Some Ideas I Plan to Live This Year

 

 

 

 

 

Coloring Book Pages

Hello People,

I am doing coloring books, started by a gift which came to me and which I spoke about here.
I have since received a couple more and I just really began to get into it. I have several coloring tools, from the colored pencils, to crazytip markers, to crayola pastels, and soon I am receiving in the mail soft pastels to cover large areas.
I just wanted to share a few I have done so far....it is really therapeutic and I highly recommend it for anyone who needs to enjoy the right brains activity more in such a left brain shunted world. We need more right brain activities all of which induce peace, creativity and a sense of personal achievement.


From the Art Nouveau Animal Designs coloring book.....
I wanted to do some really pretty colors for the birds. I did some blending which always is nice.

From the Shakti Coloring Book......
this was the first one I did, totally not planning on coloring but was sitting at the desk listening to a lecture and this book was there and I half asleep grabbed it and began coloring her skin blue, then the next 4 hours disappeared with not a conscious or self aware thought on my part. It was bliss!

From The Calm Coloring Book (from Barnes and Noble)

 I do love how the water colors and the fish colors came out.....this one is so vibrant.

 Fairy flowers.

This is from the Whimsical Gardens Coloring Book.......is not finished, but now that I have more coloring tools, I will experiment....
I especially like how the pots came out, all textured with green algae on them which I love!

I'm just discovering these things, and just 2 days ago discovered the Stained Glass Coloring books which were done by a man on youtube! lolol....good for him!.......but I went to google images and found sooooo much there and was excited to see that the actual pages from the stained glass coloring books can be taken out and hung up in windows to look like real stained glass....what a concept!
I hope to get some of those soon, especially this one......




 

Happy Coloring!

Merry Christmas and Peaceful Holidays

. 1 read message.

I know Christmas offers mixed feelings for alot of us, but I still love my childhood memories of what it meant, a season of giving, and always my heart was warmed with love from my mother and family, and it was always a colorful happy time. Every year I remember those times of the hearth, of beauty and of a love that is giving. I wish you all colorful, warm, happy times. ​ ​

Kefir and Kimchi Cured My Hip-Joint Pains

Hello Beautiful People,

Just wanted to share some wonderful news, which is ecstatic for me which is alot of fun. :D
As the title says it all, I will just tell of my experience but I encourage everyone to begin to ingest and make your own living pro-biotics which can literally make your life from one of depressed and in pain to one who feels free and light and pain free, even in short time.

Cultured foods should be part of everyones diet to have a consistent and life giving internal environment to healthy gut flora for life. Cultured Foods of all kinds are the only way to do this effectively and safely.

Kefir, by the testimonials of the people themselves, is curing so many ailments it is impossible to list them all. It is simply a miraculous food.

My story:
For the past 2 years I had developed a hip joint pain that didn't make any sense for me as I am not prone to disease and sickness, and took good care of my self all my growing years, being organic for over 35 years now... and not taking meds.
I am a home person, prefer to stay home and slowly I noticed I was limping. I tried to go for my walks but they were painful and I felt stiff. I hardly noticed there was a problem until it was excruciating and could not lift my leg for 2 small steps on the porch unless I picked up each leg with my hands. By this time it was more than a year of these pains, and the reason I didn't quite realize it is that I live with various pains, from having fibromyalgia, (gone now) and having 5 accidents in life so I was used to being in some kind of pain or another, all of which I felt were temporary and would leave eventually when I did everything I could for them. And they do. I am not the type of person to accept ''disease'' which I know is merely symptoms of a problem. Take care of the root of the problem and the symptoms will go. I do not believe in sickness, all is curable. And I do not accept genetic problems as those also can be transcended and reprogrammed. I've done all.

But when I could not get up from a chair, or from lying down, or move normally, and all I could do was not walk gracefully but wobble from side to side and not be able to go do simple shopping, nor bend without meditating on it first, it got my attention. My housemate was also experiencing some of this and as an empath I eventually realized I was picking up his stuff but that I needed to process and heal myself anyway because I was worse for some reason. I kept trying to go for the jogs, but realized I could not even do the walks without gritting my teeth and holding my hands so tight they got white and I would not breathe.

