[Kdestra]

Les Fleurs du mal or the English translation: "Flowers of Evil" is a volume of poetry by Charles Baudelaire. His poetry greatly influences me so it's only fitting that this be dedicated to him. The first post should also feature the erotic "Pomegranate"
#1 reason why I grow it is because of its bold sweet-tart taste
#2 The Greek myth of Persephone, the queen of the underworld. She was dragged to hell by Hades. While she was gone her mother Demeter (goddess of fertility & the harvest) searched for her in vein and turned the world to ice. She wouldn't let anything grow until Zuess made Hades return her. But Hades tricked Persephone into eating a few seeds of the Pomegranate. That is why we have the winter months.

Enough history
I hope you enjoy the Pomegranate pictures. The tree is now 7yrs old. It produces hundreds of pounds of beautiful fruit. So much so I started freezing some

 

[Kdestra]

More Pomegranate pictures: Pomegranate Lemonade and the tree filled with ripe fruit.
Just behind Hocus (kitty) you can see I'm trench composting the Pomegranate skins.

 

[Kdestra]

Decided to make Pomegranate Margaritas. Turns out 100% Pomegranate juice doesn't fully freeze .... it congealed

 

[Kdestra]

Starting in early winter I dream about pumpkins: red, orange, grey, white, bumpy, lumpy & smooth. Then I spend the rest of the year growing, failing, regrowing, fighting bugs, sweating & sometimes succeeding. After Halloween is over I cant just toss my babies into the compost so I make pumpkin stacks & topiaries. Also being the pumpkin hoarder that I am I drive around after Halloween and take pumpkins off the curb left for trash. Ooojen (pumpkin Growers comrade) identified the greenish/white striped pumpkin as "One Too Many"

 

[Kdestra]

A few people asked about my garden witch so I thought I'd share a short story about her.

When my children were young I'd write them stories. One of those stories was about a witch that had a magical garden. Then we would sit my garden shed & I'd tell them all about her silly crows, foxes (we call them "red cats") flowers & vegetables. One day I decided to paint her on the wall of the garden shed. We loved her so much hubby put her into a CAD then had her laser cut out've steel.

 

[Kdestra]

Most people put up holiday lights this time of year but my pagan heart desires something darker, something ethereal.... something hauntingly beautiful.
So for the past few weeks we've been working on the Winter Solstice Urn
(Like every tombstone maker on the HW forum) we have lots of insulation foam board laying around. I cut the foam to fit snugly into urn, then cut out holes for flame lights, twisted willow branches & berries.

The pictures do not do the urn justice. The urn plus branches reach over 10ft. The flame light is perfect (not bright or garish) I'm so happy with the way it turned out I'm going to do my small oval urns tomorrow.

 

[Kdestra]

Not much going on in the garden right now but found some Jack B'Little seeds from 2018.
So I decided to use the paper towel method & find out if they're viable.
2 out've 4 germinated ??

Here's a link for more info about starting seeds using the "Paper Towel Method"

How to Germinate With Paper Towels

How to Germinate With Paper Towels. You’re planning your spring garden, you have several left-over seed packets from previous years and you’re not sure if the seeds are still good. Knowing if the seeds are dead, the percentage of seeds that are still viable and the rate of germination can keep...

homeguides.sfgate.com

 

[Kdestra]

Finally found my old Fern Leaf Lavender seeds! Wasn't really expecting them to germinate but they did ?

 

[Kdestra]

Gardens of the dead

Staring to adding cemitaries we've visited around the world.
"Franz Kafka's" grave in Prague.

 

[Ladyfrog]

Thank you for posting the article about germinating seeds with paper towels. I ended up with a ton of old seeds (came in a box of other stuff my husband won at auction) and I have no idea how they were stored or anything. Most of them are from 2013.

 

[Ladyfrog]

My son and daughter in law gave me this seed bouquet for my birthday last month and I can't wait to plant them!

