Category: Life

Random posts that have to do with my life in general. Many of these posts were written when I lived in New Hampshire.

Art Class: Simple Pencil Drawings

Sharing some photos of my nature pencil drawings done through an online course.

My grown daughter lives in New Hampshire and I live in Florida. She had an idea of how we could share some time together. She signed us up for an online drawing class! The class was offered through a local nature conservancy called The Harris Center. (Link at bottom of page.)

We had four weeks of lessons and drew something different each week. Our homework was to find the item to draw.

Each lesson was an hour long and we did Zoom meetings. This was a bit of a learning curve for me, as I had never done a Zoom meeting! But it was fun.

Our first lesson was practicing shadows and gradient color using a pencil. Also, we had to draw a rock.

Florida is not known for having rocks, but I did have a coquina rock, which I chose to draw. Class was at 7:00pm so lighting was not good in my house.

pencil art practicing shadows
Shadow practice and rock drawing
rock drawing in pencil
Coquina rock drawing

For each lesson we would begin drawing along with the teacher. This took about half the class time. The rock on the left above was done with her, and then I had about 30 minutes to draw my coquina.

Lesson #2: Drawing a Stick

We were drawing from nature, so our second lesson was about drawing a simple stick and showing the shadow. Both sticks, in image 1 were done with the teacher in the first part of the class. The second photo is my stick drawing which is pretty awful….!!

At the start of the lessons we were told to have a good eraser, and I didn’t have one. She used the eraser to create white spaces on the image. I couldn’t do that, so my stick was just dark. And the end looks like a dog head…. haha…!

Draw along with teacher
My stick

Lesson #3 Draw a Leaf

The class was full of New Hampshire residents. I was the only outsider. While they were bundled up in sweaters, I was sitting on my porch in a sleeveless shirt with the fan blowing.

It also meant that my gathering of subject materials would be different from theirs.

When it came to drawing a leaf, since it was February and the dead of winter in the north, they had to either draw a dead leaf, or a Beech leaf (I think). They tend to hang onto the trees longer.

Being in Florida, I had loads of leaves to choose from, but I figured I’d draw a dried leaf also. I’m not sure what kind of leaf I collected, but it ended up being my favorite finished drawing of the class.

Draw along with teacher
Pencil art big leaf
Drawing my leaf

Lesson #4, and Last Lesson: Draw an Animal

When the teacher mentioned that our last lesson would be drawing an animal, I was not too happy. I’ve never been good at drawing wildlife, and I really don’t enjoy it.

But she had us draw a little hummingbird for starters, and I think mine ended up looking okay.

For my own animal I chose the Sandhill Crane because I had a good photo of one that had come into our yard. It really needed a lot of detail, and I ran out of time.

Pencil art hummingbird
Hummingbird drawing lesson
pencil drawing of sandhill crane
Sandhill Crane

After each lesson we could share our drawing if we chose. I shared the Crane drawing and explained I was not in New Hampshire and this is why I chose this for my animal.

Once the Zoom meeting was over my daughter and I would share our drawings with each other. We had a lot of fun and it was a good way to do something together while living so far apart.

Read more about the Harris Center for Conservation Education based in Hancock, NH.

Grow Roselle Hibiscus in the Florida Garden

This spring I have added Roselle Hibiscus to my backyard garden. A plant that loves the heat is always welcome to the yard, and this one is also full of health benefits.

Building a New Garden Path

The past winter and spring months have kept me busy in the garden. The planing, planting, weeding, and watering has been a first priority and I’ve neglected the walkways. Also, I still don’t have my own vehicle and must depend on getting rides to the yard shop. Between all that and the weather, I’ve put…

March Garden Update

This is a quick post about what is growing in the garden in March. Realistically, I can’t keep up with my blogs, photos, work, and gardening. In summer I should have more time because I won’t be going outside. At this time of year, I am out in the yard most mornings. There has been…

Florida Winter Growing Success and Failures

After the long, sweltering summer, I was looking forward to planting crops for Fall and Winter. It has been fun, and definitely a learning adventure. Some crops have done very well and others are on my “maybe again” list. Most things were grown from seeds I purchased, either from The Urban Harvest, or Southern Exposure…

Cold Weather in Florida

Florida does get cold weather and since plants are usually in the midst of growing, they must be covered or brought indoors to survive.