Then the day I had to lift my legs for those 2 small steps with my hands, and the pain was so bad, and recovering from the walk took 24 hours at least, the degree of this problem I thought would just ''go away'' really got my attention.

I wondered if this was arthritis, but I would feel this in other parts of my body as well and did not. I wondered if this was an injury, but I had done nothing to hurt my hip joints to this degree! I wondered if this was damage due to 20 years of jogging, but I didn't believe that was true since the blood flow of jogging and aerobics was more healing than damaging. But in any case I treated myself for all. I began by treating myself for arthritis for a month and there was no change. Then I treated myself as for an injury, and no change. I rethought the damage of jogging and no, because there were the odd days that the pain would be entirely gone, and often disappear at night after 10 pm as if it were on some sort of schedule and if I was awake that late to realize it, so it was a strange thing, coming and going, but mostly there. Sleep became terrible as the pains would spread then started to shoot down my thighs and wake me up at night. Moving around the house during the day was much slower, I did less and gardening became agonizing.

Also, at the same time I was having abdominal problems. Everything I ate was upsetting my stomach. Even healthy foods. Made no sense. This is what told me I needed to address my problem by introducing really good food and I knew my kimchi was nutrient dense and medicinal, so this is what started me on this, was my poor tummy.
What happened with my hip joint pains was a side effect!

My body was definitely going wrong, and I needed to wake up and do something before damage set in and the healing process would take years instead of weeks.

So you get the picture.

One day....sigh......love those light airy wisps of intuition......I felt I NEEDED to have my kimchi, not want, I was craving it. I felt my inner alchemy was off and I wanted to start eating it again so I decided to make some and I did. I speak about this in a post here.

 



I made the kimchi and tasted it in 3 days which I'd not done before since I usually wait the full 10 days, but I couldn't wait, I was craving the stuff. It tasted delicious! oh my god, it was so good. But that told me, as taste buds and cravings will tell you what your body is needing. And this goes both ways.....cravings for negative type foods such as sugars, chips, coffee, alcohol etc are all cravings from bacterias, viruses, fungi etc of the negative kind which are craving to be fed and this increases negative microflora. Cravings for positive foods, living foods, greens and water, juices etc are all your body telling you you need those positive foods and they will taste off the chart delicious. So my body was telling me this is what I needed, were the living probiotics of the kimchi which is what my body was familiar with and sent a signal to my brain to crave it. The body knows.
This was good but Somehow I wanted more living probiotics though this is not what my mind was thinking, I still had cravings for living foods so my mind went to kefir.  I used to drink this too, but was not consistent and had no problems then to notice a difference. I got a couple of bottles of the Lifeway brand in ''plain'' available in most large stores and in every health food store. I could not stop drinking this either, I was craving the stuff! I drank half a bottle a day.
 



Sooooo....I began eating just a bit of the kimchi every day, and drinking the kefir. Within 2 days I noticed my mood and mental state was lighter, happier, which was an odd thing, but I take it! :D
Then I noticed my hip pains were less because I could move better, simply standing up and walking in one move and walking without wobbling, etc. Within a week, all of the pains of my hip joints have been gone, and I am sleeping better. This last sentence bears repeating.....within a week of taking kimchi and kefir all of my agonizing hip joint pains were gone and its been over a month now and I am moving physically back as my old self.

This is the reason I am making this post because I want to help others who may be experiencing this or anything like it. I cannot explain it scientifically but I have since gone online to do some research of scientific papers on the health affects of kefir and living probiotics and the material is scant. But there is a plethora of people who are posting their own testimonials everywhere on forums, websites, youtubes etc and I am listening to the people who are taking these living foods and what they are experiencing and it is all miraculous to me.

