Green Border-Land

Green Border-Land

"All that I have accomplished or expect or hope to accomplish, has been and will be by that plodding, patient, persevering process of accretion which builds by the ant-heap, particle by particle, thought by thought, fact by fact." -- Elihu Burritt

LadyD Books is participating in Quote It Saturday and Flowers on Saturday. You'll want to stop by and see all of the beautiful photos and excellent quotes from these wonderful sites.

How this all came about:

I was taking a morning walk around the mountainside and came across this lovely display of colorful flowers. I realized someone had planted them from snippets or cuttings from somewhere. Perhaps their early beginnings began from a variety of little seeds. The thought of being patient while gardening, will always produce a plethora of flowers to enjoy.

American philanthropist and social activist.

So, who was this guy?

The American advocate of world peace Elihu Burritt (1810-1879), called the "Learned Blacksmith," conceived measures that helped internationalize the 19th-century pacifist movement.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/burritt-elihu#ixzz1cBCgjlsC

Just a little bit of biography:

During his time in Birmingham he lived in a modest house in the then still rural village of Harborne to the west of the town. The house which he named New Britain Villas still stands. He was actively involved the local community, taking part in the committee for the rebuilding of the nearby St. Peter's Church. He recorded his thoughts on the industrialization of communities in the nearby Black Country in his book, Walks in the Black Country...

During a trip abroad in 1846–47, he was deeply touched by the suffering of the Irish peasantry. In 1848, he organized a precursive entity to the League of Nations and the United Nations called the first international congress of the Friends of Peace, which convened in Brussels in September, 1848. A second "Peace Congress" met in Paris in 1849 presided over by Victor Hugo. Burritt attended the "Peace Congresses" at Frankfort on the-Main in 1850, London in 1851, Manchester in 1852, and Edinburgh in 1853. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elihu_Burritt

Book Description

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact or are introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Walks In The Black Country And Its Green Border-land

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis

InLinkz.com

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Honey White Bread

Cookbook about everyday recipes you'll make over and over again.

Book Beginnings

"Something smells really good!" my husband, Jeffrey, exclaims every Friday night when he walks in the front door."

How to participate:

Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you would like, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. The link-up will be at A Few More Pages every Friday and will be open for the entire week.

The Friday 56

"So many of my dishes call for 'good white bread' and many people have emailed me to say they have trouble finding it. I don't usually spend time making bread, but this recipe is foolproof. Baking two loaves means you'll have one for now and one for the freezer."
Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again

How to participate:

Grab a book, any book. Turn to page 56. Find any sentence that grabs you. Post it. Add your link to The Friday 56

Honey White Bread

1/2 cup warm water

2 packages dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups warm whole milk

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooked

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

2 extra-large egg yolks

5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Place the water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. If the bowl is cold, be sure the water temperature doesn't drop below 110 degrees. Add the yeast and sugar; stir and allow them to dissolve for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, butter, and honey. Mix on medium speed until blended. Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of flour, and the salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low speed, add just enough remaining flour so the dough doesn't stick to the bowl. Add the flour slowly; you can always add more but you can't take it out. Knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a minute, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a bowl with butter, put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over so the top is lightly buttered. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in volume.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven 350 degrees. When the dough is ready, brush the tops with the egg white and bake the breads for 40 to 45 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped. Turn them out of the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Looks like we're moving towards the holidays with lots of baking. I used to make bread from scratch and still do occasionally. Why I even bought a bread machine years ago and always seem to try a new recipe or two. Do you have a favorite bread recipe? How I love the smell of a loaf of fresh baking in the oven and afterwards!

Book Blogger Hop at http://crazy-for-books.com/2011/10/book-blogger-hop-1028-1031.html asked,

“What is your favorite Halloween costume?
Even if you don’t celebrate, what kinds of costumes do you like?”

In this case, I would say a chef or French maid... something about aprons!

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis

InLinkz.com

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Using Picnik to Improve Your Image

Original Photo: My View

Along the way (via the internet), I have discovered some exciting sites that have helped me with photography. I recently started experimenting with my D200 camera and realized just how much there is to learn in the photography world.