 

[Kdestra]

Thank you for posting the article about germinating seeds with paper towels. I ended up with a ton of old seeds (came in a box of other stuff my husband won at auction) and I have no idea how they were stored or anything. Most of them are from 2013.

Ohhhh??? do you mind sharing photos of your seed stash? I love looking at seed envelopes.

 

[Kdestra]

My son and daughter in law gave me this seed bouquet for my birthday last month and I can't wait to plant them!

"Happy birthday" ???????
That's beautiful & such a fantastic idea. It certainly warms up the heart in February.

 

[Kdestra]

"Gardens of the dead"

This photo was taken several years ago in a Puritan Grave Yard in Connecticut.
Last year I shared several photos of Puritan grave yards all over New England & A few Southern states as well.

Puritan Graveyards

Happy October from Connecticut

www.halloweenforum.com

 

[Kdestra]

"Gardens of the dead"

A very old picture taken at Edgar Allan Poe's grave in Baltimore. (The kids are underwhelmed) If you get a chance to visit Poe's grave ~ do it. The grave yard is small but fascinating. Edgar Allan Poe's Grave

On the other side of Baltimore is the very interesting grave stone of Elijah Bond. He's been credited with making the first Ouija board. Green Mount Cemetery is filled with Angelic Angels & also has the grave of John Wilks Booth. We accidentally stumbled on it while looking for Elijah Bond's grave.

Ouija Board Gravestone - Grave of Elijah Bond in Baltimore

The memorial gravestone of Ouija Board inventor Elijah Bond was erected in 2008 by the Talking Board Historical Society in Baltimore's Green Mount Cemetery.

www.cultofweird.com

John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) - Find A Grave...

Presidential Assassin. An acclaimed Shakespearean stage actor, he assassinated 16th United States President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Born in Bel Air, Maryland, he was the 10th child of Junius Brutus Booth, and English-born stage actor who had gained fame for his dramatic Shakespearean...

www.findagrave.com

 

[Kdestra]

"Gardens of the dead"

At first glance the grave yard in Jewett City is boring (No art, run down & utilitarian).
The story about the "Jewett City Vampires" is anything but!!! Its tragic! It's desperate & based on human fear. A lot has been written about them & by much better writers then I am so click on the link

The Jewett City Vampires, Griswold – Damned Connecticut

 

[Ladyfrog]

Oooh I love old cemeteries! That Ouija board headstone is awesome ? I will check out the vampire article on my break this afternoon (scurrying back to work now).

 

[Kdestra]

Oooh I love old cemeteries! That Ouija board headstone is awesome ? I will check out the vampire article on my break this afternoon (scurrying back to work now).

Oh you'd love to see the graveyards in Baltimore. They are unique & disturbing. If you ever come to the East coast I'd be glad to show you in person. ☠☠☠
If you're interested in another tragic American Vampire ~ read about poor Mercy Brown.
(We visit her grave every time we go to Rhodes island)
The Brown family suffered & died because of consumption ~aka~ Tuberculosis.
It's difficult to comprehend why they dug up Mercy's body, burned her heart & made her brother drink the ashes. Btw her brother still died

The Mercy Brown Vampire Story | Historic Mysteries

Opening the coffin, the onlookers were shocked to see that her body was in pristine condition. Read the real Mercy Brown vampire story.

www.historicmysteries.com

 

[Kdestra]

Gardens of the dead

No vacation in Rhodes Island is complete with out visting my 2nd favorite American Literary writer "H.P. Lovecraft" My favorite story is "The Cats of Ulthar" and my all time favorite poem is "Where Once Poe Walked" Where Once Poe Walked by Howard Phillips Lovecraft
I followed HP's footsteps in this poem in Provenance
~~ yes that is my plushy Cthulu ~~~

 

[Kdestra]

Gardens of the dead

Another favorite Connecticut Cemetery is Milford. I read about it on "Damned Connecticut" a few years ago & had to see Nathan Baldwin's for myself. It did not disappoint

Milford Cemetery, Milford – Damned Connecticut