Adrift Upon the Stormy Sea

via Daily Prompt: Adrift

Adrift upon the stormy sea

tossed and turned

a slave to waves

battered tore and tattered

violent light surrounds

a longing for solid ground

plants and fish go rapidly by

into a soup like mix

finding at last rocks

slammed against reality

finally washed upon the beach

Coconut Water?

Have any of you tried coconut water.  I have heard it is good for you and many enjoy drinking it.  My sister keeps a supply and swears by it.  Anyway I found this article and I thought I would share.  After all anythincg for better health and well losing weight which it claims to help you do.
http://lovehealthynatural.com/2017/02/what-will-happen-after-drinking-coconut-water-for-a-week/
I am going to aid a little insert from the article with 3 of the health bonuses coconut water gives you. 

Victory Bells

I took this video of the Victory Bell's last year at the www.alexandriazoo.com today is a good day to put it up here for you to enjoy.  www.facebook.com . 

Homeschool Facebook Page

Here is a little clip Maegan and I made for a facebook page we made for our homeschool. 
Check it out. https://www.facebook.com

Memorial Day

This Memorial Day weekend I have been ill with a strange flu virus and while laying here ill I have again been reminded of  how much I have due to the efforts of many fine people.  I would like to thank every service member now and  past that gives me the ability to lay peacefully on my couch and get better at ease.  God Bless The American Service Men and Woman.

This is from the Washington Post and here is the link: http://apps.washingtonpost.com. 

Survive In the Desert

via Daily Prompt: Survive

Running through bushes

and digging forts in the sand

 walking through deserts

with sandwiches and water

climbing high hills

looking  for treasure

instead chasing long tailed lizards

over a rocky edge

building forts in old cars

and spraying scorpions

with a can of raid

I look back and wonder

how did we survive

as kids in the desert

My Neighbor Has Hemlock

There has been a white flowering bush type plant in my neighbor's yard and I had thought it was Queen's Lace so I was not concerned but today Country Magazine put out and article about Hemlock on the web and I went outside to take a look Queen's Lace and well I don't think it is anymore.

Here is the link to the article if you would like to read it: http://www.countryliving.com .  I am also going to include a list of how to identify the plant if you do not wish to read the article.  The Hemlock is poisonous to you and your pets so please take a look.

Flowers Genetically Engineered

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I ran into an article this morning that talked about us flower sellers destroying flowers that re genetically engineered.  This amazes me as it would seem to be harmless and one would think what’s wrong with a new flower with intense color?  There isn’t any risk to humans or the environment but there is a special license they need to introduce these flowers on the markets.
Here is a list of flowers that are genetically engineered and not licensed:

It is a shame that the flowers are petunias as I love them and brighter colors would make them even more appealing but this is a good idea to guard against introducing new plants without much testing.  So often we do this and the native plants and eco systems suffer as the new plants take over.  Just food for thought.
Here is the link for the article it comes from the www.sciencemag.org .  Check it out and if  you have a idea on the subject leave a message in the comments.
*Note the photo is not a picture of one of the altered plants.

The Sun Rose

The sun rose

like a flower in spring

traveling across the sky

its petals opening wide

shining down on us

a full bloom

finishing it's course

with a last look

as it fades to evanescent

below the horizon's edge

Wisdom and Growth

wisdom blooms on

blossoms of growth by

thoughts learned

and voices heard

carefully planted ideas

by Karen Smith

found on my wordpress blog Life By a Bayou

I Saw An Angel Today

I saw an angel today

with dreamy brown eyes

and hair to watch

a smile to light the sky

I saw an angel today

sweet round face

that glowed with joy

I saw and angel today

by  Karen Smith

(For a little girl who lost her life to soon)

Black Mission Fig

On Earth Day we attended a educational event at the Alexandria Zoo  and among the plants we got there were a black mission fig and two longleaf fir trees. 
I have wished I would have written down what she said about our tree but I believe she said ours was
developed into bush type instead of a tree which would be nice as these trees can grow from 10ft to 30ft.  Coming from Asia originally these trees have made it to several European countries and Spain before coming through the missionaries to California.  The black fig is extremely popular for it sweetest and fairly easy to grow fruit. 

Here is a photo of the fig we got on Earth Day.  It is starting to send two shoots up from the roots along the base of the plant which reinforces my belief that she told me it was a bush type fig.  ❤

http://www.gardenguides.com gives some good information on planting and growing bush or tree figs as the growing is the same just the size of plant is different. 

This should be what our little bush fig should look like and I am excited as you can see it is a compact heavily leaved and very pretty. 