Pro biotics are pro life, they are the very substance that give us life to our immune systems, and they eat the negative micro-organisms which degrade and diminish our immune systems and organs, and replace them with the life giving nutrients which rebuild our systems of all kinds from organs, gut flora to neural brain-pathways hence the fact that the probiotics are called ''the organic prozac'' since it helps with peoples moods. I had someone else try it and he is bipolar and he raves first about his mood lifting after all his life being depressed and how his body is working better and he is sharing it with his family....on and on.


Kefir is a Russian word meaning ''good feeling'' and I can attest to that as do thousand of others.
It is a cultured milk, and tastes like liquid yogurt and I love it.

I am also making ginger bug. It is cultured ginger and makes the best Ginger Soda!

I enjoy making them all.

Kefir is made using what they refer to as ''grains'' which look like this.....

 These go into a large jar, with milk added and covered and left on a counter for 24 hours.

then it is strained and bottled like this.......

then you add the grains back to the original jar and add milk and do it again.
Instructions for this and all kinds of questions are found on youtubes and internet easily.

This amazing food led me to making my own of all of them which I am doing every day now, eating kimchi and drinking my new favorite.... Kombucha.... which I also make now and have a continuous brew going on all the time. I am able to drink ''soda'' again and my favorite kombuchas that I make are the Strawberry Kombucha and the Ginger Kombucha......I cannot get enough of these. The health benefits of Kombucha must be researched and understood, as it can and is a miraculous medicine.
I keep the tea in a gallon tea dispenser which is ready in 7 days in my house. Its made by making the sweet tea with what they call a scoby which is an acronym for ''symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast''. You add sugar to the tea and the scoby eats the sugar, and becomes cultured, fizzy, carbonated, and delicious!

After it is done, you can add all kinds of wonderful flavors to the tea in the bottle. I blend strawberries, strain and add it to a couple of bottles. The others are Ginger Kombucha and housemate wanted to try Lemon Kombucha. Here are various flavors being drunk as we wish. Delish!

I want the best and healthiest foods/medicines this planet has to offer and my own investment in time learning and doing has proven to be the wise ways of the ancient ones who lived well, make and culture their own foods for health of mind and body.

There is a quote that says "Let medicine be your foods, and your foods your medicines" and this is exactly what I am doing and it is working so beautifully, so organically and poetically. The beauty of its simplicity is exactly how I believe God works, that something that heals is easy, delicious and simple.

The same with aromatherapy.
There are tons of websites to learn this from but the easiest is to try them, then begin to make your own. Everyone in these fields of living cultured foods are all very helpful and are free with their time and answer questions, they are just happy people.

I could go on with this, but I encourage you all to try it.



Now for the Gardens:

And here are some pics I found in my camera. Gardening was nil this past summer due to the drought we had here, but I hope it will pick up again. The lotus in the pond went crazy and were beautiful though I had to remove them as they were too aggressive for the pond, too lush.....the point of my pond is to have the water as clear reflective light and shadow.  Below are some pics......

 wonderful, wonderful rains!!!!!!!

Health is Wealth......Goodbye for now....and thanks for visiting!

Sharing this post with the following parties:

Rooted In Thyme

Home and Garden Thursday

Adult Coloring Books?? Yeah! :D:D:D

Hello People,

its been a while, but you know how life is.

My blog has a bit of a new look. I took out the forest green background to be easier on the eyes.

A friend of mind sent me a present a couple of months ago and I took my time for a special moment to open them...... and I found coloring books. I thought, maybe she is getting a bit tired here on planet Earth, and some pieces of her brain are already on the ''way back home''.....but I looked more closely and it was not for children, but for adults...wow! how cool! lolol and I did like the idea of color. My world is mostly white and color especially this controlled as in coloring books :D:D:D  which can be hidden away or displayed was enticing. She also sent coloring pencils. She thinks of everything my Pammie.

