This is a total this and that post.
How are all of you? It’s sorta quiet, like sleeping puppies.
Or lollygagging in the sun, under great huge umbrellas.
Maybe ocean waves involved too?
What ever are you up to?
It’s totally 150% summer in the gypsy garden.
And the garden bath beckons big time.
The big tree canopies over the wagon, and spiders have millions of babies.
Yay?
Well, yay for them, eeeeks for us.
Meanwhile in the studio…
Ballerinas flutter in.
Billowing dresses take shape…
While Mister Matty hangs out as my permanent shadow.
Hello there Mattley.
Little heads come to life…
As solder sputters about.
Wet paint on pretty faces…
Meets pencil on canvas…
Basil break.
Oh basil, how I missed you.
How I longed for your scent.
Oh……
Finding weird self photos.
Like, so weird – taken in a mirror so old and wavy…
That my face and nose are all weirdly distorted…
Making me totally look like a creature from The Dark Crystal, freaky.
I’ve been stalking the grape vines.
I can’t wait!!
Meanwhile, my little avocado nuts finally begin to break open, after over 1.5 months.
Here’s some tips on growing your own little avo tree.
It’s so fun.
We eat about 3-5 avocados a week in this house.
And have sprouted little avo seeds in years past.
Sometimes I try to sprout the nuts more often, but mostly they go into the compost.
The last couple of months I started oodles of them.
All you need is the nut/seed, a glass of water and 3 toothpicks.
Then, all you do is wash your nut and put toothpicks in it to aid in suspending it in a glass of water.
Pointy side of the nut goes up, rounded bottom goes in the water.
Like so…
Several weeks later, if you are lucky and diligent, and make sure there is always water in your glass…
You will see some roots, and a sprout sneaking up.
Then just follow some tips such as these.
And after a little while, you will have one snazzy house plant.
You might not get avocados for 7-15 years if at all, once your tree is in the ground.
I personally like to keep them as beautiful house plants, that love shade and are super low care.
Fun fun.
Grow avocado plants/trees.
It’s so fun.
And adds a little something to look forward to everyday.
Spying on the little big seeds from time to time.
As for daily stuff.
The ghosties are at it again.
Messing up my room, throwing doors open.
Darn ghosts.
See em?
🙂
Ears are such strange things aren’t they?
But, smart move in human creation.
I mean, how ever would our sunglasses stay up without ears and a nose bridge?
Odd ear things.
And what about putting your hair behind your ears?
Yep, brilliant.
Much like, two little sculptures you get to wear on the side of your head all day.
And night.
Ugly lil’ things we love.
OKay, well, off I go.
I finished most of my big projects and it’s studio time.
Oh oh, one thing…
This is sort of stinky but, for a couple weeks I have been chatting with so many of you in comments. At least I thought I was, but noticed day before yesterday, that nothing I said to anyone for weeks was posting. I wrote to my blog service, and they said, yep, it has not been working, so sorry.
So, all my silly tales and responses and chats with you are lost in the ether.
Ever so many of them.
Oh well.
One secret I did want to share is that…
Mister Mad Hatter?
He is not abused, I promise 🙂
(although I am certain he’d beg to tell you all the ways he is, ha!)
In fact, he dresses and jewels himself.
And gets into all sorts of shenanigans in costume, all on his own.
(that’s what I noticed about him when we first met, those curls and the debonair attire)
It’s hilarious, and sometimes, I have to ask him to remove some of the garb it’s so over the top.
He has acted and such, so this must be part of it.
Plus he’s been a musician his whole life, in bands and on stage.
So I guess he loves it.
He’s inspired!!!
And inspiring.
That one.
(and a pain in the tuches too, but who’s counting?)
Hahahahaa!
Okay, off I go for now.
See you soon.
Love, V
ps:
1 random thing for the day.
I would LOVE a mechanical music cabinet.
You?
(every single one in the video below is incredible)
pss: Sorta Important.
Okay so, guess what?
All those comments I was leaving you all, and even some from you, that disappeared into the ether?
They were in my blog service spam folder. OH MY!
All my own comments, hello spam.
And some of yours.
I just resuscitated them.
But they got published all jumbled, and some of them, were of some of you saying you wanted to be at the mad tea party. So please please please, if you don’t see your name on the list, let me know and I will fix it right away, k?
I would never leave anyone off the list intentionally, ever.
Typepad is working to fix the issue.
Love, V
Vanessa,
I too LOVE Avocado’s!!! I have about 10 pits that I am starting plants with. It is so fun to watch them grow!!! This time, I tried just planting a seed into dirt..so far, nothing but I know it takes time. I wonder if it will grow….The others well, I will root in water as usual🖤
Looking forward to joining you for tea🖤
xoxo
Dena
Dena, the ones I pop in the earth never grow… But the ones in a glass do. But guess what did grow?? I date pit!! A couple actually, and of course, that makes palm trees, hahahaa! xoxo
Oh the paint speckles on your creations intrigue me. You’re always up to something spectacular with colours and sparkles. Your mad hatter seems to be up to nonsense, which is the best thing to be up to in my opinion. And yes isn’t sir Remington such a little mini-Miles! Did Miles go through the gnawing on arms stage as well? I think we got the rambunctious one of the litter haha!
My, my, my Vanessa! Again you made my day!!! Love your garden, love your blog and love you!!!
