A garden wench

2012-01-27T07:04:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a great combination,
poppies and Dames Rocket?
This was taken in Ellison Bay , Wisc.
last June
I have never had any luck growing either for any length of time
within a year or two, they get pushed out or die
Maybe I need to plant these in larger quantities
but my garden is not that big...and I hate mass green areas with spent flowers
but of course there is the question of soil and light conditions
maybe I had them in the wrong place...no, I had them in the wrong place
or they would have thrived as they do here in Door County
AH...but the dreaming I'm doing lately is grand
what a way to spend a chilly winter day
.....and liatris....that never survived either
.......and......

2012-01-26T09:27:00.000-08:00

Things I saw on my morning walk
through the sleeping garden

The oak hydrangeas

I'm thinking this year of cutting them back

I hope I do it at the right time

...must get out my garden books

and this low spot that always holds water

what shall I do with this?

just around the corner of the house, in the Hawthorne tree

was a purple finch singing his heart out

so beautiful and so joyful

So inspired was I, that I went inside and got out

my birdcall CD and played it

much to the delight of my kitty Abigail

Why just yesterday I was reading in a garden book about leaf litter

....to leave it...for critters

I have a resident toad that I am certain benefits by these leaves

I have always left them for the spring thrushes to scratch around

in for bugs

and of course, Happy Jack was full aware of my every movement

that was keeping him from the feeders...ha ha

and here is Abigail, my feral kitty that I got inside years ago
with a big belly
She is still very shy and jumpy
but she is the most lovable kitty
and a talker...only thing is...she likes to talk at night
I made myself a cup of peppermint tea
she fell asleep to the song of the Baltimore oriole

2012-01-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

He of home laughed at me as I placed
the old tomatoes outside for my wards.
He said that they wouldn't eat them....
said they would be like potatoes...no potatoes ever get eaten...
about that he is correct
But I hated to just toss these soft tomatoes
and I wasn't feeling in the mood to cook
so I offered them to my critters
and wulllah....I was right again
Happy Jack was feasting away in the River Birch this morning
image finding a frozen tomato in January
like winning the lottery
Joy

2012-01-22T11:12:00.000-08:00

and......I'm going to add more nesting

opportunities

boxes

ledges

houses

Oh, I am dreaming big

Must be my new issue of

Birds and Blooms

yes,dream big

more flowers to attract

insects

and hummingbirds

Ah, what a way to spend a cold,dreary winter afternoon
....dreaming big

2012-01-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

Not much going on here
BUT WINTER!

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Brr!
A quick peek outside in the garden....looking for joy
I found it in the cement garden bench with the skid paws across it.
It stood in the sun casting shadows on the snowy ground.
For a brief moment I saw Stonehenge
Ha! in my yard......what fun

Now I am off to get birdseed and peanuts
and few more feeders.....seems some of them are broken on the ground
hmmm.......as are the suet feeders...usual suspects
Oh well, I must keep my Open Bar of Joy well stocked
It keeps the view from the kitchen window interesting

The hawk just flew through my yard like a laser beam
Keep going, buddy

I think I might start a countdown....to spring....
I already have new garden magazines next to cup of a tea
waiting for me
....I read them slowly
peruse the pages of pictures...like they were secret messages
waiting for me to decode
and I will...come spring

starlings

2012-01-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

starlings

clowns of the garden

they arrive with their buddies

push their way to the front of the line

Even Happy Jack gets out of the way

they can devour food like no others

It is cold outside today and more snow fell overnight

The starlings found the suet block that the squirrels had knock down yesterday

and more starlings showed up because of it

They look so unkempt..their feather sticking out all over

The rest of my bird wards saw that if they didn't get in there

...the food would be gone...quickly

so when I peeked out from the kitchen door

I saw a congregation just outside

and in the trees above

The one good thing about starlings is that they startle easily

and this is one way the rest of them get to rush in and grab a seed or two

Yesterday, I saw a squirrel aggressively chasing and pursuing

mourning doves in the horsechesnut tree

chasing them away from the seed on the ground

Really, what piggies...they get most of it anyway

Boo was having a good time watching them too

slamming into the door if they got to close

Why there were times I thought he was going to faint if he held his breath any longer

We have to take the days as they come

...yesterday, cold and sunny

...today,cold,snowy and dreary

But I look for the joy

for it is there always

...and today, I found it in the antics of the starlings,

..the lowly, despised, non-native birds of the garden

My Open Bar of Joy

is open to all

They afterall, bring much of my joy

and if we only let stay what belonged

...I'd have to find a new home

meeting called to order

2012-01-18T05:56:00.000-08:00

Ah...my Ladies Aid Society
They swirled around the mugo
hunting and pecking like chickens
I love seeing these birds in my garden
sometimes though I don't see them until I flush them out
getting too near to them as I weed

It is a cold day...a bit of sun and blue sky today
The birds are very active this morning,
must be those strawberry hulls I put on the feeder
or that slice of whole wheat bread that I broke into pieces
by the garden path

Oh the garden path....how I miss summer with all her blooms and foliage
Even driving through the country to Galena, the fields so dull
the landscape of bare branched trees uneventful
Except..I did see a Bald eagle about two weekends ago
in bare branches near the Kishwaukee river

...but back to my itty bit of earth.....
it sleeping until it is time to push up through the earth
stretch out those stems...reach for the sun
as I do today
I hope I bloom today

2012-01-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

The snow is almost gone
only the refection of branches
is left on a wet deck

...like secret garden writing

Carl Cardinal......I love Mrs. West Wind's children's books...love to name my wards

well, he sat in the tree until I threw out some seeds

....I was too busy inside making soup... to go outside and fill the feeders

ah,then Tilly Cardinal showed up in the next tree

So far this year they have been daily visitors

I hope they nest again in my garden...joy

I have been keeping a bird journal again this year

Junco

Downy woodpecker

Goldfinch

red finch

sparrow

chickadee

dove

nuthatch

and

HAWK!

