Designing a Butterfly Garden: Part I

When I began this blog, I promised some articles on gardening. I realize they have been few and far between, so I thought I would share my experience starting a butterfly garden. This is the first installment.

When I began planning my butterfly refuge last winter, Paul and I attended a plant sale and expo at the Edison and Ford Estates in Fort Myers. We found a fascinating selection of plants there, ranging from bromeliads and roses to orchids and herbs. I came close to losing my focus, as I am prone to when I get around plants, but I got back on track and headed for a booth dedicated to butterfly enthusiasts.

When the afternoon ended, we walked away with two very different specimens that we were told were guaranteed to attract butterflies. One bush bears purple, yellow and white flowers that happen to be shaped very much like little butterflies.  The other has delicate sprays of tiny yellow flowerlets on the tips of abundant leafy branches. Unfortunately, I neglected to find out their specific names as I normally would, being satisfied with the seller's label of "butterfly bushes." One of these days, I intend to break off a bit of each to take to a nursery for identification. Although both bushes seemed to stagnate during Florida's winter, since March they have taken off nicely.

Fortunately, some of the plants desirable for butterflies were already growing in our garden, such as Hibiscus, Ixora, Plumbago, and Bougainvillea. These, along with the two "butterfly bushes" we added, provide the nectar on which adult butterflies feed. In fact, we have seen an increase in the number of butterflies visiting our garden. However, in order to encourage the butterflies to propagate there, we need to add the particular types of host plants on which they prefer to lay their eggs. That will be the topic of my next post on designing a butterfly garden.

                                                                                    ~ Laura Allen Nonemaker

A Father's Legacy

It might have seemed more logical to post this a couple of days ago. However, this morning is when this reminiscence materialized and so today is when it posts.

I was musing about my compulsion to organize just about everything. Where does that come from? Is it a good thing or not? My reflection led me to the conclusion that my intense desire for order must originate with my father. Daddy was the rock of my life when I was a young child, almost like “God” to me. Of course, that was before I met my heavenly Father. Daddy was a strong and honorable man in many ways – in his values, his work ethic, his integrity, and his protectiveness. He was also regimented in everything he did. For example, he performed activities at consistent times and kept appointments on the dot. He wanted tools and utensils stored in a particular location, drawers completely closed, and cabinet doors shut tight. He wanted his world in order.

The difficulty was that my father’s expectations of others were just as high as those he placed on himself and he was sometimes controlling. In the vernacular of Queen Victoria, who was still reigning during his early childhood, Daddy was “not amused” when the rest of the family did not comply with his preferences.

As I reflect on his background, it is not hard to understand why my father had this tendency. He grew up on the island of Bermuda, in the military environment of the British Naval Dockyard. His mother died when he was a small boy and his father, who was a military man, raised him, a brother, and a sister, with the help of a much older, extremely bossy sister. When Daddy reached his teens, he joined the merchant marine and went to sea. I can see how the loss of his mother interrupted his young life and subsequent influences taught him strict regulation and compliance with authority.

Since Daddy was a strong influence on my life, I also grew up with a striving for order. It is a blessing sometimes and other times a curse. The blessing is that I am able to organize my thoughts and my written notes well, which is invaluable to me as a writer. Also, my desire for visual order and tranquility helps me design a pleasant environment in our home. However, like my father, by nature I like others to see the world as I do, which can be a recipe for disaster. For instance, sometimes I think activities should be done at a certain time and in a certain order. I struggle to be open to the suggestions of my husband, family, or friends who may have a different view on the situation.

Fortunately, I have learned that God is ever willing to teach me how to let go and let Him deal with those around me. I thank my earthly father for his legacy of order and structure for my life. I  thank him also for giving me a reason to reach out in prayer to my heavenly Father for help.

                                                                        

                                                                       ©2011 Laura Allen Nonemaker

FORGIVING

This is an awesome post on the importance of forgiving! http://www.facebook.com/notes/joe-lindsey/forgiving/10150218869203588

A Summer Walk

I walk and ponder.

Watercolor vistas

Beckon to my senses.

Evening comes

And bathes me

In its fragrance.

Like velvet to my cheek,

His Spirit gently falls.               

I nestle in the wonder of His love.

        ©2011 Laura Allen Nonemaker

Lesson from a Fearful Feline

When worry and free-floating anxiety assault us, it is crucial to reject them immediately. In most cases, what we worry about will never happen and worry won’t help anyway. Instead, it can keep us from dealing with the situation in a balanced, decisive way. Anxiety is definitely not from God. It saps away our productivity and joy and is a frequent tool of Satan. It can enlarge into a phobia that traps us in a fear-filled world and limits our contact with others.

A story is told of the cat that disappeared from home. One day it returned, only there was something different about it. One side of the wayward feline was completely devoid of fur. There was nothing but bare skin. Something else was strange, too. While the cat previously spent most of its time outdoors, now nothing its owner did could coax it outside. If he tried to pick it up and put it outside, it bit him.

A short time later, the cat’s owner was sharing the situation with his neighbor. “I’ll bet I know what is wrong with your cat,” he said. Then he told him about a snake called a pine snake that emits a scent similar to catnip. When a cat smells it, the snake opens its mouth wide and swallows the animal. “It sounds like your cat ran into a pine snake,” said the neighbor.

The encounter with the snake so traumatized the cat that it decided that going outdoors was not safe. The same thing happens to  some people. Because of a traumatic event, they decide that a certain person or place is unsafe and they wall themselves in.

The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6 that we are not to be anxious about anything, but in everything turn to God with thanksgiving and prayer and he will provide the peace we seek. We are to pray and turn the situation over to God, and then trust him to work it out.

                                                                                                   ©2011 Laura Allen Nonemaker

Winner of "Old Timer" Print

The winner of the drawing for the limited-edition, signed and numbered print by Laura Allen Nonemaker, formerly Laura Allen McCrea, is Jim Tucker.

Congratulations,Jim! Your print will be in the mail shortly.

Benny's Angel in Illustration

Benny’s Angel has moved into the illustration phase at Tate Publishing. My phone conversations with Jeff Elliott, the artist assigned to my book, reassured me that the Lord had gone before to prepare the way. I immediately felt a rapport between us and he was receptive to my thoughts on how the characters should appear.

Jeff asked me what style I visualized for the ten full-color illustrations included in my book and listened carefully as I described the way each character looked in my imagination. He even suggested a whimsical special feature that will set Benny’s Angel apart and appeal to children in my target age of three to eight. Then he suggested I pick two or three characters for which he would do a preliminary sketch in color. This would enable me to see whether his vision was in harmony with mine before he moved on with the rest of the illustrations.

I received the sketches by e-mail a couple of days later. One character was perfect, the second needed a  minor adjustment, and the third required a little more reworking in order to look like the little creature in my imagination. I decided to e-mail him a rough sketch of my own to give him a better idea of what I was thinking. He made the changes and it was exactly as I had envisioned.

I will not see the finished illustrations, other than the one chosen for the cover, until the galley proof arrives for my approval. Because illustration is costly and time-consuming, it is necessary to limit the input of the author to the beginning of the process. Otherwise, it could be an endless ordeal for both the artist and author.

My illustrations should be complete by the end of the month. After that, the cover design will begin, bringing me another step closer to holding Benny’s Angel in my hands.
  

                                                                                   ~ Laura Allen Nonemaker