karen ponischil

I thought I’d start this entry with a few pics of my hydrangea bushes. As you can see the first hydrangea is a lovely purple. My favorite color. You may ask, how did I get them this color? Pickle juice! I water down any pickle brine that is left over in the jar and water the hydrangea with it.


Next is a pic of some of the most unique petunias I’ve every seen. They were so pretty, I had to go back and get enough for the container on my porch.

And this is the orchid that is on my office mantle. I’ve been wanting one for a long time and I finally said, “what the heck,” lets give it a try. Hope it lasts…especially since my green thumb isn’t too green lately.

This wonderful quilt is hanging in the children’s hospital in Chapel Hill. I spotted it when Patty and I were up there a couple Friday’s ago. It really jumped out at me. Was this done by Amy Stewart Windsor? There was no plaque and no one at the desk seemed to know. Please let me know who did this wonderful quilt. Below are a few detailed shots.




And this last work of art was also at the children’s hospital. It’s just darling. The artist is from California and her last name is Rosen.

Have you ever created something with one idea in mind…had someone look at it and see something totally different? That happened to me recently. I made a shawl for friend as a birthday gift. (I was careful to use colors that were in her palette. If I hadn’t everything would be violet.) My friend saw something more than a shawl….it’s now hanging in her living room above her couch. I must say it looks great! And, how exciting to have a piece of my work hanging in someone’s home!!
Below are a couple of pics.

Well, thanks to my cat Sandy I now have poison ivy/oak. I can’t believe I’m 40 something and I’ve never had it before. I usually get eaten every spring by mosquitoes with several bites on my legs but this is a first.
So, I’m pretty grossed out but at least I’ve got plenty to do at work…it keeps my mind off of the grossness, burning etc of it. I hope it dries up soon.

Here are a few pictures of Megan and Moonlight at this weekends horse show. Megan did great! She won two 5th place ribbons and a 3rd place ribbon. Way to go Meg!

Her she is before the show warming up.

This rose bush is very special to me because it was grown from a rose clipping. When I was a little girl my mother and I would visit a very dear family friend, Maurine. Maurine and mother used to go shopping, bargain hunting or go out to lunch once or twice a week. I must have spent one afternoon a week at her house when I was little. Maurine has always had an incredible green thumb. So, her rose bushes were incredibly beautiful. One summer afternoon I was in her back yard and her roses were blooming. They were just so pretty I just had to have some of the flowers to take home. So, Maurine clipped several roses for me. About a week or two later one of the roses began to grow roots. It kept growing and Mother planted in her patio garden and the rest is rose history. Every summer I’m amazed at how big the bush has gotten and how many blooms are on it. I was doing the math and the bush is over 30 years old. Amazing!

Here’s mother with the rose bush 30 years after she planted it.

A beautiful sunflower for a Happy Thursday. Things are beginning to settle down in my life again. Hopefully, I will be able to do some sewing again soon, like this weekend.

I just can’t help myself. The tulips are calling out to me, “take my picture, I’m so beautiful.”

I also discovered several wonderful wood carvings on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway (just behind the Park Rd Shopping Center). Here is my favorite.

Yes, it’s me walking in your yard taking pictures of your beautiful flowers. I’m sorry but I can’t help myself. I LOVE tulips. They are my favorite flower and they only last for about two weeks so I MUST get the pictures while I can. Again my apologies.