How did you choose your blog's name?

Azaleas at Valley Gardens
Originally uploaded by Anguskirk
I found a great blog today at http://scentedsweetpeas.blogspot.com and yes, I was attracted to it by its charming name. I adore scented sweet peas, and grow them.
Recently that blog's owner asked that question "how did you choose your blog's name?" and as I visit the blogosphere I have often wondered that myself.
I am attracted to blogs by their names and find so many with pretty, whimsical or practical blog names.
Today I also found the http://laughingwithangels.blogspot.com blog.
Wonderful name, right?
My http://terragarden.blogspot.com is inspired by my name Terra, which is Latin for earth, and by my love of gardens and all things green. Thence, Terragarden
Of course, frequent visitors here will know that I see this as a place to celebrate many things. Right now I am on a "protect our wild horses" journey.
How did you name your own blog?

Sunflower Scarecrows on Wordless Wednesday

Flamstead Scarecrow Festival 2008
Originally uploaded by cybaea
Wordless Wednesday. It is hard to be wordless; I will just say I hope these guys or gals give you a smile.

Gardeners and Imagination

Art in the Garden, Tirau
Originally uploaded by EssjayNZ

"Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination. I believe that people entirely devoid of imagination never can be really good gardeners." -- Mrs. C.W. Earle. Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden, 1897.
I found this photo of a charming combination of flowers and art on Flickr. Do you love whimsy and a bit of art in your garden? I know I do; it adds a spark of fun when imagination runs loose in a garden.

Terra's Twitter Tips

People have asked me how to use Twitter and how to gain followers, and one friend called me Twitter Queen, so I just knew I had to write some tips to share with her, and with any of you who are on Twitter and are Twitter Princesses.

Here are some ways to increase the number of your twitter followers and to find people who share your interests.

When you find a tweeter that you like, follow them and visit their profile, which shows icons for each person that they follow. Click on icons and see if you like the person and then follow them. This technique works great when you follow a friend since you can see who they follow and consider following some of the same people.
When you read a tweet that mentions another tweeter e.g. @terragarden click on them and if you like them follow them.
Use the hatch mark when you post a tweet, e.g. Today I planted a lemon tree #lemon #garden
This allows people to find your tweet when they search #garden or #lemon in the search box.
If you are looking for more folks to follow, use the search box and the # symbol with topics you like. #fantasy #novel #Christian #Avatar
It is ideal to post at least a few times a week.
I sometimes use futuretweets.com so I can post tweets ahead of time. If you are going on vacation this is very useful, or if you have a theme you want to post about in advance.
Ask a question like “I’m going to visit England, what is your favorite site to see in Cornwall?” or “what is recipe for eggplant parmesan?”
When a person follows you it is usually good to follow them back, and when a person follows you, you can send them a direct message which only they read.
I signed up so that each time someone follows me I get an email telling me that “xxx is following you”, so I can decide if I want to follow them back.
Retweet. When someone sends a tweet that you like select the “retweet” button and retweet it to all of your followers. Sometimes you really help people if their tweet says something like “my new book xxxx is released this month” or “my radio show at xxx about caring for children in summer is broadcast on xxxdate.”
Use #FF and #Followfriday in a post that lists some tweeters you recommend. Use the @ sign in front of their twitter name. #FF is done on Fridays.
To find out which tweeters you follow that don’t follow you, use friendorfollow.com The program will take a few minutes to check and then you can look at each person in this category and decide if you want to follow them or unfollow them. Use friendorfollow.com to find tweeters who follow you and you don’t follow. Some of these you will want to follow back.
I joined Facebook on July 22 (yesterday) and want to set it up so that each of my tweets and blog posts show up on my Facebook page. There is always more to do, and more to learn. I would love tips on starting out at Facebook.

Dalmation and France on a scooter, fun book

Gregory Edmont's travel memoir is a must read for anyone who enjoys a fun road journey with an American and his Dalmatian dog, from Paris to the south of France. Gregory goes south on his Vespa with JP, his dog, on a journey where JP will father a litter of dalmatians. That is the plan anyway. The French woman who bred JP and sold him to Gregory has suffered a terrible loss and JP is the key to fixing this. I will say no more except that there is a French priest, some restauranteurs and butchers and quite a page turning travel tale.