One day, while reading and listening to too many things in my line of research, which is for the record, the true workings of this world, REAL news, not the theatre of the absurd they dote out on main stream media, but research done by those who work in their fields and report etc, and I go into the workings of the religious sectors and military etc, because I want the truth and the truth needs to be dug out as it doesn't come easily, especially on scripted television. So one day, I was tired of the truth, as it was getting more unbearable by the minute, and had my coloring book in front of me with the pencils conveiently available to grab. I opened The Shakti Coloring Book to a page of a most beautiful face of a being I had only dreamt of a few nights before, grabbed a blue pencil and began to color.

Source

Four hours later I picked up my head and looked around.....what time is it? where have I been? I checked in with myself and was amazed at how centered, grounded and peaceful I had become. Did that really happen? I'm looking around, yes I am still in the same spot I began and somehow time slipped away which to me is always a good sign, and there I am feeling quiet of mind and peaceful. How amazed I was at how this worked even on my brain. I wondered. Well it is simple really, the left brain is a software program, literally a tool that is designed to assist the right side which is not a program but the infinite realms of creative imagination. It is the gateway to infinite worlds of beingness and creativity and where the act of creating and manifesting are born. It is the realms where we have super psi abilities, where there is no time, where we are connected to our Source/God whatever you want to call it, and where we are in our true nature of Spirit......and so getting out of the left brain which can run on overdrive in overspeed and take you down with it, is critical to getting your self under your own control by Spirit again and is the place where we feel most natural.

In our world today of insane busyness, of schedules, people to please, places to go, and all the distractions so cleverly designed to keep us locked within a system that demands our energy but doesn't give it back....in a world where Nature our Source of sustenance and spiritual equanimity is cleverly extracted from me piece by piece and replaced with cement, with more noise, more stores, longer hours and larger TV screens.......we wonder what life is for when we are too old to ask, too sick to ask.....because so much has been taken of our time and attention in all the wrong places, where the tool became the manager instead of the manager utilizing a tool. We neglected our Spirit being controlled by mind, lost our hearts to ego, and gave in to the noise and din of a creation that seeks to own you. If we do not utilize the left brain as merely a tool to be used by the greater consciousness of Spirit then it becomes the thing which governs and rules us, our Spirit and Consciousness waylaid, we become robotic, our hearts servants instead of masters, then we begin to get sick in so many ways and this is why we need ''therapy'' of all kinds from psychiatric to spas to vacations. Think about it.

I recommend watching this video to get an idea about how Nature works.

Coloring books are on the spot stress reduction, no drugs, no nasty side affects, 100% guaranteed.

We must, if we're clever, find ways to break out of this rut and left brain-isms through making Spirit as our Home.....through regaining Spirit as our place of belonging. It is what nurtures. It is Mother.

We must engage in beautiful things, Nature always being first, as in Gardening, or walking in nature in forests and woods, parks etc.....until we find that sweet spot where we forgot what we were doing and just found ourselves in the moment staring at a balloon or listening to children laughing and found ourselves laughing too.

We must go to the beaches and get lost in the horizon.....go for walks so long we forgot where we started.
We must browse
Meander,
Stroll,
Stop and Wonder
Loose time
Take a new turn and observe
Blow bubbles
Stare at clouds and try to break them up,
Or stare at clouds and make it rain,
Color,
Play with sunlight and prisms,
Lie in the grass at night and stare at the stars and ask them questions and just wait for it......

We must put aside the tool of mind and re-enlist our Spirit as the boss.
Engage in arts, by being the painter, not just observing one....by being the musician, not merely listening for all of your life.....by being the writer, not merely reading others works.....you have a story to tell too.
This is the part of life that makes us human is being the artist.

Some of us cannot find a single thing we can do. Some complain they cannot sing, they cannot dance, they cannot paint, they cannot......etc....fill in the blank. But if you have eyes, and a working hand you can color right? Do not demean this until you can find out just how this seemingly simplistic and childish activity can work magic for your mind. In fact, appreciation for its childish simplicity is key.

