Happy October!

Happy October! It's the month when the leaves on the trees will be changing colors (at least in the northeastern part of the United States where I live), the month featuring Oktoberfests, and the month that ends with Halloween, a holiday for which I have a designed unusual greeting cards. My cards for this occasion are very unique as they are a petite wraparound variety, which means that they fold out into a picture which is suitable for framing. 

These cards can be viewed on my web-site, Patricia Youngquist Photo Art. They are located within the card-shoppe pages that are a part of the storefront , and a link to take you there  directly, may be found by clicking here.

Another "holiday" which occurs in October is the feast day of  St. Thérèse de Lisieux, the saint who is often referred to as "The Little Flower", and "her day" is today, so I thought of her this morning, as I was in my urban terrace garden, where I was reflecting on the fact that I had moved into my apartment eighteen years ago today, and what a blessing it is for me to have a garden! (Although, as I have mentioned in a number of posts, including one which you may refer to by clicking here) I did not actually do much of anything with my outdoor space until the spring of 1999).

Standing outside in my garden, in the wee hours of this Saturday morning, when most of New York City is sleeping (even though it claims to be a city where no one sleeps), I noticed one of my Helichrysum bracteatum (Strawflowers), striking an odd pose —  just as it was beginning to awaken for the day — and it was an almost prayerful "pose" at that, as evidenced in the photograph which I took of it and posted below.

This prompted me to think of one of St. Thérèse de Lisieux's quotes which is “I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would no longer be enamelled with lovely hues. And so it is in the world of souls, Our lord's living garden.” 


I am sorry to say that I barely have even a fraction of the faith that St. Thérèse de Lisieux was known to possess; however, I am like her in that I appreciate and live by the sentiment expressed in her aforementioned quote. Her picture (seen at the right) hangs above my desk as a reminder to me of her quote. I have it positioned above a framed cartoon from the New Yorker (which I referred to in a blog entry this past January that you may refer to by clicking here) that has the caption, "I try to write a little everyday"  — yet another thing that I constantly need to be reminded to continue to do.


Of the two, St. Thérèse de Lisieux's quote is far more important, and when I find myself straying from it, I have the things that I grow in my terrace garden to remind me, including
my Cardinal Climber (which I have written about in a number of posts, including ones which you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here and here) and who "weighed" in this morning as seen in the image posted below.

The Echinacea that I have in my garden can be seen in images which are featured in a set in my Flickr gallery by clicking here, also weighed in this morning as seen in the image below.

My Echinacea, has been featured in a number of my blog entries, as you may recall, including ones that you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here; its shape is exquisite to me and after its petals are gone, its "pods" add a unique touch to floral arrangements — a fact I have mentioned on a number of occasions. The things which I grow in my garden bring to mind another quote from St. Thérèse de Lisieux, which is this: "May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith."   —  A nice way to start October! 


And, as always, dear reader, I appreciate when you weigh in with your comments, thoughts, ideas and reactions. If you are new to posting this type of thing, you may click here for directions.

Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) "Rosemary is for rememberance"

This is the 363rd day of 2010, and there are only two more days of this decade (in the Gregorian calender) after today passes. The promise of the onset of a new year is an occasion for me to send a card to people who bring meaning to my life. While you may not have time to go on my on-line viewing sources to choose a card for you to do the same, I do have a beautiful selection of cards in the store-front pages of my web-site, and I hope you will make it a New Year's resolution to reach out to your colleagues, friends and family from time to time by sending them a card for the array of events that  are bound to occur during the course of  the new year for all persons.

As an urban gardener, I often include herbs with my correspondence, particularly  at the onset of a new year, when I like to accompany my greeting with rosemary an herb I grow in my roof-extension garden. This herb is also a 'subject' of one of my petite wrap-around cards as seen below).

During warmer months, I include a sprig of fresh rosemary as it is a symbol of friendship. However, since I am unable to include a fresh sprig during winter months, I harvest and dry my rosemary: rosemary that I grow in a variety of containers on my roof-top extension garden, as seen in the "window" box propped on an old piano bench in this "card" image, and also seen with its Simon and Garfunkel comrades "parsley, sage and thyme", huddled together in an old-fashioned metal milk-bottle holder, and captured in a photo at the top of this post (where they are posing below my Rosemary triplets that are shaped into a lovely topiary). Since I cannot send a fresh sprig of rosemary during winter months, I prepare it in another way. When I do my garden winterizing (various winterizing methods have been discussed in a previous post which you can view here), I cut back my rosemary, dry it, then I grind it and put it into small jars (as shown below):

to give as New Year's gifts. Rosemary is an herb that is wonderful to use for culinary purposes if you are so inclined, but it is also an herb that is a symbol of friendship, so it is great to include in a correspondence when expressing appreciation to someone in your life.

