Dandelions - From my Perspective

3 Moms,  1 Theme,  3 Perspectives

per-spec-tive: A visible scene, especially defined by one's personal point of view

Dandelions at Night
Teresa in London

Dandelion in the Wind
Peggy in The Woodlands

Dandy Lion
Rebecca in Brenham

Cookies - From My Point of View

3 Moms, 1 Theme, 3 Perspectives

per-spec-tive: a visible scene, especially defined by one's personal point of view.

Peggy in The Woodlands, Texas

Lynn in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Samantha in Roanoke, Virginia

Photo credits:
Pittzelles: LeftOverQueen
Crochet Cookie: Sarah @ WakeUpandLive.wordpress.com

A&M Bluebonnets

(HOUSTON) — Bluebonnets are in flower all across Texas, but at the University of Texas in Austin, some of the flowers are maroon – the school color of rival Texas A&M.

It just happens that the “maroon” variety of bluebonnets was developed at A&M, and a lot of Longhorns believe it’s a prank rooted firmly in College Station.
 
For now, there are only patches of maroon-bonnets here and there, but they are likely to spread every year just like their parent plant, the bluebonnet. The UT Austin campus could find itself in a sea of A&M maroon in the near future.
Horticulturalist Bart Brechter is the curator of gardens at Bayou Bend, which is part of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. He says the flowers are the work of Aggie horticulturists Dr. Jerry Parsons and Greg Grant.

Oddly, they weren’t shooting for maroon. They were trying to make red ones in order to plant a Texas flag with red, white and blue bluebonnets.

“They had a pink bluebonnet already and just, through cross-breeding with pollen and different plant material, it continued to get closer and closer, but maroon was as close as they could get,” Brecther said.

And since the school colors are maroon and white, it actually worked out quite well.
Just a reminder . . . . here is a picture of the Classic Texas Bluebonnet. If I had known the Maroon BBs existed, you better believe we would have looked for a photo opp with them. Gig 'em!

Maroon BB article source: http://news92fm.com/427997/aggie-invasion-at-ut-maroon-bluebonnets-blooming-in-austin/.U0c6DVS5we4.facebook

Lean on Me - From my Perspective

3 Texas Moms,  1 Theme,  3 Perspectives

per-spec-tive: a visible scene, especially defined by one's personal point of view.

Leslie 
in The Heights

 

 Erin 
in The Lone Star State

Megan 
in Todd Mission

Pencils - From My Point of View

3 Moms,  1 Theme,  3 Perspectives

per-spec-tive: a visible scene, especially defined by one's personal point of view.

 

pencils in my glass

Katrina in Boston

coloured pencils . . . . scream

Margaret in Avignon

Errol Flynn, pencil mustache

Patricia in Pennsylvania

Hoops - From My Point of View

3 Moms,  1 Theme,  3 Perspectives

per-spec-tive: a visible scene, especially defined by one's personal point of view.

 

 hoop skirt

Ava in Oregon

 

 

 

 hoop

JCJIII in Philadelphia

 

Le Hoop

Peggy in The Woodlands

Waiting - From My Point of View

3 Moms,  1 Theme,  3 Perspectives

per-spec-tive: a visible scene, especially defined by one's personal point of view.

Painting:  Czachórski; Pensive

Waiting - Peggy in The Woodlands

Maternity Waiting Room 1946

Norman Rockwell - Becky in New Jersey

Waiting in The Queen Ann's Lace

Annie in Ohio

Peggy's graphic source: http://thebreadboxletters.blogspot.com/

Betty Blue

This is my Friday plan  . . . .

If she is still there, waiting for me on the lot,  I am picking her up and driving her home!  I think I'll call her Betsy Blue.

Isn't she just adorable?

Wordless Wednesday 1-15-12

Daddy, Daddy! Read this part, Daddy. I love this part!

Will you read it again?

