Quiet - the Power of Introverts and Gardens

Do you feel a pang of guilt when you are asked to go out but you would rather stay home and read, garden, draw, quilt or simply drink a cup of tea?

 You are not alone.

You are an introvert - given to pondering, creating and being. Many gardeners and garden lovers are, at heart, introverts.

 In 'Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking' Susan Cain looks at where we fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum...She explores how “closeted introverts” like Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates have expended enormous energy on trying to pass as extroverts in a culture that rewards extroversion.

Wow - I can relate!

Most garden lovers, I think, are, by their nature, introverts. We adjust and work hard to pass as extroverts but deep down, we just like to create and putter and appreciate music, art, plants, and more.

We work hard to meet the extrovert standard but, truly, we just want to be alone.

 Cain  spent the past seven years researching this book and shows how we undervalue introverts and ponders how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She questions the American business culture, where forced collaboration replaces innovation. And she looks at a  high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks...

A serene Garden can recharge introverts who put themselves out there as 'pretend extroverts'.

Where would we be if the Beatles only had extroverts Paul McCartney and Ringo but not the introverts John Lennon and George Harrison?

and George, a true introvert,  loved his garden....

 

Garden Design - 'Lifting' a Tree's Canopy

Poets Walk, Central Park , NY

Removing the lower limbs of a tree is known as 'lifting' its canopy. Jefferson extolled the virtues of 'lifting a canopy' when he wrote:

'Let your ground be covered with trees of the loftiest stature. Trim up their bodies as high as the constitution & form of the tree will bear, so as that their tops shall still unite and yield dense shade. A wood, so open below, will nearly have the appearance of open grounds…"   Thomas Jefferson

Removing lower limbs allows air and light into a space without forsaking the tree.  The shade cast by a tree with a high canopy is more like 'filtered' light, making the area more hospitable to 'understory' plants.  This is a time honored practice. 

The NY Botanical Garden has Tulip trees that have been 'lifted' to great effect. See below:

Bryant Park, NYC, too, has its Plane Trees lifted as well.

 

 

 

Playing with Sound in the Garden - Doug Hollis

As a child, when I went to the beach, the first thing I would do was try to find a shell that I could put my ear to and 'listen to the ocean'....

We can do something like that too in a garden....and why not? Gardens are meant to delight...

The exploratorium in San Francisco offers a unique feature in their on line catalog that can be recreated in a garden  :

A Hole In A Rock

The hole in this rock invites you to put your head in it.

The acoustic effect is similar to listening to a seashell although, in this case, it is much more encompassing.  The rock amplifies the natural frequencies for the visitor to explore and enjoy.

I can imagine someone doing this with varying size rocks and varying size holes....wouldn't that be fun? You can arrange them around a garden.. I might do that if I can figure out how to chisel into a rock.

Here is an ancient hole in a rock at Dunadd is in Argyllshire, Scotland. High atop a hill, this is where the first Kings of Scotland were coronated. No one knows why this hole is here  but  I think they made it for listening.


Another way to reflect sound in a garden is to create a variation on another Exploratorium idea:

Listening Vessels 

It consists of two large parabolic reflectors set at least 50 feet apart which act as mirrors to reflect sound from one to the other.  

Two people sit opposite each other at approximately the focal point for each reflector, so that the sound coming from each reflector is focused at this point, allowing each visitor to clearly hear the other's voice in spite of the distance separating them or the noise around them. 

Doug Hollis, the sculptor, used this idea to create two parabolic limestone 'Listening Vessels' in Discovery Green in Houston.  

 These "passive found structures," as Hollis calls them, are concave sculptures which collect and focus sound in space.  The Urban Garden in Discovery Green is a perfect setting for these intriguing sculptures.

They are spaced 60 feet apart and visitors are delighted to  hear the words of another speaking at a normal volume, a great distance away.

Douglas Hollis calls himself a public artist. His primary objective is to make "places that have an oasis-like quality where people can catch their spiritual breaths..."

Wow....I like this guy!

Hollis says he creates sound structures that "integrate the participant into the dynamics of landscape, using the structures as sensory extensions of the body."


You must look at his website for some great and fun things he does with sound outdoor: click here  - Doug Hollis Website. 

I particularely like his indoor rain colum - shown here:





 

Design with Sound in a Garden

close up of glass wind chimes

Sound is an overlooked element in landscape design.  