One of the things I dislike about living in Florida is the freezing temperatures in winter. If plants are growing outside in your yard, and in pots, they may need to be covered to survive the cold night.

I had tomatoes, squash and peppers growing. Also one large eggplant plant and some small ones. I was not as worried about the peas and parsley as those things like cool weather.

My vegetables are in raised beds.

this plant was very unhappy with the cold
Little squash
Tomatoes don’t like the cold
Cold weather makes the banana trees freeze back

My basil is pretty dead, even though I covered it along with everything else.

The good news is that I still have some basil seeds and have planted those for this new growing season.

Christmas was the long stretch of cold weather. Since then we’ve had heat and some coolness, but nothing too bad. As I am posting this, it is March and there should not be any more freezing temps.

Can Borage Grow in Florida?

This winter I have been experimenting with growing various herbs and vegetables. Borage is something I always loved in New Hampshire, but can borage grow in Florida? Well, yes and no. What I’ve found is that it will grow when the weather is nice and cool.  My borage seeds were planted in late October and by the…

by Pam

Hydrangea Art and Photography For the Home

The beautiful hydrangea flower is featured on these items for the home.

When I lived in New Hampshire and grew hydrangeas in my yard, I took a lot of photos with my camera. Throughout the growing season I enjoyed seeing the changes that took place in the hydrangea gardens.

The Limelight Hydrangea Acrylic Print

I planted two Limelight hydrangea bushes right by my front door. They had the most beautiful, big blooms! As the seasons changed and Fall approached, the white flowers, that were tinted with green, began to turn pink.

I have found a few good photos of that Limelight shrub and this is one of the photos. This one is printed on acrylic. I bought an acrylic poster from Zazzle for my daughter this Christmas and was very impressed by the quality. It also arrived VERY well wrapped for safe shipping.

This acrylic hydrangea art is 24 x 36 inches. More sizes are available – choose 20×30 or 10×14. The image represented below is approximate to give an idea of the large size offered.

This image can also be purchased on a foam core board, which is much cheaper.

Limelight hydrangea photography print for the wall. Shown on durable acrylic, with cream and pale pink petals on fluffy heads.

Click on the images to see more about options and pricing.

Blue Hydrangeas

Blue hydrangea flowers are so popular that I began an entire online store dedicated to them. See BlueHyd at Zazzle for the full collection of stationery, gifts, and home decor.

Here are a few blue hydrangea photography images placed on art for the wall. Most have size selections and can be purchased on various materials, including poster paper, metal, wood, and acrylic. Most images can be transferred to your choice of medium.

Hydrangea flowers in a vase poster. Size 24 inches square, white, pink and blue hydrangea blooms overflow in a ceramic vase.

Wooden trays come in two sizes and can be customized with text along the bottom.

Blue hydrangea flowers wooden tray
Custom tray

Pillows are good sellers in my store, with square or round options. Fabric selections include polyester or cotton. Choose to have a zipper for easy cleaning, or not. They also come with an outdoor option where the fabric is treated to resist mildew and UV rays.

The blue hydrangea pillow below features end of season colors, when the blue petals begin to turn pretty shades of green. The back has a different hydrangea image that includes pink flowers.

Blue hydrangea flowers throw pillow
Square throw pillow with blue hydrangea flowers

Stories From the Blog

Time Travel Anyone? I’d Go Backwards For Sure

I just heard about this thing called #bloganuary to help inspire bloggers to post every day during the month of January.

