Time for Your Closeup

     The Altered Muse posts only when there is something I am very proud to display or post about.  My posts are about my artwork, garden, or events that I attend.  This day it is about my garden (Grayson Gardens).  I took these pictures last week.  They are a representation of hard work, planning, and pleasure on my part.  I have always appreciated the beauty of nature, but never so much as now that I am cultivating it.  It is a trial and error discovery that I am happy to post about.

Passion Vine.

A single flower from my one bulb I planted last fall.

Little mushroom caps that came up from my planting of spikey aloe vera.

My dill bloomed as it was waiting to be a butterfly host plant.

An elephant ear that grows straight up and has this one bloom in spring.

A very prolific ground cover that spreads like wildfire.

Blooms of an evergreen perennial that stays green all season and then blooms spring/summer.!

Plain ole geraniums

Red yarrow...butterfly attraction

Yellow Yarrow...butterfly attraction

Totally the reason I plant these perennials...fresh cut flowers

The Altered Muse is at it again.  The ideas are swirling in my head and going down on paper faster than a speeding bullet.  I am taking a little different direction with my creativity.  Let's just say it might involve mosses, sages, lavender, old rusty wire, feathers, crystals, seeds, and any other (here's a clue) earthy thing I can get my hands on and that is only the beginning.  This is going to take months but I am up for the challenge.  Should be presentable by early fall. Meanwhile, I am off to the store to purchase some things nature doesn't provide.

  

                VINTAGE GRAVEYARD BEAUTY

The Altered Muse blog has always been about my art, sentiments, and my garden.  Sometimes I have blogged about my travels and antique shows that I do.  I like to share whatever blesses me, impresses me, or the unusual.  That said, I am going to blog an interest from my latest trip to the hill country of Texas.  To some, graveyards evoke spooky, ghostly, eery thoughts.  To me, graveyards and headstones are peaceful memorials to the passed on.  I am fascinated by the older headstones.  Take a look and I hope enjoy. I hope you see the resting beauty.

This picture and the next two were side by side and had concrete formed like trees and logs.  I think they must have had a real relationship with the trees.  Both headstones are log related.  

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There is no telling how long this image has been under this glass.  It is milky with age.

Just watched the blood eclipse with several friends thru private messaging on Facebook.  Was lots of fun.  Guessing about the names of stars around it and watching the time and progress. Drinking coffee to stay awake.  Doing late nite laundry and dishes while we were waiting.  At first we didn't see any red, but then we did.  We were wishing we had hot chocolate and another blanket.  The Blood Eclipse was a great experience.

Good Saturday to you!  The day is beautiful.  I don't know which I like more of my two favorite things....my flower garden or my accoutrements of assemblage.  I usually have more blooming by now, but this is what I found this morning and I'll take it! Beautiful Grayson Gardens.

Can you spot the Cathouse? No...not the door behind it! It's up on the deck behind the Japanese Maple.  For my little jungle cat Lily.

And here she is!  Lily of Grayson Gardens.

 

How happy I was to receive my package from Germany!!!

So, I hadn't blogged for a while.  I started blogging again and the first person to leave a comment was Gaby Bee...from Germany!  I was soooo pleased that I put together a little package of my favorite things and sent them to her.  In return, she mailed me a little package of things and here they are!

First of all, I must say that her blog and mixed media art are amazing.  She is an assemblage story teller as I.  Sometimes little hidden messages here and there.  All telling a story or just a little secret meaning. I call this assemblage process "therapy" for me.

She even sent my things in this wonderful packaging.  Please go to her blog at colorfuladventures.blogspot.com.

great packaging

All because she left a simple comment on my blog.  Thanks Gaby.