Mosaic Monday: An Homage to Spring

I'm participating in Little Red House Mosaic Monday. You'll find wonderful collages and mosaics to inspire and delight.  Just click and be whisked away...

Mosaic Monday & Daffodil Love

 I'm linking  up with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. Just click on the link you'll find more beauty to inspire and delight you. 

PS...the quote is by AA Milne

Mosaic Monday: Carnations & Miss Adventure

Joining the fun at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Miss Adventure agrees with Helen Keller that, "Life is either a great adventure or nothing."

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I discovered the stunning photography of Jamie Heiden on Flickr this morning.  I don't think I've seen anything quite like it and became enchanted immeditately. This is beauty worth celebrating.  You'll find the link to her website on the sidebar under Celebrating!

Green Beans and Mosaic Monday

Remember the lyrics from Joni Mitchell’s song, Big Yellow Taxi? One line went, “Don’t it always seem to go you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” I would add to that line... and get it back again. That’s the way I’m feeling about the first green beans picked from the garden in my back yard.

A heaping bowl, more than enough to create a fresh side dish, was picked yesterday morning and served as at dinner last night. Oh how wonderful those beans tasted. I’d forgotten what a joy fresh-from-the-garden vegetables are.

Like a musical piece there are variations on the green bean theme. We’ll have the wasband’s grandmother’s green bean trio: onions and beans sizzling a melody in bacon grease with bacon crumbled on top just before serving. A lighter, fresher solo of steamed green beans with a bit of butter and a squeeze of lemon sing summer delish. Then there’s the symphony of green beans, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes, all fresh and warm from the garden. Simply fry bacon and drain the crisp slices. Toss in the vegetables and stir with wild abandon until all are tender, but not mushy. Add the bacon before serving and voila!

I’m not worried about green beans overtaking dinner because we planted one row and the entire row did not germinate. I’m expecting enough to enjoy the fresh taste every few days until the vines are green-beaned out. Perhaps we’ll plant another row of green beans next year, but for now I’m perfectly satisfied getting to know the clean, bright taste of vegetables all over again.

Just in case I run out of ideas, would you share your favorite way to create a green bean masterpiece?

Wanna see more marvelous mosaics? Check out Little Red House

Mosaic Monday

Today really is Monday and I'm all about the flowers of Toledo.  My hosts's yard, in the median strips of four lane highways, city hanging baskets, parks, and public places offered up flower treasures just waiting to be captured by a camera.  My first mosaic...

H y d r a n g e a  L o v e

Nothing stops me in my tracks like spying a hydrangea.  My eyes open wide, the heart beats a bit faster, and my hands quiver ever so slightly...this is love at first, second, and third sight.  I never grow weary of looking at the pendulous orbs of florets.  The one thing I love the most about this plant is the wide range of colors on one shrub, white, creams, pinks, lavender, and that wonderful sky blue that brings deep, sighs of yearning. 

I nabbed shots of hydrangeas in MJ's backyard, in Perrysburg, and the most stunning blues at the Toledo Museum of Art. 

C o n e f l o w e r   C a r n i v a l

Coneflowers or echinacea do a flower fandango in MJ's front yard.  Petals circle around the brilliant yellow and orange cone that flirts with the sun and bid me come hither.  Flower beds that include coneflowers grace the elegant exterior of the Toledo Art Museum so, of course, I just had to take a few photos while attending the It's Friday event.      

Please join me on a romp through the blogosphere ooohing and ahhing over the marvelous mosaics of others. Let's start at the Little Red House, the blog of our hostess for Mosaic Monday. 

Want to know more about hydrangeas?  I found a wonderful website, Hydrangeas!, Hydrangeas! that is everything hydrangea from varieties to weddings. 

Mosaic Monday: Small Town Montpelier

Montpelier, Ohio, is a town in northwest Ohio where small towns rule. Though considered a rough and tumble railroad town in the past, it changed when railroads became less important to the transportation world. Like most towns in Williams County, Montpelier is going through some tough times, but there’s charm yet to be found.

The town has transformed three alleys into an oasis of shade, nostalgia, and quiet. Each alley has a theme, plantings, places to sit, and elements of surprise. If you find yourself in downtown Montpelier, take a walk down the alleys, sit at a bistro table, listen to a fountain drip cool water, and nibble on lunch.

I'm joining the throngs at Little Red House who post for Mosaic Monday.  My theme is all about Montpelier's alleys, but check out the other gorgeous mosaics, too. 

Hankering for a little more small town? Let John Mellencamp sing to you about Small Towns...

Mosaic Monday: Mushrooms

"We are shelves, we are tables, we are meek, we are edible

Nudgers and shovers inspite of ourselves..."

From Mushrooms by Sylvia Plath

Find more marvelous mosaics at Little Red House.