Cooper...but who cares ;)

grackle

starling

and

one seagull

wrought iron tulips

2012-01-16T05:58:00.000-08:00

Up early this morning

The garden called to me to come out,

be with it.

I grabbed my camera,boots, and opened the door.

The sun was just rising in the east

a pretty sky of blue and pink...golden rays of

light casting over trees and buildings,

so pretty.

The snow crunched under my feet as I walked around the garden.

Doesn't look like much this time of year...not

the Janis Joplin wildness that it will become by July

yes, Jennifer, I have that wildness in me

I'm a wench...a bawdy lover of the garden

in its wildest behavior

I seek to tame little....just a bit of order

This morning the little tulip wrought iron fencing

stopped me to ponder upon it

My son-in-law went to a lot of trouble rescuing this bit of
Chicago Lutheran history for me
....I was supposed to get the entire fence..but a thief

beat him to it.....but I am happy ...so content to have this bit of

of Trinity Swedish Lutheran Church, that is no more.

The convergence of these thoughts makes me a bit sad

for my son-in-law is going through so much right now

and being a human and a grandma....I ask ..why Lord?

But this fence of tulips humbles me

Tulips in the dead of winter...joy

and my son -in-law gave this to me

Thank you garden for calling me out

to see this...feel this

accept this

Look, there is my buddy the squirrel

who I saw a few days ago doing the wild thing in my Horsechesnut tree

when it was 50 degrees out
..we must operate on hope,faith and love.
how else does the garden grow?

2012-01-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

the quiet beauty of the aftermath of a snowy day
blue skies above
the flittering about of birds
the footprints revealing
someone was there before you looked out
trying to survive another day
as are you
and you cast out some seeds
do what you can
for survival

2012-01-14T06:40:00.000-08:00

We finally got snow...real snow...heavy,wet snow
My garden wards need me
I need them
Little squirrel
your playfulness looking for something in the deep snow
made me quiet inside
for a moment
thank you

2012-01-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

the corner of my lips moved to an almost smile as I saw the little squirrel
outside my door this morning munching away on my gifts of seeds and peanuts
unaware of the giving
and I aware of the reason they come
a reminder of ordinary joy

2012-01-09T14:22:00.000-08:00

...and it is a fact
that the garden can comfort in different ways
reflect on the outside how you feel on the inside
lost abandoned frightened alone
an ill wind blowing your parts around
it is good that the garden can speak
the unspeakable
why it would be a sin for flowers to bloom now

2012-01-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

This morning I peeked through the shutter and saw the female cardinal
munching on sunflower seeds
How there were any left after yesterday's theft by the rascal squirrel
I'll never know
I guess he must be up the tree with a huge belly ache...not..little fur piggies they are
All I did was to put the bag down for a minute to pick up some garbage
that had blown around the yard...and whammo..off he ran with the bag of seed
This happened to me once before...only it was a paper bag of tulip bulbs!
They were the color of a candy lipstick I used to treasure as a child
a pretty pink stick wrapped in gold foil......ah, I thought...lipstick candy growing in my garden
ha!....off ran the thief with my tulip bulbs...and there wasn't thing I could do about it
except learn...never leave any munchies within sight of a squirrel
Well, I'm glad there were a few seeds left for the cardinal
It was morning joy to see her.
I'm off to get my haircut today...I am weeks overdue for a cut
oh , I am a sight
I only hope Tom doesn't give me a cut like hers

2012-01-05T15:51:00.000-08:00

This is what happens to a squirrel who runs off with the seed bag...
the whole bag!
care to throw a rotten tomato?
tomorrow... ankle bracelet

2012-01-05T06:06:00.000-08:00

zinnias
I will have to plant more of them this year,
such butterfly magnets.
Usually I think of this when it is about late July and too late,
...when I see them at public garden displays,
or worse, my neighbor's yard.
Planning...it takes planning
and speaking of this, I have spent a few hours scouring my garden books
yes, garden books in January
I have been searching for some ideas on how to change my garden
I am taking down the deck...don't know why I even put it up-
it separates you from the garden...be done,be gone.

However..I paused.....my animal guide,the old fox,is under there
it's his burial ground....I know because I looked and saw all of his bones
lying in perfect form....like he just laid down and died there..which is what he did.
What do I do about that?
plan around it? Will the landscapers think I'm loco for sure,
after all I am the one who calls them to trim, then stops them when I spot nests in the honeysuckle-
they nod...but I know they think I'm loco.
What will they think when they start to take down the deck and find these bones?
Oh my ...what if they find Handsome's bones or the tortoise shell of my missing turtle?
Oh my...I better do some more thinking and reading.
I wonder if there is a book on this?

2012-01-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

Ah, (I say that a lot, don't I?)

ah, a glorious January morning

sunny, blue sky,brisk air

air..so wonderful to walk in

refreshing..what else can I say?

