Flowers, Flowers, and More Flowers!

This has been a great week for me and flowers. Last Friday, Dave suprised me with 2 doz beautiful roses....Just because!....Picture below...They smell absolutely heavenly; which is rare anymore that roses smell at all. After almost a week they still look great....
Next, is the long awaited Peony Bloom. When we moved into this house 3 years ago, I tore everything out of the front garden except a Peony plant and 5 Irises. The first year, there was nothing and I didn't even realize that it was a peony plant. Last year I had a single bud on the plant and just before it was ready to bloom, I hit the plant by accident and broke the bud off the stem. I was devestated! This year, with another bud starting, I watched it like a hawk to make sure no dogs, cats, husbands, or myself for that matter, went anywhere near that plant. I had yet to see a full blossom, color and all; and this was going to be my year!
After weeks of patiently waiting, we came home from work today to find the Peony blossom open!
Here is a picture; the pink is so absolutely deep, it is just gorgeous (well to me anyway).
My Lace vine has started budding so it should be in full bloom in the next month or so, and a friend of mine gave me some rooted Pussy Willows that I have planted in the yard...We'll see how they do....I love flowers in the garden; even though it is a lot of work.
Well, may flowers fill your days and sunshine fill your life.
Until later.

Summer Dessert

It's summer (well almost), so I thought I would share a favorite summertime dessert. Incredibly easy and quick....
If you have Margarita glasses or other glass dishes, this pretty green dessert looks great in them.....Also as a tip to prepare ahead:
Spoon mix into serving glasses, cover and freeze. I use Shaved Andes Mints as a garnish, but if you have fresh peppermint leaves, that works too!
More recipes soon!
I hope you enjoy!

Relay For Life

This blog post is dedicated to the Associates/Friends we work with who are participating this year in the American Cancer Societies: Relay for Life.
A number of employees of the San Luis Valley Public Lands Center, are dedicating their time and efforts to raise money and participate in the Relay for Life! We're proud of all of you!
The SLVPC team Page: SLVPLC TEAM

So what is this Relay for Life?

Well briefly, from the website:
"Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length."

For more information see: American Cancer Society: Relay for Life


The SLVPC team has been having bake sales to raise money; also receiving donations from associates, friends and family.
I found today that I could donate by purchasing a 'Luminaria' in Honour of a Cancer Survivor, or In Memory of someone who lost the battle.
Luminaria link: Luminaria

So many have lost the fight to cancer. My grandmother Lina lost the battle to Breast Cancer, a good friend of ours died from Brain Cancer, we have lost many friends over the years to different types of Cancer. But amidst the pain of those we've lost, is also the joy of those who have survived. Survivors like my Mom, My Mom-In-Law, and My Aunt (favorite Aunt!).So many have lost the battle to Cancer. But their deaths should not be in vain; although a cure for Cancer has not yet been found, early detection, advances in technology and new procedures have saved so many lives.

One day we will find a cure; each step we take into the future, Each step the team takes during the Relay for Life, takes us one step closer to a cure.

I can't imagine that there is one person in the United States who has not been in some way touched by Cancer. I hope everyone who see's this post will take a minute (to visit the web page) and $5.00 to help the Relay for Life. You don't have to donate to our SLVPC Relay for Life Team; the Relay for Life is a National Effort, you can check the web page to see if there is an event in your town.

We can and will overcome the Battle against Cancer one step at a time.

To the SLVPC Relay for Life Team; Thank You for taking up the torch and participating in this effort!

God Bless You!

Bits and Pieces I

Over Memorial Day weekend I sanded and painted our Front Porch. I thought I had 'before' pictures, so I didn't take any.....Dumb.....Will be more careful in the future...However, I think the porch came out great...To give you an idea of what it looked like originally; it had that horrible green indoor/outdoor grass like carpeting, it was worn through and full of nasty holes. Once I ripped the carpet up, I found worn grey painted wood, so I started sanding....In one area a huge chunk of paint came off and I discovered that our front porch is made of the same hardwood flooring in the house! David let me use his belt sander; until I ripped through two sanding belts within about 2 minutes...I couldn't help that the wood had some peculiar tendencies. At least when I tore up the belts, I was close to finishing. So I just took the sanding belts and sanded the rest by hand.....Painting the porch was a challenge, because of the weather. Trying to get it painted before rain set in, but after it had warmed up a bit...But I was able to get it done! I used a floor paint that has the polyurethane already built in (love that stuff), but because the porch is subject to getting wet, I added a tread-tex, so people won't slip. Stuff works great, but you have to stir the paint a lot more often. The final touch to the porch is an outdoor rug that is blue/beige to break up all of the white.We also bought a beautiful blue-grey paint for the front and back doors, will get to that soon (before pics, I know!).
Oh! My Iris's finally bloomed; here is a picture!
More later.

On Remodeling I

We love our home; it was built in the 1910's, with hardwood floors and old electrical. We are not really remodeling the house, we are returning it to it's former Edwardian era glory. So naturally I spend a lot of time researching and finding reproduction hardware sites. Downstairs rooms have 10 foot ceilings which have been lowered, and we are going to rip out, if everything goes well I am going to put up a tin ceiling in the living room. Everything is lathe and plaster, which is in great shape and we are keeping intact. Because of the lathe and plaster walls, we also have picture rails. Of course plaster walls provide some challenges for having the rewiring done, but it is worth it. Every room downstairs (except the bathroom) is paneled....Yes, even the kitchen is paneled! So that is the first thing that comes out! I have been taking before, during (in some cases), and after pictures, so as I talk in future posts about the changes I will include some of the pics.....I have included a few pictures of some of the miscellaneous things in the house that we love.......More to come soon...