HDR Effect

There is a site where you can decorate, frame and add text to your photo, called http://picnik.com

Softening

Did you know that you can use Picnik without leaving your blog post? Just click on your photo and you will see, "Edit Image." Click on it and there you go! you've arrived at the place to edit your photo.

Now, I usually don't use these many images in my post but I wanted to share some cool editing.

One can create stunning pictures with contrast scenes at http://www.hdrsoft.com/

You can do really interesting twists to your photos (like the one above) from a site I discovered at:
http://pixlr.com/o-matic/

So, I turned the same photo into a blue sky at dusk, adding some glowing bats for a fun trick-or-treat dusk scene. You can do all these fun things at this site, http://www.befunky.com/

Are there other photo sites that you've discovered online? I love Flickr and Photo Bucket, too. I'm sure there are tons of information to google on this subject. What works well for you?

If you love photography and want to learn from the best pros (I'm a newbie), please join us for Skywatch Friday

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis

Wordless Wednesday: Off the Beaten Path

Off the beaten path... a new trail!

Wordful Wednesday:

20 kid-lit books off the beaten path:

I was pleased to see this beautiful children's counting book (with colorful illustrations) My Granny Went To Market by Stella Blackstone on Offbeatmama.com

Then you'll find http://www.steamboatbooks.com/kids-next-lists for recycled books, book clubs and more!

Plus, there's a beautiful blog called (of course), Off The Beaten Path.

From the Editors of Reader's Digest

Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Guide to More Than 1000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting

Have you ever found yourself off the path? Perhaps have slipped along the way? Maybe you've blazed a new trail!!

MY PATH IN THE WOODS

I went for a walk

after the snow

and I knew others had been there before

for the path I was on

was well beaten down

and it held my attention

no more

For the path well-trod

leads to despair

and is surfaced with dusty schemes

The path I prefer

I'll carve it myself

and pave it with elegant dreams

Yes

I once walked there

on the path well-trod

but my footprints I never could find

for they were all mixed and mingled therein

with the others

I walked behind

So I left the path

and I walked in the woods

and when I turned I could see

the most beautiful trail there in the snow

created only by me

My trail wasn't straight

nor was it wide

it wandered where ever I pleased

but the beauty I saw

could never be seen

from that well-trod path through the trees

Alone in the woods

I shed a tear

and gave the Lord thanks that day

for just one thing He gave to me

-the courage

to break away

But the tear that I shed

wasn't really for me

‘twas for the many who fear to be free

from the well-trod path

that shackles their souls

and shrouds their destiny

For on the well-trod path

nothing can grow

save for a few dusty schemes

But on the trail you carve yourself

you'll find

the most elegant dreams
Marty Rickard

I'd like to give a Shout Out to The Blog Guidebook! I am a follower and have learned lots from them!

Happy WW! On the trail, what have you found along the way?

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis

InLinkz.com

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Under the Jacaranda

The Ballad of the Jacaranda

"Walked six years, that way,
And watched this new suburb’s trend.
Near Mysore Highway,
Close to Bengaluru’s end.
Three storeys tall, stood,
This awesome tree-spread, so pretty.
Blue blossoms, good wood,
Half acre’s canopy.
‘Neath with sun-warmings,
Faded blue a carpet rose.
Of fallen, dried awnings,
Nature’s cycle, as it goes.
Hanging Traffic Lights,
Often, brushed by its branches.
Red light, hid from sights,
Officials, took no chances.
The machinery,
Was then set into motion.
People versus tree,
Few friends, one odd emotion.
The huge saws came in,
Chopping through, the whole, big tree,
Adding noise and din,
Workmen yelled, ‘Timber!’ in glee.
The earthmovers filled,
The gaping hole with rubble.
The tree was thus killed,
At great cost and much trouble.
The decorators,
Carted leaves to weddings halls.
Such deft creators,
Blooms to florists’ stalls.
The carpet-pile, twigs and chips,
All collected, swept,
Offals for funeral trips,
Departed unwept.
Their nests and hives gone,
The birds and the bees hovered,
Twittered , buzzed, flew on,
Their losses unrecovered.
The tree’s life on earth,
Cut short, for sale by auction.
Fetched a pittance’s worth,
The wood went for a fraction.