Here is some food value facts about figs:

These come from http://www.nutrition-and-you.com check this link out to get the rest of the article.

New Seedling Trees

Some photo's my and Maegan's new seedling trees.  The cherry on the top is older being planted in the bed up front and the lemon and tangerine seedlings are the newest just being started last month.

We got the longleaf fir trees and the last photo a fig tree from Earth Day at the zoo.  They are all growing well but slowly as I guess one should expect.  I am keeping them outside in a tent type storage shed to get the light they need and fresh air. 

Reading For the Summer

Today my daughter signed up for the summer reading program.  It is going to be the first time we have done so and we are excited.  Like all things in this we were able to sign up online, select our book preferences and find out the requirements.  When we finish reading a book you then log the book in via the internet.  I am saying we now because as I was signing up Maegan they asked me if I was signing up another child and when I said no they asked me was I signing up and well why not.  I love to read so I signed up. 
I am appalled because as an adult I only have to read 5 books and most times I can do that in a week just reading myself to sleep.  Anyway, for those interested check out https://rpl.beanstack.org/profiles/757922/programs/4575 or you can check out our library to see how neat it is at Alexandria LA Main Library .

The Mighty Thorn

A little mouse ran into the shade
looking up through the leaves
the mouse spies a large blackberry
climbing up the stalk
he almost reaches it
but finds himself instead
caught by the mighty thorn.

Salmon Hiaku Poem

Salmon swims on

through currents strong

jumping up stream

by Karen Smith

Tiger on The Trail

I love tiger and when we go to the zoo our first place to head is the tigers.  The Alexandria Zoo is a beautiful place to take some time for play.  One thing I have learned is that the cats seem to always walk the same path over and over.  Well a few weeks ago one of them was making a new path so I had to get some video.  Made me think of a tiger on the trail.

Tomato

Hanging heavy and red

I peek through branches of green

hoping to be overlooked

by the eyes of the bird

today maybe the day

I am plucked from

my humble stem

but until then

it is the sun I'll

bath in

Climbing

Climbling

Climbing towards the sky above

reaching for realms of hope

among the angels on high

wearily but not stopped

onward and up

continuing on our hope

in what lays beyond

from my wordpress blog written by Karen Smith

Pomegranate

Discovered that my pomegranate tree is producing one pomegranate.  Very exciting for me and my family as it is a favorite fruit for us all.  Mine trees are in pots They grow well in pots but it does makes it harder as the roots are mainly on the surface and need to be watered more often then most trees.  They prefer to be moist and not heavily watered.

According to the Wikipedia the pomegranate is good for cooking, juice and baking.  Here is a small piece of the article by Wikipedia
The pomegranate originated in the region of modern-day Iran, and has been cultivated since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean region and northern India.^[3] It was introduced into Spanish America in the late 16th century and California, by Spanish settlers, in 1769.^[3]
Today, it is widely cultivated throughout the Middle East and Caucasus region, north and tropical Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, the drier parts of southeast Asia, and parts of the Mediterranean Basin.^[3] It is also cultivated in parts of Arizona and California.^[4] In recent years, it has become more common in the commercial markets of Europe and the Western Hemisphere

For more of this article go to Wikipedia . One thing I found out on my own is that there are male and female trees.  So you need two trees to pollinate them.

America

A home of the mixed and confused

Mean and rude.

Everyone hurry to hurt and lie.

Ruling out kindness for hate.

I is all we see.

Could we be equal?

America were are you going today and were will you be tomorrow?

State Farm Bear at The Park

At the Cyper Security event at the park this spring there were several booths that offered things for kids helping them learn in some way or another.  I got a kick out of the State Farm bear. He was the life of the party and stands for a pretty good insurance company.  State Farm partners with environmental groups to help promote a cleaner earth.

Violets in a Topsy Turvey

I placed some violets into a topsy turvy,  www.topsyturvy.com.  We got this free from the Cyber Security event at the park this spring and we put some hot peppers that were growing in the front garden.  The plants are still growing upward so waiting for the peppers to weight the plants down
so that they will seem to be upside down. 
I put the violets in to fill the spots were the peppers failed to do well and to add some color.  It is getting to hot here for them so I am hoping that being in the air will help them last longer.
The topsy turvy seems to dry out quickly which will be good for the peppers as they prefer to dry some between waterings.  Right now I am wondering how violets in a topsy turvey  will do. Maybe I can keep them through the summer?

