spring is bustin' out all over

An early morning stroll,

coffee mug in hand,

these were the sights that met my eye.

Not so different from other springs....

except multiplied by at least three or four!

EVERYthing has multiplied in number

or increased in size, it seems.

I guess that's the way it is with perennials!

at last

Beauty. Spectacular and Scent-sational!

If only it was not so short-lived...

the view

The view. From our yard to the one next door.

Do you see the challenge?

Any suggestions?

Meanwhile

After the initial burst of color of early flowering bulbs,

the blooming has slowed considerably!

It won't be long until we enjoy the sight and fragrance of these--and more.

Meanwhile, I enjoy an assortment of blue ornaments

decorating a bush that we trim to look tree-like.

It stands just off our small patio.

Gathered from thrift stores and garage sales,

they lend interest to the eager, wandering eye.

Edged

Same long, narrow bed as in the last post (after weeding)

now smartly edged - thanks to my husband's

patient & persistent attention.

What a difference!

Below, a repaired whirligig positioned for action!

After the Rain

This long, narrow bed,

freshly weeded,

after the rain....

This is more like it--

SPRING!

Time Flies

A year ago, he was undergoing quadruple bypass surgery!

This week, he's arranging our assortment of yard furniture and "art"!

(Also edging flowerbeds and power-washing the house....)

What a difference a year makes!

Don't Judge Me

Don't judge me too harshly...

with little else showing their colors,

I'm thankful for the sweet delicate lavenders of the wild violets

growing by invitation in a few of my beds.

Yes, I know their greedy habits.

Still I'm a sucker for their early and flagrant beauty.

Sonnet

By Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson

I had not thought of violets late,

The wild, shy kind that spring beneath your feet

In wistful April days, when lovers mate

And wander through the fields in raptures sweet.

The thought of violets meant florists' shops,

And bows and pins, and perfumed papers fine;

And garish lights, and mincing little fops

And cabarets and soaps, and deadening wines.

So far from sweet real things my thoughts had strayed,

I had forgot wide fields; and clear brown streams;

The perfect loveliness that God has made,—

Wild violets shy and Heaven-mounting dreams.

And now—unwittingly, you've made me dream

Of violets, and my soul's forgotten gleam.

Here Today; Gone Tomorrow

It's the spring of removing large, overgrown bushes.

We'll be deciding how/if to fill the void.

A couple of days ago, Gary removed a couple of large boxwoods in front of our house.

Now it looks like this out there...

just pretending

Just pretending.

Walked through our back sunporch to get to the garage...

Hanging in a basket overhead--these artificial tulips.

Outside. Snow.

Hopefully, by the time we get home later,

the milder afternoon temperatures will have melted much of it.

Face Toward Spring

Very little happening here.

Sometimes my life feels about as blank as the pages of the little book

I bought in which to create music.

Hours outside my home are spent either in the Special Care Unit

where my mother resides

or on the road getting there.

The Scene in our Garden is bleak.

It vacillates between the enchanting beauty of new-fallen snow

and its disturbed, dreary aftermath.

Our cars' shines are quickly dulled by the disgusting residue of slush.

As you can see, my enthusiasm for winter peaked LONG ago,

and while at home, I read. Mostly old books.

Many of them books of the seasons.

1 February 2015

our lilac bush and

other scenes from our back door.

Reading the Winter Away

Spent the first weeks of 2015 gardening with Father Tim and Sammy....

Now on to these.

Not sure WHEN I'll be back.

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)

juneSCENE IN OUR GARDEN