Homer, AK Florists

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In bloom: Chicago's top 5 florists, ranked - WLS-TV

Pistil & VinePHOTO: MEGAN M./YELPLast but not least, there's Pistil & Vine, a Bucktown favorite with five stars out of 69 reviews. Stop by 1924 N. Damen Ave. (between Homer and Cortland streets) to hit up the next time you need a bouquet. https://abc7chicago.com/food/in-bloom-chicagos-top-5-florists-ranked/5132649/

Obituary: Benjamin Lawrence Gordon, of Redding - Weston, CT Patch

Information and Photo Courtesy Bethel Funeral HomeREDDING, CT — Benjamin Lawrence Gordon, loving husband of Suzanne and father of Sarah and Joshua, passed away February 17 after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. A celebration of his life will be held at the Redding Community Center, 37 Lonetown Rd., Redding on Sunday, April 14 at 4 p.m.Ben grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts. His father, Joshua, brought him to Boston Red Sox games at Fenway Park while his mother, Anne Goldberg Gordon, shared with him her love of books and museums. When their mother became ill, Ben and his brother Michael became wards of the Jewish Family and Children's Service, living in Bradshaw House and with foster families. Years later, Ben wrote a memoir about his experiences called Me, Mike and the Agency.Ben received a BA in English from the University of Massachusetts in 1962 and then a MA from New York University. After teaching and traveling, he went on to earn a Ph.D. from NYU in American Studies in 1979. Ben was eager for intellectual and a... https://patch.com/connecticut/weston-ct/obituary-benjamin-lawrence-gordon-redding

The fleeting but spectacular bloom of Alabama's lotus

And of course, these are the plants of "lotus-eater" fame, the New World version of the lotus eaten by the sailors in Homer's Odyssey. Clearly, the sight of so many arrayed on the riverbank cast the same spell halfway across the globe and nearly three thousand years ago. "They started at once, and went about among the Lotus-eaters," wrote Homer, describing what happened to three of his sailors. The lotus, he wrote, "was so delicious that those who ate of it left off caring about home, and did not even want to go back and say what had happened to them, but were for staying and munching lotus with the Lotus-eaters without thinking further of their return."Speaking of munching lotus, every part of the plant is edible, meaning it won't kill you. And some parts are down right delicious. Take a visit to an Asian market and you'll find canned lotus and fresh lotus. You can purchase the stems, or the seeds, or the fleshy root. The seeds have a warm and nutty flavor, and, by some accounts, including Bartram's, a laxative effect.That root is the most commonly eaten part. It is a big tuber, shaped like a banana and buried deep, often exceptionally so, in the mud. In fact, a common Buddhist expression holds that, "the lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud." In the Delta, you'll sink up to your knees in the black goo beneath the stands of lotus if you try to harvest one. Also, keep in mind that you'll be in the company of snakes and alligators moving, unseen, around you. It is an eerie feeling, for one of the alligator's favorite hunting techniques is to hide beneath the tall lotus pads and snap unsuspecting birds. So I suggest going the Asian market route. The root can be boiled, fried or sauteed. (If you have an immediate hankering to try lotus root, you may wish to visit Dragonfly Foodbar in Fairhope, which serves the root sliced crossways and fried as a French fry substitute.)An army of pollinators are always at work inside the flowers. You'll see wasps, bees, hornets and multiple varieties of syrphid flies, which, at first blush, look like bees. Another pollinator, though unexpected, is the red-winged blackbird. The birds are crazy about lotus flowers. They will actually rip the flowers to shreds trying to get at the seed pods.As an added bonus, eight and nine foot tall stalks of what appears to be a giant relative of the Queen Anne's lace wildflower are blooming everywhere you look on the riverbanks. It is known as water hemlock, and is a relative of the carrot, according to Bill Finch, noted botanist and science advisor to the Mobile Botanical Gardens. Though kin to carrots, water hemlock is not to be eaten, he cautions. Of all the tours I run in the Delta, those during lotus time are among the most popular. Once I nose the boat into a stand, with the tall pads hanging over the bow, people become almost immediately lost staring at the little world going on among the pads, under the pads, and above the pads.Indeed, the community living on, beneath and around the lotus stands in the Delta embraces all manner of creatures. Bitterns can be seen clinging to lotus stalks, seeking prey. Egrets perch on the pads for a better view. Dragons and damselflies hunt above the overhanging pads, while snakes and gators ease by below. Meanwhile, golden topminnows and killifish shelter in the shadows hoping to avoid bass and bream lurking in the underwater forest created by the tall stalks and flower stems.The chance to see the lotus population in all its glory is fleeting. Each blossom opens for a day, closes for the night, and reopens a final time on the second day before the petals fall off. The seed pods continue to grow for another month. The lotus bloom for about three ... https://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2018/07/the_fleeting_but_spectacular_b.html