It is my opinion that adults need coloring books far more than kids do because kids can find endless things to engage and entertain them, but adults find endless things to derail them. In the ridiculous and inane world of adult-hood there is far too much deemed ''responsibilities'' which run a straight and narrow path to insanity or robotic lifestyles, where what you do becomes your life and if what ''you do'' is chores, jobs, or habits, then you are lost. Your Spirit will let you know by feeling, tired, exhausted, confused, frustrated, all those things are the indiciators to being Spiritually sick.

So coloring books are perfect for those who feel they don't have artistic abilities or talents to express........or for people who just feel bored, or those who want to feel what its like to feel like a child again, innocent and empty of mind but filled with magical things like color and light.......Adult Coloring Books are for you. You may not find yourself wanting to run and climb monkeybars again but you sure will feel more calm and centered than before you began coloring. And this is the beginning.

I found myself in Barnes and Nobles and could not believe how popular these coloring books are and this is indicative of just how many people are finding out its therapeutic value. There were literally dozens of coloring book styles to choose from, from Nature themes, flowers, abstracts, designs, Celtic symbols, landscapes, sooooo soooo much to choose from. I have three books now all given to me so I will finish them before I venture out to one that caught my eye which was Scandinavian Folk Patterns.

 

And if you insist you still don't have talent, even though you don't have to design or draw anything, just use the coloring pencils, markers or whatever......then you can get ideas from images on line like this....they call it "Coloring Therapy" 
and if you cannot find images enough, then there are plenty of youtubes to watch about this, where people are coloring for hours each day and feeling quite contented.

The following video from Olly Love Art shows in fast motion, how you can color and find inspiration in following some tips by watching. Easy.

 

But the whole point is to relax about it all, don't sweat anything, its about disengaging the tension, and embracing the Spirit........just grab coloring pen and color.
How can anyone feel so contented with doing something so ''silly'' as coloring? because it loosens the grip of the mind who is a monster of a prison warden......you escape the shackles of mentalism, of boxlike logic, of limited reason and you escaped into a world of infinite space, timelessness, where choices are made of pleasure, and all that is before you is endless possibilities..... and this is the magic of losing the mind and inviting art, color, light, dance, song....all of it.

Here's another inspiration:

I hope this inspires not just some of you, but all of you lolool.......and lets all get coloring and lose our minds to find our Spirits.

When Life Takes You Out Of The Pretty Picture

Hello Everyone,

I haven't blogged in a while for many reasons. Some of which has been a gauntlet of beatings from a series of painful things. Some of it personal, some not.
The Spiritual communities are talking alot about the changes, the end times, the shift, whatever.....but only the blind I think cannot see this is happening. Some are hunkering down and hiding. As do I.

 

 
Another is that in South Florida, during our sub-tropical rainy season, my area is in the red of extreme drought and gardening is difficult because of the extreme heat and water only from city sources which the plants are not happy about. Also this constant tension of weather.....inundated with positive ions which are detrimental to both physical and mental health.....we need the storms and rains for the negative ions which make us feel healthy, happy and harmonious. We are getting thunder and lighting but no rain here at all. We've had a total of 6 minutes of gentle showers in over 2 months, and this is not even enough to wet the appetite of a blade of grass. Very sad grass. Even the sun has become a monster. I'm drawing the blinds closed for the first time in my life ever. The sun is just far too bright and intense, too ostentacious. I need the protection of cloudcover and the delicacay of grey shades, and coolness, a vista of blending softness and quietude.


I know I may lose a few of you because of this not pretty post. That's ok.


