Finding Beauty in the Winter Garden

The Winter garden teaches us to listen, to rest, and a time to plan. The roots are getting ready for the upcoming season. The trees are starting to make an appearance when spring awakens and tells the trees to begin blooming. 

Hello and good day,  today I am showing you the beauty that can be found in the winter garden. When ever  I say the word winter garden I automatically think of the book I read in 2025. Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah Winter Garden . 

 

A beautiful story a must read. It will touch all the senses. All the feelings. Here is one of the gourds left in the garden. They will dry up and be ready to paint by the time it’s time for the spring cleanup. You would first scrub them in a little bit of bleach water using a rough sponge or a soft wire brush. Something with texture to remove the peeling skins of the gourds. 

That’s a good view of the deep snow. 

The vines of the tomatoes 

Garebear had bought me this one Mother’s Day. I really enjoy it. It’s garden art. 

Welcome, Dusty put this together for me last year and I paid him a little bit of money. It is great for the vines to grow on. It’s also a great garden entrance. 

This was one of best years of the gourds since NC. One year we had so many that I made numerous fall scenes and gave so many away. It was when Dusty was small. 

This is Abigail our oldest granddaughter with Dusty. I had seen this in the Timehop one day and saved it. That was the year we had so many gourds of all shapes and sizes. Even the caveman club gourd. The kids used to run through them. It was magical. 

It says exactly what I needed to share. 

The flag I got reminds me of Sophia, Rosie and Kevin. Just makes me happy to see it. 

The strawflower with snow. 

The strawflower these are so beautiful in the summer. They will be casting all their seeds about for springtime. 

You know I can’t stop sharing these pictures of the beautiful birds. I always say when I see a cardinal it’s my dad Richard. Last week I had seven cardinals at the feeders at once. Six males and one female. It was the most I had ever seen at once. I watch them and off in a distance you can see them. They will wait for the bluejays to leave. Sometimes! 

Yes it does! The seed catalogs the dreaming of new ideas and plans for the future. They always say to plant a garden is to believe in the future. I am thinking of all the possibilities. 

The other night we made nachos they were so delicious. Easy meal and everyone always likes it. 

It was the usual day. Tomorrow will make Day 17 of the 100 Days. I feel like I am questioning this adventure I want to make it happen as I have goals involved. I have already learned so much about how I can paint intuitively and not even think about what I am going to make. Today while painting the watercolors I was a purest where usually I add all the mixed media in. Today I stayed with just watercolors. Which watercoloring has always been my favorite painting.  I hope today as you read this you see the beauty in the winter garden or perhaps read the book. 
Much love and happiness.
Good vibes for a great weekend, 
Dawn Gallop 

 

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Onions 🧅 Growing Onions

Onions and onions did I say onions???? Uhm? Every year I have grown onions. 🧅 even when I was much younger. What I love most about growing onions is eating them. When I was a child we didn’t have much food. My mom was a single mom in the very early 70s we always had cream cheese and onions. Sometimes bread. I would make us cream cheese and onions did sandwiches or mayonnaise and onion sandwiches. DELICIOUS!! Even today I will make these sandwiches. If I have fresh lettuce I will add that on toasted bread. I’m telling you, ya gotta try it. Another way too is to add a cucumber. Or just make a good ole cucumber sandwich. 

This year I am unable to buy my onion starts. Which every year I have bought from Dixondale FarmDixonDale Farms  I always buy the Highlander. Which makes me think of the show The Highlander we used to watch in the 90s. A very good series. I want to share some of my pictures of the onions we have grown. 

A favorite mushroom and onions  to top any dish with 

Fresh onions on top of our homemade chili 

We hang the onions up braiding them first 

You can see how large they grow 

These are a staple in our house 

We make a lot of our foods with these onions which feeds us all year 

We freeze dry them and add to soups, taco meat etc very convenient on those nights when you don’t want to cut an onion. 