Traffic lights are safe now,
No mix-up of colour red.
Strange.. Green light, some how,
Blinks. Reminder of the dead.
Jacaranda tree,
God dressed your kind soul in wood.
You would have lived free,
You would have, lived, If you could."

-- Rita Joyce Singh, India

Jacaranda

"Purple majesty framed in the sky,
Like a magnificent painted cloud.
There is not one that can deny,
Your beauty as you stand so proud.

There is no tree that can compare,
And few there are that can keep in stride.
You're Helen of Troy, a beauty so rare,
Blushing purple, a most lovely bride.

Royal thou art, and I can attest,
Thine purple beauty is so unique.
Head and shoulders above the rest,
Only a fool would dare critique.

Thine beauty makes the birds entone,
While in thy shade, they do repose.
The most beautiful, harmonius, heartfelt songs,
Tiny feathered poets, reciting prose.

Like a dream lovers, violet eyes,
The purple bells beckon in the breeze.
All agree and no one denies,
Jacaranda's beauty, the eyes doth please."

In memory of a great lady, the one with the Jacaranda eyes, The one and only Queen of the silver screen, Ms. Elizabeth Taylor.

-- Juan Olivarez

Jacaranda

"We agree on this,
it’s never been so gray.
The sky won’t rain.
The concrete entrance drive,
the stucco portico.
In the wings, old people

kept from dying.
We’ve got a hundred papers
to sign. We’re at a loss
for florid verse. And yet,
when no one’s listening,
we beg each other

for a word. Out the window
a jacaranda — exotic tree
with extravagant
cerulean blooms in summer —
droops its winter-
feathered leaves.

Imagine her in blue
boas, flamenco on a breeze.
Imagine
so we can’t forget.
At the tip of every twig
a castanet."

-- Taylor Graham

Teng Biao: To my wife, from jail

"Presently as I confront prison walls,
Now I write this poem for you, my Love, my Lady, my Wife.
Even tonight, the stars glitter in the cold sky of apparent isolation.
Glowworms yet appear and disappear among the shrubs.
Please explain to our child why I did not have a chance
to bid her farewell. I was compelled to embark on a long journey away from home.
And so, everyday before our daughter goes to bed,
And when she awakes in the morning,
I will entrust to you, my Lady, my Love, my Wife:
I entrust to you, my warm kisses on our daughter’s cheeks.
Please let our child touch the herbs beneath the stockade.
In the morning on a beautiful sunlit day,
If she notices the dew on the leaves,
She will experience my deep love for her.
Please play the Fisherman’s Song every time you water the cloves.
I should be able to hear the song, my love.
Please take good care of our silent but happy goldfish.
Hidden in their silence are memories of my glamourous and turbulent youth.
I tread a rugged road,
But let me reassure you: I have never stopped singing, my Love.
The leaves of the roadside willow tree have gradually changed colour.
Some noises of melting snow approach from afar.
Noises are engulfed in silence. This is just a very simple night.
When you think of me, please do not sigh, my Love.
The torrents of my agonies have merged with the torrents of my happiness.
Both rivers now run through my mortal corpse.
Before the drizzle halts,
I would have returned to your side, my Lady.
I cannot dry your tears while I am drenched in rain;
I can do so only with a redeemed soul after these times of testing."

(I wrote this on 7 March 2008, on the second day after I lost my freedom. At that time, I was not sure how long I needed to stay there before I would be released. So I simply treated the jail as my home. I meditated in front of the walls, practiced my writing and composed some poetry. I initially wrote this on a piece of paper, which was confiscated by the guard. I was released in the afternoon of 8 March 2008. That evening I wrote this down from memory. Until now, I still have no idea where I have been “jailed”.) Teng Biao

Under the Jacaranda is a wee-little one!

I feel most fortunate to have a Jacaranda Tree surrounding me with its shade and beauty. I often gaze up towards its elegant blossoms (purple is one of my favorite colors) and feel the warmth of the sun through its lacy, delicate leaves. Underneath our beautiful jacaranda tree, is a very cute grandson discovering the texture and beauty of nature that surrounds him.

Hoping you will take the time to feel the earth and its peaceful surroundings where you are.
LadyD Books will be participating in these memes today.