You who live with warmth all the time

you don't know what you are missing

The garden was welcoming this morning,

the ground stiff from freeze as I walked along its path,

a slight crunch under my feet as I stepped on the stiff blades of summer's grass

now asleep

Sleep on

The birds were eager, perching on nearby branches

begging as a high art form
joy....I hear the blue jay, and the chickadees
and just beyond the yard,the goldfinches.
As I filled the feeders and scattered seed on the ground for the mourning doves
I happened upon a rabbit hunched behind the trellis,
he stayed as still as guilt,
not even his nose moving.
How happy I was to see him...he has been absent lately
from my cast of characters that make my garden home.....
But the wards gathered here this morning on this beautiful January morning
to announce...it's here
winter.....feed us
and keep the water bowl full
Sadly...there will no stray kitty for me to take care of this year

RIP

my beloved Handsome

oh how my heart aches and breaks to see you again

Such a joy to spot an unknown nest in bare branches of trees in wintertime

and the cheerful chickadee dee dee of this wonderful

bird as it darts among the branches of the alder tree

and bunny hiding :)

and before I go inside to get to work

I stop to notice the morning sun

gliding across the Terra cotta pot

joy

a flash of red in my peripheral vision

Squirrel doing his sun salutation

I stepped inside filled with January morning joy

and the wench is happy

2012-01-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

A dusting of snow this morning, and of course the beggars showed up
so I tossed out a handful of seeds-too lazy to put on my coat and fill the feeders.
Yes, lazy...winter does that to me...too often
I heard the weather report...it is going to be in the teens by evening...with bitter winds
and by Friday it may be 50.....what is happening ?
I have this sense of delayed misery....I was agonizing over the inevitable bleakness of winter
as I was standing in the glory of red and yellow leaves...and I have been waiting for it to happen
The garden hasn't really gone to sleep..why there are plants that are still green
and I even scoured the yard for a flower...so ceratin I would find one hiding just under
a cover of green leaves!
Come, oh winter, come
I have prepared my heart for you
Do not make me wait any longer
for I will be vanquished with longing
for your treasures.....that I know you will bring
warm cozy house
good simmering soups
the joy of indoor flowers on my violets and oxalis
come winter come
slay me with your romantic blizzards
your tingling breath in my nostrils as I clear away the path of white
come winter come
I have made way for your return
so come winter come

2012-01-01T16:56:00.000-08:00

I like lichen, moss,green stuff on trees.
If I squint a bit I can use my child's eyes and see
as if I were looking out of a helicopter ..looking down seeing the rainforest
yes I could....now if a native steps out and waves...I'm in trouble
But bless the child that still sees and still takes a breath of joy
of secret discovery all her own

2011-12-31T20:54:00.000-08:00

oooo! look at the pattern of ice in the garden dish
have you ever wondered ...why such details?
in everything?

humbling, it is

40, and still growing strong

2011-12-30T07:57:00.000-08:00

Would you believe that this plant is over 40 years old?
My husband bought it for me in our first year of marriage
when we lived in a tiny furnished apartment....ah those were the good old days
We had a tiny little room in the back...that was always bathed in sunlight
and I loved plants...so quickly it became our plant room....oh the luxury of youth
I recall with sweetness the sweet potato that I stuck into a vase of water....and it grew all around the room
our Landlady was amazed......she couldn't grow or cook a thing
Me...green thumb in my DNA
I lugged those plants around to 5 houses throughout the years
and this is the only one left.....I had a mother in law tongue that I finished off two years ago....leaving her outside too long....oh woe
But, this asparagus fern is well and growing.....my daughters fight over who will get it
Hey, where do you think I'm going?
Once while visiting my son in Laguna Beach, California....I saw that they grew there abundantly
...in his neighborhood...thorns and all.....lovely seeing them growing that way
I often feel sad for plants imprisoned in pots....oh, I know I am a bit of a ditz this way
and cut flowers bother me too...once wrote a whole essay about that
anyway......I love this fern.....this lifelong companion..this reminder of the man who gave it to me
and the 41 years...today...that we enjoy

2011-12-29T06:36:00.000-08:00

The garden waits,
as do I, for winter to move in.
We have been teased by warmer than usual weather
and only a brushing of snow,once
and not on Christmas
I left my tray of goodies out on Christmas Eve for my wards
nuts,fat,greens,bread cubes,seeds,berries
my annual Christmas offering to them
In the morning everything was gone
last night I looked out to see a possum sniffing around the dry grasses
I have not forgiven him for killing my squirrel
But I don't know why it happened...maybe my squirrel was sick or injured
and he just happened upon him..sniffing around one night
It is a good thing to let it go...to be part of the garden
and let it go..let it be...let it happen
hard as this is for me to do..I, who want to control my environment sometimes
to become one with the garden...even now... as we wait for winter
some green still showing

2011-12-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

2011-12-21T06:06:00.000-08:00

dead vines on brick wall
shadows look like skeletons
winter soltice day

2011-12-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

It is a dreary day today, gray skies, annoying drizzle
little bird or squirrel activity
and while walking along the muddy garden path
I realized it has really arrived
the time of no color
Humans ,I think,
aren't meant to go through this deprivation
it must have something to do with that darn angel
sent to guard the way in
For surely, this is punishment

2011-12-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the garden seems like an assemblage
...a bit of this and that
layered upon layer
until you stand back and say
Oh my!...
even in the last days of autumn

2011-12-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

I went inside

and had fun with the sun

outside

2011-12-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

All I could think of this morning
was the line from the movie,Oliver...."More please"
Like hungry orphans my resident wards
showed up early, sitting up and begging on the deck
not 9 of them(thinking of you Witch)...only 3 this time
I threw out a few peanuts and some low carb bread
they scampered quickly to grab what they could and headed to the safety of the branch
As you can see we had a dusting of snow
....a reminder that it begins:
winter

2011-12-16T07:03:00.000-08:00

It's like seeing in black in white

...going into the garden

a bit of wheat color here

a shade or two of muted green

dried crumbles of leaves fading fast their autumn colors

Even the sky is white/gray

and the rain only sets the mood

like a cemetary

full of stories

unspoken

2011-12-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

I counted nine squirrels just a few feet from my deck

Must be the pumpkins

Now I ask you...is it fair for my squirrel wards

to pass the word?

