The Art of Cutting the Grass

It has to be done. It just does. Well, ok technically it doesn't, but at our house it does. Mowing the lawn. I remember last year we had maybe 2 inches of rain the whole summer? I think we cut the grass once a month . . . maybe. This year we've got some gorgeous, thick green stuff just begging for a trim. And Trent gladly obliges. He cuts it at a different angle each time. Seriously. The man is a lawn mowing pro (and shoveling . . . but that's for this winter). Quite meticulous. Mowing the lawn at our house is an art form. It's carefully cut, bagged, and hauled off on the rickety little trailer. So while you may see it as a chore, at our house it is art. Because when it's done, it makes the yard look like a masterpiece.

Sad Kitten

So, you may be wondering why on earth I think sad kittens are art. Come on now, I'm in advertising, people! Anything cute, furry, with long whiskers and a precious little "mew" is going to be considered art in my book. And seriously, how could you not recognize the absolute beauty in this tiny creature? His sad little eyes telling me he really would like to be set down. And then his cry for his mama. "Where are you mom?!" Ah, these little guys pull at my heart strings. Not to mention that my kids had a ball chasing them around my friend's yard, which makes me smile. Will we take one home in a couple of weeks? Hmmm. Debatable. Would we love to give them cuddles to make them not so sad? Definitely. :)

Vegetable Gardens

We have a little vegetable garden. And the fruits of our labor are seen here. There's not a lot, but what we have this year is thriving, gladly, seeing as how I am much more of a flower gardener (go figure, right?). The boys have been eating up the new pea pods on a daily basis, leaving a few skinny ones hanging for a couple more days before they get devoured. They never make it to the kitchen, but that was the intent anyway. The tomatoes are still green little ornaments that tempt the kids to pluck them off, but with a stern "do not touch that yet!", they leave them alone. And now seriously, did you think any garden I have wouldn't have a flower in it? At the far end of the garden, bases surrounded by pumpkin and squash vines, stand a few sunflowers. This is the first to bloom, not even fully open yet. So pretty. I love the varieties that have the gorgeous maroon streaks within the gold petals. But there I go again, talking all lovely about flowers. Enough of that! So the art today is vegetable gardening. Amazing how you can plant an ordinary seed into the earth and receive so much. Plain old miraculous and artful in every sense.

Weed-A-Palooza!

No excuses (other than it is an extremely busy summer—seriously). That's all I'm going to say about that.

I have a thing for flowers. And I am not biased. I like flowers even if they are considered weeds. Each and every photo shown in this post is a weed. My youngest son and I stopped alongside the road near our house last night and wandered down a dirt path. What I found, in my opinion, are some of the prettiest little beauties around. And even though they aren't in a landscaped flower bed, or in an elegant vase on a table, they still showcase themselves in a wonderful way. More people probably get to see these gems on a daily basis than other, more cultured flowers. Take the time to notice these "weeds" . . . they are art on display everywhere! You just need to look a little harder.

And a huge bonus. LOTS of images. :) Enjoy!

Pretty Purple

I know, I know. More flowers. But they are purple! Ok, so to be honest, I've never really been overly fond of purple. My sister on the other hand, is a huge fan of the hue and always has been. Me, I'm more of a green gal. But as I walked into work this morning, these little beauties caught my eye. I am fortunate to work at a company where we get to look at all of these lovely plants and flowers as we enter. Dainty, brilliant, bold, but in any case Purple. It may make me change the way I look at that color . . . for the better. Hats off to you, big guy in the sky. Some very creative handiwork, as well as painting living things in every shade of the rainbow.

Morning Sunlight

There's a certain quality about the morning sun that is really clean. It gives the subject a crispness that, to me, no other time of the day can. I love evening light for its warmth and glow. But in the morning everything seems fresh and new. So with that in mind, I took a couple shots of newness. The geranium bud and the sprouting green beans (you can still see where it broke out of the seed, which I thought was cool). And then there's the hosta leaf with the morning dew still clinging. So if you're an beginning photographer (not like I'm a pro or anything) , I suggest you start looking at quality of light. Does it warm your image, cool your image, wash out your image? All of these can be useful if it's what you want. Just be aware of it as you're shooting.

Wild Things

As you may already know, I am a fan of pretty much all things nature. I can see the beauty in nearly anything living, whether breathing or not. Now, some people may argue with me about the art of a dandelion. These guys spread like wildfire and wreak havoc on our yard. Truly, the back of our house is a dandelion puff city. I don't want to sound like I'm making a case to leave the beasties in your yard. I'm not. I bought a 40lb. bag of weed and feed the other day to exterminate said puffs (sorry naturalists). But before I make sure that their lilting offspring don't reach the soil, I pay them tribute. Because really, they are quite pretty. So deceiving, don't you think? They are wild and numerous in our yard. On the other end of the spectrum, there is this lovely wild columbine. Sitting alone, I spotted this magenta gem. Wild yes, numerous, no. Not in our yard anyway. So here is the contrast of my wild things. One I wish to iradicate, the other I wish would multiply. Whichever happens, I guess I'll continue to see the art in both.