Then there are the ugly things. Those things which most bloggers do not wish to hear about....don't worry, I won't mention them......but which is a reality of life and while it is pandemic the world over, it is tragically taboo......people don't like to look at it, it ruins their pretty day. Children and women continue to be abused. Ooops did I give a hint? Though the very exposure of these things and their investigations and humane virtue of protection with a dose of courage would make this world a happier place. Because for sure the deafening silent treatment relating to those hurt by such abuse grows into sickness and disease. However, denial and turning the other cheek is the order of the day. I am not impressed with humanity lately but even more so that women have not stepped up to curb the madness of men.
There is an expression that says, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

Any comfort from platitudes have worn out, and it is simply challenging. I understand life is this way for many right now and even I have noticed many bloggers and other writers going silent. Yet many are still as strong and vocal as ever. I have never been one to put on fronts, or stiff upper lip and all that. I am too authentic to my self for that, so I have gone silent. The warrior in me tired.

Then there is the paranormal or spiritual or metaphysical.....more taboos......and something that has more opinions about it than there are people on Earth. However, the paranormal or spiritual realms is not only fascinating, real, dangerous, exciting and to be respected, until one becomes slowly versed in how deep the reality of life is, how deep the rabbit hole goes, and just how many rabbit holes there are, one is merely living on this earth with superficial existence and missing the mind boggling truths of this Universe and what humans really are and capable of. Why we're here. At least some of us.
I mean, just look at the movies coming out......is anything not related to aliens and transhumanism? Just what are they trying to tell us? Can we talk about that?

My question is why do some live lives entirely drenched in the paranormal and others have absolutely no clue of what even intuition is? I'd like to hear from others on this.

I do however see there is a possibility for light at the end of the tunnel, due to having a Vibrational Healer, and my own inner Light cornering me with a will to not just survive but to shine. This amazes me. I've had people ask me, ''how do you go on?". I don't know honestly.
But for sure blogging has gone to the wayside.

I just wanted to say, I am not out, just away, and I will be back, maybe even later today or tomorrow with some gorgeous gourmet easy raw food recipes.
I do still eat. :D





                    

Dairy Free Caprice Salad YUM!

Hello Everyone,

Today I have a simple Caprice Salad, which is my favorite salad of all time is Caprice......however, loonnnnng sad face here........ I just found out I am dairy intolerant! OH NO!......lots of thoughts around this (as well as alot of ah ha's!!) but mostly how do I still have my favorite salad without one of 2 main ingredients?!
Well, as always, Nature is to the rescue, and so are those wonderful wonderful women who are so innovative and organic and health oriented. I googled "raw caprice'' and found they use ''cashew cheese'' for the mozzerella and that its wonderful in taste. Really? Seriously?! Well, I of course do not dismiss anything unless I try it and I did and yes, it is a keeper, and I am so happy I don't have sacrifice my favorite meal for anything, because the cashew cheese works just fine.
There are several recipes and I moderated it just a bit and here is what I did.

One cup of raw cashews soaked overnight. Then rinsed the next day and put into the food processor with a tiny clove of garlic, pinch of sea salt and I added a pinch of Nutritional Yeast till creamy. It comes out much like softened goat cheese. Refrigerate it for a while to solidify just a bit but I found this is not necessary and you'll see why.


 




Next assemble your caprice:
Fresh ripe heirloom tomatoes sliced thick arranged flat on a plate. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
A clove of garlic with some top quality extra virgin olive oil is added to a small grinder (I also use a mortar and pestle) to which I add a pinch (to taste) of sea salt, a pinch of Herbs du Provence, fresh ground black pepper (yes I add more) and red pepper flakes.....grind for about 5 seconds to meld and release all the flavors together. Drizzle some of the oil onto the tomatoes. I do like alot of this dressing, the extra gets picked up with fresh bread which I am also making, but that is another post :D

 Sorry for the blurry pics, this was an impromtu post. :D

Take a spoonful of the cashew cheese and dollop onto the tomatoes....then chiffonade some fresh basil leaves and sprinkle those over the cashew cheese. Drizzle more of the oil mixture.
You are done!
I simply use knife and fork to quarter the slices and eat that way, the creamy cheese is wonderful and all of the flavors I love are there! love love love!

Enjoy this to your hearts content with no problems, eat as much as you want all season long!

woo hoo! :D:D:D








    

Japanese Garden Etc.

