Through The Tulips Words of 'Wiz'dom

May 5, 2013

Tiptoe Through The Tulips-

Filed under: photography,Seasons,Things I Love,Travel — gardener @ 11:10 am

tulips1
Earlier in the week- Marcel had a day free, and after having a pretty slotful day- we decided to set out on a quest to find some tulip fields.   It was time for my annual ‘tiptoe through the tulips’.   Since Old Man Winter was late arriving and lingered far longer than anyone expected-  the tulips are actually just starting to bloom.

As you can see, it was an absolutely gorgeous day- and we found fields of daffodils and hyacinths, but none of my beloved tulips.

Since then we’ve had more sunshine and great temperatures, so my hope is that we’ll find some time in our schedule this coming week to get out one evening after dinner and go for a drive.   Maybe then a little tiptoeing will be in order..

Until then- I’ll just enjoy the mild temps and gorgeous sunshine..

March 31, 2011

Money Train

Filed under: Life,photography,Shop til ya Drop,Techy — gardener @ 5:36 am

Yesterday, Marcel decided to take the evening off work so we could take an impromptu trip to the city via the train.   Generally- when traveling to the city we always take the train because we don’t have to worry about finding a parking space, plus we don’t have to pay the outrageous parking garage prices that the city charges.     I love it, because it means no traffic, no wasting gas (and you know what the gas prices are like these days) and it’s fun!    (You can tell I didn’t grow up in a city or a place where train travel was the norm- because it is an adventure to me as opposed as a mode of transportation.)

I have been trying out new iPhone Photo Apps (as part of my 101 in 1001 day project- and also because it inspires creativity) and I took this one with the Instagram App.   I’ve been using it quite a bit lately and like the black and white results with people- namely Marcel.

Our shopping trip was a success- (meaning we bought what we set out to get- a pair of shoes that were on sale, for Marcel).   We even saved more moolah than the original sale price with a few promotions the store had going on- which ultimately paid for our train tickets.   

I did find a Burberry bag that I was practically drooling over, and probably would have been tempted to buy- but after all- I do want a new couch this year, and a few other things so I refrained-  for now.     Looks like maybe I should start working a little more so I can indulge in this little lavish gift for myself.   Patience is a virtue-  or so they say.

September 16, 2010

Filed under: Food,Health/ Fitness,photography — gardener @ 5:00 am

 

For those of you who read my other blog- you know that last Sunday I roasted a pumpkin.   I decided that it may be fun to keep the seeds and try to roast them, so I looked up a recipe online and decided to give it a try.

The recipe was pretty simple. 

Rinse the seeds and make sure the pulp was gone (boy are those seeds slimy little suckers),   mix them with a little oil and salt, roast in the oven at about 325 making sure that you stir every little while.

I decided to add a little salt, pepper and granulated garlic just to see what it would taste like and I have to say that at one point I was wondering if it was ever going to start ‘roasting’.   It seemed like a slimy mess, but after about a half hour I was satisfied with the way they looked and removed them from the oven.   I wasn’t sure how they would taste and I was prepared to shell them, because that’s how I’ve always eaten pumpkin seeds, but these shells were so tender that you could just pop them in your mouth and enjoy.    There weren’t that many but I’ve been munching on them here and there. and I love them.    The plus side is that they’re also great for you.

Marcel didn’t care for them, but when I get another pumpkin, you can be sure that I’ll be roasting those seeds as well.   I have them stored in an airtight container and they’re staying crispy.  You should try some if you find yourself with a bunch of pumpkin seeds.

Breakfast of Champions

Filed under: Food,Health/ Fitness,Home,photography,Things I Love — gardener @ 4:48 am

In case you ever wondered what my breakfast looks like each morning-    I know that it definitely doesn’t look very appetizing, but I can assure you that it is.  In addition, it’s also healthy.  You may be asking yourself what it is, and in case you’re stopping by this little spot for the first time and don’t know about my love affair with this product- I’ll tell you what it is- steel-cut oats.   These little gems aren’t to be confused with regular oats, which taste different.  In fact, I only like rolled oats in cookies and muffins, but steel-cut is a horse of an entirely different color.

This is how I eat them every morning-   With a little cinnamon, a little fat-free milk and the white stuff on top is a French Vanilla Splenda stick.   Generally the package says they are for coffee, but one little stick is perfect for oats.     MMMmm MmmmM goodness.

What do you eat for breakfast?  Do you tend to eat the same thing daily or do you switch it up to have a little variety?

September 13, 2010

Smiles, Everyone Smiles

Filed under: Life,Memories,photography — gardener @ 10:56 am

  I was extremely busy this weekend but it was one of those ‘fun’ kinds of being busy.    I spent the day in a nearby city with some great friends on Saturday and then Saturday evening the ‘party’ moved to our home and included a visit from friends from out of town.    The guys went to the movies and that left us girls to goof off and have a great time.  We didn’t have any problems doing that.