Wordless Wednesday - Fun w/ Paper

Ladders - From My Point of View

3 Moms,  1 Theme,  3 Perspectives

per-spec-tive: a visible scene, especially defined by one's personal point of view.

Join us by sharing your point of view.

Mary Elizabeth's Ladder (Virginia)

Peggy's Ladder (The Woodlands)

Charlotte's Ladder (in London)

Dandelions - the Misunderstood Wildflower

Only in the twentieth century have we labeled the dandelion a weed.  They have so many uses that they seem almost magical. Gardeners used to weed out the grass to make room for the dandelions!

In my work I am learning more about natural approaches to life. I am starting to routinely ask myself, "Why did God make this?" and, "Is there a way to do this without using chemicals?" Today the journey lead me to, of all things, dandelions.

Dandelions are cropping up in high end organic produce aisles and specialty grocery stores. Checl out the price tag. They are among the most expensive items, costing more than prime rib, swordfish or lobster. So what is it with these dandy plants?

• The roots are dried and sold as a no-caffeine coffee substitute - for $31.75 a pound.
• You can enjoy a complete meal, from dandelion wine and dandelion salads to dandelion quiche, and dandelion soup. This can be followed up by dandelion ice cream! If you over-indulge, a cup of dandelion tea is the perfect remedy, since dandelions help the liver flush hangover-inducing toxins from the body.

When it comes to traditional herbal medicine, the root and leaves can be used to treat:

• liver disease
• constipation
• poor digestion
• regulating blood sugar levels

Now let's talk vitamins!

• Vitamin A - More vitamin A than spinach or carrots.
• Vitamin C - More vitamin C than tomatoes.
• Folic acid, B6 and trace amounts of B1, B2, B3 and B5
• Vitamin E and Vitamin K - These notables fat soluble vitamins are found in dandelions.

What about minerals?

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Trace amounts of zinc, copper and selenium

The History of Dandelions Dandelions have deep roots in history. They were well known to ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over a thousand years.

Dandelions probably made their way to North America on the Mayflower. I imagine the dandelion would have been a sweet reminder of home. In all practicality they were probably brought along for their medicinal benefits.

Historically, dandelions were world-famous for their beauty. They were a common and much loved garden flower in Europe, and the subject of many poems. In Japan, whole horticultural societies formed to enjoy the beauty of dandelions and to develop exciting new varieties for gardeners. 

In the 21st Century Dandelions are making a comeback. If you don't believe me check out your local high end grocery! To top it off, Discovery News has reported an interesting bit of dandelion news. It seems this yellow blossom and its saw toothed leaf have been studied in the field of rubber. According to new research being done in Ohio dandelion root sap could be made into a rubber of equal quality to traditional rubber from trees, at a lower cost! We should all take another look at those little yellow plants!

In my work with EveVenture I have learned so much about more natural approaches to life. For the past 7 years it has become my passion to share this information with others. Come along for the ride!

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=PEGGY_CORTEZ

Clothespin - From My Point of View

3 Moms,  1 Theme,  3 Perspectives

per-spec-tive: a visible scene, especially defined by one's personal point of view.

Join us by sharing your point of view.

Mary Elizabeth in Virginia

                                             Photo courtesy photos-public-domain.com

Peggy's son in Philadelphia

Charlotte in London
(discovered @ http://tinyurl.com/3ztcmx2)

Pearls - From My Point of View

3 Moms,  1 Theme,  3 Perspectives

per-spec-tive: a visible scene, especially defined by one's personal point of view.

Join us by sharing your point of view.

Mary Elizabeth in Virginia
Jackie and Jack Jr 1962

Peggy in The Woodlands
My Mom 1950s

 Charlotte in London
photo credit: jewelrybloguncovered.com

Leap - From My Point of View

3 Moms,  1 Theme,  3 Perspectives

per-spec-tive: a visible scene, especially defined by one's personal point of view.

Join us by sharing your point of view.

