Snap Dragons in September

Snap Dragons are part of the Foxglove family and really quite a fun addition to any garden. These easy to grow annuals come in a wonderful variety of colors to brighten any border, bed, or outdoor pots. You can try them in rock gardens and window boxes, too.  Clip and carry inside to add to your summer bouquet or leave them all clustered together in a cozy vase.  Generally they bloom early in  July.  When the heat gets unbearable, they'll wilt and die down.  With a little care you'll have double the pleasure for they could re-bloom in September or keep going 'til October.  (Cut them back and spread a little fertilizer with hopes for a second round.)

Great for kids and grand kids, take off the "dragon" and have a little fun - pinch and clip.  Clip on to earlobes for earrings, clip on to collar for summertime jewelry, clip on to fingers for posy nails, clip on to the back of a pencil or straw ... such fun for little ones. 

Hydrangeas - Around the World and at Home

These bountiful bushes of pink hydrangeas are actually lining Praska Street, at the oldest promenade in the Lower Town of the capitol city Zagreb, Croatia. As you pass, you'll immediately notice a faint fragrance similar to roses. Photo taken June 13, 2011.

Murano Island is home to this lovely walkway.  In addition to being the European center for glass blowing, one may find, adorning the bricks (ancient and modern), fully blooming bushes of hydrangeas.  Can anything be more beautiful?  Photo taken June 19, 2011

This Venetian Courtyard, not far from San Marco Palace, is partial to thriving hydrangea plants clustered beyond the entrance arches, inviting onlookers to come inside and taste the tranquility.
Photo taken June 18, 2011.

Cut hydrangeas freshly exhibiting colors of light green, lavendars, pinks and soft periwinkle tones. Those beautiful blue tones result from adding acid to the soil, thanks to my neighbor Carol. We think hydrangeas are just too pretty to stay outside.  Bring them in for a lovely centerpiece showcasing summer's pastels.

One single hydrangea, holding its own during a summer rainfall in my back yard.  Proudly displaying its beauty, despite the despondency of late afternoon showers.  Photo taken September 14, 2011

"As Summer into Autumn slips
And yet we sooner say
"The Summer" than "the Autumn," lest
We turn the sun away ... "  Emily Dickenson


Summer Hydrangeas ~ Enjoy them every way
1. Fresh Cut - Pick fresh hydrangeas and put them in a vase with water.  They can last for weeks with fresh water and trimmed stems. As the water dissipates, allow the hydrangeas to dry  naturally.  Most of them retain their color whether soft greens, pinks, or blues.

2.  Dry and Dye - Did you know you can dry hydrangeas and DYE them?  Yes, once they are dried and the color is fading, you can use Rit Dye to bring color right back into the dried petals.  Mix boiling water with the Rit dye according to directions. Stir into a large 2 gallon pail or even an ice cream pail.  The secret is to have the water boiling hot, stir, then hold the stems at the top, upside down with flowers at the bottom, dip them completely in the hot dyed water. Submerge, swish around a little bit hold under the water remove, shake dry and allow to air dry on newspapers that have been spread out.  Do this in your laundry tub or somewhere that the dye will not stain other items in your home.

3.  Spray Paint - Yes, you can Spray Paint fresh hydrangeas to get a specific color that you'd like!  Michaels sells a floral spray which works well to fully change the color of white hydrangeas.  My daughter did this for her wedding bouquet.  She actually used one can of floral spray paint and one can of regular.  She wanted a bright pink (but not hot pink) hydrangea for the bouquets. It worked perfectly.  The colors she chose to mix for a were Raspberry floral spray and a Watermelon regular spray paint.  The two blended nicely for a lovely, rich pink that was striking against her white gown and the yellow ruffled bridesmaid dresses.  

For Mother

Mother, often I remember you in prayer
And ask the Lord to keep you in His care,
And especially on your honored day,
I pray that you'll be blessed
With a peaceful heart and
All the things that make you happiest. 
                               Anonymous

Thinking about Mother's Day and reflecting on the role of mothers, thought I'd post a few poems and verses as a tribute to this special person who has influenced us tremendously in our daily lives. 

"Mother"
You painted no Madonnas
On chapel walls in Rome
But with a touch diviner
You lived one in your home.

You wrote no lofty poems
That critics counted art,
But with a nobler vision
You lived them in your heart.

You carved no shapeless marble
To some high soul design.
But with a finer sculpture
You shaped this soul of mine.

You built no great cathedrals
That centuries applaud,
But with a grace exquisite
Your life cathedraled God.