Hello Everyone,

Its been a while, but I had not much to say. Am "quietly" gardening and taking care of domestic business but the Mystical side of things has gone to the deep end or is it over the deep end? I don't know what to make of many things I thought I used to know. Its more than just ''things change'', that's not it at all, in fact I love mostly, that things do change. But the meaning of it, the understanding, eludes me. And yet this elusive understanding of life remains so despite some of the most brilliant of minds applying their genius to this mystery of ''why''.

Today I have some pics I've taken, lots! and thank GOD I have still enough Spirit to be inspired to see this beauty, enough heart to feel gratitude and enough presence of mind to grab my camera and take some pictures for posterity and for you. Enjoy.

 I had taken out the grapevine that no longer produced its beautiful muscadine grapes, we didn't eat them anyway. I did make a good tincture out of the one crop I did get, and muscadines are supposed to be the greatest source of resveratrol there is. I should start taking the tincture I made.
But in its place I added the tree that was mulched and 4 pots of roses...these white ones are beautifully fragrant. I am loving having some roses.

The pond lilies doing well, and now the lotus (not pictured) are coming up and they multiplied. We have 3 plants now and I expect we shall have more than one bloom at a time. I don't mind if they take over.

The front gate, full of blooming things.

This area around the pond I mentioned in my last posts we were making into a Japanese Garden. This is how it looked as I began to remove the weeds and things we had there.
I talked John into getting some metal borders to keep the plants in, but I changed the plan and he brought them back for a refund. I decided instead to do the most economical thing and use sod.

It was really just a weedy mess and the plants we put in never did well.

At this point below, the weeds were removed and the tubings and wires for the pond and lights were exposed. I had to figure out how to hide those. The sod was again the easy answer....as well as a "fake rock".

 






Before:
 








 After....same angle.
 







I got up one morning and the nightlights were still on, I thought it looked nice.....

 



 



 






 The principals of a Japanese Garden is simplicity, serenity and tidyness. The ''bones'' being water,  rock/s and plantings along with a well placed lantern. I will have to keep the grass trimmed. This is why I loved the idea of the Japanese garden in this area, its because its LOW maintenance and I don't have to think about replacing plants or having anything die....its all greens. The Pagoda, rock, Juniper, Topiary and lantern make it Japanese, and the neat trimmed edges and low grasses give its signature style.
 









 The lights went out as I was taking pictures.

 





In these next three, a little friend looking for my attentions to feed it breakfast are here...hysterical!
 






 






No matter where I point the camera, the little bird walked into the frame pretending to be nonchalant! LOL

 



 




 During the day in full sun. Its more opened up now and I much prefer it.

 







 Ok, on to the front where the bougainvilleas I planted last year are in bloom....they love dry winter.

 These colors are perfection.

 The hanging baskets on the Gazebo are doing well with the ivies.

 

A comfy spot on the papa san, with pillows.....

 Washed my whites for the summer which is mostly what I wear all season.

  A beautiful dish of succulents.

Seedlings of purple cauliflower coming up.

 My Gardenia Standard (topiary) is blooming well this year. It took only one dose!! of pickle juice to remove all the problems of this plant! I couldn't believe it. This one I had for years but it did nothing, but have black mold on the leaves and never bloomed. One day John went out with his pickle juice left over from his sandwiches, and he added it to the soil....said his grandmother used to do that for her bushes and they were gorgeous. I didn't know about my gardenia topiary smelling like pickles and garlic but it wasn't doing well anyway. Well! within a week all the black mold was gone, and I was impressed with organic fertilizer and ''old school ways'' once again. I too gave it a few feedings of pickle juice and sure enough, the leaves began filling in and getting large, lush and bright green and this year as per its season for blooming, I've had over a dozen blooms and all the leaves are beautiful. And it smells like Gardenia! lol

 One of my favorite pots, finally found a spot it likes for a while....

Thanks for visiting.


 Sharing this post with Rooted in Thyme

and with Home and Garden Thursday