Thursday, May 29, 2014

The Day of Poetry



Our annual Poetry Luncheon was May 21st at The Center.  It was a beautiful day, as it is every year on this May day and Lois welcomed everyone. 
 

MaryAnn began with an introduction to our poetry.


We had a lovely crowd of listeners.  And there's me!

 Lois

 Bobbie

 Genie

 MaryAnn

 Usha

       Jane

Evie

 Flowers for MaryAnn, our facilitator.

 and time for tea...

and laughter
 and memories of the days.


MaryAnn and Cynthia

Another successful and fun year!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Holding on to Spring


Wanting to remember the beautiful flowers of spring, here's Julie's apple tree blossoms.
So delicate.


One of my favorites, the Trout Lily, gets its name from its leaves, some say, whose purplish blotches resemble the markings on some kinds of trout and from the fact that the plant is often found near woodland streams in which these fish live.


John Burroughs preferred to call it fawn lily, partly because he thought the leaf mottling resembled the markings on a young deer.  In the 1890s, he wrote "It is the earliest of the true lilies, and it has all the grace and charm that belong to this order of flowers... In my spring rambles I have sometimes come upon a solitary specimen of this yellow lily growing beside a mossy stone where the sunshine fell full upon it, and have thought it one of the most beautiful of our wild flowers.  Its two leaves stand up like fawn's ears, and this feature with its recurved petals, gives it an alert, wide-awake look." 
 (from Hedgemaids and Fairy Candles)
I like that.


Spring Beauty 
I thought I had taken a picture of the Cutleaf Toothwort, (but no cut leaves) as they were blooming near the Trout Lilies, but I'm sure these are Spring Beauty.  Five petals.  Another name for the spring beauty is the "fairy spud" as i am reading that the tiny underground tubers can be prepared and eaten just like potatoes!


Virginia Bluebells
 Miranda Lambert sings a song about these beautiful blue flowers.
Carrying the weight on the end of a limb
your just waitin for somebody
to pick you up again
shaded by a tree, can't live up to a rose
all you ever wanted 
was a silent place to grow...

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Ending another session


Last Wednesday, some were working on circles for the Treewhispers display at The Center.
this is Bernie's.
 

Others , like Sandy, working on patterns and colors.
 

Marge
 

Denise
 

MaryAnn
 

and other's finishing other collages that they had begun.  Above is Teri's interesting piece.
 

Nancy's beautiful garden.
 

Lora Lee's Pears
 

Then on Monday's class,  Cynthia is enjoying creating her sky for her water scene.


and Mary brought this family tree collage that she did at home last week for her husband's birthday.  It's wonderful!

Sunday, May 25, 2014

and...

Art Show at The Center in Palos Park today from 1:00 - 3:00.  All tiny pieces of art.  Take a ride over and take a tiny peek!  It's a beautiful day...


Happy Anniversary to us!  51 years.

Friday, May 23, 2014

pretty days...


A very pretty day...
 

but Henri, what are you barking at?
 

ohhh...it's Baby Bunny.  He's in Henri's ballpark (yard) where new sod had to be put in and Henri can't be on it yet.  Baby Bunny's keeping it trimmed for you Henri...
 

and Mommy is close by watching.  

Monday, May 19, 2014

It's a shower!


A baby shower!  The tables, so pretty with posies...


glitz!


Our nephew's beautiful daughter, the new mommy-to-be.


auntie and sweet little cousin-to-be.


pretty grandma in waiting.


our nephew's wife, Kimberly


and some of the guests Angel, Julie, Lauren (another new bride)
and her mom, Christine, our other nephew's wife.
A beautiful family; a beautiful day; a beautiful celebration.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Still on last week...


Wednesday was collage class and the trees were looking so beautiful in the woods.
 

Everyone busy finishing different things that they've been working on...
 





 Peggy did a very nice "nest" piece that she brought in to show us.


 Nancy is beginning a brand new "garden" collage.


 and then, we had our annual "ending class" artist trading card exchange...



Fun!