Since it’s already the 21st, I’ve missed out on most of the month. Good thing my favorite saying is “better late than never”.

The writing prompt for today is, “If you could, what year would you time travel to, and why?”

I’m trying to decide on a year, but I would definitely go backward in time. I guess this makes me not very adventurous. The future does not look very promising at this point, and I don’t think I want to know what is coming, even if I’m not here to see it.

Mom at Hampton Beach, NH – year? 1950’s

I don’t want to go back to relive a wonderful childhood, except that it was pretty nice until about age 10. It really was nice to be young and oblivious. I had a nice house and lots of land and spent all the time I could outside.

I’d want to go back and pay closer attention to family while I had it.

I’d ask my grandmother about her knitting knowledge, and my grandfather about his strawberry shortcake biscuit recipe.

I do think I would go back and try to appreciate my relatives more. I’d love to ask them loads of questions that I can not find an answer to these days. My childhood was the only time I really had substantial family around me.

The prompt does not mention anything about length of stay in our time slot, so that would factor in to my choice too.

I certainly don’t want to relive my childhood, but a few days spent in a good year could be quite fun.

Oh… and it must be winter. I will have to go sledding with my friends.

Dad & me, Hampton Beach, NH – 1950’s

Worthy Flavors Home Delivery Review – Disappointed

Worthy Flavors produce review with photos of my delivery box.

Today I received my second home delivery of vegetables from Worthy Flavors. I wanted to love this company and hoped for great vegetables delivered from local farms. Today I was very disappointed in what I unboxed.

What Came in my Worthy Flavors Box?

Here is a look at the box as it looked when first opened, and the products on my counter after unpacking. It feels a little sparse for the money.

This is the organic box, which at the current time costs $47.95. I had signed up for delivery every 2 weeks. Read about my first delivery here.

Worthy Flavors produce delivery review
Worthy Flavors produce delivery review

Worthy Flavors at FaceBook Lists Box Contents

Below is the list of produce which was to be in each of the boxes. I found this on the Worthy Flavors site on FaceBook. I was looking forward to blueberries and pretty much all the rest.

However, not only did I not receive blueberries, peaches, or carrots, I was pretty disappointed in many of the items I did get.

Below is a photo of everything that was included in my Organic Box. I paid over $47 for this….!

Worthy Flavors produce delivery review

First the good. The little bag of strawberries is good. The tomatoes look very good and need to ripen a bit. The green peppers are not “minis” as listed, but look nice. Sweet potatoes are good and the romaine lettuce is a bit wilted, but not bad. The red onion is fine.

Now the bad. I hate blackberries, which is not their fault, but a downside. I threw them in the woods for the animals. The red leaf lettuce was horribly wilted. The cauliflower looked quite old. (I also got cauliflower in my last box, and it was wonderful.) The leaves on this head were wilted, and there were black spots on the head.

The cucumbers are HUGE! One was smushed and I absolutely would not have purchased these at the store. I haven’t eaten an apple yet, but I would pass on apples that come from Florida. I’ll probably make a little crumble using them.

Where are the oranges (good ones- my last box contained dry and tasteless oranges), grapefruit, lemons and limes that Florida is known for? In fact, I had hoped to receive crops that were in season by month in Florida.

Worthy Flavors produce delivery review
Worthy Flavors produce delivery review
Worthy Flavors produce delivery review

On top of the fact that much of my produce was disappointing, I now have four more water bottles that I don’t want.

Not only that, but my water bottles have no ice in them when I unbox. I’ve seen videos where the bottles come still partially frozen. I only live a few hours north of the location of Worthy Flavors in Florida, so why wouldn’t my bottles have ice? It is winter here, so not super hot. What would happen in summer?

My guess is that the Worthy Flavors box is packed ahead of time and the ice melts and the produce wilts. Otherwise, I surmise that they are packing gross vegetables on purpose! The cauliflower looks like it has been sitting around for quite a while.

