Van the Man

happy birthday van the man.........you've stoned me to my soul for years!

still waiting for linda

hello....... linda............i'm still waiting on contact information from you so i can send the book that you won in the giveaway. shoot me an email to woozyb@yahoo.com and i'll get it in the mail to you.

just like greta garbo.....i just want to be alone

i've been feeling a little too connected to my computer lately and have decided i need to take a hiatus from my blog. my plans are to take the rest of the summer off and start back blogging the first part of september. i hope you'll check back with me then.


Just Like Greta - Van Morrison


Some days it gets completely crazy
And I feel like howling at the moon
Then sometimes it feels so easy
Like I was born with a silver spoon
Other times you just can't reach me
Seems like I've got a heart of stone
Guess I need my solitude
And I have to make it on my own

Well I guess I'm going A.W.O.L.
Disconnect my telephone
Just like Greta Garbo
I just want to be alone


Need to make some real connection
Baby something's just got to give
'Cos I've been too long in exile
I've been grinding at the mill
Too long to decode all the secrets
Have to get some elbow room
Most people think that everything
Is just what they assume

Well I know I'm going A.W.O.L.
Tell everyone I'm not at home
Just like Greta Garbo
I just want to be alone


Well I'm going out to L.A.
I wanna get my business done
Then I'm going on to Vegas
Then I'm going on the run
If anybody asks you have you seen me
Please just tell them no
'Cos I'm living on the outside
And I have nowhere to go

Well I guess I'm going A.W.O.L.
Disconnect my telephone
Just like Greta Garbo
I just want to be alone

van....van.....van......you always seem to be singing my life.....................

and the winner is..............

congratulations linda..........your name was drawn for the "planted junk" book giveaway.

i'll be sending you an email to get your mailing address.......and thanks to those of you who have visited my blog over the past year.

environmental art

want! want! want! i simply adore these color pencils done by environmental artist jonna pohjalainen. i can see these along the drive leading to my home. i don't have a crane to set anything this large but i'll bet i can do something on a smaller scale.

wanna see more environmental art? check out this link.

shadow shot sunday #60

it's shadow time! hunting shadows has become an obsession. i thought this one was pretty neat...the shadow of a butterfly bush on a butterfly!

you know the drill........to get your weekly fix of shadow shots head on over to hey harriets.

time for a giveaway!

well..........it's my one year blogiversary! not bad for someone with commitment issues! it's helped me to hone my photographer's eye and frequently been a muse for my art to be able to share my little part of the world with so many new friends. to celebrate i'm giving away a copy of adam caplin's book.....planted junk. i'm a junker from waaaaaaaaay back and always like seeing how other folks use their junk for planting.

there are some cute ideas in this book along with a list of flowers that work well in containers.

if you're interested in winning this book just leave a comment on this post. i'll draw the winner next thursday, july 16th......and thanks for visiting. it's been fun connecting with people from all over the world........cyberspace.........who'd of 'thunk' it?

chester county historical society museum

here is another one of chester's hidden jewels......tucked away in the old county jail building...which....by the way.....is supposed to be haunted. there's civil war memorabilia......

this wonderful old cash register sits in the hall.........

this.........ladies...........is a contraption that was used to give permanents.........can you imagine?

and this casket........is the hole for the viewing?

old time pieces........

a plethora of antiques.........

an old dentist chair (i'm actually old enough to remember these!!!)

a hand made squirrel cage..............

one whole room of arrowheads and spear points...........

this was neat..........

one whole room of antique guns and military memorabilia.........

lots of old bottles and these coke caps................

this is a form to make coke bottles......................

loved this old flag..............

and this one....................

of course the old money...............

an old phone booth from a hotel that was downtown..............

these were pretty.................

an old inkwell and glasses...........

these are just a few of the things in this museum. there is no charge to go thru.....just a jar for donations inside the front door. it's open each wednesday from 11:00 until 3:oo or by appointment. live within driving distance of chester, sc? this would make an excellent day trip! they are located at 157 wylie street......the phone number is 803-385-2330. it's worth the trip.....i promise!

ouch! #!*# wasps!

there has been a war declared at my home. i'm pretty much a "live and let live" kind of person when it comes to nature's critters. we all coexist rather well....snakes being a very big exception....however.....this ornery creature and it's kinfolk have decided they don't want me in or around my woodworking shop and storage building. first i was stung on the finger while minding my own business. yes.....it hurt like.....well....you know. i was willing to forgive and forget. then several days later i went in the storage building to get some clippers and when i was closing the door..........bam......right on the eye lid. what the crap?? not only did my eye swell shut but i was sick for two days....and yes......it was definitely painful!