I don't think so....

It reminded me of the time we had 4 cats

It wasn't bad until we saw them all lined up at the food bowls

yikes...that's a lot of kitty kat

As is 9 squirrels

but gee they are so cute

and my hubby is still in the hospital

what he doesn't see won't hurt him

.....and I won't tell him that I found the birdfeeder heater

either..

well..........the little guys have to drink

after all that pumpkin

cheer and joy

2011-12-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

I have needed these little breaks......these walks in the garden

I need to look for joy....

Today it is chilly and the skies are a white gray

not my favorite kind of sky....I could use a heartache blue sky

but I am not the stage manager...so gray sky it is

the ground is wet and in some places muddy...with little footprints

from the grand kids a day or so ago when one of them tripped and knock a tooth loose

....an unexpected trip to the dentist followed

But this morning it is just me

I communed with the garden...quietly praying as I took each step

The garden...the ordinary garden...the ordinary

how I wish every day could be ordinary

But the garden reminds me that even in the depths and ending of autumn

heading into winter...there is life

a sudden discovery of a bloom...surrounded with dried up leaves

leaves...leaves that have released and accepted their fate

returning to the earth to become part of her

The squirrels ...6 of them!...are scurrying about

leaping and jumping.....they always bring a smile to my face

They have found the pumpkins I put out a day ago

Maybe next spring I will have big yellow blossoms

springing up in secret places....maybe I'll have a pumpkin or two

oh joy...unexpected joy and anticipation

yes, I needed this walk

this ordeinary stroll through barreness

that wasn't really barren at all

but filled with joy

2011-11-28T07:32:00.000-08:00

We had our first snowflakes this morning
hardly noticeable
I put the pumpkins out for the squirrels
The ground is wet from yesterday's rain
It rained most of the day
while I stayed inside putting up the tree
I put a log in the fireplace, put on Christmas Carols
lit candles,baked cookies
But my eyes were always looking outward
through the glass...to the remaining leaves of Autumn
then to the one remaining flower huddling close to the brick wall
The garden is leaving..going underground
dropping its garments....what remains is exposure
enabling me to see the bones of the plants and trees
their structure
Soon it will look like a barren land
not a garden space of joy
But the wards will still come to cheer me each day
and some days I will suffer watching them suffer
bitter cold winds and deep snow
But I must remind myself that winter's blue skies are the best
and seeing my breath on such a day is a thrill
and some days it even feels warm
and winter beauty is a different kind of beauty
it is footprints in the snow...birds at feeders, squirrels with snow covered faces
and of course the stray or two who alway manage to find my door
where they are welcome
On Christmas Eve I put out a special tray for my wards filled with goodies for all
left over bits of nuts and fruit and bread,bits of ham and turkey
to thank them
for all the joy they bring me
So today I will finish all the house decorating
then I'll take a walk,check out what berries still remain on the bushes

2011-11-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

who will love the little sparrow...will no one write her eulogy?

2011-11-23T07:20:00.001-08:00

The common sparrow

I give thanks for this cheerful bird

ordinary and messy in its nest building

but a tenacious caretaker of its young

And it is nests in my birdhouses

I love to pass by the nursery and hear the peeps

calling for mom or dad

...hungry mouths sometimes reaching their soft yellow beaks out

of the entry

When I stop and speak to them they pull in and mother usually

sits in a branch, mouth full of small moth...and waits

I speak to her too

Don't worry mom...I'm going..thank for nesting here

in my Open Bar of Joy

Sparrows are the birds I remember while growing up in Chicago

No vast gardens in my neighborhood

but the sparrows were always there for this little girl

sometimes dozens of them perching in a snowball bush

chirping so loudly that my grandfather complained

about the noise and the feather and other stuff mess that they left behind

But I loved their cheeriness

...part of my budding love for birds and all things of nature

And then there was the despised pigeon that roosted on the electric wires

in the alley....I loved their cooing in late afternoon sun

This I had to keep to myself....Grandma hated them

I don't hate anything

I now see these poor birds as the underclass of the bird world

brought here by humans.....trying to survive

yes, they are messy....but that must be their way...encased in their genes

and humans brought them here to this foreign environment

and learned to adapt

humans....always messing with things

I will never forget the time I saw one dead in a parking lot

and its mate kept poking it trying to stir it

it did it for an hour

We are all connected in this universe

surely, we must have empathy and concern for such suffering

even in a lowly bird

So this morning I was glad this sparrow

perched and looked at me and posed

a prince to me

JOY

2011-11-22T07:19:00.001-08:00

There is always wonder in the garden

even on the bleakest days

It's my attitude that must be adjusted

to allow me to open up

and see

hear

feel

smell

touch it

I wish you could hear the wind bell

so ethereal

I wish you could see the light

illuminating this glass star

or wish that you could smell the wet earth

one of the gardens best fragrances

It is getting colder each day...but on Thanksgiving it will be 58!

the Creator gives

I must open to receive

The little chickadee in the Alder tree

sings away....chick-a-dee-dee-dee

...better than Pavarotti

...my heart wide open

expanding

2011-11-19T07:35:00.001-08:00

It was a delightful sunny,windy afternoon.