I am prompted to include rosemary with New Year's wishes by Ophelia, who in Hamlet, reminds us that "Rosemary means remembrance," and this is not the first quote of Ophelia's that inspires my card sending, as you may recall from a previous post entered on this past Valentine's day which you may refer to by clicking here. BTW, sending rosemary at the start of a new year, because of its association with remembrance, also addresses the rhetorical question asked in the traditional new year' s song, Old Lang Syne, as to whether it is right that old times be forgotten. This song is generally interpreted as an invitation to remember those near and dear to our heart and evidenced by sending a card.

Oh, kitchen armoire, oh kitchen armoire, how lovely is your surface . . .

The image posted above is a photograph (taken in my kitchen) that shows some details of the 'winter-time garden' that I keep inside during the winter season. This "garden" is comprised of my less hardy outdoor plants that I bring into my apartment (from my roof-top extension urban garden which I go to great lengths to winterize as I have blogged about in previous posts which you can read by clicking here and here). I have also created a line of greeting cards based on some of my past roof-top extension garden winterizing endeavors. These cards are quite special to use for sending holiday wishes. They are part of my petite wrap-around card collection, and can be viewed along with other selections on my web-site where purchase information is available. A sample of a petite wrap-around card from the winter collection can be seen below:

As for the plants that I bring inside, I place them on top of humidity trays (placed below a cold/warm light system that is connected to a timer then suspended) that are filled with pebbles. This method is a great way to preserve the humidity and to keep the plants happy during the winter months.

I also find this a nice way to decorate for the holidays, when, in a relatively small New York studio apartment such as mine, there is no room for a Christmas tree; no matter how "lovely its branches" —besides, maintaining a little garden inside keeps my green-thumb muscles supple during the long winter.

As you can see, my inside garden is located on top of a piece of furniture, which anyone can easily do (in this case it is a wooden canning cabinet that has been in my family for over one hundred years and moved with great care up seventy steps to get to my apartment), and it is decorated with Christmas ornaments as well as lights —how lovely is my armoire's  surface!

If you aren't inclined towards green thumb activities or don't have room for a tree, I assure you that you can find a place for holiday decorations. One idea is simply to place bulb-style ornaments in a large bowl and put lights around its rim as seen in the photograph below:

". . .tis the season . . . "

Reminder:No Posting Today: Autumn Travel

As I indicated in my first entry, an "unofficial" post, before the regularity of this blog there will be no posting today, October 16th 2010. At the time I posted this information, I knew I'd be making a trip to see the fall foliage, but had no way of knowing it would be to Vermont Stage in Burlington Vermont to see Donna Wandrey, a client who purchased wrap-around cards, whom I wrote about in an earlier post. She is playing Amanda in Tennessee William's play, The Glass Menagerie. I referred to this play in a previous post relating to memories and note-cards. That was back in the winter - long before Donna's accepting the role of Amanda. I will be back to my regularly scheduled posting on October 23rd, 2010 but will post a review before then.

Juan's Breathtaking Installation of Trivets Allows Donna's Legacy

The blooming of my Clematis paniculata in my urban garden, is in full swing; the vine and its flowers are playfully wrapping around Juan's Installation as evidenced in the image posted above this entry.The precious delicate flowers against the rough brick provide a legacy to Donna, the grower from Cheerful Cherry Farms (whom I posted about in an earlier post). Donna sold me the Clematis paniculata plants a couple of years prior on that hot May morning, when she wore a wool cap and winter coat. I say legacy, because a few weeks ago I went down to Union Square (USQ) to tell Donna about the growth of my Clematis paiculata, but I only saw her husband, Jim.It was unusual not to see her with him, and I suspected that something had happened to her, but I said nothing. Recently I returned to USQ again, and Donna still was not there. This time I asked Jim about her.

He told me that she had been very sick and had died. He remarked that I must have noticed that she had worn a wool coat and hat on days when the temperatures had been very hot. Evidently she'd been quite ill for a long time, and her husband had even suggested that she not make the trip from the nursery to vend at USQ. He laughed when I told him what she had said about my eyesight. She was a real 'diamond in the rough' and I think of her in the morning when I water my garden - Donna, the diamond in the rough, like my delicate Clematis paniculata flowers climbing about the rusty trivets that Juan so carefully placed on my tattered brick wall. I am in the process of producing a collection of cards with images of the stages of growth of my Clematis paniculata, which will be called Donna's Legacy.

Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, Avellana Corylus, 'Contorta'

I've had my Avellana Corylus, 'Contorta' (Harry Lauder's Walking Stick) known as Contoured Haze-Nut to most people, in mu urban garden for a little over two years. The burgundy leaves on this shrub are beautiful, but I like the shrub for its unusual branching pattern so much that, two years ago, I took the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station in Manhattan, to Bayside, (in Queens) to pick up this shrub. It was a hot July day in 2008 when I did this, and the subways and trains were packed with locals and tourists, making it difficult for me to navigate the crowds carrying this shrub. Once home I had to carry it up five flights of stairs, but it has been well worth the effort. The winding, twisted branches are a joy to behold, and it will be an interesting subject for the Petite or Large Wrap-Aroud Card Collection. Details will announced when they become available, so please continue to visit this blog as well as my web-site for details.

Salvia officinalis (Tri-Colour Sage) Ready to Harvest

The herb, Salvia officinalis (Tri-Colour Sage) has aromatic foliage with white and pink streaks. It adds a nice touch to my urban garden, even though it is not as hardy as types of sage, so it is a good idea to  harvest it to use it in omelets, soups, and bean dishes. The image posted above, Tri-Colour Sage Ready to Harvest, is seen rendered in invitation format, but the image is also available as a petite fold-out card (see the back page of the paper-brochure). For purchase information, please visit the store-front pages of my web-site .

Happy Belated 1/2 Year: or July 4th Eve: Celebrating with Garden Sodas

Having herb-infused cocktails (or grown-up sodas) on a summer night in my urban terrace garden is a great way for us  to belatedly ring in the half-year (July 1st 2010). It is a tradition for us to celebrate a 1/2 year every July 1st, and tonight we are doing it belatedly on the eve of July 4th. My SODA sign (seen in the photograph posted above), a thrift-shop find in the late 1970s, has been the center of many roof-top celebrations and is also the subject for some of my petite wrap-around cards as well as my large wrap-around cards. These may be viewed in the store-front pages on my web-site where they are available for purchase. The images with the SODA sign make a great invitation when you are inviting friends, family, and colleagues to a soirée.

Buds: The Potential of Developing into Something Beautiful

Every flower bud has the potential of developing into something beautiful. At this time, I have an array of buds in my  urban terrace garden, and the exquisite  bud in the photograph above is from my tree peony, Paeonia suffruitticosa, a shrub that is known to last longer than the gardeners that plant them, so at least I will leave some legacy. I had hoped to leave some legacy of meaningful writings, but often I fail to write about things that interest me as it might prove to be embarrassing, or hurt someone's feelings; and so these days, my muse is busy with my gardening endeavors and my peony tree, which I have had for only one year, has proved to be inspirational.
For a number of years I've had fun watching various vines trail up a pole at the northeast corner of my terrace. When I first started gardening I had Morning Glories and this annual vine gave me pleasure for a number of years, especially seeing their heart-shaped leaves and vibrant azure colored flowers. At that time, I was not a "morning person" and often missed the flowers, which were only open from dawn to mid-morning. However, Morning Glories had deep meaning for an elderly friend of mine who often recalled a poem she wrote about them in Catholic Elementary School, claiming the nuns wrote the last line - a punchline -which can be read (in her handwriting) below:

The Morning Glory vine's short life caused me to replace it with Clematis lanuginosa ('Canidia') which I  bought at USQ - The Union Square Greenmarket in New York City, but I have included a link to detailed information about this plant in this post. This vine trailed happily up the pole, and because it is a perennial, I enjoyed the flowers for years and even rendered a photograph that I took of it into a petite wrap-around greeting card as seen below:

This Clematis also provided inspiration for the design of  general all occasion large wrap-around cards as well as wedding invitations, program covers for special events as indicated in my paper brochure and is part of a mini-movie in my on-line brochure. A sample is posted below:

Information about purchasing these products is available on my web-site. These will be the last of the Clematis lanuginosa themed works, as this plant was attacked by web-worms whose unwelcome presence was discussed in a previous post. Fortunately, I was able to replace it with another Union Square Greenmarket find, the H.F. Young Clematis. A link is posted here to provide information on this plant but I do not know the grower who posted that link. I do know that I am looking forward to seeing the H.F. Young Clematis flowers if their beautiful buds (seen in the photograph below) are any indication of how gorgeous the flower will be.