Here's a picture to ponder........Can you guess what it is?
Here's a picture of some of the light fixtures in the house........

On Christopher Lee

I don't watch 'Reality' shows, and I don't normally follow the lives of Actors and Actresses; I do have my own life. However, there is one actor that I do admire and respect very much.
Mr. Christopher Lee.
So I thought I would spend a minute and chat about him in honour of his Birthday.

Every write up/blog/interview/movie website I have ever found on the Internet, basically regurgitates the same information about Mr. Lee, so I won't. (If you want to know his biography/filmography; you can Google him, Wikipedia, or visit his website; there are no shortages of sources).

So what is so fascinating about Christopher Lee that I would blog about him? Lot's of things, but I won't bore you with recounting all of it. But before I start, for those of you not familiar with him, here are some of the more recent characters he has portrayed in film: 'Saruman' from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, 'Count Dooku' from Star Wars, and 'Death' (Voice of) from The Colour of Magic. Below is a montage I created a few years ago, featuring a number of characters Mr. Lee had portrayed in films.....
I have one of his biographies (The Lord of Misrule), and I have watched many of his movies, not all, but those where the storyline interested me, and I could actually get my hands on a copy. Movies which gave me a glimpse of his diverse abilities be it drama, horror, historical, comedy, or fantasy. I have a number of CD’s where he has collaborated with different artists in different music genres; these have highlighted Mr. Lee as a ‘multi-faceted’ performer. Though I have gleaned quite a bit of information, I know there is still so much more to this gentleman.

Mr. Lee is more than just a great actor; he is accomplished in literary ventures with published poetry and three books to his credit. Mr. Lee has also provided a number of narrations for various audio books, and has provided his voice for a number of recent computer games. Mr. Lee has donated a picture, a short note and the pen he wrote with, to the charity for the ‘Wipe out Illiteracy’. Mr. and Mrs. Lee are also very active in Children's Charities; including UNICEF.

Mr. Lee has performed at various times over the years in the music industry, not only releasing singles and albums (One of which went ‘Platinum’ in the UK; recently) and singing opera, but also; narrations to Stravinsky’s ‘A Soldiers Tale’ (Where he did ALL of the different characters!), narrations to The Tolkien Ensembles ‘Dawn at Rivendell’, and narrations to the Italian Group Rhapsody of Fire ‘The Dark Secret’.
I am not a 'Heavy Metal' Fan, but because of Mr. Lee's collaboration with the group Rhapsody of Fire, I got the albums and absolutely love them! Mr. Lee has performed songs with Rhapsody of Fire and recorded one album in 4 different languages (One of the songs/video off the album (English Version), and my favorite is embedded at the bottom of the page). On that note, Mr. Lee speaks seven languages and has traveled the world, bridging cultural and generational gaps with his wonderful personality and talent.

I hadn't thought about Christopher Lee in years; I remember seeing him in various films (1984; Police Academy; etc), but who he was never 'clicked' with me until Dave and I went to see the 'Lord of the Rings'. There was this actor; the perfect 'Saruman'; the Saruman I had always mentally pictured when I read the books. Then the credits, and who should it be.......none other than the 'Christopher Lee'; whom I hadn't thought about in years. I have now been a member of his website since 2004; and have not only learned a lot about him, but have also met (virtually in most cases; except one close friend that I did have the chance to meet on one of our trips to London) other people who consider Mr. Lee the iconic personality he is........

There are many of the members who have personally met Mr. Lee and they are great about sharing their experiences meeting him. Through other channels (of which I will not elaborate on; because of 'TRUST' ), I have learned many funny and wonderful (true) stories about Mr. Lee, which have given me a glimpse into his personality.

Mr. Lee will be 87 on Wednesday, 27 May 2009, but he still stays busy! He has a number of completed films that will be out this year, and he also has a number of films that he is currently working on. One special project due out this year is a CD/DVD called Emperor Charlemagne. It is touted as "the epic story of Emperor Charlemagne narrated and sung by the legendary actor Christopher Lee, who will be joined by guest stars from the movie world....". So patiently we wait for its release!

Also, word in cyberspace is that Mr. Lee will portray the 'Jabberwock' in Tim Burton's New 'Alice in Wonderland'. I will be interested to see what Tim Burton has in mind for Lewis Carroll's stories. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two books that I have read over and over again throughout the years, never tire of, and still Love to read!

Well, I promised not to go on and on, so I will end this blog post wishing Christopher Lee a Very Happy Birthday, with many more to come!

Cheers.

Flowers and More Flowers

There may be a lot of 'conveniences' that aren't available where we live, but we have a wonderful local nursery. We went shopping today and got some more flowers for my garden, some herbs and 2 tomato plants. The one item that the greenhouse excels in are hanging baskets! I bought two today for our front porch.

This year I am trying some new flowers; and they are turning out to be my new favorites! I have a beautiful white Hydrangea, and some Dahlia's, that are so pretty.

Below are some pictures of our new flowers......