...whirling leaves, bending boughs

blustery bird wings

ahhh

and shadow...that glorious companion of light

This may be the best part of season change

the change in light

almost as if it is sent to distract us from the ordinary duties of the garden

Who cares about anything else while in the garden when slanted glorious rays of sun

are penetrating through the ordinary debris of summer?

Oh and the sky was so blue and the wind made itself known by its sound

I just stood and listened to its serenade

Okay, I'm in love...

2011-11-17T13:34:00.001-08:00

I too will turn and face the sun

perch awhile, let my ruffled feathers settle down,

sit in the blue of the sky

Little red feathers...

help me see the swelling bud

just at the end of the branch

2011-11-16T06:13:00.001-08:00

The maple shed her leaves
they gathered around her like a fallen gown
smitten instantly by autumn
true and utter love in his arms

Not just a tree rat,but a ward

2011-11-15T07:18:00.001-08:00

I have been without a computer...oh woe

I hope someone has cared, for isn't that the fun of blogging?

The garden is almost put to sleep; we have had some glorious warm days

mingled in with the blasty windy days and chilly nights

This morning I spotted Boo staring out of the patio door

his body rigid ....hmmmm...means something

So I wandered over and sure enough, there it was ..a mouse

hiding behind a remaining flower pot

He was munching on a sunflower seed

unaware of Boo watching his every move

It hasn't been a good week in the garden for me...

one night ago I looked out on the yard before turning in for the night...

I always do.....sometimes I catch a raccoon walking by or a possum

or who knows what else......I love that the wild loves my garden

Well, I spotted two kinds of fur rumbling just beyond the deck....

then I spotted what was a squirrel tail flying around with a possum tail

oh no!

I ...without thinking...ran outside to break up the fight (I have been known to do that with humans too :0 )

but the possum wouldn't let go....so I banged and shouted..until he scampered away

I searched for the squirrel in the dark....couldn't find him

went inside to get a flashlight.....found him.....curled up in a fetal position....a tiny little squirrel

oh dear.....

I covered him with a large flower pot so the possum wouldn't find him

But in the morning he was stretched flat out on the ground under the pot

dead

Oh my little ward...all night I lay awake thinking of ways I could help you in the morning

thinking of which crazy vet would look at you

think of ways to build a nest in the tree to put you in

thinking of everything in order to not feel the great sadness

that I would feel in the morning

I just confess to being a lover of animals...all animals

they are a gift for me from God...they have seen me through many a sad time

they bring me joy.....

I hoped all night

...hope

a great thing God has hardwired in me

but this time he said ...no

My little ward was dead in the morning

I buried him under leaves...I think he would of liked that...

my husband will never understand how hard I take

the well being and death of an animal

....I have been like this since I was little...bandaging a garter snake that had been cut

by a lawnmower.....a band-aide bandage on a snake...really

I lost a moment of joy in my open bar of joy

but I always give into the new moment

and joy is always there

..now how do I tell that little mouse that Harry Hawk

loves mice...and would love to meet him?

safe journey my little friend

2011-11-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

While raking, I looked up and saw light

passing through the Japanese Maple leaves

I stopped and beheld

ah...the garden keeps giving

2011-11-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think

heaven opens

and we see a bit of it

or feel it

or taste it

It is in the slant of light

illuminating the colors of the leaf

in late afternoon

and in the smell of the earth

wet from a rain

almost fooling me to think
it could be spring,that is the new life guest
soon to arrive

The wind has blown warm a few times lately

stopping me at the store, in the parking lot,

stopping me to look at lowly pigeons

scurrying around for bits of nourishment

in the scattered debris of human consumption

Lowly pigeons sharing in the illusion of Springtime

in the throws of Autumn

Soon it will be bitter and the daylight will be shorter

and I will scurry like the pigeons...

scurrying in and out of car and buildings

seeking refuge and nourishment

unaware most times that in winter

heaven opens, too

Today, it is going to be 65

a blessing

The colors of autumn are fading

but they are still to be had

I shall walk in the garden today

fill the feeders and birdbaths

rake a bit

and I shall sit

and enjoy your grace

oh dear Lord

for this marvelous day

a day of life

given

2011-10-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

So much family stuff going on

the garden has been neglected these past days

But I have a new visitor coming to the door

I thought at first it was Handsome, but alas, it was not to be

Oh how my heart breaks to speak of that old cat

and how I miss him

Truly I miss his grumpy face at the door every morning

insisting on a certain menu

His royal highness, feral cat supreme

I wish to think of him like my cat, Buster,who 16 years ago got out and never returned

I like to think of Handsome with him now, in an old lady's house...keeping her company

giving her hope, and joy and companionship

...say it is so dear Lord...that there is a place as this for lost pets

Now I am the old lady....feeding this rascal

He is very frightened....so by time I get my camera..he is gone

so excuse the bad photo

The hawk was in the yard this morning..I shooed him away

My granddaughter wanting to know why

He eats my birdies...I tell her

Maybe he's hungry, Grandma

hhhhhhmmmmm.....she's a bit like her grandfather, I see

As we were eating our pancakes ,two cardinals

arrived on the deck, sitting on little Handsome's bowls

boy and girl

My granddaughter, Reagan, liked this

...so did I

2011-10-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

25 pounds of sunflower seeds
5 pounds of unsalted peanuts
apple bits and strawberry tops
and it is not enough
... that damn squirrel
He has violated my pumpkins
or was it the possum?
Maybe he'll carve two eyes and a scarry mouth
by Halloween
you think?

