{Relationships are like Mushrooms}

When husband Pieter was V.P. Training & Development for Campbell's, he designed this:

Relationships 

are like mushrooms

Some could kill you

Some could give you hallucinations

and some are absolutely delicious

So you pick

what you want

Would you agree with this quote by Pieter J.C. Vedder?

Related links:

modern mushroom growing 2020 harvesting | post about our newest publication

1984 Community News Campbell's Fresh Mushrooms with Pieter J.C. Vedder | short video where Pieter gives his favorite answer... Don't forget to click on CC for subtitles and closed caption in English!

{Cindy Crawford - Role Model & Super Model}

One of the Super Models that I've always admired is Cindy Crawford, as she also is a Role Model.

Cindy lost her brother Jeff to Leukemia when she was 9 years old and she has two sisters, Chris and Danielle.

Cindy Crawford FB Page ←click link to above photo with text.

Cindy Crawford has been and still is down to earth.

"To make money as a young girl, I worked in a store, cleaned houses & worked in cornfields. When I started modeling I treated it like a job, not a lifestyle".

Cindy Crawford FB Page ←click link to above photo with text.

 "I didn't smoke or bake in the sun | The payoff is in your 40s and beyond"

Cindy Crawford FB Page ←click link to above photo with text.

"I don't look the same as I did 20 years ago, nor should I. Sometimes I get that little pang, like 'Oh, bummer, I wish I did.' But at the same time, I see my children and I see them growing up and I look at my husband and the marriage that we've worked on and have together, and if all that is good and working, it's a lot easier to be kind to your little fine lines or where gravity's gotten the better of you".

Cindy Crawford FB Page ←click link to above photo with text.
I never liked the term "supermodel." It sounded silly, like we changed into capes in a telephone booth. But for what it's worth...here's my model-in-a-cape meets #wonderwoman moment for you!

How did you pull off your career without Instagram?

Fun video above; just click on link!

{You can demand courtesy but you have to earn respect}

Sometimes in life we come in a situation where certain quotes do speak volumes.

Our Double Almond Tree was blooming and I used this photo for the quote.

"You can demand courtesy but you have to earn respect." — Lawrence Goldstone

Related link:

{Do you have a Prunus triloba double almond?} | previous post by me

LAWRENCE GOLDSTONE BIO | Interesting to read his background info...

{Happy with my Escada Stretch Pants}

On Good Friday, April 3, it was already lovely weather and we were out in the garden and our gazebo.

Happy with my Escada Stretch Pants

Never we can walk alone, there is always that cat-magnet and they love to be held and cuddled.

This is Bandido, Spooky's brother and one of the four remaining siblings.

Sure, picking them up, you get covered in pollen as that is everywhere around this time.
Yes, I'm also chained... wearing my 22 kt gold belly chain since the 90s when we lived and worked in Indonesia.

Also love my suede Cole Haan lace-up boots for walking!

Speckie is on the floor...

These pants do have some velvet strips along the sides in a very dark brown, almost black.

Haha, pollen on the floor, and left is Bandido, center is Speckie and Barty to the right...
That's one of my favorite weekday stretch pants.

{CATWALK}

After our felines get their supper, we do love to do the CATWALK with them!

Crossing one bridge and walking the entire loop through the wood garden that is and back over the other bridge...

This is Spooky, following us as close as a doggy would do.

Loves to roll in the dry sand!

Tail up as his HAPPY SIGN...

Looking nice!

This is Barty, on his 11th Birthday... also rolling of course!

Nice, flipping over and looking like a DIRT DEVIL

They would love it if I did roll alongside with them!

Barty loves to play hide and seek between the daffodils.

This year we had so much green but few flowers...

Barty talking to me...

Spooky looking for Barty...

Watch out Spooky, as Barty will jump out from those daffodils and scare you!

Behind the home again and Barty looking happy. Still wanting some more snacks of course!

Spunky-girl was too lazy after supper to walk the CATWALK

She just engaged in her lazy driveway stretches!

{Our Azaleas Before the Rain}

We have had now several days with heavy rain and that is not so good for blooming azaleas and other blossoms... But here are some photos from our azaleas before the rain:

Are those flowers not a DREAM?

To the left you can see the newly raised, wood trail, as seen from the gazebo. Pond is to the right and center.
You can see those raised edges from the wood trail here:→ {Cashmere Words of Wisdom & Update} - just scroll down to the last 2 photos.

Very lush and healthy!

Greenhouse in the back...

Glad I captured these before they got heavily rained upon!

{Chinese Redbud & Bumble Bee}

We do have a very special Chinese Redbud that started blooming by mid March.