now i try very hard to live a green life......use as little chemicals as possible.....but i'm telling ya.....i went to town and returned with some of that 25 foot wasp spray and carried it (and used it) for the last couple of days. every time i get near the sheds i get dive bombed. i even snuck into the sheds after dark and sprayed all the nests i could find. well.....they've obviously called in reinforcements because those suckers are still after me!

as much as i hate it.....i'm planning a chemical warfare attack tonight.....after dark. i bought some cans of insect fogger hoping it will get the nests that are most likely in the roofs of these buildings. i seriously hate using chemicals like this....but.....hey.....they drew first blood. i read where you can blow up a brown paper bag and tie it off then hang it where you don't want wasps or bees. they think it's a hornet's nest and steer clear. well i'm gonna try that.......after the great wasp war finally comes to an end.

one heart

i thought i'd share the latest project i've been working on in my studio . a co-worker brought me pictures of her parents and asked that i come up with something for her father. her parents are one of those couples who still enjoy each others company after many years of marriage. they love doing things together..........like taking off for parts unknown...leisurely stopping to do a little 'junkin' along the way.

i used a picture of the entrance to their farm....printed on a transparency.....for the background of this piece. i was pleased with the way it turned out and hope it captured the close bond between these two special people.

shadow shot sunday #59

"a false friend and a shadow attend only when the sun shines." - benjamin franklin

it's shadow time again! head on over to hey harriet for your weekly fix.

happy fourth ya'll

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. ~Erma Bombeck

i hope everyone has a safe and happy fourth of july. don't eat any "iffy" potato salad!

my patriotic hoo ha

i finally got my patriotic hoo ha put out around the house. i've always loved decorating .....any excuse to tacky up my yard......i'm there! since i don't have my bottle trees full yet i dug out some old plastic christmas balls and spray painted them red and white to fill up the trees. i unearthed the red and blue bowling balls from underneath the hydrangeas to add another splash of color.

mr stumpyman refused to play along this year but i did talk him into wearing his hat.

For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail? ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

our lady of mirrors and grasses

how cool is this?...............HOW COOL IS THIS??? meet our lady of mirrors and grasses, created for the 2006 chelsea flower show. (ok….ok…..i know i’m a few years late finding this…but….omg!) She rests on an island in the middle of a pool of water, surrounded by a meadow of blue, white, and mauve flowers, appropriately called the “garden of dreams”. what do you suppose this wild haired goddess is dreaming of……my guess would be……..CHOCOLATE!

you can check out this exhibit here.

shadow shot sunday #58

time for some more great shadows. head on over to Hey Harriet for your weekly dose.

a stroll in the gloaming

it has been a day of heat and humidity......not unusual in my little part of the world. i found myself lucky enough to spend most of the day indoors so after a light supper i needed to drift about the yard and take in the colors and smells of summer. my four o'clocks come back bigger and prettier each year.

these daylillies were pass-alongs.....don't we love those! i like their mellow shades of yellow.

this is actually the limelight hydrangea.....although she looks like annabelle here.....i had an annabelle but she succumbed to the heat last summer.

i think my lettuce looks too pretty to eat but i sure have enjoyed the salads.....especially now that i'm getting a few fresh tomatoes.

.......and my foxtail fern......poor ole girl is still sitting in the pot i brought her home in.... it must take very little to please her......she seems to be thriving.

i can't imagine a world bereft of flowers.....their different beauties...their smells.....the textures.......sleep tight, my 'chillrens'........don't let the bedbugs bite.

sleepy hollow woodworking studio

oh..... what fairy wouldn't love to live in this teapot fairy house made by arthur millican, jr. of sleepy hollow woodworking studio. his studio is located in blairsville, georgia and is open to the public along with a gift shop and enchanted garden......can we say.........road trip!
i want one of each! check out his website here.

my newest addition

my lady banks rose has decided she likes her new home. she sits on a spot where we buried an old log cabin many years back. the lady who lived and died in the cabin was named perla. over the years we've attributed lots of "happenings" to perla. i'm gonna give her credit for the success of this sweet, buttery, beauty.

this is my newest addition. she's a cryptomeria and when i saw her i knew she needed to live at my home. my daughter thinks she looks like charlie brown's christmas tree.......i think she's wonderful.

my apologies

just a quick apology for being such a bad blogger lately. my daughter had some complications from her delivery and we've spent more time at the hospital. all is well now and i hope to get back to being just jody soon.