Croning My Way Through Life
Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words. They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of their character, though few can decipher even fragments of their meaning.
– Lydia M. Child
Just living is not enough … one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. ~ Hans Christian Andersen
The best things in life are free. The second-best things are very, very expensive.
~ Coco Chanel
Amour Amour Dog Collar, 7-carat, D-IF, brilliant-shaped center diamond, 1,600 hand-set diamonds, 18-carat white gold, crocodile leather, *$3.2 million
KO-Couture Dog Tutu, hand made, 4,000 Swarovski crystals, *$6,000
Swarovski Crystal Dog Bath, 19th-Century clawfoot style, hand set crystals, *$6,995
Gianni Versace Barocco Pet Bowl, fine porcelain, ornate gold and black scrollwork, 22 carat gold leaf edging and accents, *$754
Hello Kitty Crystal Pet House, 7,600 crystal beads, cushion/pillow in the shape of Hello Kitty’s face, *$31,660
Louis Vuitton Dog Carrier, signature monogram canvas, brass S-lock, natural leather handles, zinc dish for food or water, air vents, and space specially reserved for pet owner’s photograph, *$58,000
Jonathan Adler Acrylic and Brass Dog Bowl Set, acrylic with polished brass corners, *$600
Roberto Cavalli Track Suit, *$1,200
La Jeune Tulipe Dog Collar, 1.52-carat marquise-cut diamond, marquise-, pear-, and brilliant-shaped smaller diamonds, *$150,000
The Couture Domed Pavilion Dog Bed, fine imitation crocodile skin on the outside and handmade, embroidered silk on the interior linens, *3,900
Crystal Aurora Borealis Leash, Swarovski precision-cut faceted crystal beads, platinum tone electroplated brass chain handle, woven genuine leather, *$495
* Prices are approximate.
As we had warm and sunny weather lately, the garden came to live again, earlier than usual, it was unusually warm for March. But the good weather is about to end and Mr Frost will be back. We urgently need rain as everything is bone dry, despite all the rain we had during Winter. I […]
RECENT PICTURES FROM THE GARDEN. — GWENNIESGARDENWORLD
The moonlight fades from flower and rose
And the stars dim one by one;
The tale is told, the song is sung,
And the Fairy feast is done.
The night-wind rocks the sleeping flowers,
And sings to them, soft and low.
The early birds erelong will wake:
‘T is time for the Elves to go.
O’er the sleeping earth we silently pass,
Unseen by mortal eye,
And send sweet dreams, as we lightly float
Through the quiet moonlit sky
For the stars’ soft eyes alone may see,
And the flowers alone may know,
The feasts we hold, the tales we tell;
So’t is time for the Elves to go.
From bird, and blossom, and bee,
We learn the lessons they teach;
And seek, by kindly deeds, to win
A loving friend in each.
And though unseen on earth we dwell,
Sweet voices whisper low,
And gentle hearts most joyously greet
The Elves where’er they go.
When next we meet in the Fairy dell,
May the silver moon’s soft light
Shine then on faces gay as now,
And Elfin hearts as light.
Now spread each wing, for the eastern sky
With sunlight soon shall glow.
The morning star shall light us home:
Farewell! for the Elves must go.
Louisa May Alcott
Mikhailovich Zundalev is one of those artists that have very little personal information online, yet whose paintings bring a warm, fresh feeling to the heart.
Zundalev was born in 1953 in Ryzan, Russia.
After graduating from the Art School named after G. K. Wagner, Zundalev began painting colorful flower arrangements. 
According to his scant biography, he paints, participates in exhibitions, and at the same time works as an artist for many years in the Art Fund of the city of Kaluga.In 1989, he was admitted to the Union of Artists of the USSR.
His paintings are textured, colorful, and full of life. One can only dream of having one of his vased bouquets in the center of their table.
Zundalev may or not be an actual painter, but his works reflect the beauty of light and scent and nature.
Viktor Mikhailovich Zundalev‘s lovely paintings can be found scattered throughout the Internet, including ArtNow .
My Gallery is STILL bursting with beauty — one more —
Flowers don’t tell, they show. – Stephanie Skeem
The earth laughs in flowers.
~
Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine to the soul. – Luther Burbank
Rebecca Louise Law is a London-based installation artist, best known for her breathtaking interactive large-scale installations consisting of thousands of suspended flowers.
Rebecca is widely recognized for colossal floral artworks sculpted using her signature copper wire.
She works with fresh or dry flora and allows the work to change naturally.
Large scale artworks are site-specific, designed with the space, patron and local culture in mind.
Smaller scale sculptures are encased in Victorian-style vitrines that
serve to preserve the contents – flowers, foliage and sometimes
insects – in a moment of time.
Law has been working with natural materials and flowers for over 17 years. Her work is underpinned by her love of exploring the interlinked relationship between humanity and nature.
Law is passionate about natural change and preservation, allowing her work to evolve as nature takes its course and offering an alternative concept of beauty.
More of Rebecca Louise Law‘s amazing work can be found at https://www.rebeccalouiselaw.com/.
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
Ronnie Hughes was born in 1954 and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
He learned glassblowing with the help of a friend after graduating from Wake Forest University in 1976.
.In 1980, after hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Hughes came upon a field of hundreds of breathtaking Pink Lady Slipper orchids, which inspired him to change his subject matter completely.
Using both clear and colored glasses, Hughes create his wildflowers and then integrates them with his free-formed, solid glass bases. 
His sculptures stand entirely on their own in continuous glass, a more challenging and time-consuming process.
Hughes believe that the purity of clear glass lends a mystical feel to the flowers, emphasizing the delicacy and fragility of our natural world.
The colored blossoms provide a vibrant focal point while the clear glass challenges the observer to look more closely and to use their imagination to complete his vision.
More of Ronnie Hughes‘ delicate, beautiful work can be found at https://hughesglass.net/
Buttercups in the sunshine look like little cups of gold.
Perhaps the Faeries come to drink the raindrops that they hold.
~Elizabeth T. Dillingham, A Faery Song
Rita Faes is a photographer who lives in Belgium. The details she finds and brings out in her images is amazing.
The colors and the flowers she finds are remarkable.
You can find more of Rita’s marvelous work at her old blog (which is inactive but full of beautiful photography) , https://gwenniesworld.wordpress.com), but definitely sign up and follow her at her new site, https://gwenniesgardenworld.wordpress.com/
Sometimes you find a blog that says more with pictures than with dialogue. This is what I find with my Belgium friend Rita, aka Gwennie.
I tend to shy away from commenting on photography blogs, because with today’s equipment the most fantastic images can be found all over the Internet, and I am in awe of it all.
I take a personal interest in Gwennie’s World (https://gwenniesworld.wordpress.com/) and her former blog Gwennie’s Garden (https://gwenniesgarden.wordpress.com/) because her photos are so up close and personal. I have tried flower photography myself, but since my only weapon is a cellphone, they pale in comparison.
Maybe it’s because I’m all thumbs at gardening, or that she lives in the North of Belgium at the border with the Netherlands, but I have never seen such gorgeous pictures of plants. Whether from a flower show or her own garden, Rita has a knack for catching the details of the simplest — and most unique — plants.
I really want you to take time and drop over to her blog, Gwennies World, and see her magic for yourself. Here are some images to get you going:
Gwenniesworld
https://gwenniesworld.wordpress.com/
Gwennies Garden
(https://gwenniesgarden.wordpress.com/)
Thanks for joining me on this fun Side Trip! See you Soon!
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Humoring the Goddess 