I just saw something scroll past on FBN that Scotts Miracle Gro(w) is closing the Smtih&Hawken unit.

More on this tomorrow as I find out more about it.

Now there’s a couple of names I never thought I’d see in a sentence.

As I work furiously on a few projects I sometimes turn really inward and become a philosophical crazy man.

It’s the reason all the great quotes are coming along.

The 1st was sent in by a long time reader, and commenter of this blog. The quote is from Amelia Earhart, coincidentally I just sat through the trailer for the upcoming movie on her life, it looks terrific!

“Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.” – Amelia Earhart

So well put in so few words. An amazing woman. I would have loved to have met her and spent time with a woman of her courage, strength, vision and “can-do” attitude.

The other quote is from well known author Michael Crichton —-

“I am certain there is too much certainty in the world.”

Well said Michael, well said.

Back to the conceptuals. If I am lucky I will get to show this project off someday.

Not the one below, that’s just added because I like showing the progression of a job. Plus the post needed an image!!!

A Work in Progress

This is pretty much right on . . .

“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it”

–Albert Einstein

On the eve of what would be the biggest change to our lives in America and how the government would get completely involved in our lives because of the “Cap and Trade act/bill“. I think former President Coolidge has it right . . .

“If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

I still say throw ALL the bums out of Washington and let us run are own lives be responsible for are own lives, health and education and freedom(s).

They’ve gone too far, too much, too fast and we are all going to have to pay for their ego’s gone amok.

I supposse this post would have received a 1,000 more hits if I would have ranted, raved, swooned, analyzed, and dissected the will of Michael Jackson but the Cap and Trade bill is far more important.

A new message to pass along from my friends at Cornell University concerning all that is birding, bird-like, bird stuff, bird crazy . . . well you get the idea—

Play “tag” with the birds: Be a CamClickr!

Dear Birding Friend,

We need your keen eye and quick fingers! As you may know, we have live cameras positioned at active bird nests all around the country. Since 1999, we’ve archived more than eight million images from these NestCams. To help sort through the images, we developed CamClickr—an online tool you can use to view the images and sort them into albums, then tag each image by the type of behavior you see: preening, eating, feeding chicks, etc.

What’s in it for you? NestCams allow you to peek into the nests of Barn Owls, bluebirds, Wood Ducks, and other birds for an up-close look at fascinating bird behavior. CamClickr will appeal not only to bird lovers, but to people who enjoy testing their skills with online games. When you help sort and tag the camera images, you collect points and compete for prizes such as binoculars, DVDs, books and posters. It’s easy and fun!

Why do we need your help? By using CamClickr to help tag and sort the NestCam images, you help scientists studying breeding bird behavior. The more we understand about bird behavior, the better equipped we are to understand how birds are responding to threats in their environment.

Just visit www.camclickr.org to create an account. This allows you to chat in the NestCam forums, tag photos, and track your stats in CamClickr anytime. You can check your rankings in “my sessions” to see how you stack up against other taggers. The redesigned CamClickr home page also provides the latest Twitter feeds. Educators will appreciate the newly developed lesson plan, appropriate for all ages, and easily modified for individualized instruction. You can watch videos of fascinating nesting behaviors from the Lab’s Macaulay Library.

Make it your summer project to help science and the birds—be a CamClickr!

Thank you for helping us help the birds.

Sincerely,

Tina Phillips, project leader
NestWatch, NestCams, CamClickr

nestwatch@cornell.edu

P.S. I’ve attached a CamClickr PDF flier you may find useful–pass it along!

“Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers.”

- Mignon McLaughlin

“What can be more foolish than to think that all this rare fabric of heaven and earth could come by chance, when all the skill of science is not able to make an oyster?”

—– Jeremy Taylor

[Most popular image on the blog! ]

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Addendum: So my yearly break to refresh and rejuvenate is over. I am back. The Spring rush has continued with a few projects I hope to be able to share down the road. Here on the blog.

Here’s to a good Summer and hoping all my Designer friends had a great Spring.

I will not be attending the APLD 20th year event in Portland.

In my opinion the conference does not have enough happening to justify the money and the valuable time it takes to attend.

I will miss the networking with friends(best part for me) which seems vacation-like. Right now I do not need to take that vacation.

The conference has little to do with time given to long-time APLD’ers to reflect, reminisce, and ponder the past.

I also thought it was slighty strange to go to the West Coast for the 20th. Actually more than slightly.

APLD was started in the NEast  part of the country and a lot of the founding members were in the late 40’s, 50’s and even 60’s add 20 years to that and now you are making a cross-country trip a little tougher . . . but then again why would the current board think about that.

If you are going to respect, honor and celebrate the founders . . . make it easy for the founders to attend the event

Seems very appropiate for the industry

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either.

Who takes credit for this?

Pearl Fryar

After all the commotion Pearl received on the documentary shown on HGTV and the traffic this blog received when I promoted the documentary, some more news and a request came about.