Below this post, you find a link to a previous post with more photos.

But here you see a Bumble Bee enjoying the pollen from its flowers.

Quite striking too, for seeing new flowers next to some old seed pods...

Related link:
{Our Cercis canadensis 'Apalachian Red' & Cercis chinensis 'Avondale'} | previous post by me

{Jealousy Stands in the Way of Success}

Often in life we read and see around us, people that always criticize and blame others for their failure.

As MaryEllen best described it: 'Eliminate The Jealousy Factor And Success Will Follow' ←click for link to her article.

The Success Indicator ←click for link

by MaryEllen Tribby

Successful People: Compliment - Forgive others - Accept responsibility for their failures - Keep a journal - Want others to succeed - Keep a 'to-be' list - Set goals and develop life plans - Continuously learn - Operate from a transformational perspective - Keep a 'to-do/project' list - Embrace change - Exude joy - Share information and data - Talk about ideas - Read everyday - Give other people credit for their victories - Have a sense of gratitude.

 Unsuccessful People: Criticize - Hold a grudge - Blame others for their failures - Say they keep a journal but really don't - Think they know it all - Operate from a transactional perspective - Secretly hope others fail - Don't know what they want to be - Never set goals - Exude anger - Hoard information and data (Yep, Scraped Content!) - Talk about people - Fly by their seat of their pants - Fear change - Watch TV everyday - Take all the credit for their victories - Have a sense of entitlement.

Guess we all can relate to the above!

From the above link of MaryEllen's article, she is citing the success of Ann Curry as read in the USA Today: 'Here's how working mom Ann Curry makes it all work' ←click the link to the article.

The message from highly successful Ann Curry about working Moms and their children:

Tell them you love them — a lot.

'You can never tell them too many times. Let them roll their eyes,' says Curry. 'Life can sometimes be, for all of us, a bully and you need to have money in the bank, that love is money, to get you through all the way to the end. Every time you say 'I love you,' you're putting money in the bank. You're not always going to be there to put money in the bank, so I say you got to stock up so it will last a long time.'

Some very valuable life's lessons!

In our career as International Consultants, we too have always emphasized the points that are listed to the left in this infographic.

{Our Violets}

Mid March we have lots of lovely wood violets, mainly in our wood garden but also in other areas of our garden. So I did gather some for filling a tiny silver vase.

Wood Violets have such pretty faces, also their curved flower head looks very special.

Just so you can see their size, I've added a $ 0.10 piece for comparison.
For back ground I selected a spot with moss...

Sunlight can be quite striking in combination with these lovely flower heads!

Who would NOT love them?

One last closeup and than we say goodbye till 2016.

Related link:

{Happy Easter} | previous post by me
{Our Wild Violets} | previous post by me

{Pussy Willow from Cuttings}

We did have a Weeping Pussy Willow three years ago but we lost it when our creek got flooded. But last year while shopping at Whole Foods Market in Atlanta, we did buy a bouquet of Pussy Willows with the intent to grow them from these cuttings. Even though they're not the Weeping variety that we lost, but it worked and look:

Here it is, a young Pussy Willow Shrub from Cuttings!

Nicely close to the creek in its natural habitat where they thrive best.

Near our first bridge across the creek into our wood garden.

Mid March they did give us so much joy and they look beautiful!

No doubt these tiny shrubs will bigger over time and let me cut again a bouquet for in a vase.

There is even a spider living in the top part of this little shrub!

Spiders seem to prefer them as this one too shows some cob web threads.

Both of us grew up with plenty of Pussy Willows in the area where we grew up so we're quite pleased with these five new shrubs!

Do you have a Pussy Willow in your garden?

Related link:
{Salix Caprea Pendula - Weeping Pussy Willow} | previous post by me

{Our Fragrant 1916 Heirloom Thalia Narcissus & Spooky-boy}

On March 17, I could make some lovely photos from our fragrant heirloom 1916 Thalia Orchid Narcissus, accompanied by our Spooky-boy. 

They really look like Orchids these Thalia Narcissus!

Not that many flowers this year but still beautiful with the blue Ipheion in the front.

Our Spooky-boy joining me and posing in front of my camera...

Beautiful blue stars; Ipheion is a lovely spring flower bulb.

Our felines live in paradise!

Spooky-boy is a dreamer...

Related links:
{Ipheion A Constellation of Blue Stars } | previous post by me
{Heirloom 1916 Thalia Orchid Narcissus & Ipheion Star Flower in Our Garden} | previous post by me
{Our fragrant 1916 heirloom Thalia - latest of our Daffodils} | previous post by me