Saturday, August 29, 2009

Proud as a Peahen - Meme Award


PROUD AS A PEAHEN ...
I’ve been awarded a Meme simultaneously by 
 the team at the helm of Toronto Gardens, Sarah & Helen,
and by Wendy at Greenish Thumb

Wendy, my ebullient new Blotanical buddy from Maryland claims to be a newbie gardener, but she had me hooked from the start with her spirited blogging about this and that.

Helen and Sarah: These sisters possess artistic flair in equal measure, an artistry resulting in alluring images coupled with great dollops of humor for a masterful balance.

To participate in the Meme Award you need to:
* Link back to the person who gave you the award.
* Reveal seven things about yourself.
* Choose seven other blogs to nominate, and post a link to them.
* Let each of your choices know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog.
* And finally, let the tagger know, when your post is up.

7  Things Revealed
1. Close friends know that when I have a dinner party, one particular dish is likely to appear for dessert. 
My  speciality: A fruit tart - cherry, plum or apricot, with a crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth, buttery crust.

2. Despite the surname, my ethnicity is fully Italian-American. Naturally, I love to eat, but I'm lucky to be among the class of ectomorphs.  

3. After moving to California, I shopped around for ages before locating the perfect, oh-so-cool, cruiser bicycle. 
An Italian basket  easily clips on and off for errrands.

4. A  dedicated film buff,  I’m drawn to the melancholy, visually stunning movies of Wong Kar-Wai.  
British director Mike Leigh is another favorite. 
In a Chicago pub where journalists gathered, I once chatted with a critic about Leigh’s obscure first effort, Bleak Moments. Smugly, we reveled in its brilliance, being among the limited audience that had seen the movie at a Chicago Film Festival screening.

5. Theatre is another passion: Chicago, my home town is a hub for  talented actors and writers, with countless small companies staging first-rate performances. 
When Tom and I are able to put together a trip to London, we stay in a small hotel in Sloane Square, and take in whatever is being staged upstairs and downstairs at the Royal Court
The lower level bar is our preferred spot for small bites and a glass of wine. We see whatever is on at the Almeida, and the National, and always spend time at Tate Modern.

6. My office is painted a deep terracotta hue. It's a cocoon-like room, with shelves filled with garden and horticulture books I’ve reviewed. A sculpture and a painting of mine hang on the walls, along with photographs taken by artist friends. Pride of place goes to a work on paper by an outsider artist who sold her work for many years from the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago. Tom and I drove downtown to purchase the drawing from her as a wedding present to ourselves.
 In general I shy away from color, except in the garden. All the bright lemon-lime foliage seems to have transformed my outlook. Chartreuse now prevails as an accent color in shoes, shirts, handbags and sweaters.

7. I’m too serious, and feel compelled to find a silly side of myself to reveal.
 I can’t think of any.

I'm passing this Meme Award to:

1.  Lost In the Landscape - James writes with sensitivity and insight; a San Diego artist/gardener after my own heart. 
I look to Lost Landscape for stimulating discourse on landscape design, planting, and sustainable gardening.

2.  The Inelegant Gardener - A blog that feeds my Anglophile tendencies. I wallow in witty morsels of Happy Mouffetard’s prose, enviously eye specimens from her garden, and happily tag along on her visits to gardens and shows.

3.  Greenwalks  - A valuable link to Seattle, Greenwalks captures my imagination: I never tire of her observations on parking strip plantings, or musings on the urban environment.

4.  The Intercontinental Gardener  - A true citizen of the world, The Intercontinental Gardener is erudite and design savvy. Her blog is beautiful to gaze upon and endlessly inspiring to read.  Would love to accompany her on any foray.

5.  danger garden  - A go-to blog to get fired up about a vast palette of spiny, fleshy, patterned, fragrant, architecturally gorgeous plants! Energetic and stylish, this Portland gardener knows her stuff. 

6.  Our French Garden - For glimpses of la belle France, or more specifically, the Dordogne & Le Banquet, Rob guides me on vicarious strolls through the property’s gardens. Further afield, charming villages are explored, and readers bask in the ambiance of historic settings.

7.  Grace Peterson - Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a plant lover’s paradise. Grace’s blog portrays a panoply  of flowers and foliage in a densely planted garden paradise. It's always fun to hang out here.

15 comments:

  1. It is great to be able to know you better after the meme reveals. Now you are passing to 7 more bloggers so that we can know more about them too. That's great!

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  2. Thank you for the award, Alice! I'll let you know when I've posted,
    HM

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  3. Fun reading about you! Have you ever reviewed 'Time Tested Plants' by Pam Harper? She lives down the road from me.

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  4. Congratulations Alice! Thanks for telling us about yourself. You are too serious? Hmmm... Italian-American, moved to California... Wine, movies, desserts... Are you sure? By the way, do you keep that dessert's recipe a secret?

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  5. Autumn Belle,
    The meme continues with more revelations to look forward to in the coming days.... thanks for stopping by :)

    HM,
    Delighted that you have accepted the award! Look forward to reading your post.

    Janet,
    Fun writing it, too. I've met Pam and admire 'Time Tested Plants;' it's quite a classic.

    Tatyana,
    Hmmm, I seem to have listed all the ways I unwind. As for the recipe - I tend to do a lot of improvising!
    Appreciate your congrats.

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  6. Bravo, my meme friend! Like you, if someone hadn't gotten to you first, you would have been on my list. Too much me..me..me.. could be a bore and a chore.

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  7. Congratulations on your award, and thank you so much for mine! The blogs have been quiet on the meme front for a while, and during the last flurry I wrote up not seven but TEN bits about myself. It's at: http://tinyurl.com/l64b89

    If life cooperates, I'll assemble a new posting in a bit with links to some cool blogs. I've never explored a couple of your blog recommendations, so I'll definitely make a point of visiting them. Thanks again!

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  8. Interesting trying to come up with stuff you don't mind people knowing about! You sound like a fun person to me and interesting. Thanks for sharing all of that and participating in this fun meme.

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  9. Janet, Memememe...don't we bloggers just love to take the stage!

    Susan ....Miss R, A guilty pleasure reading these memes? But then, I always look forward to your posts!

    James, I should have asked first if you would participate! So delighted that you agreed to, if time permits. Read the earlier meme - I want to know all about being an extra in Death Race 2000!!!

    Teresa, Welcome. Yes, the balance between revealing and concealing is a part of the fun!

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  10. I will deffently have to got there on my next trip. Im sure that the wife will love it

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  11. It's so clear from your comments how engaged you are with the world around you - food, travel, art, gardens.

    And no worries about focusing on your serious side - I'm silly enough with my own blog posts to balance out a fellow northern cal blogger!

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  12. Tendril - you are a wonder!
    I love that your MeMe awardees reflect the spirit of your blog - they are an eclectic group ... many of whom I have never visited - and I am so thrilled to know them now! Just like the wonderful gardens you have introduced me to, I feel like I now have all these great new destinations to visit! COOL!
    I love your life, by the way! Mwah!
    XOXOIvette

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  13. Thank you, Alice! I am so honored by your words, my problem is that I get all shy when I need to make confessions... :-) It was lovely to know more about you; I might be a bit late, but I will post my part of the award soon.

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  14. Like Germi, I also love your life!! :)

    I like point #7. I personally think it's very funny and endearing when people think they're too serious, want to be silly, and think they can't come up with anything silly. Just means you're open-minded and ready for some fun to roll along!

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