Stand up straight please...
March 2007
What I'm Listening To: Fidelity by Regina Spektor (careful, this one is catchy...you will be singing it for days!)
I couldn't resist. Sometimes flowers seem to be the easy way out when trying to get a pic of the day but this is different. I promise.
I snapped this specific perspective here for several reasons. First, I love to reuse old jars for everything from storing pencils to lovely vases. They just always portray a homemade feel to me. Second, all this white and yellow was drawing me into a joyful mood after a tough day of school that I needed to let go of quickly. And last but certainly not least, I thought since my kids barely learned anything today, I would make myself feel better by teaching you all something.
Some of you may have heard of this trick and maybe even have tried it. I am thinking of you Judy! Notice the pennies at the bottom of the jar in the picture? A long time ago someone told me to put a few cents worth of pennies in the water with my stiff stems (like gerberas or tulips) and that it helps them stand straight up. Apparently what happens is that the copper would get into the water and block bacteria from growing in the stem. This enables the stem to take in water easier, which helps the flower last longer. Now, pure copper pennies havent been made since 1943 so I dont think it REALLY works like it once did.
Why do I still do it then? I have done it ever since I heard it that day simply because I think it looks pretty. What do you all think?
Oh and Jenn...thanks for my flower...I love it.
3.05.2007
Penny Wise?
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18 comments:
hi anna......
one can never have enough flower photos at this time of year. gerberas are beautiful...a row of mason jars with single stems sticking up and out on a window ledge are always a pleaser for my eyes!
I had never heard of the penny trick.......will have to try.....
take care....
this makes me think of summer. i cant wait.
Anna,
Love the photo. I like the perspective you used.
Got to comment on your song of the day. I have the Regina Spektor album Fidelity is on and you think it is catchy, try "Hotel Song". It sticks with you even longer!!!
I am so in the mood for a happy yellow flower! (I like the pennies, too.) Spring is getting closer, and after this long, cold winter I am looking forward to a lot of bright, colorful flower shots.
that is such a happy flower! and a happy color! i can see why it brightened your mood. i've never heard of the penny trick...i'd be interested in hearing from judy if it really works or not.
I like the esthetic of the pennies at the bottom of the jar. They serve as a randomly introduced counterpoint to the soft petals at the other end of the shot.
Sometimes, the eye just likes to roam. This is one such image, and I'm drawn to it.
I like how you see things we've likely seen before from new angles, and within new compositions. Good photographers challenge, and you certainly do.
Looks like you most certainly did teach well today, Anna!
Ahhh! So cute!
Our family owns a flower shop and never, ever, have I heard of that cute copper trick. That's so cute though! Haha, I can't wait to tell my mom about it. :)
Anna, love your sunshine flower picture and the pennies in the jar. Great stuff. I have heard of the pennies but haven't tried it myself. Makes sense if they are pure copper pennies.
anna,
i had no idea kimiko was getting married!!
thanks for that pic.
love,
nat
You're a lot more fun than any of the teachers I remember having :)
My eyes fell to those pennies almost immediately even before I read your post. It made me smile and think, "Yup, Anna will have a story about those coins."
Anna, I have heard that too, but I have never done it. The tip I hear most often is to give the flowers a dollop of vodka! It is supposed to make them stand at attention! I have never done that either!
You would love my mom's old jars!
I don't know much about all that, but I bet Utenzi does!
I wouldn't be so hard on myself about having a tough day teaching... I'm sure even non-home school teachers have their off days. And you'd be surprised what your kids learned anyway.
Nice flower,
Mike
anna, lovely fresh feel to your shot
love the story too - i had heard of it but agree that it seems far fetched without copper pennies - the mind is a powerful thing though!
as for the home schooling - hey, always planet earth again!
Are those pills or coins in the bottom of the vase? :-0 This a simple, but beautiful photo, Anna.
great shot and very well taken.
In science labs we use the penny trick in open-trayed incubators to inhibit microbial growth. It seems to work.
I like your picture a lot. The short focal length is perfect for your subject, Anna.
That's a nice idea...I'm going to try it. What a cheerful pic :)
I am waiting for the bulbs to flower at the botanical gardens so my new camera and I can have a field trip of sorts. It will of course have to get out of the 30's here.
Lovely picture and I hadn't heard that tip about the pennies before.
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