juneSCENE IN OUR GARDEN: trees

Showing posts with label trees. Show all posts

Making a Difference

A cool day after hot ones

called for a major pruning chore...

which called for a fire.

This was followed by smaller jobs

like sprucing up a couple

of garden frogs.

We enjoyed attending to a few tasks

that make a difference

on a day when making a difference didn't involve

enduring high temperatures!

Venturing No Further Than...

our back porch to try to capture the colors

that are so beautiful to the eye...

Later this morning, we'll travel a few miles to visit my parents.

Along the way--fields of corn and beans in various stages of harvest...

pumpkin stands, and trees.

Gloriously colored trees, taking my breath away with their beauty.

May Day Minus Flowers

May Day minus flowers.

Rather, our morning walk took us out to the back

to view the neat pile of wood harvested from a recent limb-removal.

I transplanted a small twig of forsythia a couple of years ago (I think).

I had hoped for more vigorous growth but haven't really done anything to encourage it...

so (below) this is what we have as of today.

In a few days, our lilac bush and flowering cherry tree will be in full bloom.

Photos to come!
Meanwhile, here are a few views from our side yard.
Survivors--all of them!

I am enjoying visiting gardening blogs more than ever

since our own efforts have been temporarily suspended.

I'm thankful for a hard-working niece who will be handling the basic outdoor chores.

She's hardworking and thorough AND willing to do a few extras, too.

Winona Lake, IN

Drizzling rain didn't spoil the day's beauty.

During an afternoon break at the seminar I attended today,

I strolled outside to try to capture the view

seen all day through the windows behind the presenter.

It really HAS been a beautiful fall,

surpassing my expectations at its beginning.

The C.E. National campus, Winona Lake, IN

is the location of this colorful display.

Farewell, October; Hello, November

...waiting for daylight this first day of November to see if any leaves remain

on our beautiful tree after the rain and wind of the night.....

Next mild day is reserved for storing away yard art and lawn furniture.

Not in our Garden

Natural beauty not so far from home for us...

A leisurely walk

before the day got warmer and more humid

found us navigating new territory on a well-marked trail.

This trail wandered along the Maumee River

where a well-managed trust respects and preserves

the natural beauty of its lands.

At the end of the trail, along the path between forest and field,

I was fascinated to find four berry-bearing bushes--

none of them the same and side by side.

I found the blue ones particularly beautiful...

We'll certainly return to this spot throughout the seasons!

July 27

Sadly, ants had had their way with this beautiful butterfly before I found it.

Still I couldn't resist a picture.

Toward the end of the day, driving toward our house, the

golden hue of the black-eyed Susans really caught my eye.

My photos don't do them justice;

but seeing these images, I realize our trees desperately need trimmed.
Weather has been almost autumn-like. Pleasant days. Cool nights.
So lovely...

This and That

I found this ceramic owl at a thrift store and placed it on the trunk of the tree

where a family of owls perched statue-like on a branch for most of a day a few years ago.

On the way to attach the owl, I passed this rusty tray holding my

small collection of stone hearts. The small white one is the latest.

I found it walking to the post office yesterday.

(Had tree trunks on the mind for some reasons....)

Our white rose bushes are as full as I've ever seen them. They are about to explode with flowers!

Another tree trunk with a couple of sunflower heads (yard art) at its base.

My husband just fashioned a seat for this bench

from decking boards found free in a pile of wood on a curbside.

Much better...now all we need are cushions for the back.

Entertained by Change

The colors of autumn

tend toward jewel tones here, it seems.

We've been kind of lazy about yard work...

On one of the next warmer days,

we need to get out and put away lawn ornaments for the winter.

Meanwhile, we are simply entertained by all the changes.

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony. William Henry Channing 1810-1884

Irises come in many forms, shapes, colors and sizes and the sword-like foliage is attractive when the plant is not in bloom. The genus Iris is a large genus of bulbous and rhizomatous perennials.

The Iris was named after the goddess of the rainbow because of its many colors.
A flower on the Sphinx is considered to be an Iris, and another appears on a bas-relief of the 18th Egyptian dynasty.
Pliny also knew the Iris and praised its medicinal virtues.
The Iris was also a favourite flower of the Moslems, who took it to Spain after their conquest in the 8th century.

Bought at a local plant sale, Spring of 2009 Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium; syn. Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Pers., Pyrethrum parthenium Sm.) is a traditional medicinal herb which is found in many old gardens, and is also occasionally grown for ornament. The plant grows into a small bush up to around 18 inches high, with citrus-scented leaves and is covered by flowers reminiscent of daisies. It spreads rapidly, and they will cover a wide area after a few years. It is also commonly seen in the literature by its synonyms, Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Bernh. and Pyrethrum parthenium (L.) Sm.

I'D PICK MORE DAISIES
If I could live my life again
I'd be a little lazy
I'd stop this rushing to and fro
And stop and pick more daisies
Through all the lovely summer months
Though days be clear or hazy
No more to fret over tasks undone,
I'd stop to pick a daisy
Not so important what I did
This fact time now discloses
While running through life's garden green
I'd stop to smell the roses
If I could hold my little ones
The children in my care
I'd scold them less and love them more
With so much love to share
If I could pass this way again
Though folks might think I'm crazy
I'd work and worry less, but I'd
Take time to pick a daisy
The rush of life has passed me by
Now I have leisure hours
But time has taken such a toll
It's too late to pick the flowers.

Mildred F. Rowe

MEASURE YOUR HEALTH...by your sympathy with morning and spring. If there is no response in you to the awakening of nature, if the prospect of an early morning walk does not banish sleep, if the warble of the first bluebird does not thrill you--know that the morning and the spring of your life are past. Thus may you feel your pulse. (Thoreau)

"God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on the trees and flowers and clouds and stars." (Martin Luther)

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

The soul of a child is the loveliest flower
That grows in the garden of God
It's climb is from weakness to knowledge and power,
To the sky from the clay to the clod.
To beauty and sweetness it grows under care
Neglected, 'tis ragged and wild.
'Tis a plant that is tender, but wondrously rare,
The sweet wistfull soul of a child.

Be tender, O Gardener, and give it it's share
Of moisture, of warmth and of light,
And let it not lack for th painstaking care
To protect it from frost and from blight.
A glad day will come when it's bloom shall unfold,
It will seem that an angel has smiled,
Reflecting a beauty and sweetness untold
In the sensitive soul of a child.

...Author Unknown

Thy Word is like a garden, Lord,
With flowers bright and fair;
And every one who seeks may pluck
A lovely cluster there.
Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine,
And jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths
For every searcher there.

Thy Word is like a starry host:
A thousand rays of light
Are seen to guard the traveler,
And make his pathway bright.
Thy Word is like an armory,
Where soldiers may repair,
And find, for life's long battle-day,
All needful weapons there.

Oh, may I love Thy precious Word,
May I explore the mine,
May I its fragrant flowers glen,
May light upon me shine!
Oh, may I find my armor there!
Thy Word my trusty sword,
I'll learn to fight with every foe
The battle of the Lord.

(Edwin Hodder, Thy Word Is Like a Garden, Lord)