Category Archives: Garden

Fibonacci, What a Notion!

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Fibonacci, what a notion of the motion of the world. . .

Fibonacci, What a Notion! was originally commissioned by the Children’s Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh. Written for children’s choir and jazz ensemble Catch 22, the piece is about the Fibonacci number series and also uses Fibonacci numbers in its construction.  I’ve been writing and recording for the past few weeks and am in the process of reworking this piece for myself as well as for my ensemble. Here’s the first verse of the original piece. 

Fibonacci, what a notion of the motion of the world! One, one, two, three, five, and eight, Add each one accumulate the number called the Golden Section. How to measure such perfection? One, one, two, three, five, and eight, Fibonacci, what a notion of the motion of the world! (lyrics ©2006 Lynn Emberg Purse, All Rights Reserved

If you haven’t heard of the Fibonacci number series, perhaps you are familiar with Continue reading →

Promises, Promises!

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“. . . promises can lead to joy and hope and love, yes love.”  lyricist Hal David

As many others have commented lately, this is a mild winter, the one that allows you to see everything without a protective blanket of snow. Snow, often referred to as “white mulch” by northern gardeners, is preferable as it protects the plants through harsh conditions and fixes nitrogen in the soil. But I can never bring myself to eschew a mild bare winter where I can actually see the garden. If you grow perennials and shrubs, you have a lot to look at in January.

On a stroll through the garden this morning, I saw Continue reading →

On Being Versatile

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Charlotte the spider told Wilbur “I’m versatile.” Wilbur asked “Does “versatile” mean “full of eggs”?” Charlotte replied “No, it means I can change with ease from one thing to another.” Adapted from Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

Once again, I have been honored with another blogging award, The Versatile Blogger, from poet AZ/catcherofstars of Verse Not Prose and photographer Kerry of Lightscapes Nature Photography. I accept it with humility and grace, knowing that it is coming from two WONDERFUL bloggers and I apologize for the delayed response. Kerry particularly had insightful thoughts on the practice of giving and receiving blogging awards, and I refer you back to his post with “Ditto, what he said!” With the award comes some obligations: post the image of the award; acknowledge the one(s) who nominated you; share 7 facts about yourself; and nominate others in turn and inform them of their nomination. The numbers vary on this last one, so I take the path of moderation in all things.

However, I will preface this post by the admission that I am of two minds about the award, but not from the obligations incurred. No, for me it is all about the perception of being versatile in the world of creative arts.

Tools are often sold on the basis of their versatility, whether it is a Continue reading →

The Only Color Is In The Sky

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The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere . . .   John Muir, naturalist

It is the time of year when I begin to miss my garden.  Lovely as the winter woods are, I hunger for the color of bloom and leaf. I have already marked the seed catalogs and have started a spreadsheet of possible purchases, dreaming of the garden season to come. As a way of reminding myself that spring will follow the long winter months, I will soon begin each day watching one of my large collection of garden videos. But early this morning, after many dark gloomy days, I saw the sun rising through the clouds.  I grabbed my camera and the dog and went hunting the only color in nature at this time of year – in the sky.

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I’m versatile! Two blogging friends, poet AZ/catcherofstars at Verse Not Prose and photographer Kerry at Lightscapes Nature Photography, have honored me with another award, the Versatile Blogger Award. Since I am still deep in composing and recording this week, I will post about this award on Sunday, the first day of the new year.  It seems an appropriate way to begin a new leaf. In the meantime, I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year’s Eve celebration!

Text and images of “The Only Color Is In The Sky” ©2011 Lynn Emberg Purse, All Rights Reserved

Early Christmas Presents

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Christmas is coming early this year for me, as I was the recipient of some generous gifts by fellow bloggers yesterday. I’ve only been blogging here since September, so I am deeply touched and grateful for these gestures. Today also marks my twentieth post and the 2000th view of my blog.

First, the postman delivered a Read more!