2011-10-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

My husband looked out of the window and snickered,
Its always the frogs, he said.
What?
Your lineup out there on the deck.
I looked out and saw what he saw.....the fall lineup...a garden stop
yeah, it does look like the frog is guilty....get your hands above your head
Oh ..so much work putting things away, cleaning up....I welcome a good laugh
But you know....that Stafford

2011-10-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

I have been busy gathering things

to wash and to put away

until next season of growth

ha...growth..this I have done a lot of this season

It must be the added year that turned a decade for me

Things are in some ways simpler...

I don't worry about this or that anymore

not even in the garden

I have let myself become completely wild

falling in love at every turn of my foot in the garden

Why just this morning I spotted this little cosmos

peeking its head out of the asters

I SEE YOU...I whispered

Oh, it heard me

can't you see its smile?

The geese honked overhead just as I whispered this

to the little flower so brave and true to itself

I looked up and waved

wished them a happy journey

soon I will travel to another place

may I find my voice yet again

maybe even honk a little

2011-10-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

So much to do this week

but I must tend to the garden first

It is quickly coming to an end

and all the ladies in this chorus line are doing their thing

It is almost a wild party in the garden

every flower and plant throwing out its last hurrah

before standing naked in leaves

feet frozen to the ground

waiting for a blanket of white

to cover them

I heard that we are going to have a repeat of last winter

urgh!

..better stock up on birdeseed

I told you I have lots to do...now one more thing just added to my list

wild party in garden

flinging leaves and last flowers

I partner in dance

2011-10-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

walking around the garden this morning

the ground covered in wet leaves

I heard an unfamiliar, for here anyway,

the call of a Blue Jay

Do you think it had anything to do with the peanuts

I put out this morning before walking?

How did that rascal spot them so soon?

I followed the sound

and yes, it was a Blue Jay

flying away with his beak full of peanuts

JOY

city farmer

2011-09-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

I have always kept this blog about my garden

...a very hard thing to do

How much can one write about the same space
day after day

That is the joy actually..looking

observing,listening,touching, smelling

But I spent the day with my grandson , Finn

and I spotted this growing on his block in the city

Oh I know the heart of that person who set those seeds

and stood back and hoped

bless the city farmer

who can't help himself

the urge to grow so strong

The seeds were cast too late

these will never bare corn

But it is a beacon of hope in a city

sometimes too bleak for many

I hope passersby

partook in its harvest of joy

Blue grace

2011-09-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

Yep, she's passing through like a bat out of you know where

shaking the trees until they give in and let go their precious leaves

But there is beauty in the lass

she paints a mean picture

as she shilly shallys through the garden

and when the guy upstairs dips his brush in blue paint

and spreads it across this autumn sky

I just about drop to my knees

bathed in grace

2011-09-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Goldenrod..solidago
so pretty waving in the garden
this time of year
I have learned that goldenrod was a
seasonal indicator plant for the native American tribe Omaha
While on their summer buffalo hunt :(
it served as a floral calendar... when they saw it
they knew that back home their corn was beginning to ripen

They also used the plant to make a tea to treat heart ailments
and a topical treatment for muscle cramps
and a pain killer for bee stings

Sort of gives you a new respect for this common ~~weed~~ garden plant

yellow goldenrod
the summer hunt is over
a new season stings

2011-09-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

Gloomy skies and wet earth greet me on my walk this morning

There is a chill in the air

Last night I noticed how quickly it got dark...where have I been

that I haven't noticed this before?

Soon there will be time for inside things

of the heart that need contemplating

before a roaring fire or over a hot bowl of soup

or sipping a good glass of wine

Autumn and winter are seasons set forth for quiet growth

and a time to romance ones self

I too, have set seeds like

the white oak

Her acorns look almost human like...the tree's destiny clipped to a leaf

that will soon fall to the earth in a blaze of yellow,then

lay dormant in the bitter cold

under protective snow

waiting for warm days

to awaken it to life

2011-09-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

The leaves of the evening primrose

are turning red

and I love it

a cheeriness in a garden that is packing up

letting go

preparing the way

I think I'll wear red today

too

2011-09-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

little petal fists

sometimes we hold tight too long

we die unopened

2011-09-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

a late fall flower
her white gown against their green
bless the late bloomer

last summer walk through the garden with the wee one

2011-09-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

I LOVE THESE ASTERS

DUG FROM A ROADSIDE YEARS AGO

BROUGHT TO THIS HOUSE

ALMOST 16 YEARS AGO

...THEY HAVE GOTTEN EVEN

BY JUMPING ALL OVER THE GARDEN

SPREADING THEIR JOYOUS COLOR OF PURPLE

WITH SUNNY YELLOW CENTERS

...anything but the Brier patch

I whisper as I pass by

Ah,Stafford, you newbie to the garden this year

you have done a splendid job of watching over all

your wise look ....of course you're riding on an owl

your face cheers me with its whimsical gaze

Now you must direct the symphony of the leaves

use your fishing pole, my lord

Finn

He has inherited the gene!

a future gardener...a tree hugger

a bug hunter

a rock collector

How can I ever thank Him

for such a gift

to such a wench as I?

