Saturday, July 11, 2020

Bring Nature Indoor

Bring Nature Indoor
7/11/2020

野火雞一家大小出門野餐


籬笆內青翠蔥籠,媽媽率先飛上短籬
小寶寶們也不落後
全都飛上籬頭 居高臨下
尋找食物


這是春天盛放的紫藤花
數年前訪 Hakone Gardens 時所攝


下面的水彩畫的是台北近郊的櫻樹
三四月間是櫻花季節
居留台北時花事已近尾聲
綠葉開始竄出來了


從農夫市集買回綠葉菜 Swiss Chard 
三天之後從冰箱取出
還跑出兩隻蹦跳的瓢蟲來
証明這家菜農確實賣的是 Organic produce

小外孫和他們的 Au pair (互惠生)
在 Portland 近郊農場採莓果
看那滿車的莓果
有紅莓
黃莓
草莓





這是小女兒家後院的菜園
菜色種類不少
更好的是他們家天天㫓新鮮的
果蔬



在後院的 BBQ Table 吃自己種的生菜沙拉
那是絕對有機新鮮 Garden to Table 的健康晚餐



Grace 

Monday, July 6, 2020

疫情中的圖文分享三 (Sharing in the Time of Pandemic - III)

疫情中的圖文分享
7/6/2020


好久沒拾畫筆,今晨突然畫起貓來,又是戴口罩的貓。這隻貓咪同我們人類一樣也被關家中,牠伸出利爪在撲捉些什麼呢?


再看看下圖,這又是什麼? 
Have Fun!


既無青綠手指,加上四體不勤,庭院荒蕪,企待整頓
頃借花獻佛,將女兒遠從 Oregon 傳來豐收盛饌和各位分享

女兒女婿這兩月避疫居家期間
辛勤開墾了一小塊
荒棄的公家菜園
這是他們的辛勞成果

第一幀照片拼圖: 小園種的蔬果
第二幀: 新鮮蔬菜沙拉
第三幀: 這是女婿的拿手小菜一碟:碟中何物? Answer is provided Following the 3 photos:




from daughter comes the following  message:

of course, tonight's garden-to-table dinner 
was a lovely Salade Niçoise, plus 
fried squash blossoms stuffed 
with herbed ricotta cheese.





日前出門散步,攝取到藍空下的幾根細長電線
一根電線上停著三隻小鳥,等距排列
離得太遠看不出是否有六尺或者一米半(台灣標準)
顯然鳥兒們也遵守社交距離



一向綠色葉菜多在農夫市集購買
一來菜色較多,新鮮度高
再就是沒灑農藥
老公常説:  怎麼知他們沒用農藥?
今天洗前幾天買來的 Swiss Chard 
跑出兩隻活磞磞的 lady bugs
壁虎,又名守宮,洋名 Gecko
在台灣隨時隨處可見到壁虎
牠們喜歡住在屋宅院內
尤其是老房子,有許多罅隙供牠躲藏
住在台北時的三樓寓所
有一位常客,經年無歇,入夜就來報到
牠的叫聲並不好聽,也稍微嘹亮了些
但是我們非常歡迎牠(及其家小?)這幾位房客
打自牠們遷入,蚊蟲幾近消跡
還擔心牠們是否有斷糧危機

居家美國少見壁虎
更多的是蜥蜴,個頭大些,住在戶外石縫中
牠們也是自食其力的小伙子
一點都不妨礙到人家

這隻壁虎攀上廚房外邊紗窗上
相信有足夠的伙食供牠住下


Grace 
from San Jose, CA

Monday, June 29, 2020

疫情中的圖文分享


  • 疫情中的圖文分享

    6/29/2020
A tiny flower coming out from a plant cutting someone gave me, a succulent, the plant looks quite undistinguished before the first flower appeared.  It was indeed tiny but the flower is dainty and color quite amazing.

Here’s my version of the little flower, and for it, a little song was composed namely “ A Little Flower “.

特別為它量身打造一首歌「一朶小花」目前正在找歌手為它唱出來。 待後製完成之後可以在 YouTube 見到(聽到」它!

 




Cow webs gathered at the front gate, no insects were allowed
前院大門蛛網纒結,連昆蟲都不進門


Honey bees neglected to pay visits to the pomegranate tree
This season we’ll have one single fruit to harvest

蜜蜂也不來訪,一株七尺高的石榴樹,盛夏即至
整棵樹上只開一朶紅色石榴花
該又是一棵單挑獨生果

The colorful berries
Are the loots my kids and grandkids gathered
In a farm near Portland, Oregon
Visiting their aunt

這些七彩繽紛的莓菓
小女兒全家訪 Portland 和姊姊一家
至隣近農場採集的成果
草莓、紅莓、黃莓 和 藍莓
                                                           


Fresh from oven a beautiful blueberry pie emerged
Baked by son-in-law from scratch
To make this a memorable meal and trip for all
Young and old to share
In this time of pandemic

