Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Celebrating Birth with Slow Flowers




My husband has a new title: Grandpa.
His duties include Photoshoping images and dropping in funny captions.

I haven't quite decided on my title. 
Like with shoes, there are more choices for women than men. 

What goes best with Lydia? I work with words and all their connotations. I'm neither a Grannie nor a Glamamma- 
Perhaps Grandma?Grammy? Nanna? 

What do you think? 


Seeing our first grandchild so at peace , her  diminutive fragility apparent compared to my husband's hand, the expression "It's the Little Things..." has a whole new meaning. 



The crystal ball predict's Kenny and company will be adding  a new children's line to the
Bass Knuckles TM  line of clothing. He will protect and provide for this child with every inch of his life. No parent can ask more of a son than he grow to be a man such as he. 


The crystal ball also predicts that in motherhood, Shannon will still continue to light up every room she walks into. Maybe it is the athletic lineage of both parents, but Shannon deserves credit for taking great care of her health throughout her  pregnancy. It shows in how well the baby has done this first week of life. 


Of all the wonderful days we've spent with Shannon's parents- this one tops them all. Their whole family - its an honor to be linked to them through our youngest children's love for each other.


The first view little Charley had of  this world was of the Newport Harbor.  No wonder she is smiling in so many pictures. 

Only one thing missing. Flowers. 



My copy of Debra Prinzing's Slow Flowers still smells of the Portland bookshop where it was purchased.  Written by a journalist's journalist, the message on its compact glossy pages is encouraging. There is  living beauty to pluck into any variety  of containers on a moment's notice. OK. It doesn't matter that I know nothing of  florists near Hoag Hospital

Gerry and I excused ourselves to get a bite to eat. We were on a mission.  Our granddaughter would have flowers to share with her mom.  We needed a card, beautiful fresh flowers with some pizzazz - and someone or somewhere to put them together.    



Close by is The Golden Triangle of shopping. 

If you are the type who swoons at the nearly lost art of  beautiful gift cards- special tip- check out the selection inside Roger's gift shop. Not large, but extraordinarily thoughtful.  


Bristol Farms excels at keeping flowers to tempt generosity from its grocery customers. This bouquet- a supporting cast of purple and green filler assisted  the sunshine yellow roses and sunflowers in  flagging down my husband's attention. He would have no other. 



We needed a vase. The fanciful shape of the  Center hole pitcher at Sur la Table caught his imagination.  To weight the arrangement visually, a madras hand-towel was made into an apron for the glass container, tied on with ribbon. 

Ask and you shall receive- the floral staff had gone home for the day. The store manager was really nice about letting me go behind the counter to cut strip leaves from stems, cutting  to length as the flowers were inserted one-by-one into a swirl.  

It was fun chatting with the ladies who watched me work. What I know of arranging flowers comes from Debra's book and a very special day long, long ago, when I assisted in assembling arrangements for The Academy Awards. Being a journalist who asked if they needed a volunteer, I asked lots of questions of the lead florist.  As Debra says in her book" writers are sponges and driven by an insatiable need-to-know curiosity."



Voila! 




The next day, our little one enchanted her great- grandmother. 




 When Kenny and Shannon married, two became as one. And now they are three.


Linking up to My Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Romantic Garden

My favorite gardens are romantic.  This is not so much a  design style as it is an evocative outdoor space  ripe with the possibility of dreams coming real. Even ones we didn't know we had.




Romantic Gardens are abundant.  Here, an orchid is hugged by shrimp plant gone wild

Welcome to a peak behind the gate. To the garden that calls me home from the most delicious trips. 

You know when Barbra Streisand  sang at Memories at the Academy Awards, the line where she answered her own question  "If we had to do it all again, would we?"  with "Of course we would."

That is how I feel about my garden. What makes it my grand romance is that I simply cannot get to much of being here, loving my little Eden. 

Romantic Gardens Provide for serendipity
Romance is not a low maintenance, but who minds working when it is for love?  

Romance is not all about you. It is about what the partner needs and wants. 

This garden has taught me to slow down. Enjoy the moment. Build in opportunities for anticipation. 

Yesterday I enjoyed a hummingbird who cared not one whit her nectar was sipped from the oriole feeder. 


Romantic Gardens are playful

Moving water is a beacon to the birds. Yes, a fountain needs to be occasionally be taken apart to clean the sludge out of the motor. However, the reward was almost immediate.  Only seconds later a gold finch came by


Then a hummingbird. 



What do you like best about your garden? 

Linking to My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday