The first main tool of inspiration for me is my camera.
 |
| Carolina anole lizard |
The camera lets me see details that I would not normally pick up. It is a window to a world I don't normally see.
It lets me see and document the small stories that are going on around me, and thus I have become so much more aware of nature and the small lives that are around me. I now feel party responsible for these wild creatures in my garden - how I garden can directly affect their lives.
They also provide good fodder for the blog.
 |
| Don't mind me, I'm just hanging around... |
I have a terrible memory, and the camera lets me document things to remember later. Through pictures I have a record of when plants flower, what my garden looks like throughout the seasons, and plants and combinations that I like in other gardens. These pictures provide me inspiration for shaping my own garden haven.
 |
| Love this plant combination of my neighbor's - Loropetalum chinensis, Clematis armandii 'Snowdrift', and an old urn |
The second tool that provide me so much inspiration is...
the computer.
I have a love/hate relationship with the computer. Mr. Red House says that there isn't a computer I can't break, and that I should work for a computer company doing testing. Back in college, I actually took several computer programming classes. For one assignment, I accidentally managed to write a compiler virus instead of whatever it was that I was supposed to make the program do. You would think I would get extra credit for creating a homework assignment that could eat itself, but no...
 |
| Uh oh.. I broke the computer yet again.. |
(On that note, I have been having several issues with Blogger, the site that runs my blog, specifically with some of its widgets. So if you tried to follow my site by e-mail, sorry if that didn't really work so well...)
But the computer is a wonderful tool as well. I love living in the information age, where I can find answers to my questions at the click of a button.
 |
| Why are my rose leaves crinkling up and turning white, and what can I do to stop that? Well, let me just google that... |
Hardly a day goes by where I am not researching what conditions a plant likes, what a particular critter is, or how to fix some sort of garden issue. It inevitably inspires me to ask even more questions and delve further into learning about the world we live in.
 |
| Random factoid: fossils show that the largest flying insect species are related to and looked like present-day dragonflies - they had wingspans of over 2 feet. |
I can read about how the plants and animals in my own backyard are connected with the ecosystem as a whole. Gardeners around the world inspire me with their own stories and garden havens. The computer has been such a wonderful tool for inspiration in so many ways and continues to be so. As long as I don't break it, anyway...
For more on what inspires gardeners around the world, visit Garden Walk, Garden Talk.
And thank you so much to Holley of Roses and Other Gardening Joys and Jane of Tidy Gardens by Jane for deeming me worthy of the Sunshine Award! I am glad to bring a little sunshine to some other fellow gardeners - these two ladies and their garden blogs are a source of cheer and inspiration to me as well!
In winning this award, I am supposed to answer some very random questions about myself:
1. What is your favorite color? Blue
2. What is your favorite animal? Cats - I have two, one of which is usually 'helping' me blog.
3. What is your favorite number? 3.14159... We'll just go with pi. It was a toss up between that and i, but I went with the real answer..
4. What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink? Hot chocolate
5. Which is your favorite - Facebook or Twitter? Pinterest!
6. What is your passion? You can probably guess..
7. Do you prefer giving or receiving presents? Both
8. What is your favorite pattern? Plaid. All kinds of plaid. Grunge plaids, country plaids, Scottish plaids, they're all pretty awesome, especially in flannel.
9. What is your favorite day of the week? Friday or Saturday, both good!
10. What is your favorite flower? Clematis and daisies
I am also supposed to pick other blogs that deserve this award, but for that I defer to my list of blogs that I read. They all have their own unique brand of sunshine.
Happy Gardening!
I too have this need to understand and that is a great tool for getting inspiration. It was so funny to read you created a virus that ate your homework. I bet kids everywhere are going to use that excuse now. I love your photos. You have great patience to wait out the good poses from the critters, which adds loads of interest to the images.
ReplyDeleteThanks, sometimes I like to spend the girls' afternoon nap/quiet time by having my own quiet time - sitting outside with the camera!
DeleteI hadn't thought of how much our cameras inspire us, but it's so true. I think that's why I love blogging so much. Besides meeting so many wonderful garden bloggers, just the pictorial record of my garden is a great source to see what needs working on, and what is working, and to look back upon during the winter! I'm a wimp when it comes to computers - I try not to push any buttons but the keyboard, so I don't usually break anything! I've had a hard time getting used to the 'new' Blogger - I'm not one to go poking around! Pi is a great number. We use it a lot more than we realize!
ReplyDeleteI, too, have been having trouble figuring out where everything is now on Blogger. I hate when they change things!
DeleteGreat captures. Looks like you're inspiring a budding blogger.
ReplyDeleteThanks! That little girl is several years older now, and she's always been very into computers like her daddy. Soon, she'll know far more about them than her mom - she'll probably have a blog by the time she's eight!
DeleteIndie -- Don't feel bad about your memory. I never had much of one and getting older has made it worse. Agree with you about the computer being a tool but it wouldn't be worth much by itself. It's the internet that is the indispensable tool.
ReplyDeleteVery true! I probably should have said the internet instead of the computer, since that was really what I was referring to. Though my computer does also aid me with all the storage and filing that taking this many pictures requires!
DeleteMy camera offers me inspiration as well. This was a very interesting post on inspiration...enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I love seeing what the camera picks up - by looking at the pictures, I see things that I wouldn't normally notice when out in the garden.
DeleteGreat post--very inspirational. ;-) It's so funny what you said about your cats! I have two cats, too. One of mine is helping me type right now.!
ReplyDeleteThey are such helpful pets, aren't they! :)
DeleteFor a 3 year old (see 2 photo's above) you sure are a dab hand with the ol' computer, blogging & camera work. I had you maybe down as being at least 20 , being married to Mr RH and all that...perhaps you just look good for your age. I look 90 (instead of my real age 21...ahem!)
ReplyDeleteLovin' the pink romper-suit (wonder if they do those over here in my size (off to look)
Mind you don't fall off that sofa too with that heavy compooooter!! Well done on your award xxx
I just look a little young for my age, which surprisingly enough, is also 21 *cough*.
DeleteI love the finches. That is a good pic.
ReplyDeleteThanks! The goldfinches are always quarreling over the bird feeder!
DeleteHi Indie, I am also permanently attached to my camera, and I have a condition which among others, has given me a poor memory so my camera and my computer are great tools to aid me - I can't understand how I managed without a computer before! Great article and lovely photos as always :-)
ReplyDeleteThe computer is essential for so many things nowadays! I don't know what I would do without it (and Mr. Red House wouldn't have a job!)
Delete