Philadelphia Flower Show

Journaling Reads:

March 10, 2012.  Jay  asked me if I would like to go to the Flower Show. I figured sure, why not?  I got online to order tickets and learned that the theme of the show was “Hawaii” and I got really excited.  I was expecting a lot. Having been to Hawaii, I know just how beautiful it is there. Lush tropical green rainforest and lots of beautiful bright flowers - hibiscus, bird of paradise, plumeria, ginger, red tea leaves, bamboo. I was prepared to be dazzled.

After some intial issues with transportation were worked out, Jay and I drove to the train station and hopped a train for Philadelphia. Arrived at Market East and grabbed a quick lunch at the Food Court at the Gallery. Unfortunately the wait was too long at Hard Rock Cafe. After lunch we headed into the Show.

Heading into the Flower Show meant, quite literally, joining a very slow moving sea of humanity. There were so many people! It was so crowded that we could barely get near the exhibits and it was nearly impossible to get photos without having a stranger’s elbow, head, or other body part blocking your way. Lesson learned - next time attend on a weekday, early in the morning. But we persisted. And I got enough decent shots to warrant quite a lot of scrapbooking!

One thing we noticed immediately was that our expectations of being transported into a lush tropical rainforest filled with bright popping colors wasn’t going to be met. Jay and I both agreed that we were a bit disappointed. There was just too much of the Convention Center still evident - steel beams, concrete floor, horrid fluorescent lighting. I didn’t feel at all like I was in Hawaii. The other issue was it was simply too commercialized. Sponsor signs everywhere detracted from the beauty of the exhibits.

The main exhibit for Hawaii was a giant waterfall pouring down the side of a mountain and surrounded by greenery and flowers. It was really quite beautiful, unfortunately also so crowded I couldn’t get a single decent photo. My other favorites - the light show on the side of a grass hut, the family of stone and wire geese walking across a lawn, all the little Hawaii vignettes and the enormous metal butterfly sculpture.  I also enjoyed the bonsai trees - I’ve had a “thing” for them ever since I was a little girl.

templates are from Cathy Zielski's "The Monthly" collection.

Take Twelve - March

Totally forgot to share this! I wasn't terribly inspired this month, but at least it got done!

Wild Abandonment

So I'm taking a class right now called "The Art of Wild Abandonment".  It's over at Christy Tomlinson's site, but taught by Junelle Jacobsen, a woman who was taking the Three Hearts art journaling class at the same time as me and whose work I admired greatly.  So I started following her blog which is continually filled with beautiful art, gorgeous photography of the cutest little lambs, and just totally inspiring thoughts. I signed up for this class the day it was announced!

Week 2 has been posted, but I'm only about 2/5 of my way through the Week 1 material.  In fact, I just finished the first assignment yesterday.  Junelle's introduction to sketching was to sketch radishes.  But nobody in this house eats radishes, so I went for something similar but a little friendlier to our tastebuds... strawberries!

First the actual pencil sketches...

Add some color... I bought a cheap set of watercolor crayons at Michaels. I was NOT impressed with the blending abilities of these, so I ordered a set of Caran d'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons yesterday. That is what our instructor is using and I can't wait for them to come in so I can see if there is a difference.

Finishing touches with the ink pen.  I didn't "finish" every sketch... just a handful of them that I liked best.

My chocolate covered strawberry.

The upside down strawberry turned woodland home for some tiny fairy creature.

And that pair of snuggling berries.

So, sketching does not come easily or naturally for me and this assignment probably took me way longer than Junelle had in mind.  But I'm happy to have it done and ready to move onto owls!

Random Thoughts

The weather has been really odd for March.  You know that old saying "in like a lion, out like a lamb?"  That is typical for March in these parts.  What isn't typical is a string of days in the 60's and 70's that continues long enough for us to see this:

We don't usually see crocuses until April.  We often still have snow in March.  I'm not complaining.  In fact, I love that it has been warm enough to walk outside and get these photos!  It's just weird weather.

A man lies  in a hospital bed in Elmira N.Y. - on life support, dying from esophageal cancer metastasized to the lungs. Brought on by a lifetime of drinking and smoking.  And I feel nothing.  He is a perfect stranger to me.  Does the fact that I inherited half of my DNA from him require me to feel something? I've had no news about him for nearly 30 years, but I was contacted about his "final days."  I was prepared to just let it go, but I can't seem to get the news out of my mind. Should I care? Am I somehow "less than" if I don't?  A question I feel I'll be pondering for awhile.

Carb and Sugar Cravings take over. So far my "Move More Eat Well" intentions for March have been an epic fail. In the first two weeks I craved bread, potatoes, and sweets in the worst way. And I indulged the cravings. I also had a number of "in office" and bad fibro days that undermined any will I might have had to exercise. I'm admitting that I made some less than wonderful choices and choosing not to beat myself up about it. I'm once again in a place of "Start where you are."  And intending to right the wrongs that I inflicted for the past two weeks.

My vacation from reality. So early this week (while still performaing household and work duties) I took a little vacation from reality... and spent a few days following the adventures of Katniss Everdeen in Panem.  Have you heard about the The Hunger Games?

I found the story line compelling, even if the concept was reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" that I read back in high school.

I read all three books in four days. I would have finished in three if I hadn't had to go into the office one of those days.  Now I can't wait to see the movie!  Would I recommend this series? YES! Great for teens and adults of any age.  Quick easy read, compelling story line, and a great escape from reality!

Just a Quote for Friday

Move More Eat Well - March Edition

Being Moved - Taking Action: When a Normal Morning Becomes Extraordinary

It started out as a normal morning.  I ate breakfast while reading my email. Then I made my internet rounds... logging in at My Fitness Pal, taking the daily poll at SwagBucks, reading my yahoo (as in junk) email (or rather, mostly deleting), and scrolling through Facebook to see what was new.

Well, something was new. I saw it posted twice. It grabbed my attention. Enough to make me watch a half hour video. A video that was so moving that I felt an immediate need to share. And honestly, I haven't felt this moved by a cause since I walked in the Breast Cancer 3 Day back in October 2008 (coincidentally that's when I started this blog... with the 3 Day Walk!).

The video that changed my normal morning to extraordinary is below.  I hope you'll find a half hour to watch it. And if it moves you like it did me, you might choose to take action. It's a story, complete with heroes, villians, and innocent victims. But how the story ends is up to the world... to people like you and me... people who choose to make a difference.  I hope this story has a happy ending.


KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.