I have been out in the garden again ... very early mornings, or late evenings because of the heat ... I have a feeling we  are going to have a very hot summer ...

My roses are beginning their second bloom,,,

I don't have as many blooming as in early Spring 2012 but they are still quite striking

I have several bulbs coming up, this is one I had thought had died...an Amaryllis that is about 10 years old (the kind you get at Christmas and plant in a pot and watch grow to ginormous size), well, it is still really big ... has two blooms, and takes about 12 in. of space across, and is almost 3 ft tall ...

a very showy plant that my Mother gave me one Christmas ... after it got really spinney looking  when the weather permitted I planted it outside, and it has re bloomed every year since with little or no care :-)

This is a photo of one of our rosebushes; I took it after I had watered late one evening, it was actually almost dark ... I used a flash, and was really impressed with how the photos turned out! (One of those wonderful happy accidents that are so appreciated in photography!)

Looks almost fairytale like :-) the effect is from the water on the plant, the flash, and the soft movement due to a slight breeze, I doubt I can duplicate these shots, they just sort of happened!!!

Another one of those wonderful happenings ... when you snap the photo at just the right time ... the bird turned out so majestic looking!!!

Do you see him??? Yes the Baby Rabbit is still here, and getting really big
I am so happy he returned ... I know it is the same one because he immediately
went to his favorite sleeping spot the day he returned, and uses it daily!

He is so much fun to watch, he has no name we just call him Mr.Rabbit yes, he is a he ... he has

a lady rabbit friend that comes to visit, and they can be hilarious ... on Memorial

Day they were running around the yard like crazy ... he was pursuing her, and she

was acting coy...then as he would approach she would be off and running ... it even

startled the birds that were in the yard ... I never knew rabbits could run so fast...

I'm pretty certain it was some sort of mating game, I made a little film of the chase

and want to add music to it ... a slapstick sort of thing ...they were so cute, so funny,

so innocent ... animals are such a joy ...

Arita :-)

Beef Tips mushrooms, and carrots ...
This recipe, I make taste really yummy by adding the spices to taste;
I add what I think will taste good, adjusting as I go as needed. Works out well for me...

Saute Mushrooms in a bit of olive oil and add some Chervil AKA Gourmet Parsley
and a bit of chopped garlic...

Add carrots, and braised beef tips and some Fenugreek (Fenugreek has taste of burnt sugar, I like to use in hearty stews soups and salads) I like the taste it gives the vegetables and the meat...
and saute a bit more...sprinkle on lightly a little black pepper

Next I have added warm water and one beef  cube and just a small touch of flour...the flour is about 2 Tablespoons mixed with a little of the liquid before adding to the skillet so will not make doughy globs...

add about 1 tablespoon of sour cream to make sauce  more glossy...

All done!!! ... I served the skillet meal with a loaded small baked potato, and a green salad ...
was pretty yummy!!! Arita :-)

Harem Pants and how to make them!



These instructions are via a hand-out that was given to us at one of the Bellydance classes at one of the collegesand the resulting pants turned out quite nice! I have enjoyed mine very much!

Very easy to make and fun to wear, I used a black satiny material for one pair and a dark green satiny material for another pair. Another really easy way to create a Harem Pant to dance in is to purchase some satiny or silky pajamas that are several sizes too large for you, in whatever color you like, then add elastic to the bottom edges of the pajama legs and viola blousy looking Harem Pants!

and...finally if you have no idea how to Bellydance there are several books, DVDs and CD's available for free at your local Public Library ... check some out, and in no time you will be shimming with the best of them. I found several classes available at Recreation Centers, and at our Jr. College, which I attended and, was able to quickly learn quite a few of the moves...there has been one I really enjoy going to at the YMCA, which I attend as often as I can :-)

Hint: Keep eye out for pretty scarfs, belts, and pretty tops in colorful sheer materials... one can never have too many of those...Arita :-)

Hi! :-) getting back into dancing ... great exercise, and is fun!

Now that the weather is starting to get hot really early in the morning, I think I will begin to exercise more in house...

Gardening and working in the yard is a favorite of mine ...

Fresh air, sunshine, and pretty flowers ... what is there not to love about that ... except when it starts getting uncomfortably hot ... weather wise....

I have tried all sorts of dance exercise, but keep coming back to trying to learn the art of Bellydancing, it is a dance art form that is great for everyone, every size, every age, even while expecting a child ... Belly Dance is great for all!

Men and women can benefit from all the different moves, it tones our bodies and relaxes our minds...

the costumes are so much fun, its makes one feel beautiful, exotic, and in men handsome debonair ...

Although there are more female Belly Dancers there are some men that have perfected the art too!

Costuming is fairly easy to come by ... and if one is even slightly good at sewing, one can create some stunning outfits ... with some beads, bangles, and colorful scarfs ... long hair wigs and headpieces can add to the look too, for men head bandannas, colorful vests, sashes and pirate looking pants work really well ... for me the costuming really helps me get into the dance moves much better :-) than if wearing just a plain exercise leotard ... I find the costuming as exciting as the dance!



Feeling all in the groove here :-)

colorful makeup, veils and soft lights ... makes one feel pretty glam :-D

Yep Zee Bellydance is great ... and known to really tone ... need to do lots of dancing over here :-)

Will include some instructions on how to make a pair of Harem Pants in separate post, easy to do, and look really neat!

(am wearing a black satin pair combined with lots of my jingles and jangles!)

Arita :-)







We have been making more jewelry here at home! :-) :-)

 and, I think that we are getting better at this ... the jewelry classes that we have been taking at our Jr. College have been the best! It is ... getting easier to put our ideas together into wonderful pieces ...the first time around ... at first it was do, and  re-do ...