Friends of Mr. Fryar wanted all of you to be aware of this website and the big news:

The Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden has been designated a Preservation Project of the Garden Conservancy.

The Garden Conservancy is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to preserve exceptional gardens for public enjoyment and education. By facilitating access to diverse examples of our cultural heritage, the Conservancy encourages greater appreciation and stewardship of these fragile resources. Working in partnership with individual garden owners and public and private organizations, the Conservancy uses its legal, horticultural and financial resources to develop innovative methods of securing a garden’s future.

View the latest newsletter from the Garden Conservancy

To learn more about the Garden Conservancy and their preservation projects, visit www.gardenconservancy.org.

This is a big deal and major kudos to The group for getting Pearl this type of recognition and the forward thinking in saving a great garden.

More information can be found here about the gardens, the Conversancy, the DVD, and information about the plants in the garden. Good reading.

Ellen Louise Payson

I had read quite a bit about Gertrude Jekyll, and the American designer Beatrix Jones Farrand,  but very little about Ms. Payson.

Like Farrand, Louise Payson was known for her complex and detailed use of plant materials and for her hardscapes of walls and terraces. And while male landscape designers often distinguished themselves more on the drawing board than in the garden, Payson, like many in the sorority of designers who flourished during the so-called golden age of female landscape architecture between 1890 and 1940, was also a gardener who enjoyed getting her hands dirty. Being a Maine woman with roots in a state beloved by well-heeled rusticators may have given her the earthiness that defined her reputation.

Read the full story about her career and her life. A very accomplished woman and designer in a tough time to be successful in any endeavor.

Composition and Harmony 101

Another of those design principles that seems easy enough to explain but always turns into a very drawn out, complicated, mis-understood series of principles. I know harmony, you know harmony when you see it, you know when something isn’t harmonious; but dang’it try and explain why that is.

Same thing for composition, how things are put together and the perfect lay out for the designed space:

Composition is basically the arrangement of shapes, colors and elements in order to guide the reader’s eye making him understand and remember it, also looking pleasant. As we always say, there are no real rules for design, but there are principles that fits for most works. Don’t be completely restricted to what we say here, but know how to use it in your projects.

A good definition for line:

This element is important to indicate movement and make the layout flow. Being straight, curved, horizontal, vertical or diagonal can mean different things. The important thing is know how to use it, being explicit or not. Take a look at the images and see how the lines create a nice flow in different designs.

Texture explained in a few sentences:

The texture refers to the feeling you have about a surface, like rough, smooth, etc. It’s also related to repeated pattern on a surface. Using a nice texture can make your work much more rich and interesting. The images show texture as a surface and as the whole image.

Also good definitions on Balance, Positive/negative, the Golden Ratio,Rule of Thirds, and a few more. The accompanying pictures help reinforce those definitions. The article is directed to graphic design but good design principle is good design principle.

Growing a garden in Washington D.C.

Reading Adrian Higgins letter to the 1st Lady Michelle Obama almost had me in tears . . . from laughing. Gardening in D.C. is no picnic, no picnic at all. Lots of hard work, and some good luck, with a huge dash of timing thrown in.

A well written piece and to top it off some good advice for those who think vegetable gardening is about a plot of land and throwing some seeds on the ground.

I sure hope the Secret Service doesn’t pull weeds.

I got 1st dibs!!!

Check it out and prepare to spend some time in exploration. The site is 1st Dibs and the intent is shopping, lots of shopping and exploring.

Flora’s blog

This was the 1st image I saw when I opened the blog, and it’s a good one.

Wow, a real work of living art. Clicking on the image will take you to Kevin Smiths blog and some more fascinating and creative work. Really great stuff.

Before you go scroll down through the work on Flora’s blog, more solid work, inspirational, and creative. Nicely done blog.

Final Thought(s)

My take on links is that a blogger should only link to thing/thoughts/ideas/works that appeal to the writer. Is a given that I must be writing something that appeals to you my readers; or heck .. .  . . . you wouldn’t be here.

I like to add my take on the sites because I feel it’s a real honest way of linking to other sites. My who, what, where, and why, or how.

Bloggers who just throw up a laundry list of links with no thoughts/comments doesn’t appeal to me and I do not expect it to appeal to you.

I’m sure most of you are like me and are extremely busy right now. Blogging and the landscape business in seasonal climates just do no match, so little time and so many demands.

Plus I have got to get my garden in!

The teaching of America’s youth moves onward:

Fifty Years of Math  1959-2009 (in the USA )

Last week we purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took our $2 and digging for change we found 8 cents and gave it to her.

She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register.

Sensing her discomfort we tried to tell her to just give us two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help.

While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried.

Why do I tell you this?

Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

Teaching Math In 1950s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the pr ice. What is his profit ?

Teaching Math In 1960s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1970s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

Teaching Math In 1980s

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1990s

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20.

What do you think of this way of making a living?

Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it’s ok.)

Teaching Math In 2009

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?