When I pay good money for a home delivery service I expect very good quality items which goes along with sending in-season food. I know that part of that fee goes toward packing and shipping, which is understandable, but when I open the box, I want produce that looks fresh-picked and yummy.

Recycling

I want to be eco-friendly and the packing that comes inside the box claims to be recyclable, but my town won’t take it.

Also the fact that water bottles are included in every box is a bit of a minus for me. I understand the attempt to send something that can be recycled, but I don’t want them.

I do recycle the box and cardboard inside.

Cancelling Worthy Flavors

I have cancelled my subscription to Worthy Flavors. I’d rather shop local and pick out my own good vegetables and spend much less money in doing so.

By the way, when you want to cancel your subscription on the Worthy Flavors site, it comes up as a “cancellation request”, saying they will respond in 1-2 business days. I thought, Oh Boy. But, I immediately got an e-mail from the company saying my subscription had been cancelled.

Worthy Flavors produce delivery review

It’s too bad that this didn’t work out. I was hoping to support local farmers and get good quality vegetables at the same time.

This place is a fail for me.

More From This Blog

Worthy Flavors Fruit and Vegetable Delivery Content Review

The other day I received my first shipment from the produce company Worthy Flavors. They ship from south Florida and since I live in central Florida I figured I’d get fresh produce quickly.

I chose the organic box and it is set up to ship bi-weekly. I was told my box would ship on a Tuesday and I got it on the following day.

I did not take immediate photos, but the pictures on this page are of products that came in the box. Mostly, I loved the items.

First Delivery

The box is filled and shipped according to what they want to send. I did not get to select anything.

This is a little bit fun. If you like surprises, and basically like all types of fruits and vegetables, you may love this. I am more pleased than not. I look forward to seeing the contents of my next shipment.

Here are photos of some of the things that came in the box. I got much more than this. See the list below.

Lettuce, cabbage and carrots
Roma tomatoes
Worthy Flavors vegetables
Pears and oranges

What Came in My Organic Box

First delivery box contained the following – everything is organic:

  • 1 head of iceberg lettuce – Unfortunately I do not eat this kind of lettuce. My son ate it.
  • 1 head of Savoy cabbage
  • 1 red onion
  • 3 Roma tomatoes – one tomato is not good. They came unripe, which is good but one tomato is already rotting because it appears damaged.
  • 4 Golden potatoes
  • Cherries – DELICIOUS! Ate them so quickly I didn’t get a photo.
  • Brussel sprouts – one of the few vegetables I really don’t like. Gave to my son.
  • 1 red pepper – very good, ate immediately chopped on my pizza
  • 3 oranges – one was beginning to rot – it had an obvious problem so don’t know why it was even packed.
  • 3 pears – all look good
  • Holiday Herb Medley, including sage, rosemary and thyme – smells wonderful and will freeze what I don’t use.
  • 2 huge carrots – not on the list of ingredients that arrived with the box
  • Big gorgeous head of cauliflower – also not listed

All in all I am pleased with the vegetables and fruit. The cauliflower is perfect. The cherries were wonderful. In fact most of the items were great.

The pros are that I will be eating things I normally don’t buy. Variety in the diet is good. Although I basically follow a Keto diet, I do eat potatoes occasionally. I will eat everything that arrived and nothing will go to waste.

The box comes packed with water bottles – I guess they began frozen – to keep everything cold. It is December and not exactly cold here in Florida but there was no ice in the bottles. This makes me wonder how a summer shipment would work. On the other hand, I don’t like all the water bottles because I don’t drink bottled water, but I understand the concept of replacing ice packages with recyclable bottles.

I love that they offer an organic box as I only buy organic vegetables. I love that everything in the box is recyclable.

On the down side, two items in my shipment were not edible. One tomato was damaged as well as an orange. If I were choosing vegetables at the store I would not have chosen those. Also, I may still have to go shopping for things that did not arrive and I usually eat.