When you think of sounds in a garden you most likely conjure up images of birds singing, leaves rustling or bees buzzing but there are many more subtle auditory effects you can use - and I am not just talking about wind chimes. 

For some ideas we can look to ancient Japanese gardens where sound was a key consideration in the overall plan.

Stone Path - Japanese Garden at Kykuit
 

This is described beautifully in a text on the Japanese Garden at Rockefeller's Kykuit garden in Pocantico, NY written by Cynthia Bronson Altman:

"... The hollow tones of the shishi-odoshi (lit. 'deer-scare') – a rhythmic knock of bamboo on rock – the splash of the waterfall into a deep pool, the rustle of breezes through the bamboo, mute the rush of the world today, creating a space for contemplation and meditation, for a mindful walk..., transporting one to another world, another reality."
 

Wow. I couldn't have said it better.
 

The Japanese gardeners used sound to heighten the sense of 'near' and 'far' in a garden.

They would make a cascade seem far away by muffling its sound with strategically placed plants or rocks.  The obstacles bounced the sound back and created the impression that the waterfall was in the distance when it was really around the corner along the garden path!

in Hyartt Hotel in Kauai

This is why I always plant around a waterfall with great care, placing the plants where they might muffle the sound...

ascade by Jan Johnsen

 

I normally locate evergreens on one side of a waterfall to act as a visual backdrop and as a sound buffer.  These plants may include hemlock, rhododendron, Manhattan euonymus, Dwarf threadleaf cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera filifera), weeping norway spruce, boxwood and leatherleaf Viburnum. 

I also use smaller plants in the front or front side of a cascade such as Persicaria affinis 'Donald Lowndes' (Knotweed or Fleeceflower), dwarf Chinese Astilbe (Astilbe chinensis pumila), Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’), Maidenhair fern, Iris, sedum and various varieties of cotoneaster.

cascade by Jan Johnsen - Japanese Garden Juniper

 

Similarly, Japanese garden designers would play with the sound of footsteps.  In old Japan, people often wore wooden sandals called 'geta' and the 'clip clop' sound of shoes was a part of everyday life. 

Thus, garden paths paved with stone intensified the sound of footfalls while paths of tamped earth dampened the sound considerably.  And, of course,  gravel paths provided a crunching sound.  Alas, our soft-soled shoes of today do not make the sound of a path as obvious but it is still audible.

Crunchy Gravel Walk with Step Stones - a Collaborative Design between Jan and Marc

There are a lot more sound ideas that I will share in another blog post....but I hope the sounds of the season will now grab your attention!

Look here for some fun step stones....Nichols Bros. Stepstones

Living room decoration : Simple ways

Living room decoration : Simple ways

Living room is one of important rooms in your apartment and this room welcomes your friends or relatives when they enter your apartment. Whether you keep other rooms in your apartment clean or not, you need to keep your living room clean and in proper order. It is recommended to keep your apartment clean and this will help to avoid pests entering your apartment.

Simple and Inexpensive way to decorate your living room

When decorating a living room, you may first think for changing wall colors. You can decorate your living room even without changing wall color. Here are some tips that help you to decorate your living room simple and inexpensive way.

• Clean the room: First and important step is to clean your living room from dust and dirt. You can start from ceiling and end in floor. While cleaning dust on bookcase and furniture, clean from top to down and left to right. Floor should be cleaned at the end after cleaning all dust and dirt from ceiling, window and other appliances in your living room.

• List the items: After cleaning the dust and dirt from your living room, make list of things or items you have in your living room. Now make another list of items that you want to retain in your living room. This will help you decide what all items you really need in your living room and keep your living room cluster free.

• Set Theme for your living room: Theme plays vital role in decorating living room. There are number of websites and magazines on home decoration that help you to choose a theme that suits your living room best. While selecting theme for your living room it is necessary to first analyze what you like most and your budget criteria.
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• Limit the number of items: Do not fill your living room with too many items just because they are attractive. Filling your room with too many items will look mess and it will fail to catch attention of your guests or friends who visit your apartment or living room.
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• Curtains and drapes: "An appropriate curtain design for the living room depends on your décor, theme and your budget. Bright color helps to attract the visitors when entering a room. Dark color suits best for large room and light color gives spacious look for small room. Draperies are not only used for shading and elegant look but also for giving privacy for your living room or apartment.Focal point in your living room": Focal point helps to bring rhythm and flow which invites views on features and decorations in the room. Focal point helps to attract your friends or guests. If your apartment has too many focal points, set a primary focal point for your room and co-ordinate others to focus your primary focal point.
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• Slipcover: Slipcover adds warmth and co-ordinate with the theme of your living room. You can choose slipcover that match with furniture in living room. Slipcover helps to change color palette of your room. You can give fresh look for your living room even without changing the wall color.
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• Area Rugs: Area rugs can be used to cover up unattractive areas. Remember your rug must fit the placement of your furniture and conversation area such as coffee table and sofa set. If you are using rug as focal point in your room, glass top table is recommended for best view.