Gollies has time flown or what! Here we are, all of a sudden, knee deep in summer. Queenie has been adventuring with a new dream toy, totally absorbing and throughly sparking wild, almost obsessive creativity. As the saying goes, gotta strike while the iron is hot and go with the muse. Alas, I’ve been very remiss regarding visits to your beautiful blog, head hanging low and heavy sigh. *sniff sniff* I’ll try to do better.
I’ve often wondered if you could grow avacado plants from the their big seeds within. They are such yumminess.
Furry love and have a great day.
Always, Queenie
You know, I’ve sprouted avocados before, but never really done much with them after that. I wonder how they’d do here?
I love the sound of those old musical cabinets!
I love this post. Looks like Mr. Lovee is have as good of time as you. Defiantly not abused…You made me smile, which is hard to do because I had a tooth pulled yesterday.
Thank you for the avocado information. I will put it to good use.
Vanessa..I always love visiting your blog! I remember growing avocados years ago..nice memory. LOVE the musical mechanical machines. My hubby bought me a little Christmas one I bring out once a year. Did I tell you turned me into a Maria Antoinette fanatic? LOL! Love the 2006 movie!
Thank you for your delightful post!
xo
Judy
We go thru avocados here too…but always buy em and have to wait a week till they ripen. I guess they suspended their ripening in the truck.. Love the Mad Hatter attire..will have to send u a pic of my Mad Hatter…mines not quite as creative as yours is. I did have to help him create. Mine has played guitar all his life and did play in a band when he was younger. We seem to be kinda kindred spirits.
My Father had a huge avocado tree in his living room for years,(like 12) it was temperamental, and loved only him. He had quite the green thumb. I remember him starting those seeds just like the ones you shared today, and would get that little twinkle in his eye every time one started to root. Thank You for sharing your post, it brought back those fun and fond memories of him for me. Your garden is absolutely delightful!
I love all this!
Oh! Oh! I adore musical mechanical cabinets! I was in Irvine years ago in an antique store and saw one for $100! My brother and myself, and a friend of his were there and I didn’t have the money on me at the time, but my brother’s friend did. I begged and begged for the friend to loan me the $100, but he said NO! The brat!!!
I had the money in the bank and was going to pay him immediately when I went to the bank. So…a treasure lost…as I called the antique store later and the musical cabinet was gone forever! They can be worth over $3,000 and I have seen them go for that much at antique auctions. Boo! Hoo! And it had all of the metal musical discs at least 15 different tunes. Rats!!!
Mr. Lovee is a character! So glad he enjoys dressing the ‘part’ for the Mad Hatter.
Oh, and I have grown avocado trees from the nut too. So much fun to see them sprout and grow!
Sorry you almost lost all of your replies and comments, but found them in your spam file. What a pain!
Hope the pump has been repaired on your well by now.
Stay cool! And speaking of cool, your new creations look way cool! Can’t wait to see them in your shop!!!
Bye! Bye!
Miss Teresa
http://amagicalwhimsy.blogspot.com/
I love that last photo. It looks like Mister Mad Hatter is leading the sweet fur boys in a mini parade!
I made the best sauce for fish with avocado, it had avocado, a bit of onion, chipolte hot sauce and dill. It was delish. I used to always have a carrot plant or sweet potato vine growing in the window. I saw something on Pinterest the other day with lemon seeds. I want to try it.
I love basil. Cilantro and basil are my faves. I break off leaves just to release the wonderful scent when I am watering my plants.
I think it is wonderful you have a Mad Hatter who has so much fun with his role. Lucky you.
OH…and I did see the ghosts in the photo behind you…how did you ever capture a photo of a real ghost???
I want a baby sir Remington again!!!!!
Sue!!! love you!
A new dream toy??? What could it be?? Queenie, I missed you!!
Kyra, where are you?
One thing I will say, they do great indoors any time of year here.
OH NO!! a tooth pulled pain??? Oh poor you!! xoxo
Oh Judy, I love it! Join the club!! 😉
When the movie came out on DVD I pt in on repeat for months in my studio 😉
Totally!!
Also – do you put your avocados in a brown paper bag, then roll it closed?
That makes them ripen faster 😉
Awe your dad.
Oh, waiting and watching those avocado pits is really something else.
I know the twinkly eye well 😉
Nope, no pump repair yet.
Isn’t the horrendous??
OH, quite the tresure lost for sure, I am sad now about that, haha!!
Wish you had it and were listening to it today 😉
Renee, I am making your fish sauce very soon.
Mmmm, sounds grand!
Vanessa the recipe is from Publix. One day I was in there and the guy was cooking the fish. He had all the ingredients in a display so I got everything I needed.
http://www.publix.com/aprons/meals/AllRecipes/SimpleMeal.do?mealId=7728&mealGroupId=1000 this is the link to the recipe.
Thanks never tried but I will with the two i just bought.. I thought we just had to wait it out!!
I love avocados, too. Have you ever had avocado PESTO? It’s amazing and sooo very good. I swap out pine nuts with walnuts – cannot even tell the difference, really. I can share the recipe I have with you. Creamy goodness! 🙂 I would be way too impatient waiting 7 years for a delicious ripe avocado. hee hee hee And I might just kill the plant, too. Bah! 🙂 Good to see Mr. Matty – he’s looking so good!