"Because to us it is very important to us that each piece be as perfectly made as humanly possible"



This is a  Sterling with Red Accents
Creation by both my Hubby and Me...

This is a Crystal and Pearl Creation by Moi

This is Sterling with Blue accents ... really pretty when light hits it..


The little baby rabbit is still coming to visit and is so cute ... we see him most mornings ... he must be our little Muse...

He has lots of Bird Buddies ... and yesterday  a little baby squirrel turned up ... my daughter commented I was beginning to

remind her of Snow White :-D

Our flowers are looking lovely ... lots of new bulbs are blooming, the roses are trying to re-bloom, alas the weeds are florishing too ... have lots of yard work to get back to...
Arita...

March 14th!!!! A few more of the PICS I took while happily finding that the Baby Rabbit was  scampering about in our yard and OK! He looked a bit wary, a little thinner, but OK ...

Hey, maybe he was with his rabbit family celebrating Mom's Day ... Yes, I know he was gone for days, but perhaps it was a long journey ;-)  (tongue in cheek)

I do realize he is a wild rabbit and he could already have left once more as I sit here posting the Yeaaaa he is back stuff ... we have no real pets of our own; our health issues would make it hard to even care for a goldfish ... so we enjoy all that nature has to offer, the birds, the little wild critters, and of course the flowers, the sunsets, and early morning's beauty...  isn't life grand!!!! :-)

Bird in flight over our yard...

Wheeeeeee floating on air...

So beautiful ...

 Bird on our fence

 Bird at Bath

 The Wanderer returned..

till next time Arita...



A coincidence? There is a small tear in the screen of one of my bedroom windows which I keep telling myself to repair. How did it get there ... I do not know, except that it has been there for awhile.

 This morning I kept hearing a tap-tap-tap, and a rustling type noise...actually it woke me up; it was after 9am and I was sleeping in. It was so persistent a noise that a got up to look out the window, and there sat a bird pulling at the tear in the screen with his long beak ... and creating the tapping noises.

I tapped on the window to shoo him away...he flew to a small table by my garden and proceeded to sit there and make loud tweeting sounds, then several of his bird friends joined him in the loud chirping sounds, or whatever one might call the racket they were now making ... it was weird, there they sat flapping their wings, and loudly singing??? It was more like a scene from the long ago movie "The Birds" I believe that is what it was titled ... great movie and  kinda scary....

I told my Honey how weird the birds were acting and he said, "they probably want you to throw them some bread pieces" and I thought well maybe so...still I felt like they were trying to get my attention about ? I ventured out thinking about the movie, bread in hand waiting to get bird attacked :-/ at any moment...I wondered about the yard and saw a dead baby bird at the base of one of our shade trees...and wondered could that have been what the birds were excited into making all the noise and the pecking/tearing of the window by one of them? I carefully buried the little bird towards the back of the yard (his Christian Burial)  while the birds happily went about eating their pieces of bread...

(well I couldn't just leaving him laying there, the ants and all were after him...)

I decided to water some of my plants ... and out scampered a certain someone I had been looking for for over a week...

how about now :-D

Yep, Mr. Baby Rabbit was in the yard ... was that why the birds were acting strange ... who knows

but sort of seems like could have been that way. Like, get up...get up...and come and see who is back!

OK sounds far out, but what other explanation ... for such unusual animal behaviour....

 Hey There....

Helloooo!

Welcome back ...  (this is the type bird that was doing the window pecking)

Another Bird Bud ... Hey where ya been????

Awww my fav place to nap...

ehhhh don't get it too damp.....

What cha trying to do ...  this is my bed not a swimming pool...





Yes, he is back, I'm going to try and not get too attached ... Right!!! :-D I know its the same rabbit because he immediately went to his favourite spot in our yard!

Is he cute or what!!!!  Arita :-)

We are missing one crazy wild baby rabbit if you see him send him home.....

We have not seen him in our yard anymore....

We had gotten so used to him scampering about while we worked in our yard....

and last saw him the second week of May 2012

There are two new big dogs in yard next door sure hope he just got spooked away and not hurt ...

A couple of days ago the big black bird that ALSO hangs out in our backyard was running about in the rain going from one part of the yard to another ... it suddenly dawned on me that he was visiting the places the little  rabbit usually frequented, my Honeybear and I watched from inside our house as the black bird ran  through the rain, hopping about for several minutes, and getting soaked (it was raining hard) before he finally gave up ... it sounds crazy I know, but we are convinced that what he was doing was searching for the baby rabbit ... just like he has seen us doing...

Today is Mother's Day May 13, 2012 I had a nice day, real nice weekend ... would of been even nicer if the little Rabbit would have shown up for a visit and kept me company while I set out some new plants ... unbelievable how much we have missed him/her and with the big dogs next door most likely will have no more little rabbits visiting our yard ... oh well its been nice while it lasted ...

 Arita



This is a post I had wanted to include earlier: but I was having problems adding my photos, so here it is a bit out of sequence ... but just as fun ;-)  ... I could use a couple of smiles ... and you?

A rather little weird looking baby...

 Hmmm where is he???

There he is ... ;-D



 ;-)

and ... There he goes ....

Hidden behind ... or blends well with plant and foliage....?

Well OK, so I have a bit too much time on my hands ... laughing here, really trying to keep myself occupied ... have a doctor appointment for both me and the Hubby on Wednesday morning, and am hoping will be good news, our health has not been the greatest lately :-/

These Pics should be a cute little treat for our little Granboys! :-D