Had I the gift of Raphael
Or Michelangelo,
Oh, what a rare Madonna
My mother's life would show.
             By Thomas W. Fessenden

                                                       
                
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Considerations from Proverbs 31

Who can find a virtuous woman
Her price is far above rubies
   Her husband trusts her
   She treats  him generously
   She shops for the best linens and cottons
   She's like a merchant ship that
          searches for exotic surprises
   Up early preparing food for her family
   Considers property and buys it using
          money to provide for her family
   In the morning, she rises to prepare for
          her day's work
   She is skilled and diligent in homemaking
   She's quick to lend a hand to the needy
   She reaches out to attend the poor ...
Her children respect and bless her
Her husband joins to praise her.

Charm or Favor is misleading
Beauty can fade and can be vain
The woman to be admired and praised is
One who lives in the Fear of the Lord.

                                                             Peonies blooming in June
Open your Bible to read Proverbs 31.  You'll notice that physical beauty is not discussed.  Inner qualities are brought to light in this chapter such as charitable actions toward family and community.  Let us ladies strive to be like the strong Proverbs 31 woman with a light shining through acts of service and a virtuous character inspired by Biblical standards embraced by our hearts.

Renewal - Make Better in Spirit

For, Lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs
And the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Song of Solomon 2:11-13

Daffodil - Early Spring Blooms

Spring is a time of renewal.  This is witnessed as the snow melts away and shoots of green spring up from the garden.  As Solomon witnesses this rebirth of life, he appeals to our senses:  the pleasant sight of the flowers and green figs; the perceived melody of the birds in song with the voice of the turtle (most likely a seasonal bird that returns annually, exactly at the same time);  and the scent of the  vines with tender grapes making their way.  What a beautiful time to be made aware of the loveliness of God's creation, the loveliness of  Spring.

Renew:  1. to make new, as if to begin again; make young, fresh or strong again; bring back into good condition.  2. to
Give new Spiritual Strength; Make better in Spirit.  3.  to cause to exist again; re-establish.  4.  to begin again; take up again; resume.  5.  to go over again; say again; repeat as in renew a promise.  6.  to replace by something new of the same kind; put in a fresh supply.  7. to refill with a fresh supply  8.  to give an extension of as renew a lease


Let's take a look into our own hearts and lives. Ask God for that special awareness of Our Savior, His Love and His Beauty to grant a refreshing of our  soul.  Let this be our prayer:
"Renew a right spirit within me" Psalm 51:10.

Whiter than Snow

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Psalm 51:7

Many of us American gardeners don't know much about hyssop since it is commonly found in Mediterranean areas.  Its unique properties have made it useful for the vegetable gardener: it acts as a repellent, protecting young plants from a destrutive pests. When blended with a few herbs, it can be helpful for someone with respiratory difficulties or even indigestion.  The fragrance industry has sought after the hyssop as an additive for colognes.  Since the plant attracts bees and butterflies, it is useful for any gardener who is looking to pollenate.  The gourmet chef may use a touch of dried hyssop to enhance the soup or salad; it brings a slight minty flavor to any dish.

Exodus 12:22 tells us of the first Biblical usage of hyssop: it was mixed with blood during the Passover.  The purpose was to place this mixture on the doorpost to spare the Hebrew son when the death angel came through the land of Egypt.  Hyssop was associated with purifying when used by the Levitical priests.  It was a cleansing agent for sacrificial birds offered by the priests. Numbers 19:18 gives another reference for hyssop to be mixed with water, sprinkled on anyone who had been defiled by the residue of death. "And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip in the water, and sprinkle upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave." Again, a ceremonial procedure resulting in a type of purification.  In Psalm 51:7 it is noted as an agent to purge away uncleaness.

It is interesting one of the last Biblical references to hyssop is at Calvary, the redemptive death of Christ.  Though the soldiers knew it not, they used a cleansing ingredient which was integral to the Levitical priests' method of sacrifice and thrust it up to the mouth of Christ.  John 19:29 "Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put upon hyssop, and put to his mouth."  The very plant, instrumental when mixed with blood to protect and spare the LIFE of the Hebrew children as the Egyptian first borns were slaughtered in the Midnight Plague (Exodus 12:29) while Moses implored, "Let my people go," was given to Christ!!   The very plant is mixed with the bitterness of vinegar and offered to Christ, our Perfect Sacrifice, dripping down his cheek, mingled with His blood for the sins of His people.   

As the snow falls quietly outside the window, covering your world in a blanket of white, may it present a picture of Purity, Cleansing that has come through the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Envision his precious blood with the touch of hyssop against that spotless covering -- such a contrast, yet one that is necessary to wash away our scarlet sins, to the whiteness of snow.