Sringtime Fairies

Hiding out in tall thick blades of grass

Black Eye Susan's like fairies

brightly fluttering about

without a care

happy to be

longing to share wonder

to those who chance

upon them

Bayou Flows

 Bayou flows

muddy streams of drama

turtles playing

Exploding Head Syndrome

Exploding Head Syndrome, until today I have never heard of this syndrome but I have experienced it for many years and have grown accustom to it thus not really thinking much about it.  Then my sister call me and said hey you need to do a blog article to let others know more about their night time explosions.
Have you ever just fallen to sleep and hear someone knock very hard at your door?  Or a loud explosion, perhaps a door opening or slamming shut, maybe even yet someone shout your name just as you are falling asleep?  Have you gotten up to check it out and found it quiet and everyone else snoring easily dreaming their dreams?  Then you to have experience the syndrome.
It is a rare but it does happen and starts at various ages,  the reasons are not know but can be anything from stress, medications, and fatigue are just a few of the possible causes but researchers have begun to take this more seriously.  Here on this web link I have found some interesting facts and testimonies.  On the ASA or American Sleep Association they describe it and add so additional ideas on what can be happening during these events here is the link.  Wikipedia calls it a auditory hallucinations, check out Wikipedia link.
Remember now this is a strange syndrome but it has caused no harm to anyone so relax and maybe reduce stress, exercise and eat healthy, here I am including a link from The Huffington Post, click here for link, in this article it gives you five things to do to battle Exploding Head Syndrome.  And one more thing if you know others that have experience this you may want to spread the word.

Blog

I read a blog post this morning about finding your writing voice.  The blog did not give any ideas on how to do this just talked about how they were told that their writing voice was sharp, full of strength and sometimes startling.  Well they have almost 2 thousands followers so they must be doing something right?
So I began looking at the news media on the web to get an idea about what people want to read and what did I find?  (Things you need to know about the foods a President eats. Meet the father and daughter that used to be mother and son. What age should you stop wearing jeans.)   Don't get me wrong there is some reasonable news out there but lately the more gossipy or odd or terrifying  the news is the better. 
I had thought that starting blogging would be an interesting and it is plus it is fun but it is discouraging as well  Hard to get noticed our to find an interest point.  I had wanted to write cheerful and encouraging things to help each of us to in someway turn to a world were we are satisfied with ourselves and happy with a daily existence.  So I will push on to see what I can find to offer. 

Farmer's Helpers

Kaz March 22, 2017 Be creative

Little Farmer’s Helpers

Little farmers helper
humming by
dancing with the breeze
with carefree ease
winging a form of fun
over warmed roof tops
being your day of
work is done
dying daily unaware
of harmful chemicals
here and there
little farmer’s helpers
so vital you see
can’t produce the food
without some of these      

Work such as it is belongs to Karen Smith copy right 3/21/2017

Zoo Days

Kaz September 6, 2016 Ideas for the home, outings
This is from my wordpress blog.  I am in the process of  moving from there to here and want to bring over a few of my posts from there.  It looks like once my premium account is up I maybe able to keep a free blog there so I will be writing both.  www.kazshomemadetips.com .

Mirror effect Photo’s

I have for years dreamed of taking beautiful photo’s.  Photography being such a uni que art-form.  Like any art-form you can keep developing and improving with it that is if that is truly possible.
I went to the zoo over the Labor Day  weekend and was trying for a video and discovered how to make a video that will make you dizzy and bewildered as well, but the Zoo is truly beautiful so I will try this idea again with the different flowers and plants they have and this time I will do so walking and not on the train.
While I was there I got a neat photo with a mirror effect of an lizard I used to have and was very fond of my Iguana and had it in an hundred gallon fish tank but I had to part with him and I still to this day have a fondest for this type of lizard.  So I took a picture at the zoo of one that was active at the moment.  Take a look at it.
 Do you see how this photo came out with a Mirror Effect.  I was not aware that the sun was in the position to cause this as the naked eye only saw a lizard free from shadows and no reflection in the glass.  As an intentional photographer I have a ways to go but as an accidental photographer I think this is a pretty good photo.

I love my Mirror effect Photo’s.  Tell me what you think.

How Well Does My Garden Grow?

When I bought my Mobile home a couple of years ago I decided to put a small garden for tomatoes and hopefully other vegetables in the front year.  In the meantime I decided to plant some other plants too and get some shade in the front of the home.  We get so hot in the summer and fall and the front of the house is very hot.