More food we make for ourselves this we use on a lot of foods 

This was last year as we didn’t braid them as we switched from the Highlander to the Patterson and I wasn’t as happy with the results of the Pattersons. I will stay with the Highlander onions. I have always been very happy with them. 

This was spring of 2023 

Sometimes I do like to grow walla walla just to eat fresh but these don’t store like the Highlander ones 

I have bought from them longer than that now. I used to just buy them at the hardware store in paper bags. Keep growing and also if you are new to growing onions order the fertilizers that Dixiondales sales as they are very helpful and will help give your onions more bite. 🌱

I am hoping this year I will be able to get some onions. I can’t imagine a growing season without them. 

Thank you to Dixondale Farms for always providing us a way to buy sets to feed our families and friends with. 

Happy growing season 

Good vibes and sending you lots of positive energy. 

Much love and appreciation, 

Dawn Gallop 🌀

 

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Sunset in Winter Unexpected Moments

Today was a regular day my class started at 11 am so I was preparing for that. The class which I will share more about that soon. The class has been amazing for me and others. I look forward to the classes and seeing everyone. It’s all on zoom. 

The picture above and below was an unexpected moment. You can see beauty in everything. It’s like the book I’m reading now Conversations with a Brush by Chris Zydel. She says how we can see beauty in things we were taught that’s not beautiful. I don’t want say her exact words but it’s true something/someone is beautiful and we were taught that it’s not. Changing your perspective on things you will find the beauty in something. Even if it’s a moment that you took for granted. Life is beautiful and every moment is a blessing and a gift. Even the struggles can be beautiful as sometimes the hardest times we can overcome and something spectacular happens. 

Here I was in the bathroom I always look out the window as I have seen animals and birds, I must confess I am looking for Bigfoot. Today as I was looking out of the window and I saw the icicle and the sun. I went outside to get the picture. Just look at the tree and the sunlight shining through. 

The greenhouse a subtle orange glow. Beautiful!! Take a moment today and find the beauty in just the simplicity of it. 

I had went to the dermatologist for a check up. It’s always a good idea to have it checked out. I spent many years in the sunshine and not protected. My mother would take me to the beach as a child and I was so pale I would be burnt in no time and we would be there all day. I would cover myself with towels coats and even jeans. My family would make fun of me but I was protecting myself from a sunburn that would be so painful. I only wish my parents had gave me sunscreen. I made it and now I wear hats and long sleeves. Always wearing sunglasses. I do have cataracts but the ophthalmologist said it would be years before I would a surgery. 

Today I thought I would bring back some more pictures of 2025. We still didn’t even get through all of them from 2025. Just a few.,,, 

I love this one. Alexis looks like she did as a young lady. I’m so proud of them. Love them so much. My Garebear. 

Hey beautiful people, the beautiful people the beautiful people I’m singing 

You know you’re a cheesehead…… love the hats!! Bruce wanted to buy one of those. 

Baker with Papa 

Eating those tomatoes don’t worry boys we will have more again this year. 

Both of the boys in the wagon headed to the Little Free Library 

This is one of my favorites them playing with the water this past summer  

It may be cold now but before you know it summer will be here 

Sunset on the pond 

I love the sunsets I see on the days that the sun shines I call it a slice of heaven 

I painted this type of sky in my paintings I went from memory not looking my pictures. I will be sharing that painting in five more days. Tomorrow is day 15 of the 100 day project.

Just a little reminder for your day….. be on the lookout for those simple things of  beauty today. It may even come in a smile or a snowflake. The sun shining in your eyes. Trust your instincts and open your mind to see the beauty in things that we were taught had no beauty. Change your perspective and see that it is beautiful. Thanks to Cody for coming by to help your daddy today. As a bonus I got to see Cody. Always makes a momma smile. Thank you!!! I love you ❤️ 

See you tomorrow. 

Much love and good vibes, 

Dawn Gallop 
 

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