Flowers become works of art in exhibits 'Flora in Winter' at Worcester Art Museum and 'In Bloom' at Tower Hill ... - MassLive.com

It's a succulent feast for the eyes and spirit in the middle of winter!"This year's Flora in Winter theme is "Swept Away," inspired by the museum's exhibit "Coming Away: Winslow Homer and England."The "Coming Away" exhibit will be at the Worcester Art Museum until Feb. 4. It is developed around two "iconic" Homer paintings: The Worcester Art Museum's The Gale (1883-93) and the Milwaukee Art Museum's Hark! The Lark (1882).Guests can get a first look at the blooming exhibit during a preview reception on Jan. 25. The night will feature live music, artisanal sweets and a cash bar. Admission for that event is listed here.Admission to Flora is free during exhibition hours with the exception of the Flora preview reception.For nonmembers, admission is $22 for adults and $6 for youth during exhibition hours.There are various lectures and events during the four-day Flora exhibit. Find more information here.Following Flora in Winter, Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston is showcasing its own floral event."In Bloom" is a three-weekend event that recognizes the flowers of winter. The show features three themes: Earth, Wind and Flower on Feb. 10 and 11; Stempunk on Feb. 17 and 18; and Camellia on Feb. 24 and 25.Admission prices and hours are listed here. http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2018/01/flowers_become_works_of_art_in.html

Arkansas gallery features art, classes, peace - Arkansas Online

MAIL UPDATES: Get free breaking news alerts, daily newsletters with top headlines delivered to your inbox]Perhaps the best known artist featured at the gallery is C. Ford Riley, known as "the Winslow Homer of the South," McClain said. Riley lives in Florida and Georgia. His landscape paintings reflect nature, even duck-hunting season in Stuttgart."He really has elevated our opportunities by believing in us," McClain said.Riley's painting Spring Morning hangs near the gallery's front door. A visual feast of browns and greens, the painting shows two turkeys in a forest. Nearby is his Deer in Fog Break. Brown is again a dominant color.Nina Baker's works are varied. There's 8 Piece Special, a watercolor of blue, red, white and orange chickens. Sheep from Pisgah, a sheep farm she and her husband own, show up in other paintings. Pisgah is the Hebrew word for mountains."The sheep farm for us is a gift from God, combining tranquility, biblical lessons from the sheep, endless plein air painting opportunities and physical exercise," Baker is quoted as saying on the gallery's website.Many of Baker's works reflect nature, from flowers to birds to a nest with three pale blue eggs. In Joy, a little girl in blue holds a lamb.Some of the gallery's art reflects the city's and the region's history.Siloam Springs artist John P. Lasater IV's works, for example, include a painting of Stoby's, a longtime Conway restaurant shown just two weeks before it caught fire last year. It is a plein-air work, meaning he painted it outdoors and on-site -- in this case, a small, yellow restaurant with green-and-white awning on Donaghey Avenue.There is also Megan Ledbetter's photograph titled Road Most Traveled. It shows a dilapidated wooden bridge over Cadron Creek. Parts of the bridge are missing. The cars that once crossed it have given way to a green forest of trees, flowers and weeds growing into, around and over the bridge.Croft, assistant gallery director and artist in residence, offers paintings of sunflowers, daffodils, bluebonnets and more; boats parked in Israel and a boat in Iceland that's sitting near both a glacier and brilliantly green grass. She's also painted an apple so green it could be the gallery's logo.A committee decides which works the gallery will display."We want all of our artists to fit with our vision, our heart for the arts," McClain said.That vision, she said, is "to bring beauty into Conway" at a time when the world and the country face so many problems.Gallery prices are as varied as the artworks, from two-digit to five-digit figures. Other items, such as illustrated note or recipe cards, also are available and can be commissioned.W... http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2017/jul/05/gallery-features-art-classes-peace-2017/?f%3Dnews-arkansas