I hate to brag...but this autumn joy clematis

is mine

woo me some more

Dear Darby Autumn

Have you ever stepped in chocolate mint?

Finn did...and said m-m-m-m

Oh...and the Finn is a bird watcher, too

pointing to the bushes or trees when he heard them sing or chirp

POOR BOO

HE HAD TO DO HIS BIRDWATCHING FROM INSIDE

the season ages

he claps my hand while walking

autumn holding spring

structure

2011-09-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

She's almost naked now,
her shaply figure quickly becoming undressed.
But like me, she is not afraid to be naked,
to stand as a beautiful creation
of God.
For it is what we are made of, not what covers us
this is our structure.
In the end, as we head into the season of winter,
let us stand proudly in our gardens.

2011-09-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

The wench has been busy lately

and the garden shows it

but I think it is all right

things are letting go

all on their own

Do you remember last year when in fit of tidiness

I cut the stem of my newly planted Autumn Joy Clematis?

How I cried....wailed.....that I committed murder

and just when it was about to open its flowers?

Well,it has come back!

...remind me to get an arbor or trellis for it next year!

Can you see his ears?

He's hiding in the weed patch

a favorite place...I see him often

as he rushes behind the mugos

for safety..today I guess I snuck up on him

...he froze...and I spoke to him

but he doesn't understand anything but RUN

I guess his mom taught him that

At a bbq on Saturday the host

who had a fabulous garden

told me he shoots rabbits that get near his prize dahlias

my heart broke

the world will always be filled with such

but not in my Open Bar of Joy

2011-09-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

the horsechesnut tree

dropping pieces of herself

while setting tight buds

The turning of season

I quarrel with it

aware that it interferes with

acceptance

It's the robins

they have gone

mostly gone

they no longer sing to the rising sun while on my rooftop

or sing me to sleepiness and slumber in the evening

they too have seen the signs

They go elsewhere

where they can sing and feast

I must do likewise

only mine is a journey to inside setting of buds

2011-09-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

This morning

above me

high in the sky

flew a red jet

I remember the day

10 years ago

that all planes were grounded

and I stood with my neighbors

in disbelief

The remembering of this was eerie

the numbness

the heartsickness

the fear

But today, I saw

a red jet fly overhead

and morning glories that had opened

unaware

2011-09-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

The asters are blooming

how I love them

but they signal that time marches on

soon it will be getting darker much sooner and it will be much colder

and the light in the garden will change

But it's all right

I'm ready, in fact, I wait for it.

Ever since the fox came to me

then died near me

Life in the garden has taken on a different tone

The robins are less frequent now...they sing no more

the goldfinches are looking less yellow

I think of my fox and how he chose to die here

His passing... has affected me in the garden

I can see his bones under the deck

a blanket of sadness I have to admit has colored everything

even when I thought it didn't

A reminder how connected we all are

and how death is part of the living experience

now autumn

The season has come to my garden to die

I will watch over it like I did the poor old fox

I will honor its passing

I will go inside

inside

2011-09-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

My husband had to go to a retirement party tonight
so I had to handle this fella all by myself
The poor possum was not looking to peppy
So I placed the net handle down the window well
and went inside and opened the window....carefully
The critter was very still
I turned the net toward his body which was huddled in the corner
then took a long duster and prodded him into the net.....hoop tee do!
Quickly I raised the guy all the way up to the top and let the net go
and so he ran...........

there's a million stories in the naked city
...and this has been one of them :)

2011-09-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

Oh my.

Look who fell down into the window well by the lillies

poor little fella

I tried to get him out like I did the muskrat babylast year... with a fishing net....

but this fella played dead

wouldn't move

I put a ladder down there

then went downstairs and opened the window

to see if he'd awake....nope

I slipped in a bowl of water and an apple

oh, and I covered hm with a dark cloth

so he thinks he's hiding and not so exposed

Am I nuts or what?

I think Himself is going to have to help me on this caper

poor little creature

I hope he makes it

Oh the drama of a garden

2011-09-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

This is one of those things in the garden that makes me stop

every time I pass it

The lamb lying down with the lion

Takes trust

As I get older....soon to be 61

I often think

Is this my last garden

Is this my last time of

seeing it

smelling it

touching it

tasting it

of loving it?

Yet, I don't worry about it

I trust.

2011-09-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

I do love my dodads
Today I spent a bit of time in the garden with Finn
and his Mom
Finn took my hose and went a watering
including himself....grandpa came home for lunch
and joined in the fun...Finn got grandpa's shoe wet
My daughter just sat on the deck watching it all
with a smile...sunlight on her face....
Then she said...mom I love your wind chimes
Which ones? I asked.....Grandpa rolled his eyes
Finn just laughed aiming the hose at his feet
All of them.....she answered
I just love that girl

2011-09-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

This is entering the garden on the dark side

shade...I rather love shade

love the plants in early spring that like shade

growing under other plants that are still asleep

Oh this wench feels the pull of certain season change

although today it is to be in the high 90's

oh dear...I think I'll sit right here

and have a glass of cold water with a slice of lemon

and do some sketching today

I sketch..did you know that?