What I said at the top of the post bears repeating, "Every flower bud has the potential of developing into something beautiful."

Diamond Notch Falls

As the winter winds down, I often think about other seasons. Looking through my prints taken in summer, spring, and fall seasons, I now realize that O'Henry's reference to a single, "last leaf" which is not the only "single leaf" that has influenced me.

I've even noticed other 'last' leaves. Once upon an October day, while hiking near Diamond Notch Falls, in upstate New York, I noticed another last leaf, photographed it, and later, using the same method that I employed for my Petite Wrap-Around Card Collection, (discussed in a previous post), I created the Large Wrap-Around  Card Collection. I titled the image of that lone leaf near Diamond Notch Falls, Late Autumn, and it can be seen posted above this entry. It is available for purchase on my web-site. (It is also available for a closer look by downloading my paper-brochure.) 

The size of all of the large fold-out cards is 5" by 8.5," and so in addition to serving as a chic greeting card, they also are appropriate for program covers to use for classy wedding invitations, to announce a confirmation or bar mitzvah, or even to use at select functions and venues such as fund-raisers, concerts or lectures. These cards should be viewed the same way as the Petite Wrap-Arounds. The right side of the image is the front of the card/invitation/program-cover and the left side is the back. It is blank inside but text can be inserted with your choice of fonts. Late Autumn, as well as other cards, was recently purchased by the very talented and respected actress, Donna Wandrey, to use for Thanksgiving cards.

Most, but not all, of my larger wrap-arounds have been posted on my web-site, where they are available to purchase. The ones not posted there but that can be seen below may be purchased by contacting me through the email information posted on my web-site. These are titled Crepe- de- Chine, Very Clematis, and Silver Thyme.

Though the new year is only a little over a  month underway, its not too early to dream about spring and to think of cards or invitations you might want to send during that time. The cards posted above will enhance any soirée that you may be planning to celebrate The Rites of Spring.

If you are worried about not being green by sending a paper card, these cards (like the Petite Fold-Out cards) also have a double-life. The unique feature of these cards is that the image is continuous. Therefore, each of the large wrap-around cards/invitations/program covers folds out into a print that is 8.5" by 11" as seen below in this image, Dogwood Yawning taken in Staten Island, a borough in New York City.

This unusual feature of a card/invitation/event program cover becoming a beautiful print suitable for framing is a wonderful way to preserve an occasion.

"Upon whose bosom snow has lain........."

 I think that I shall never see,

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray:

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair:

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

 The poet Joyce Kilmer created works that celebrated "the common beauty of the natural world" as seen in his widely known poem about trees from the poem (posted above) which most people "have to" memorize in elementary school. Like Joyce Kilmer, Ruth Orkin, a photographer known to most for her black and white photograph, American Girl in Italy, was also very inspired by trees as seen in Central Park South Silhouette, New York City. The trees from my balcony --the ones in between the buildings-- are not as inspirational, as they are Ailanthus altissima Trees (Trees of Heaven), and very prone to web-worms giving them an "Addams Family" look.

Though the Ailanthus altissima trees are prone to web-worms which are a battle in my urban garden, they do provide shade and privacy, and they are the trees from my balcony, which I have photographed and rendered into a kaleidoscopic print that can be seen in the Kaleidoscopic Gallery on my web-site, I have posted it below horizontally and the web-site has it vertically and the beauty of the Kaleidoscopic Prints is that they can be hung either way.

Snowy days. Starry nights. "And since we've no place to go, Let it go, Let it go, Let it go..." (A Case For Not Sending 'E' Cards)

Engaging conversations. Sipping Papillon Hermitage. Snacking on Prince De Clavrolle Cheese and a baguette from Tom Cat Bakery as we make up our own words to the "Let it snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow"  song and replace them with "Let it Go, Let it Go, Let it Go." We are snow-bound in my studio apartment and looking out onto my terrace garden celebrating my winter note-card collection and so this is my first 'in-between-Saturdays-post.' 




These cards will soon be in the store-front pages of my web-site, and are so perfect for the season and to send when 'E' cards just won't do. We are not 'E' card people, and while we are fairly proficient in using the computer, and are very much concerned about our environment (we don't "waste" paper), we like to keep in touch in a personal way which is often by mailing a card.