What is true beauty in a person?

Mother-Teresa-collage
Originally uploaded by Peta-de-Aztlan
Recently a lady friend of mine confided that her friend told her that he was horrified and depressed when he looked in the mirror. He told her that his eyes are small and his face is covered in wrinkles.

I told my friend that I am sure that God doesn't make junk. There is beauty every where.

Wise men know this and have written "Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, precious kind that God delights in." 1 Peter 3:4 The Message

I find many attractive people in our culture like Jonathan Rhys Myers, Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe, and the classic beauties like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. Yet, Audrey wrote this:

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
- Audrey Hepburn, actress

That is why this post has a photo of one of the most beautiful people who has ever lived,in my opinion, Mother Teresa.

Zebras everywhere!

Zebras everywhere!
Originally uploaded by BrianScott

Do you love zebras too?

I think each zebra is beautiful and unique, and it has been said that God shows a sense of humor in his creation of zebras, and giraffes, among other animals. The Duck-billed platypus has to make me giggle too.
Ah zebras. Let's enjoy their beauty and protect them.

True love and a home-grown tomato

Heirloom tomatoes
Originally uploaded by slambo_42

"There's nothin' finer in life than true love and a home-grown tomato." -- Gary Ibsen. The Great Tomato Book, 1999.

Does this guy know what he is talking about? I definitely agree with him.


Do you plant a variety of tomatoes each year? I always do, with cherry tomatoes, Early Girl, Big Boy, and then some new to me, like Stupice and Zebra.

In my area, where we don't get ideal huge amounts of heat and sun, I sometimes plant San Francisco Fog, varieties from Russia, and Stupice which is from Poland. Cherry tomatoes do well here.

Some lucky folks from hotter areas have already harvested their tomatoes. Mine are still green and the stuff of dreams.

Of course I also plant basil and oregano to perfect future tomato salads.

What varieties of tomatoes do you favor?

my post on my Christmas blog

Rebecca of http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com is so sweet to tell me I can post this picture from her blog here today. The kitten is so cute, and the swirling snow, which I miss .I grew up in Wisconsin and now live in mild California. I am celebrating Christmas in July as my co-authors and I rev up our blog based on our book about Christmas. My first post there this season is today, July 9, and is about a family camping trip to the Florida Everglades one Christmas many years ago. Please pop over and take a look at http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com

A Regal Lion

Dr Pepper sign - vim, vigor and vitality
Originally uploaded by yumievriwan

Isn't this lion regal? Is he a bit sad too?

I love lions, both the wild lions in Africa and the lion Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
The African Wildlife Foundation is a great group that protects these noble animals. I am a member and the group can be found at www.awf.org

Christmas in July and our Christmas tips blog

Many of you know that I co-authored a book titled "Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday". For the third year we are posting 5 days a week, beginning July 5, with ideas about celebrating the holiday at http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com

Stacie wrote a great blog post about my Christmas book. Thank you Stacie for your enthusiasm about the book and please visit this link where you can also read her tips about preparing for Christmas early.
http://sincerelystacie.blogspot.com/2010/06/just-6-months-away.html

On Amazon.com you CAN look inside our book by clicking on that "click to look inside" note, and you will see that our book is full color on each and every page, and is a hardcover book, priced at a reasonable $12 or $13. But the "click here" doesn't work on my blog. Oh well, you can see the pretty cover and it sparkles with silver stars.

Meyer Lemon Tree For Me

Meyer Lemon Tree
Originally uploaded by meganpru

Whee, Happy Birthday USA, and lucky me!

I bought a Meyer Lemon tree today, and when one of our sons comes over, he will plant it.
I already have a seven year old Meyer lemon in a half wine barrel planter, which gives a few lemons a year, and I have high hopes for this new baby, which will be planted in the ground.
Lemon trees have it all: gorgeous fruit, lovely scented flowers, pretty all year round. The fruit of the Meyer lemon is thin skinned and sweeter than the Eureka and other full size trees.
The Meyer will grow 5 to 10 feet tall at maturity and loves full sun.
Welcome to my house, noble little tree.
What is your most fun recent garden purchase?