Bluebird of Happiness . . .

Here's hoping we all get a visit from this beautiful bird over the weekend. Have a great one!

Grouping of framed bird prints

I like everything about this page I ripped from an old magazine. It's been sitting in my desk drawer for ages. I have no idea of the source because there is nothing on either side of the page. I will take the dog on the right with the shorter hair. I just know there is going to be a dachshund in my life at some point. I'll take the chair too! I love the nail heads and fringe. As I have mentioned before, you can click on almost all of the photos I publish on my blog to enlarge. The real point of this post is the ornithological prints on the wall. Aren't they stunning? They are original 1878 Studer/Jasper lithographs.

Purple Cone Flower (Echinacea Purpulea) . . .

I took this photo about 15 minutes ago in early morning light with no flash. The purple cone flower is such an exciting plant to behold from the bud form to the fully opened flower. It has herbal medicinal qualities too. I always take Echinacea if I think I am getting a cold. The botanical name is Echinacea Purpulea but some of the garden catalogs call it Rudbeckia Purpulea.

Wall of framed marine life prints . . .

I love this wall of framed prints with shells, starfish, and crustaceans. There is no hand coloring on the engravings and I like that look in this neutral setting. I used to do custom framing as a sideline to accompany my antique print business. Now I just sell them unframed as they are easier to mail that way. A large grouping of a single category is always stunning.

Wonderful Documentary Tonight on PBS . . .

Florence Thompson and Children
"Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange

"Fleeing a Dust Storm" by Arthur Rothstein

“Migrant Mother,” Dorothea Lange’s image of a weathered, grimy Depression-era woman in California surrounded by her children, is one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century, as is “Fleeing a Dust Storm,” Arthur Rothstein’s shot of a farmer and his two young sons in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl whipped by the wind, a shack in the background.

The PBS film “Documenting the Face of America: Roy Stryker and the F.S.A./O.W.I. Photographers” shows how the small Farm Security Administration’s New Deal project to document poverty turned into a visual anthology of thousands of images of American life in the 1930s and early ’40s.

There is a great article in today's New York Times about this program which will air on PBS tonight (Monday, 08/18/08) in most areas. In the NY/NJ area it is on at 10PM. Check your local listings and set your DVRs. This looks like "must-see tv" to me!

Topiary Gardens at 2008 Bejing Olympics . . .

No, I am not at the Olympics. I am still firmly planted in New Jersey. I have seen numerous blog posts about the Topiary Gardens in Beijing. I searched on Google pretty carefully and think this is the place for you to view all the other photos. I have always been a big fan of the topiaries in the English Cotswolds. Not so sure about these. I don't think they were designed to be amusing but some are!

Gigantic White Flower . . .

I stopped my car yesterday on the way to the library in Madison to photograph this huge flower. It is much bigger than a dinner plate ~ round platter size at least! It must be a hibiscus but this puzzles me because it was planted in the ground. I am quite sure that it won't survive the cold New Jersey winters. The house was a 19th century Victorian and I did not see a greenhouse on the property. Maybe the owner cuts them back and overwinters the numerous plants somehow. Good for her. I am much too lazy to bother with anything that needs coddling.

Wasting Postage Stamps . . .

STAMPS
With all my hard-earn cash
Most recklessly I part
But when I waste a stamp
It simply breaks my heart.

I feel exactly the same way about wasting postage!
Waste not, want not.

I scanned this page from one of my old books entitled The Cheerful Cherub by Rebecca McCann published in 1928. She drew a daily cartoon with an upbeat message in The Chicago Post featuring this cute little guy and his dog as an antidote for gloom. Looking through this book never fails to cheer me up!




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