This causes me to think how grateful I am for some of the 'paper-cards' — as they are now branded — that I have gotten in the past. While I am not a collector, I have kept some very special paper cards that I have received. I've even framed some cards. One card that I have framed is from the summer after sixth grade. It is one that I received from my Great-Aunt Grace (who had eyes like Bette Davis eyes — long before the pop tune coined the phrase — but not the personality Kim Carnes  depicted in that song), my maternal grandmother's sister, who I always remembered as having been to the World's Fair (as seen below) in New York City, which even as a child, is a place where I wanted to live.

That summer had been hard. I was very overwhelmed: My father had moved away the year prior, my Neurofibromatosis was now causing bumps to appear everywhere on my body. I wanted contact lenses, because my left eye was frequently turning inward from the lack of acuity  that it had, and my eye-doctor had told my parents that contacts would help with this problem as well as help to correct my low vision. Additionally, I would be attending a new school in the fall —the junior high school — where I would be going from room to room for various classes as opposed to having everything taught in one room, and I  was nervous I would not have time between classes to arrive on time. I even thought of my possibly missing the elementary school kids despite the fact that they didn't pick me to be on their Murder Ball team because of my low depth perception causing me to be an "easy-out." At least they had seen my physical problems and the teasing me about them had subsided; now I'd have to start all over again by being with different kids.

Most of all, I was overwhelmed because I could not comfort my mother, who cried constantly over my father's leaving us. I knew I could share these thoughts with my Great-Aunt Grace, who often 'baby-sat' when my mother needed someone to take care of me. I was looking forward to seeing Grace on my birthday, but that was not to be. My dear great-aunt died unexpectedly in her sleep. She had been discovered dead, by her land-lady, after having turned blue in her bed. I still received the birthday card that  she had put in the mail prior to her fatal day. It arrived (featured below out of its frame) the day after I got the news that she had died, and it was to let me know she'd be thinking of me on "my day" as she called it. On the back of the card my Great Aunt wrote, "Will see you before long."

 

Now at my launching of my winter-card-line soirée, we agree, "These kind of treasures aren't the same as an 'E' card that's been archived in your e-mail account-folder, with the threat of  a link breaking if you want to view it again." Being snowbound and drinking wine is fueling our nostalgia as we continue to talk about  framing cards. Our attention is now on another card that I have framed is posted below:

As you can see, a car is pulling into a parking space in a crowded lot. We can infer the driver is pleased to find a place to park. I received this as a birthday card from my father, with whom I'd finally reconnected on a minimal communication level, after having lived in New York City a number of years.  My conversations with my father did not go much beyond the weather and cholesterol levels — despite my yearning for a relationship. He was a man of few words, but he sent me this card upon hearing I'd found an apartment — the living space where I am now - that I truly love. "Sometimes paper-cards can express what we cannot articulate," my friends and I conclude as the snow continues to fall and the wine warms us. My inclination to frame certain cards has led me to design cards that are suitable for framing which you may have seen in my previous posts but I'll include here for convenience.

The following are some selections from my new winter card line that we have been celebrating, and that Chris Deatherage, (my new web-designer) has added to my web-site.The first is titled Snowbound, the second is titled Hibernating, and the third is titled  Family Life In Central Park. (These are all petite fold-out cards.)

The images in the first two cards posted above are from my terrace which provides me with solace and inspiration. The third card is derived from an image taken in Central Park, a few yards a way from my apartment. Winter in New York City brings out the need to sculpt as evidenced in my image, Snow Diva in Central Park, for  the new single-sided card line (which Chris has also posted).

The front of the card is the right portion, the back of the card with the title of the image is the left hand portion. The card is blank inside and sized the same as the Petite Fold-Outs (5" by 4 and 1/4"). As you may recall  from my "day one" post, I've been inspired by the snow-sculptures constructed in Central Park after a winter storm, as evidenced by one of my very first line of note cards, Round Yon Virgin, an image of a snow sculpture of the Madonna and Child, seen near the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.

If you are interested in preserving moments in a special way with any of my note-cards, please feel free to contact me via the information on my web-site. If you see cards posted here that are not yet on my web-site,  I can make arrangements for you to purchase them. Meanwhile we are still watching the snow fall, as we look out onto my garden (it has accumulated quite a bit since we began our soirée). Although we are surrounded by snow, we are now talking about our forthcoming spring card collection. After all, just a few weeks ago, Stanten Island Chuck, the New York  City Ground Hog, saw his shadow, and despite the heavy snow fall this evening, we know spring will be here soon, so we hope you do celebrate winter with friends, sip Hot Chocolate -infused with bitters  — (We recommend del Capo ) — and reach out to those near and dear to you by sending them one of our cards. I'm two days early posting this. Perhaps it's the del Capo's influence.....