So I began planting.  The other day I took a look at my front garden and realized how full it was.  Every thing has grown so much this year that I saw that I was going to have to move my vegetable plants to somewhere else before I plant next,

Reflections of Visions

Reflections seem

to see beyond the now

vision of beauty

upon surface of life

feelings dreamily flowing

by Karen Smith as seen on kazshomemadetips.com 

Mystery Tree

I have some young trees that we got last year from the Arbor Society.  We were using them as a research project to see how they grew.  We had red buds, crepe myrtles, and dogwood but one of the trees was not a red bud and we do not know what it is if anyone can help answer the mystery we would welcome it.  The tree grows very fast and is now about five feet high. 

The branches that hold the leaves are red while young and tough it grows straight and very strong the trunk starts out as green seeming to be softer then it is to look at.

If you know send me an email at suekaren4@gmail.com . 

Voices

Voices like tunnels of darkness

falling upon our ears

coming from many mouths

not caring for truth

void of peace

Voices like air full of light

faintly calling and longing

to be heard

truth they would tell

full of hope

Voices of choice

we have the right to claim

Let Us Work Together

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Democrats

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I took this off my facebook newsreel this morning and to be honest I am not happy with it.  The Democrats are spending so much of their time trying to spread fear, hate and discontent then they are getting things done for the American people who pay them.  This repeal and replace Obamacare is not finalized yet it still needs to go to the Senate of which they are planning on rewriting the whole thing.  This could easily take months and now the Democrats are doing this.  What a waste of time and a shame that we pay them a paycheck with our tax money.  I think all of you voting for democrats need to think about voting this group of democrats back into office.

Painted Turtle

Painted Turtles at the Alexandria Zoo photo by Karen Smith

Painted Turtle

watery reeds of green

float and dreams

by Karen Smith

Cherry Tree from Seed

Last year I bought some cherries that were out of this world so good.  So I got an idea to see about how to grow cherry tree.  As we all know by now the internet has a world at your fingertips of information so to the keyboard went to look up how to grow seeds.
I discovered that cherry trees seeds have to be kept in the freeze for about 14 days as they need a cold
time before they can sprout and grow also you need two different types of cherries to get the pollination and grow of fruit in the tree that you are seeking.  So I bought some different cherries and went to work to get these seeds growing.
After my 14 days in the cold I removed them and planted them but I saw nothing so I gave up well this spring I noticed that I have a small tree growing in my yard and I left it alone until I could look it up and see what it was.  If it was small enough I was going to leave it for shade up in the front towards the later part of the day. 
Then it dawned on me was this one of my cherry seeds I planted?  I looked up cherry tree seedlings and low and behold I have a cherry tree growing.

The little tree is doing well and at this time is about 8 inches tall.  I will have to buy another cherry tree in the near future.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/cherry/grow-a-cherry-tree-pit.htm is a good site for some information on this topic if you would like take a look or look up growing cherry trees from seed.

The Peace Roses

I am trying to grow a climbing peace rose in my garden.  The main plant has died years ago but before it died a branch had broken off and I planted it.  I was so glad I did as it has been growing steadily every year.  The rose got it name in 1944 one month after the liberation of France from the Pacific Rose Society as a request from it’s developer Papa Meilland.  During the war he had sent cuttings to several countries and only Italy, Germany, and the United States received the cuttings.  The Italian gardener were so impressed by the rose that they called it Giola meaning joy and the German gardeners called it Gloria Dei or the Glory of God.  The Americans like peace and chose it in honor of the rose developer.
Papa Meilland produced the rose from a mix between a rose named in the honor of his mother and another rose.   Madame A. Meilland is one of the parents to the peace rose.

I have not seen my rose bloom yet as the branch though mature enough to plant was a small one. Roses are great for cuttings and do best with a year old branch.  My daughter and I have grown many by cuttings.
Anyway, here is a shot if it in my garden along with some of the raspberries and what I think is a muskadine grape.

Blood Orange

This is my blood orange doing well after this years hard freeze.  Our winter was short and warmer then normal but we did have about 3 days of a hard freeze with temps below 32 degrees for hours at a time.  I lost some of my grapefruit even though they were covered. 

The blood orange is an excellent tasting citrus and this little tree has given me a sample of fruit in it's early days.  This tree only bears fruit every 3 years which is the hard part so I have one more year to see if it will give more.

Wikipedia has some interesting facts about these trees and their fruit.  They come from China or the Southern Mediterranean in the 18th century. 

Nest For Native Bees

I am sharing a  link by Prof Matteson on things in our own yards that non hive dwelling bees can use to make a home from.  Take a look.

https://youtu.be/RKrarVaxZ2Y . 

White Peacock

May First is like

a white peacock

in full display

light and airy

ready for a show

on graceful

peaceful days

by Karen Sue Smith