• Indoor plant for decorating your living room: Choose an indoor plant which can be easily grown. Plants add beauty to room and help to absorb stale indoor air. Plants placed at the corners of the area fitted in beautiful pots can give elegant look for your living room.

While decorating a living room, you must pay attention to the natural focal point, lifestyle of the family members, ambient lighting, theme and fabric patterns of the curtains. You can make your living room more spacious by adding mirror that suits the theme of your living room. Now you can attract your friends, guests and relatives with these simple ideas.

living room decoration

living room decoration 

Your living room can be the focal point of your overall home décor. When choosing an option for a living room floor, consider how different flooring options appeal to both the style you’re looking for and the function you need.

Carpet
With its nearly unlimited color and texture choices, carpet offers versatility like no other living room flooring option. There are many benefits to using carpeting in your living room, such as comfort, durability, non-slick safety, and noise reduction. When selecting color and texture, bold colors and defined textures work well to draw attention to your living room floor. Choose a more neutral and soft option to highlight other aspects of your room, such as wall coverings or furniture. Carefully balance your flooring budget against quality considerations to ensure your carpet selection can stand the test of time.

Hardwood
The idea of hardwood flooring enhances any living room with unrivaled elegance. A premium choice for living rooms for many years,hardwood floor can add value to your home without breaking the bank. Over the years, hardwood options have increased greatly leading to more affordable styles that don’t sacrifice quality. Well-matched to any décor, using hardwood flooring has many benefits, including durability and allergen reduction. When choosing a wood floor style, be sure to consider the moisture and humidity levels in your area and discuss the appropriate option for you.

Tile
While not as popular as other living room flooring ideas, tile flooring is becoming more and more popular. Whether you’re considering using tile throughout your entire living room, or as a transitional or entryway element, there are many reasons to choose tile. Of all floor types, tile is the most durable and resistant to moisture and seasonal expansion. By mixing and matching tile colors, textures, and shapes, design options with tile are virtually unlimited. Add elegance and style to your living room with low-maintenance tile flooring.

Area Rugs
If you’re using hardwood flooring or tile in your living room, consider area rugs to provide a distinctive decorating element and minimize the echo sound effect tile and hardwood can create. Area rugs come in a variety of styles, colors, and textures to complement any décor.

The ideas for your living room floors abound. Making the right selection will add value to your home while promoting the style you want and the function you need.

First Trimester Pregnancy

First Trimester (week 1-week 12)

During the first trimester your body undergoes many changes. Hormonal changes affect almost every organ system in your body. These changes can trigger symptoms even in the very first weeks of pregnancy. Your period stopping can be a sign that you are pregnant.

Other changes may include:

• Extreme tiredness
• Tender, swollen breasts. Your nipples might also be more prominent..
• Upset stomach with or without vomiting (morning sickness)
• Cravings or distaste for certain foods
• Mood swings 
• Sensitivity to odors
• Constipation (trouble having bowel movements)
• Need to pass urine more often
• Headache
• Heartburn
• Weight gain or loss

As your body changes, you might need to make changes to your daily routine, such as going to bed earlier or eating frequent, small meals.  Fortunately, most of these discomforts will most likely go away as your pregnancy progresses, and there are those who will have no discomfort at all.  If you have been pregnant before, you might feel differently this time around.  Each pregnancy can be different depending on the individual woman.

The True Definition of Beauty

The True Definition of Beauty

In 2011, Dove® released the findings of its largest global study to date on women’s relationship with beauty—The Real Truth About Beauty: Revisited. The study revealed that only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful, and that anxiety about looks begins at an early age. In a study of over 1,200 10-to-17-year-olds, a majority of girls, 72%, said they felt tremendous pressure to be beautiful. The study also found that only 11% of girls around the world feel comfortable using the word beautiful to describe their looks, showing that there is a universal increase in beauty pressure and a decrease in girls' confidence as they grow older.