好漂亮的現烤新鮮藍莓派
大女婿的傑作,大人小孩都歡喜
在疫情蔓延的夏日
這值得記念的旅程和團聚




Grace

Saturday, June 6, 2020

疫情中的圖文分享 - Sharing in Time of Pandemic

Sharing in Time of Pandemic 
疫情中的圖文分享

6/7/2020

石青如老師的大作合唱曲《如果明天就是下一生》經由 Henry 一字字大字印出,心情愈發激盪,感覺也更深刻


YF借花獻上的美食精點,讓我們這些凡人更上一層樓
頭上多了一圈光環,品味也提升至「佛跳牆」的境界
這裡説的牆是:Fire Wall 
穿牆去偷嚐可口精點

台灣漫畫家八耐舜子作品集錦
風趣生動,貼近生活,東方式的幽默
人物是活生生的普羅大眾

下圖是以畫家的女兒為藍本的小女生
也是CS 和鐵哥最欣賞的筆下人物



盛夏褥暑中還能有比一盤白瓷盤中
切的端端正正
瓜子兒剔得一乾二淨的
紅肉西瓜嗎🍉?


當然,西瓜只是前菜
Kathleen 邀請我們齊至程府母親節盛宴
卻之不恭只好勉為其難
發揮想像力努力加餐飯!

家藏私房菜
老劉牛尾筋牛肉麵
不敢私藏
自己雖沒吃到口
願意和諸君共享分食


Carolyn 也不甘後人
獻上名種玫瑰鮮花數打之多
一天一朶從母親節
一直欣賞到父親節

Jim 的那一朶更珍貴
不但由笑靨動人小女孩呈上
還有老黃在旁護駕
這可愛的圖片
能夠留在心中若干年不褪色

A

Grace  台北居家避疫期間
看不到晚春盛放的油桐花
只能在窄室中
用心繪出幾朶紙上花
越洋遠傳
至諸位好友手邊




Grace
from
San Jose


Tuesday, May 19, 2020

兩地鄉關情系列 Remembrance of a Pandemic

系列 #5
兩地鄉關情 
New normalcy in the time of pandemic  
5/20/2020
 Arriving in San Francisco Airport in the midst of a pandemic 
photographer: Frank Lin

April 2020


Departing from Taipei Taoyuan Airport 
In the empty airport custom
mid May, 2020


The Six feet social distancing rule at the grocery 


At the farmers market 
Stay home order in California remains in effect mid May
Shoppers all wearing masks
enjoying a brisk walk and Fresh air 


A few styles of cloth masks
Most do not have extra layer of filter material 
as in medical/surgical masks
Citizens were advised from using the latter
Saving them for medical & front line workers


The protective eye wear
I wore on board of my flight coming back to the States


New table etiquette 

Dramatization of two amateur actors 


Viewers bombarded by news stories from TV channels
as updated Covid19 information and statistics  
Continue to be streaming 
Every hour of our waking time

台美兩地電視台經日連夜不停地廣播疫情最新詢息及數據


Grace 

Monday, May 11, 2020

Happy Mother’s Day



Happy Mother’s Day 
5/10/2020


Happy Mother’s Day for all you mothers and fathers!

In early morning hour  a small chirping sound came
from the tree outside my 3rd floor window
A young bird of the same feather 
The pair I caught a glimpse of earlier last month

Here are two shots of the young bird hopping from one tree branch to another
outside the window


It turns out to be a mango tree now it’s fruiting time.













Below is a photo shot in early April
A pair of song birds, commonly seen in Taiwan 
resting on the tree top side by side 
A profusion of flowers coming out from tree branches 


Three young swallows  
waiting impatiently in their nest
under the qilou of a marketplace 
Mother swallow swooping back and forth
all morning 
Delivering breakfast straight to the open mouths
of these hungry young birds


A baby deer was born in the backyard 
left inside the yard surrounded by wooden fence
At dusk, mother deer came back 
to nurse her baby
Several nights in a row 
Until it was strong enough to jump 
over the fence to join her










A few months later
Mother and fawn were detected grazing in the green pasture 
an intimate moment of mother and child


Mother and child 
A sketch 
in
Pen and ink




Grace 








Saturday, May 9, 2020

Life in the time of pandemic series #4 巷弄裡的花花草草

Life in the time of pandemic series # 4

巷弄裡的花花草草
5/10/2020


買菜為每日固定課程,拖著滿載食物推車歸宅途中(上)



途經法國麵包店
濃濃的咖啡香
從門縫溢出

還不到咖啡時間
先將食物送回
    家中越籍照等著作飯( 右 )







咖啡館窗台一字排開
擺了十數個盆栽
窗內座椅半邊不讓坐
社交距離已成
現實生活中常態
 巷裡一家小醫館台階邊
茂茂密密地長著
開滿粉色花朵的一株小草
一年又一年
候鳥返家途中
眼看著它從小小一根野草
茁長壯大花朶怒放
一點都不輸給鄰家仔細經營的盆栽


家門前的盆栽( 右 )             
另一店家門口的綠色風景線 ( 下)


牆頭冒出紫藍色花朶的藤條探出頭來
向著路人招手


在便利商店試圖預約口罩
這是口罩實名制 3.0 新增服務
跑了三趟,只因無台灣手機  電腦程式拒收
最終回藥房買到新增數量的口罩 
返家路上
走著走著 轉角處 
眼前一亮
一個小花圃 不知何人栽植
不同顏色大大小小的花朵*
朵朵燦開的笑容向我拋來春天的心情

上网查知此花俗名为 Strawflower


















Grace