I Can Have Roses Later

My front window is brimming with Black-eyed Susans in such abundance that each year I give them away by shovels full. I long to mix in lilies, hyacinths & all manner of floral dreams. The bed however, is bordered by a basketball & skateboard court. It is a graveyard for toy vehicles of all sizes resting as it does, at the bottom of "the hill of death". Out back, the large blossoms of my Bee-Balm must be removed from the snarls of the gate-latch nearly every day & tethered back. The roses which cascade over our steps often lie bent or broken. One of the blessings of being an older parent is a better understanding of how fleeting the seasons of life truly are. I will have a lifetime of gardens... for now, I live in the magical world of play & imagination!

The Earth Laughs

We recently celebrated the 12 year anniversary of our "escape" from the city. That first summer was a magical one of healing & recovery. After suffering through back-to-back hospice care, deaths & a host of other griefs, we moved 500 miles south to begin anew. Our first home had picture-windows filled with a mountain. I immersed myself in "Simple Abundance" (by Sarah ban Breathnach), nested, voraciously journalled, & watched.
Our home overlooked a marsh & I daily relished a variety of songbirds, many of which I had only known through books & travel. Hummingbirds warred over the feeders which surrounded our home. There were bluebirds, thrushes, hawks, tits, towhees & far too many others to name! Goldfinches filled me with delight as they flashed electric-yellow. A childhood favorite, the red-winged blackbird nested in our "back forty". I set out gardens & my first window-boxes were filled with the gentle pink of Pentas, which gathered butterflies of all types. We lived there less than a year & I have never found those annuals again...until just recently. I now have window boxes boasting 3 shades of them!

Vincent's Chair

I love lilies, but they take quite a toll with 2 boys adventuring in the garden. I simply sigh & remind myself how fast my son is growing. All too soon he will be off with his friends & I will have a quiet yard full of flowers.
I have acquired marvelous, still-life treasures from Mr. Cotton. Urns, tables, old lamps, a child's wagon, a mounted groundhog, even antique, kerosene lanterns grace the my students' art work courtesy of Cotton.
One of my favorite artists is Vincent van Gogh. (My art history professor in England insisted we pronounce it "van Goff", as "it is a Dutch name".) Vincent dreamed of starting an artists' colony & secured a happy, yellow house in the south of France where he painted a chair much like this one.


When I spied "Vincent's chair" along the road, I couldn't resist. It turned out to be a beautiful garden accent which temporarily protects some of my towering lilies !

Holiday Prep

For years I have been peering over my deck watching this. It began as a stick, then a plant & for the first time, this little hydrangea bush is flowering ! The white buds first began fading to blue just before the holiday weekend. I thought the palette particularly fitting as we remembered & honored our fallen veterans.
Momma wren has once again made her nest in our carport. Her hungry babies constantly cry out when she is off hunting grubs for them. She works so feverishly, yet sings all the while. Standing on a stool, I raised my arm to hang our parade banner & we caught each other by surprise. Through the wood slats, I saw her heading right for my face. She veered as quickly as she could but her wing grazed my arm. It sent a tingle through me & was very cool, indeed.

Lost in a Rose

Roses have been unfurling daily. The pink ones, planted in honor of Momma are especially splendid this year...the size of one's face ! Red ones climb the side of my home towards the peak, while others cascade across the deck & steps behind my bedroom & kitchen windows. I have never been able to capture roses on film, particularly well, yet I forge ahead in my attempts. I love immersing myself in the fragrance & delicate softness. I become gentler when I get lost in a rose; watching them arise & awaken. Here are a few of my views from inside these gifts of our Creator-God...


(I believe Georgia O'Keefe would be fond of this one.)

Hands in Soil

I finally got my hands into my own garden beds, though quite late for me. I added a lot of perennials, tubers & bulbs, along with a few annuals. I had all but forgotten how easily the praises come when working with my Creator in beautifying His garden.
Blessedly, at the end of it all, the rains came.

Tiny Treasures

I came across an empty box that told me I had put in 6 Grecian Windflowers. I have always thought how lovely they are & wondered where I had planted them. The next day, I spied one next to the back door. The flower dwarfs the plant which is but an inch tall. In the following days, the other tiny treasures have come out. I just love bulbs ! They symbolize new beginnings, patience, & delightful surprises.

Oregano

Miss Annie

Have you ever met someone and felt like you have known each other forever? Someone who instantly reached down into the depths of your heart and warmed your very soul? I ran into Miss Annie at the garden center and we hit it off immediately. She felt like family from the moment we met over a beautiful lily.
I firmly believe that God places people like this in our lives. Sometimes it is in a moment when we need some reassurance or companionship. Often, we don't know why the specific time for the encounter was chosen, but it truly feels ordained. The feeling is uplifting and lasting.



Perhaps we were chosen to encourage or be a companion to the other person. Hebrews 13: 2 says, "Do not forget to enter strangers, for by so doing some have entertained angels unaware." I don't know why we are blessed with "Miss Annie's" in our life. I do know that when we live a rushed life, we miss out on heaven-sent opportunities for companionship and warmth. I also know that Miss Annie was an angel to me in the time that we shared.