While I was walking through the city with my friend Kimmie, we came across this couple who had just gotten married and were dancing in the streets.  The crowds gathered around the happy couple and even though you can’t see it in the picture; the bride is very pregnant.    The house they are dancing in front of is their own, and several seconds after I’d taken the picture a friend came out of their home with a pair of flat shoes to replace the stilettos that I was unsure how she was walking in- much less dancing.

I couldn’t decide whether to take a picture- mostly becasue I didn’t want anyone chasing me down the street, but in the end, I did.   Seeing them so happy brought a great deal of joy to my soul and at one point my friend Kimmie asked if I was going to start crying (obviously she knows me well) .   My answer was that I may and if we had stood there much longer, I have no doubt that the tears would have started falling.

I love seeing people happy and this was a joyous day for this beautiful couple.  I hope they have a wonderful life together.

September 6, 2010

New Artforms

Filed under: Life,photography,Techy,Things I Love — gardener @ 8:06 am

I’ll admit that it doesn’t take much to entertain me, which is probably why I am loving this new iPhone application that I downloaded called Percolator.   You run a regular picture through the application and it creates this whimisical piece of ‘circle art’.   I actually love it, and Marcel says he can’t tell what they are and thinks it’s silly.

It’s different, and since I dare to be different, I like it.   In case you were unsure as to what this is- it’s three sunflowers that I had in my archive from a few weeks ago.  I’ve taken some other old images and ‘transformed’ them, but I’ll probably share those in some of my other spaces.

Hope everyone is having a happy, safe Labor Day and is doing as little Labor as possible.

May 9, 2010

Tiptoeing….

Filed under: Health/ Fitness,Life,photography,Things I Love,Travel — gardener @ 7:25 am

  It’s no secret that tulips are one of my favorite flowers, and earlier this week when I had a chance to literally go tiptoeing through the tulips, I grabbed my camera and off I went.

I actually thought they would be past their peak, but surprisingly there were some colors that were just starting to bloom.  As you can see, it’s a sea of color and I walked along the field passing each color and taking a moment to pause and take in the beauty that each color had to offer.     

The smell was almost intoxicating, and once I walked through all the colors, I decided rather than walking back that jogging may be more fun, plus get the heart pumping a little harder than usual. 

I’m sure Marcel and his mom wondered what I was running from.  Maybe they even thought that one of the tulip farmers was hot on my tail, but nothing could have been further from the truth.   I simply wanted to run alongside the beautiful colors and make my way back to them.    Once I made it back, I asked Marcel to take a few pictures of me lying in the tulips.  Even though he gave me an odd look when I asked, he obliged me, and my favorite is now my Facebook profile photo.

This is one of many ‘little’ things that bring joy to my life.   I think it’s important to tap into those things that bring us joy and spend time with them.

What brings you joy?

April 25, 2010

Tip Toe ‘Through The Tulips’

Filed under: Life,photography — gardener @ 9:51 am

   Marcel and I went out last week in search of the ‘tulips’ but they were barely blooming at the time.   With all the sunshine and fabulous weather we’ve had this week, I knew it wouldn’t be long before they were in full bloom so we decided to head out for a little while today to see what we could find.

Even though they aren’t in full bloom yet and we saw a couple of fields that weren’t quite in bloom, given a few more days (and a little rain), and they’ll be at their peak.  I’d venture to say that by the middle to end of next week, they’ll be at full peak.   

This morning I just took along my small camera since the skies weren’t great and the time of day wasn’ t the best for lighting, but I’ll be going out again sometime this week to see what I can come up with.     I’ll be sure to share- and in the meantime-  take some time this week to smell the flowers- tulips or not.

April 9, 2010

New Feature @ Simply Wizardress- 5 O’ Clock Fridays

Filed under: Inspiration,Life,photography,Techy,Things I Love,Travel — gardener @ 4:58 am

My alter ego Simply Wizardress has started a new feature which will begin today- at none other than 5 O’ Clock. It’s appropriately called 5 O’ Clock Friday’s and anyone can participate, blogger or non-blogger.

All you need to do is take a picture at 5 O’ Clock today and send it in. Or you can write about it or share it somewhere else and let me know where it is so I can link it. I think it will be fun, and you can read more about it by reading about it at simplywizardress.com.

The more participation the better- so come on’ join in.

March 21, 2010

It Isn’t Tulips…But

Filed under: In the Neighborhood,photography — gardener @ 5:18 am

I know, it isn’t tulips but it is a sure sign they are on their way. First were these
crocus and this morning I noticed the daffodils. NEXT UP, TULIPS.

Stat tuned to this space because I’m expecting great things and I love sharing great things.

Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress