Friday, August 25, 2017

Thoughts on Zinnias and the Homegrown Tomato




If I had to pick a favorite thing to grow, I would ask if I could
pick two favorite things. One from the flower category and one
from the vegetable side. Yes botanically the tomato is a fruit, but
the Supreme Court decided this issue a long time ago. So I think
my two choices are the Zinnia and the Tomato.

Want endless bouquets? Plant Zinnias!  ~ Diana Moore



Zinnias are my favorite flower. Three things to know about this
annual? It's drought tolerant and stands up to the heat, provides 
great color, and is low maintenance. Packaged seeds offer a wide
variety of height and color. Your job is to choose a spot with full
sun, prep the soil for planting and follow package instructions.
Water as needed. I've never fertilized my zinnias but an early 
feed can only help. They are great cutting flowers. Keep them
deadheaded for flowering all season. Always leave a few flowers
to set seeds to save for the next year's planting.






"There ain't nothing better in life than true love and a homegrown
  tomato."  ~ old saying







Gardening for beauty and bounty offers twice the rewards.
                                     ~ Diana Moore



Visit me on Instagram  Dianarn2627

Friday, August 18, 2017

A Great American Event..Total Solar Eclipse




The post this week has to be dedicated to a history making event.
A total solar eclipse will sweep across the United States. An
astronomical phenomena? Absolutely! You may have seen  
photos in the past, but this you can't ignore. Crossing our nation 
from coast to coast, a 2500 mile path, the time start to finish will 
run four hours 

Three things cannot be long hidden:
  The sun, the moon, and the truth.
                               ~ Buddha




What you see depends on where you are, or might want to travel to.
Nashville, Tennessee or Hopkinsville, Kentucky are ideal spots if 
you live in Ohio and want to keep it within a reasonable driving 
range. Kentucky experiences the longest eclipse time at just over 
minutes and 41 seconds. In Ohio we will only see a partial eclipse.
About 90%of the sun will be blocked.



Here are some fun facts about the solar eclipse.
*Weather is a factor! A cloudy day will hurt your viewing chances. 
*What is a total solar eclipse? The moon passes between Earth
  and the sun, and appears to cover the sun. It will block the sun's 
  light. Not everyone will see a total eclipse but will experience a 
  partial one.
*What is a syzygy? An astronomy term, it is the alignment of the  
  earth, new moon and the sun, resulting in an eclipse.
*The first recorded eclipse was in China 4000 years ago. They
  thought it was a dragon eating the sun. (from astronomer 
  Derek Kief, H.R. Macmillan Space Center)
*The last time a total eclipse swept across the entire USA was in
  1918. This total eclipse will be the first visible from the 
  contiguous United States since 1979.

It is only during an eclipse that the Man in the Moon has a place
in the sun.
                ~ Anonymous



To avoid serious eye damage, you must take precaution when
viewing the solar eclipse. Everyone viewing needs to wear
special solar glasses or you can use filtered welder's glasses.
The sunlight can burn the retina leading to long term or
permanent damage. Caution your children. Don't look at a
partial eclipse through unfiltered binoculars or a telescope.
Look for special eclipse glasses online or check out your
local library for free ones. Several local grocery stores had 
them available as well. Make your own pinhole projector
by using 2 sheets of paper. Instructions online. There are 
eclipse events being planned locally so that is a safe option 
as well. View online by checking out the NASA website and 
Space.com. Here's the information I received by plugging 
in my zip code. The moon cover will be 88% of the sun. The 
moon will be in the sun's path starting at 1:01pm and 
continue for 2hours and 48minutes. The best time to see the 
peak of the eclipse will be 2:28pm. It's great specific 
information for your area.




Monday expect traffic to be heavy as thousands are traveling.
Millions of eyes will be looking upward as the sun disappears 
from the sky. The animals and insects will react as if the sun
is setting. It will be as dark as sunset is. It will happen 
whether you want it to or not. It will not be as be as you
suspect but something more....



Thursday, August 10, 2017

Butterfly Happy




No garden truly blooms until butterflies
have danced upon it.
~ K.D'Angelo
                                           
There's nothing more beautiful or peaceful to watch than a 
butterfly. They are enchanting and graceful. As they glide 
and flit about the garden one can almost be envious of their 
freedom in flight.



My garden includes a variety of flowers and plants that will 
encourage visits from butterflies. It is important to provide
food and nectar sources for them. Butterflies require nectar
as a food source while caterpillars eat leaves as theirs.



We delight in the beauty of the butterfly,
but rarely admit the changes it has gone
through to achieve that beauty.
                                      ~ Maya Angelou




Did you know there are 4 stages in the butterfly lifecycle and
it's possible to observe that in your own backyard. I was lucky
enough to have a butterfly visit my Dill plant, lay an egg and
from that a caterpillar hatched, which changed and transformed
its body and emerged as a butterfly. It was amazing. On previous 
posts I've shared many photos on this process. It's visually exciting
to watch this process.




There's nothing in a caterpillar that tells you
it's going to be a butterfly.
                                                    ~ Richard Buckminster Fuller
                               

I hope you find the time to stop and watch and appreciate such
a simple joy of a butterfly fluttering about the flowers. What
beautiful gardens they must have visited! 



Wednesday, August 2, 2017

August Daze





Dance with the waves, move with the sea
Let the rhythm of the water 
set your soul free.
                                  ~Christy Ann Martine

Vacation in Hawaii was fabulous! All those descriptive phrases, all
the adjectives that can set your mind thinking of that big, beautiful,
bounty of deep blue water fits. How can you not be happy while
walking along the beach. Endless sounds of the sea crashing on the
shore casts its spell...only to repeat again and again. I love the 
ocean, the sand hot, you make the dash to the salty sea, and you're 
embraced by the cold water and the heat of sun. It is its own therapy!





At the beach, life is different. Time doesn't move
hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the
currents, plan by the tides, and follow the sun.
                                                                      ~Anonymous


There is much to see and do in Hawaii, (Maui and Honolulu 
for us). Tropical flowers, exotic fruits, luaus,volcanoes, and 
historic sites await you in these lush surroundings. 







The view from the balcony of our rooms were amazing and 
inviting. We couldn't wait to be out in this paradise. 






There are so many pictures and stories to share. It was exciting, 
it was a getaway, it was tropical, and it was fun to share it with 
our daughter and son in law. If you want an adventure, visit
Hawaii! I guarantee you'll be so happy you did. Please enjoy
the beach scene picture I took and Waterlogued. Copy onto
heavy stock paper and frame if you'd like.



ALOHA everybody and thanks for stopping by!
Visit me on Instagram dianarn2627 to see more pictures of
Hawaii and lots of other great stuff.