Peony: A Unique Look

This image just puts me over the top ! I think it is so beautiful ! I find it very comforting. The lines create great movement throughout the composition. The varied hues create a sense of subtle depth, which leads the eye into the image. I turned this one every angle and kept coming back to the one as it was shot. There is a certain tension in it. I especially like the angled lines against the softness of the form, particularly in the second petal down. There is something unsettling about how the composition and the frame meet, which adds to the juxtaposed effect. (BTW< I took this leaning over,completely upside down).
On the "Day of Firsts" post (April 2), I put up 2 pictures of an iris. Nearly everyone prefers the first...so I posted it. I prefer the latter one. I would be interested in your comments on that one as well as on this one. Also, let me know if you, "just don't get it" (for either one)...I would be very interested to know that.


Here is the image turned 90 degrees...It is somehow reminiscent of The Venus de Milo, or perhaps angel wings. There is a subtle sexuality to it like this.

Here is a wider shot, to help put it in perspective and enable you to understand the subject.

Bob the Peony

This is Bob. Bob is a peony, named in honor of an old neighbor of ours, from our Maryland days. His yard was completely circled with peonies from his mother's house. The fragrance is luscious...similar to roses but not as overdone. This year, Bob the Peony had 31 big, gorgeous blossoms, right across from our front door. Without HVAC, we have had all the doors and windows open and our home is filled with the fragrance !!! Fantabulous!


Our neighbor, Bob, was the "old guy on the street who always knew everything that was going on". It was an oak-lined neighborhood of Post-WWII, GI-Bill, Cape Cod-style homes. Bob was retired and when he wasn't tending his gardens, he would stand at his open door, watching. When he would spy something unusual, he would call his wife, Jean. I loved to mess with Bob. At the time, I thought I was allergic to grass and wore a white, dust mask to mow the lawn. This aroused Bob's curiosity. As time went on, I developed my "lawn mowing uniform": white lab coat, hard-hat and dust-mask with white, storm- trooper, wrap-around sunglasses. I wore this outfit even in humid, 100+ degree, D.C. sauna conditions. Bob always called Jean to the door. Both would stand, with hands to open mouths and watch me mow the entire lawn. Never once, in all those years, did either of them comment on any of this....but every time I cut the grass, I donned my outfit and saw them from the corner of my eye.(I wish I could remember the tree-trimming outfit I wore...I think it was a tarzan sorta thing......)

I like to make events out of mundane tasks. I have been in search of the perfect, white, froo-froo GOWN for weeding my gardens....I believe in making life as fun as possible... entertaining the neighbors is just an added bonus!

Random Images

I have been ill for the last few weeks and quite in a fog...not sure if that was from meds, sleep deprivation or illness. I have been able to do some shooting. Here are some of my finds.....

Shannon & Solomon's Seal

Up in the Maryland suburbs, these seem to be a nursery item. In my back yard and the surrounding forest, they grow wild. Over the last few weeks,

I have been watching them sprout, rise and open. Teardrop buds, which dangle in a line, under the luscious, sets of leaves are just now opening.

Solomon's Seal were first pointed out to me by my (step)daughter and each time I see them, I feel close to her. One of my heroes, she is uber-mom and all-around, amazing woman! When we need some odd sort of info, the saying around our home is, "Shannon will know". She is an awesome cook, gardener, homemaker , decorator and artist. She is loving, daring, playful, wise, adventurous and caring. If she sets her mind to it, I am certain she can accomplish ANYTHING she desires. When her 8 y.o. daughter had cancer, they were told the child's bowels would have to be removed. Shannon found that unacceptable and found a less life-altering, procedure being tried out in some exotic place like Fiji... Shannon convinced the doctor's to try it and it worked! She is now well into her nursing program, working towards being a pediatric, hem-onc nurse....What an amazing woman!!!
[I am having trouble getting images out of my camera, so pictures of them in bloom will have to wait until later].

What Is It? (pt.3)

Scottish thistle....this one was extra eager to jump into life. It's a bit early, so I don't know how things will go for cross-pollination, etc. Most folks seemed to think it was a cactus of some sort.
Life is like that. Sometimes we see only the thorns and fear to go any further, when in fact, wonderful things may be found. Other times, we can feel on the verge of something big and want to jump right in. Spontaneity is great, but we have to look at the consequences, and the timing. We have to take very seriously how other people could be effected by our decisions. Ultimately, the only way for any major decision is to seek God's guidance. Sometimes we may think we have all of the information we need, when in fact, there is much more out there that never entered our thoughts. I make my requests known to God but always ask for His will to be done. That way, he who has the big picture in mind, can open or close doors as I need them.

What Is This? (Pt. 2)

Ok, you should have it now, but if not, the next one will be a give-away.

Upcoming Treats

My Jack-n-the-Pulpit was marred this year....but, there are some more upbeat signs...
















Wild strawberries for Bun-Bun...

and wild blackberries for us !!

What Is This?

Sometimes it is difficult to capture a novel image of something that has been overdone...I think this is a cool shot. I believe that God has blessed me with an eye to go beyond the obvious eye candy and find even more, sometimes greater, treasures to behold....more images later. Off to catch the beaver before he turns in for the day....

First Forest Flowers

I have never even bothered to look these up. I know them as "The spring break flowers"... they are the first thing to bloom in the forest... and always in time for spring break. they are only about 6-8 inches tall. The pictures do not do justice to the vivid red that splashes out all over the forest floor. Some years ago, I relocated some to under our oak out back and they are doing great!

Weekend Watching

Here are just a few of the things going on around our home: Silver Dollars, Geraniums, and Columbine:




I spent much of the weekend at The Glade next to the lake, watching the ferns and wild azaleas unfurl....

Images Out Back