BBB consumer warning: Graduation gifts that never arrive - KTVZ

There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Northwest + Pacific, which serves more than 15 million consumers across Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Hawaii and Western Wyoming. https://www.ktvz.com/news/bbb-consumer-warning-graduation-gifts-that-never-arrive/1083986113

These 12 Wedding Bouquets Are So Pretty, You'll Wanna Get Married ASAP - Elite Daily

This icy fern bouquetThe Instagram bio for Frenchie's Floral says they're here to give you "exquisite blooms, artful weddings, and elevated floral design" in Juneau, Alaska. This cool-toned bouquet — especially in a sea of corals, burgundies, creams, and white — delivers just that.5. These warm, complementary bouquets for two bridesIf you and your spouse-to-be are both brides, then you might be planning on two bouquets. As shown in this shot from LGBTQIA+ wedding magazine Dancing with Her, you and your fiancée don't have to match. You can have bouquets using the same flowers, but different colors. Or you can have a variety of blooms in the same palette.This photo was captured by Kelly Balch. Based out of Los Angeles, Balch also travels around the world to shoot couples.6. This perfect balance of foliage and flora This bouquet is the work of Halle Byrams at Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Langhorne Floral Co. It's an even mix of cool tones, warm tones, and foliage. This would work as great wedding inspo if you really want your bouquet to reflect all the colors in your wedding palette. 7. A desert vibe for a desert weddingPortland, Oregon-based Sea of Roses does floral design (as well as styling and creative direction) for weddings. On her blog, Heather from Sea of Roses breaks down this "Muted Desert" bouquet as composed of bridesmaid rose, mother of pearl, eryngium, sea star fern, "cafe latte" rose, "quicksand" rose, picotee ranunculus. The dramatic ribbon in this arrangement brings a new meaning to "cascade bouquet" and makes it more dynamic. A ribbon is a perfect opportunity to play with with color palette, texture, or embellishment.8. A bouquet for truly be-leaf-ing in loveThis compact, posy bouquet still manages to have some greenery that branches out. It's a good mix of refined with a bit of natural edge. This shot comes from Cody and Allison Harris, a Nashville, Tennessee-based couple who run Cody and Allison Photo.9. A tropical touch10. A blush-inspired bouquet paletteSince 2009, Alicia and Adam Rico (aka Bows and Arrows Flowers) have done floral design for weddings, photoshoots, and other occasions. While based in Texas, Bows and Arrows has created floral arrangements for events in Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Canada, and France.This dreamy bouquet is serving all shades of orange, purple, and pink — in its apricot-colored leaves, pale pink roses, and deep magenta ranunculuses and carnations. 11. A rugged bouquet for a rugged wedding12. An airy, whimsical bouquetIf you're looking to celebrate a match made in heaven, this angelic bouquet from Ryan Norville of New York City- and Los Angeles-based Oat Cinnamon does just that. The flowers are all variations of a light pink color palette and would work well... https://www.elitedaily.com/p/12-photos-of-wedding-bouquets-that-are-so-pretty-youll-wanna-walk-down-the-aisle-asap-18166461