Jack in Penllyn

Kristin in Pennsylvania

 Alicia in Austin

Stained Glass Easter Eggs

We made these absolutely lovely Easter Eggs this year! 

You can find the directions for creating this stained glass, mosaic effect at The Re-Club.

Springtime News About Town

Flowers are blooming . . . . We went to a fascinating workshop on Biblical Herbs and then stayed and played! 

The sun was shining so brightly that even with the gusts of strong breezes we could feel that scorching Texas heat on our skin. Thank goodness for our new glasses that magically turn into sunglasses! We still found ourselves squinting in the bright sunshine though!

Our wildflower season was short and sweet because we have had so little rain. :-(  
Usually we have weeks of colorful fields and pastures.


The colors faded much too quickly.
And, the  Black Eyed Susans never even visited this year!

The Bluebonnets were here and gone in the blink of an eye! 


But we did manage to get a "first" Bluebonnet picture!  That is a very important rite of passage through the years in The Lone Star State.

Art class hit the streets and the outcome was spectacular! I especially like the chalk-coated knees. :-)
This student did a fabulous job with depth and color, don't you think?

The vegetable garden is looking good!
We have already enjoyed a few freshly picked tomatoes.

One of our older neighbors stopped by today. She was out for her daily constitutional and made a beeline for me when she saw me working in the garden. She wanted me to know that she has been watching our tomato plants . . . . she told me that she didn't want me to think she was a stalker!  

Easter Bunny Escapade

I found a perfect gift for my youngest . . . .  100 Reader's Digest Magazines via a swap group. I really like the swap group; it fits well with my frugal instincts as well as my resolution to recycle.

This little adventure turned out to be utterly charming. It began with the good fortune of my being the first to request the swap for the magazines! I learned later that others were before me in the queue but unwilling to go the distance - literally!  These little Reader's Digest gems were waiting for pick-up some 30 miles away in the quaint little town of Cut and Shoot, Texas.

Now, 30 miles into town is not a venture I would want to undertake. But 30 miles into the country? That is another case altogether!  It just kept getting better and better . . . . .

After 25 miles into the country on a Farm to Market Road, the directions went something like this:
Turn left at Bass Lake Dr. (just beyond the Cinco Ranch fence)
Turn right after the group of mailboxes.
Cross the cattle guard* and turn right at the fallen tree.
Look for the little brown cottage behind the grove of Oak Trees on the left.
If you get to the lake you have gone too far.

What I did not expect - but felt a thrill of anticipation upon learning - was that after the group of mailboxes . . . . the road turned into a dirt road.
And it just got better. The cattle guard was set over a small stream and was fairly narrow. The width allowed for my car's girth but with no room to spare and, of course, no guard rail.
Beyond the cattle guard the road itself narrowed and took me around a bend into . . . . the woods.

I do not have a four wheel drive vehicle and I was unsure if I would be able to keep on the path if it became any more wild and untamed. My fears were unfounded. Just around the bend I found the grove of oak trees and the cottage. I found my son's Easter Basket treasure of old magazines neatly stacked in a box and waiting for me on the steps of the cottage.

I snapped a couple of pictures on my way out of the grove.

*  a cattle guard is a type of obstacle used to prevent livestock (such as cattle) from passing along a road or path.  It consists of a depression in the road covered by a transverse grid of bars or tubes, normally made of metal and firmly fixed to the ground on either side of the depression, such that the gaps between them are wide enough for animals' legs to fall through, but sufficiently narrow not to impede a wheeled vehicle. They rely for their effect (of barring passage to animals but not to wheeled vehicles) upon animals' reluctance to set foot upon them.

NOTE: Because this is a public blog the ranch and road names have been changed to maintain the anonymity of the exact location. :-) After all, Cut and Shoot is very small and I would hate to inadvertently give out the exact directions to this beautiful little neck of the woods! It is, after all, a private residence.