Tag: Mississippi

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Becky and Don Potts’ Garden, Fondren, Mississippi

Dragonfly above the words 'Welcome! Be Nice or Leave' in a leafy garden
Be nice or leave

Whenever we’re on our way to see Becky and Don Potts, I tell myself firmly, ‘No more pictures!’

It never works.

Their garden is such a fun place to visit. Fewer minutes later than is really courteous after arriving, I’ll find myself drifting off to twist my iPhone over an unusual plant, trying to get a decent angle. A miniature will have cried out for attention, something with variegations, or a new coleus as Becky is fascinated by all of these.

My eye for an interesting plant lures me along paths, under trees, over mossy ground, round corners and beyond fences, through areas of full sun and almost as full shade, one plant leading to the next.

Then I’m tugged back round to see what I’ve missed.

Continue reading “Becky and Don Potts’ Garden, Fondren, Mississippi”

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Cross-section of Mature Tree Showing Heartwood

Cross section of mature tree showing heartwood

Several people have reached out to find out why I’m quiet online – thanks so much for that. We are fine, but I’m in picture-gathering mode than writing and reading. We recently parted company with our internet provider after many days without service, and are waiting for the new service to be connected in a week or so. (Fingers crossed!)

The wonderfully shaped and richly coloured heartwood is from a stock of timber prepared for use by a woodcrafting company. It is not often we get to see what’s inside the trees around us. Continue reading “Cross-section of Mature Tree Showing Heartwood”

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Finding Distressed Textures at an Agriculture Museum

When wallpaper was the stuff people pasted and hung on walls, rather than the screen saver of a mobile phone or computer, I worked for a wallpaper company. We used the term ‘distressed textures’ to classify designs that did the role of a plain paper, but were more broken up and patchy. Some mimicked flaking plaster, rusted metal or grungy wood, others were abstract.

Designers took inspiration from all walks of life, and mood boards of patterned objects decorated the studio: inspiration for themed collections with titles such as Cairo and Great Plains.

I was reminded of those mood boards last month at the Ag Museum in Jackson, MS, where visual treats were everywhere, hidden in plain sight. Inspiration for Agricola, I imagined: a contemporary homage to farm implements.  Continue reading “Finding Distressed Textures at an Agriculture Museum”