Cut Flowers Caucus blooms on Capitol Hill - Washington Examiner

Some of the groups, such as the Cut Flowers Caucus, operate mostly in obscurity. H.R. 3019, sponsored by a Cut Flower Caucus member, Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, is advocating for a bill that would require federal agencies to procure just domestic cut flowers and greens. The American Grown Act is aimed at mitigating trade association research that indicates 80% of the industry's demand is satiated by imports. Those imports stem from a 1961 U.S. Agency for International Development program encouraging Colombia to develop an internal flower market to move the country away from communism. A similar initiative was rolled out in 1991 when Congress offered tax advantages to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru for products such as blooms as an incentive to divest in the illegal drug trade. “As a member of the Congressional Cut Flowers Caucus, Congressman Young is a strong supporter of the American cut flower industry," Young's spokesman Zack Brown told the Washington Examiner in a statement. "Alaska is home to the iconic peony, which is grown by family-owned farms across the state. He introduced this legislation because he is passionate about supporting small businesses, and believes that when the federal government purchases cut flowers, they should be purchasing from American flower farms like the ones in Alaska.” In Young's 46 years in the House, he's received no contributions from PACs linked to florists or nursery services and only small individual donations in 1994, 2006, and 2011 from people working in the sector, according to OpenSecrets data. The Cut Flowers Caucus is just one example of Capitol Hill's more niche collection of lawmakers. Other instances in the 116th Congress focus on areas ranging from political, ideological, regional, ethnic, and economic, including the Candy Caucus, the Civility and Respect Caucus, the Rock Caucus, the Small Brewers Caucus, the Term Limits Caucus, the Wrestling Caucus, and the Zoo and Aquarium Caucus. "I'd never heard of the Cut Flowers Caucus," Georgetown University government professor Michele Swers told the Washington Examiner with a laugh. The organizations serve different purposes, depending on the topic, she e... https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/cut-flowers-caucus-blooms-on-capitol-hill

More than just a pretty petal: How flowers feed the world around us - Vernon Morning Star

However, so far, we have no observations of insect visitors to these nectaries.[Wild Shots: Photos of Mother Nature in Alaska] The most-studied extrafloral nectaries in non-tropical plants may be those found on bracken fern, a cosmopolitan species that grows in Southeast. (Ferns do not have flowers, so the nectaries are necessarily extrafloral, but the term is used for convenience of comparison with the truly extrafloral nectaries of flowering plants.) The nectaries on bracken are produced on very young, developing fronds, before the leaves expand, in late spring and early summer. They are dark blobs at the junctions of the major pinnae or leaflets, and small ones may occur along the midribs of each pinna. A study in Britain showed that the size of bracken nectaries varied with habitat: they were larger in open habitats than in woodland. The numerous studies of bracken nectaries have produced highly variable results: some showed that ants defend the young fern particularly against sucking insects, or only insect herbivores in the act of egg-laying, or just the eggs of the herbivores, or only leaf-chewing herbivores, while others showed no effect of the ants attracted to the nectaries. Presumably, habitat effects on nectary size are likely to be reflected in ant activity, and furthermore, the deterrent effect of ants depends on what species of ants come to the nectaries and the density of the ants. It also matters just what herbivores are involved: some insect herbivores are very well defended against ant attack and are impervious to their assaults. A lesson in ecological complexity!I have the untested impression that extrafloral nectaries on our local plants are not very well developed. For instance, on cottonwoods, although I find yellow, sticky exudates, probably a resin that might deter leaf-eating insects, on young stems near where new leaves attach, I do not see nectar-secreting g... https://www.vernonmorningstar.com/news/more-than-just-a-pretty-petal-how-flowers-feed-the-world-around-us/