Tuesday's Truths. This day happens to be Independence Day and a number of my figurines are celebrating!

In the photograph atop this entry, all of my firework-themed figurines (dressed in red and white) can be seen rehearsing with two directors. One of them will be the mistress of ceremonies. She is wearing a red skirt and a blue top with white stripes. Her hand is clasping a baton that's been decorated to resemble a firework, and she is standing towards the left/center of the first row.

Her partner, the master of ceremonies is wearing a red jacket and white pants with blue stripes. He is also holding a baton that's been decorated to resemble a firework, and he is standing towards the right/center of the first row.

Their intention is to have the fire-work-themed figurines perform immediately after the completion of a vow renewal ceremony, where all the guests in attendance are wearing patriotic outfits. They can be seen in the bottom half of the aforementioned image, and many of them are ones you might recognize from prior posts here on Blogger.

Another figurine (pictured below) dressed as Lady Liberty,

is doing her own thing, by carrying an apple to honor NYC, which as you probably know is often called The Big Apple. She has also appeared in prior entries on Blogger (without her apple)  including ones that you may reference by clicking here as well as here.

And this year, I have two newcomers! They can be seen in the next image.

Each figurine has his/her own agenda, however, they all share one thing in common: Every one of them joins me in wishing you and yours a safe as well as celebratory Independence Day!

Today is #International TalkLikeAPirateDay!

With Halloween coming up in the next month, one of the characters who has visited my armoire — as well as my indoor succulent garden — while dressed as a pirate in honor of Halloween (pictured above respectively and below in "solo" photo-ops), has reminded me that today, September the 19th, is a holiday! It is known as International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

According to Holiday Insights, the origin of International Talk Like a Pirate Day is this: A man named "John Baur and Mark Summers created the concept of International Talk Like a Pirate Day on June 6, 1995. While playing racquetball, they began to talk to each other in Pirate-speak. After leaving the court, they decided that there was a need to create this day. After much thought, Mark Summers selected September 19th as the date. This was his wife's birthday. So, he thought it would be an easy date to remember. And so, International Talk Like a Pirate Day was born."

Monday's Memo: It's the Festum Asinorum (AKA asinariafesta) AKA Fête de l'âne AKA "The Feast of the Ass"

The donkey figurine seen in the pictures here is all dressed up in honor of today's holiday: The Feast of The Ass, known as Festum Asinorum (or asinariafesta) in Latin and Fête de l'âne in French.

This event is always celebrated on January the fourteenth!

According to checkiday.com, "The Feast of the Ass was a Christian feast during medieval times, which was mainly celebrated in France. It celebrated all of the donkeys of the Bible, especially the one that was believed to have brought Jesus and his family into Egypt after Jesus' birth, during what is known as the Flight into Egypt. At that time, the family was fleeing the killing of young boys by Herod the Great. Another example of a donkey in the Bible is the one that Jesus rode on into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. It is also believed that a donkey was in the stable in which Jesus was born. First celebrated during the eleventh century, the holiday is connected to the Feast of Fools, and was inspired by the pagan Roman festival Cervulus..." 

Please join me, dear reader, in wishing my sweet figurine well on her holiday!

Time to Celebrate National Candy Corn Day (But Keep Honoring Black Cats Too)!

A few days ago, in honor of Black Cat Awareness Month, which is October, Patrick McDonnell, the creator of Mutts, posted the image seen atop this entry on the Facebook Page for that comic strip.

But it seems that black cats steal more than hearts, it appears they steal candy corn too, as evidenced in the next image.

And who could blame a black cat for wanting a piece of candy corn, a sweet treat that has it's own holiday, known as National Corn Day, which is today.

Winter Solstice: Think Spring!

Today is the winter solstice — for the year 2011 — when the days stop shortening, reverse direction and begin to grow long again. I have written about this phenomenon in the past, and if you'd like to read my thoughts on the solstice for 2010 (posted on TLLG), please click here.

As for the snowman figurine (seen in the image posted above), who spends the winter season in my succulent garden: He is armed with his watering can and a "Think Spring" sign —  you've heard of occupy Wall Street — well my little figurine is all about "occupy gardens" in the anticipation of spring . . . for after this darkest (re sunlight) day of the year passes, each day will get brighter and brighter!