“I plead with you young women to please be more accepting of yourselves, including your body shape and style, with a little less longing to look like someone else. We are all different. Some are tall, and some are short. Some are round, and some are thin. And almost everyone at some time or other wants to be something they are not! 

But as one adviser to teenage girls said: “You can’t live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let people’s opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power. … The key to feeling [confident] is to always listen to your inner self—[the real you.]” 8 And in the kingdom of God, the real you is “more precious than rubies.” (Julia DeVillers, Teen People, Sept. 2005, 104.)  Every young woman is a child of destiny and every adult woman a powerful force for good.”-Jeffrey R. Holland (“To Young Women,” Ensign, Nov 2005, 28)

Being daughters of our Heavenly Father is what makes us beautiful.  At times, it is easy to lose this perspective due to the standards that the world has set for beauty.  We must remember that as we strive to emanate with the light of our Savior Jesus Christ, others will be drawn to our true beauty: our divine self.  

“Be a woman of Christ. Cherish your esteemed place in the sight of God. He needs you. This Church needs you. The world needs you.”-Jeffrey R. Holland (“To Young Women,” Ensign, Nov 2005, 28)

Autumn Gardens - Inspiring Images and Quotes

 

"There is a harmony in autumn,

and a luster in its sky..."

Percy Bysshe Shelley

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."

Emily Bronte

 

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn."

Elizabeth Lawrence

 

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it...."

George Eliot

 

 

 

"Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits."

Samuel Butler

 

 

Photos by Jan Johnsen

 

 

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air."

Nathaniel Hawthorne

 

Carpet cleaning

Carpet rug cleaning

We have learned to clean and polishing the floors. We need to also look at the rugs and carpets. Find some tips on to clean the rugs and carpets in this article. What kind of cleaner or shampoo that I have to use for the rugs and carpets? Find the tips to help you do better with your rugs and carpets.

Now, presumably, we have the floors finished and looking spic and span. What about the rugs and carpets? No matter what material they are made of or how much they cost, they will look faded and dull if they are not kept fresh and clean.

DAILY CARE is the same for all types. A quick brush-up with a carpet sweeper, especially in areas of heavy traffic, will remove dust, dirt, ashes, and crumbs, and fluffs up the nap so that it is kept soft and attractive. Dirt found on rugs includes sharp-edged particles of grit which rub against the fibers and weaken them. Modern carpet sweepers remove with efficiency most of this dirt before it is ground into the rug.

AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK rugs and carpets should be thoroughly vacuumed. This will take care of most of the dirt particles mat the sweeper has missed and will fluff up the pile. A thorough cleaning with a vacuum cleaner means at least seven strokes over every foot of the surface.

AT LONGER INTERVALS a rug requires additional beauty treatment. It needs to be shampooed to remove the grime that adheres to the fibers making the colors look gray, and the cutting particles of embedded grit not reached by a vacuum cleaner. Surveys show that carpets last much longer if they are shampooed every three months. In the past this was practically impossible because of the expense and inconvenience of sending them to a professional cleaner, for the alternative was a hands-and-knees affair with rug shampoo and a hand brush. Most carpets went gray as the task was postponed from month to month, and became worn-looking before their time due to cutting ground-in dirt.

A NEW TYPE OF CLEANER makes it possible today for rugs and carpets to be shampooed frequently with little more trouble than carpet sweeping involves. Long handled applicators of the roller brush type (the best), are equipped with built-in dispensers for a liquid shampoo. Fingertip action spreads the cleaner as a foam over the rug (which of course has been vacuumed first) and as it dries, solidified dirt rises to the surface and stains are loosened. After the rug has dried thoroughly usually from three to four hours but sometimes overnight this dirt is simply vacuumed away, leaving the nap clean and fluffy and the colors bright.


LIQUID SHAMPOOS for rugs do a better, more thorough deep cleaning job than the dry types, which are difficult to remove after cleaning. In applying them the best method is to criss-cross your strokes, using light foam to avoid soaking the carpet through to the mat. The directions you receive with your applicator will tell you how to operate it so that too much foam is avoided, and it will provide detailed information on other points. This includes a warning to slip waxed paper discs under the legs of chairs and tables, to be left on the carpet while it is damp, to avoid stains from slides and castors. If the rug or carpet must be walked on before it has dried completely, make a pathway for traffic by spreading uncolored wrapping paper on the floor. Another precaution is not to get the rug too wet. The shampoo won't hurt the carpet but it is uneconomical to use more than you need and more time will be required for drying..

Rug and carpets also needs daily care, as the dust and dirt will make them look gray and old. Vacuum the rugs and carpets at least once a week. Get your rugs and carpets washed once in three months, your carpets will last much longer. There are shampoo and cleaner for rugs and carpets. Try not to get the rug or carpet too wet, as it will take more time for drying.

Rugs : A durable rug

Rugs suitable for high traffic areas

Most well-made wool rugs are quite durable, so you have many options. But there are some types of rugs that are not well suited to high-traffic areas, i suggest one made from natural materials. 

You should also avoid silk, which is not durable, and shaggy carpets, which will lay flat and wear out because you’re walking on the side of the pile and not the top.

Most wool rugs will hold up well for a relatively long time, but there is a simple step you can take to extend their lifespan. The critical thing is to put a pad underneath it. Most rugs do not wear out from the top, but from the bottom, where the knots rub against the floor. A pad “works as a shock absorber,” keeping the knots away from hard surfaces and holding the rug in place a reliable pad will last almost for four years.

Color and pattern are also important considerations. There is no point in buying a long-lasting rug if it is going to be stained by foot traffic. That means no whites or creams and no dark solid colors (think of how quickly a car with black paint appears to get dirty). Your best bet is to go with a hue somewhere in between. Search out either a solid that has specks of color in it or something with a pattern that will camouflage pet hair, spills and dirt.

Rug cleaning  : how to keep your rug clean

If you do not want to use a wool rug, consider flor carpet tiles . They are 19.7 inches square and come in many different patterns, colors and textures. You can use a single style for a clean look or mix it up with different patterns to create your own custom checkerboard rug, above. The tiles have adhesive strips on the bottom. You peel and stick them to the floor to hold them in place. The adhesive is gentle enough that you can easily pry up tiles to replace them or to move them around if one section is wearing faster than the rest.

Carpet tiles

Most flor tiles are made from nylon fibers, making them nearly indestructible. The feel of the product is similar to that of commercial carpets used in office buildings. Many companies also make tiles in natural materials, but i recommended avoiding them if longevity was a concern. “Even though catalogs show runners in natural materials in high-traffic areas, they are not cleanable”. Whereas, with nylon tiles, “if your kid spills cranberry juice or your bulldog has an accident, you can pick that tile up and rinse it off in the sink.”

Of course, keep in mind that a lived-in look can be a good thing and that rugs do not need to be flawless. “Rugs are meant to be used, and they actually improve with age”. “If you buy a quality rug, you’re polishing it as you walk across it with shoes, and that’s what gives it a desirable patina.”

Rugs

Rugs and carpets from Indo-Pak

In 1977, a rug dealer and writer named Georges Izmidlian wrote: ‘In countries where an informed body of opinion has grown up on the subject of oriental rugs, a distinction is drawn between those from Persia, Turkey, Afghanistan and Russia, and those from other areas which produce similar goods. Only the former are entitled to be described as real oriental rugs.’

You will notice that that leaves out the rugs of Pakistan and India. It was rather harsh, even then — not even to consider Pakistani and Indian rugs ‘real Orientals’ — but at the time I might have agreed with him. Many still do. Pakistan was known for one kind of rug, the Pakistani Bokhara, produced by the thousands and sneered at as much for its popular success as for its aesthetic shortcomings. Pakistani Bokharas seemed especially vapid to a generation newly in love with tribal rugs. Further, it was thought that Pakistan had no tradition of rugmaking (no one has ever heard of an antique Pakistani rug, after all), and that rug weaving in Pakistan was strictly commercial. Hence, Pakistani rugs were unreal.

Twenty-some years later, Pakistan and India arguably have contributed more to the rug revolution than any country except Turkey. A few people have even realized that if no one has ever heard of an antique Pakistani rug, it may be because Pakistan didn’t exist until after World War II. Until then it was part of India. Some of history’s greatest carpets were woven in Lahore, produced for the Mughal court in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Indeed, Pakistan does have a rug tradition, quite a proud one. But old attitudes die hard, and most people whose knowledge about Oriental rugs was gained some years ago remain leery of Pakistani and Indian products. The truth today is that Pakistan’s and India’s best rugs are as good as rugs made anywhere (and just as expensive).