MARINA SOKOLOVA

Candidate for a Darwin award: a guy got a light out of the lighter to see how full his petrol tank is.

 

Free I Ching Reading.

I Ching day in my blog. I Ching is one of the world’s oldest oracles that is used for guidance. One asks the I Ching view on the specific situation and I Ching system offers, from the set of ready advices, one that matches the energies of the perceived problem. You can ask I Ching view on your financial or your love situation, etc. There is no answers like yes or no, but a set of texts that everyone interprets as she can.

 If you would like to get the I Ching view right now on anything, name or shortly describe the problem in the comments and I will do the I Ching reading for the first 5 who left a request.

 День И-Цзин в моем блоге. Это гадание по китайской книге перемен. Человек спрашивает у И-Цзин мнение/совет по конкретной ситуации и система выдает из набора советов тот, который наиболее соответствует энергиям ситуации.

 Кто хочет попробовать, назовите или кратко опишите проблему/ситуацию в комментарии и я погадаю и перескажу выпавший совет первым 5 желающим. Если спросите по русски, то отвечу по русски.

I just realised who the gossip girl in Gossip Girl is...

It's Dorota – the maid! Hence she needed to outsource the blogging for while she was on maternity leave.

Tips for Creating a Miniature Garden

A miniature garden is fun and practical way to create a garden in a confined space. Petite and dwarf plants can be put in a variety of small vessels to create a tiny garden in a very short period of time. Here are some tips for creating a miniature garden:

• Choose a Container – Choose a vessel that will hold soil and allow water to drain. You can use a terracotta pot, or get creative by using such vessels as a fish bowl, wicker basket, or even a bird bath. If necessary, you can create a liner with a black plastic bag or burlap. Small containers are good choices because they are portable and make great gifts.
• Choose a Location – If putting your miniature garden indoors, find a spot where it will get enough light and will complement the aesthetic properties of the room. If placing outdoors, you want to make sure it is in a spot where people can see it and won't be overrun by larger plants in the area. Also, find a location in which it will be protected by heavy rains and wind.
• Potting Mix – Choose a potting mix that has good drainage. Potting mixes that are used for garden planters and have peat moss, perlite and vermiculite are quite suitable. Place small pebbles at the bottom of the container to further help drainage. Also, place one or two coffee filters at the base of the container to prevent soil loss.
• Garden Layout – Get all of your plants, as well as any other objects that plan to include, such as small rocks and miniature furniture, and place them on top of the soil. Get creative and experiment with different arrangements. You want to decide on the locations to place everything now; if your move things around after planting, things can get quite messy.
• Planting – After you have decided on your garden design, put your plants in the soil. Plant the plants with the largest root structure first. When planting, make sure to dig a small hole first as opposed to smashing the plant into the soil. After planting each plant, smooth over the soil. Small creeping plants can be divided and planted along a border. When finished planting all of the plants, smooth over the soil a final time. 
• Garden Objects – Place the objects in the garden only after you watered the plants and the soil has settled. You can also firm up the soil by gently pressing it with your fingertips. If needed, garden objects can be staked in place.
• Garden Care – Water the garden only with a watering can. If placed outside, make sure the garden is adequately protected from the elements. Pinch off and prune plants as needed to maximize plant grown. Fertilize plants a couple of times a month or as needed.

Perhaps you are interested in pursuing a career in gardening or landscape architecture. For information on educational opportunities for helping you achieve your career goals, click here.

Sources

Mini Garden (2012)

Miniature Garden Shoppe (2012)

“Better Homes and Gardens” (2012)

Girls (TV series).

Girls is not really about girls, but about adult penniless educated women in their 20s straggling to get on their feet in the modern economy. The series was created by Lena Dunham and is a more elaborated version of her debut movie Tiny Furniture. Just like in Tiny Furniture, in Girls, Lena plays a main character too. It is said that some of the struggles facing Lena's character Hannah in the series are inspired by Lena's real-life experiences. This is a refreshing show - very different from glamorous Sex and the City and Gossip Girls. Girls shows real life of real young women. First episode came out on April 15 and I cant wait for the second one.

 

Progress on my miniature gardens.

As you see, I have planted more plants in my miniature gardens. That mushrooms with gnomes thing is a not working fountain that I thought would be decorative here. I also ordered seeds of dwarf tom thumb peas and black pansies, which I sowed already.

Decided to start with the sheep for now.

Look what i found on my office table this morning :)

Going to eat it with coffe now... nyam!

The River US TV series.

Emmet Cole, played by Bruce Greenwood, is a known TV personality, who has been making TV shows about nature in the Amazon region. The series start with him disappearing and his family and few co-workers going to search for him, sponsored by a producer, who wants to film the trip for a reality TV. As they retrace Emmet's crew steps and watch the footage filmed before he and his entire crew disappeared, they realise that Emmet's TV show was only means to an end, so he can pursue his real research. It emerges that Emmet was fascinated with the occult and supernatural and believed that source of magic energy is physically located in the Amazon. Hence, he spent years searching for this source.

I have watched it up to the 8^th episode so far and I can recommend it – it is a quite interesting show.

 

Miniature gardens.

Inspired by all the photos of the miniature gardens, which I have seen on the Pinterest, I have started my own miniature gardens in a couple of containers on the balcony. Both containers now have miniature pathways made of gravel that looks like crystals. One container now has a miniature lake, a miniature ceramic house, strawberry, tiny pine tree sapling, thyme, moss, and other random little plants that were already there. When there is a gasp of wind, the miniature lake actually gets miniature waves – very cute!

Another container now has miniature lawn, thyme, moss, and other random little plants. More plants and decorations still need to be added to make these miniature gardens complete.