maybe I'll sketch that spider web from yesterday

oh, but that would be sitting in the bright sunlight

no,I'll find something here... right where I am

and that is the secret, isn't it

right here, where we are

2011-08-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

a summer morning

late summer

almost September

I love it when the garden knows

that soon it will get less light

and colder days....but not just yet

they seem to smile and say

Today they want to be on stage

and dance their heads off

ah theater

love it

2011-08-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

I hope I never meet who lives inside this old porch post

I did walk into a spider web this morning

passing under the trellis

I don't know who freaked out the most

me or mr. eight legs

2011-08-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

I thought this bush was dead last year
but it has arisen from the earth with glorious blooms
and the better thing is that I see
not a single praying mantis!
Or chubby thick white upside down spider on it!
The butterflies are safe for now

2011-08-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

I'm one for letting things be
Like this bonset growing in my garden
I rather like its white flowers in august
But my gardener friends....the snobby ones
think I'm nuts..for it is a bit of a wanderer
but heck, I'm a wench
who am I to judge
If we only let grow what belongs
I'd have to find a new home

and my winged creatures love it
and that is good enough for me
I like to think of myself as Esmerellda
from the hunchback of ND
hanging with the common
noble beings of life

2011-08-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

those fairies.....knocking over chairs last night

my my my

more work for me

I hope they had a good time

2011-08-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

It's cool this morning and the light is passing across the lawn

like a hush

It is one of my favorite times to be in the garden

morning light time

The other favorite time

is late afternoon evening light

I love light

Let there be light

for what it's worth

I agree

2011-08-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

I bet you think I have been swallowed up

by the garden.....oh, I wish that were so

I have had computer problems up the wazoo

Now, hopefully, I think it is all back to hunky dory

We have had sprinkling restrictions and the grass is showing it

and I confess, I have sinned...

and watered at night in the cover of darkness..

my trees,

my flowers,

my plotted plants

yes, I am one of those

So go ahead and bust me...

I wonder what Mr. Poland, my grammar school teacher would think of this?

Would I have to write sentences?

"I will not water during restricted times,especially sneak-idly in the darkness"

100 times!!!!

So, not only is my computer fixed, but the water restrictions have been lifted

But I must say, being unplugged from the internet

has been a rewarding experience

I have spent a lot of time in the garden

sitting and listening

Oh it is a beatuful time

For some reason the Gold finches have been singing quite a repertoire

of tunes in the trees...and it is a sweet pleasure of life

listening to them.

Yesterday, the yard was full of fliting butterflies

and hummingbirds and hummingbird moths

and my resident field mouse was bravely

nibbling at fallen sunflowerseeds...now don't go

getting squeamish on me....he is just an animal

living where he was born,living how God intended for

him to live (as long as he stays outside)

and he delighted me with his quick moving antics

I was going to tell him....Autumn, which is coming sooner than later

is the time that nasty Harry Cooper'sHawk takes up residence

in the garden....so he best be enjoying the summer days

for soon it will be war for him....live or die...day to day

But truly is it any different for me?

for us?

No, I don't really think so...life is fraught with danger

and one false move...or being in the wrong place at wrong time

could be fatal

Or it is just your days run out..the number in the book of life completed.

Like this past week

I went to the funeral of a 20 year old

son of a friend....got caught in undertow

and another friend...pain in the back

non-Hodgkin lymphoma

MY OPEN BAR OF JOY

you have brought me comfort and joy this week

joy in the insignificant field mouse

joy in the black toad I spotted this morning

sitting in the sprinkler water

joy in the burst of late summer blooms

joy in the sound of the wind chimes

moving in the breeze

joy in the passing of morning light across the yard

joy joy joy

I am so happy this moment for it

may it fill my well

...that I know... someday

I will have to draw from

blessings counted

2011-08-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

There's a beautiful irony in this fallen sunflower
lying among fallen and opened sunflower seeds under the feeder
The squirrel must have dropped it here
...grabbed it off of the table on the deck
ha ha...a sunflower I bought at the farmer's market....a seedless hybrid
I only wished I could have witnessed his clever (he thought) theft
I GOT IT I GOT IT..I 'm certain he said in squirrel talk
to the goldfinch singing so beautifully this morning in the riverbirch branches
Now neither of us can enjoy it
but just as well....I had a bad feeling about this hybrid.....
no beauty to pass on.....Why man messes with nature I don't know
But it lays in my garden as a tragedy
and a comedy this day

2011-08-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

Prairie Ironweed

a lovely plant of late summer

It looks so nice with goldenrod

too bad I yanked most of the goldenrod out

in a fit of clutter removal

Oh well...it will return for certain

Someone told me that Ironweed is in the aster family

imagine that....no wonder it blooms in late summer

It is a rather tall plant and the butterflies love it

I only wished that I had planted more of it

I may have to visit a farmers market or two

on the hunt for more of them

Oh garden , my garden

we have been through much this season

but you have always comforted me

and cheered me

and kept me busy

and stilled me

We both are getting ready for change

2011-08-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

heartshaped leaf patterns
of coleus are a welcomed sight
in the hot summer garden
They bring a bit of excitment to the shady areas
I have to admit that this year has been a challenge for this wench
not in finding joy, but in enjoying it
too wet, too hot,too many bugs
I just found out that my neighbor trapped my squirrels and released them
in the woods....he said they were trying to get into his attic through the
attic fan......I understand this, but it makes me very sad
I love my squirrels, and they have claimed my yard as their home
I wonder if they will fight with the squirrels where he has released them...
I hope he is telling the truth...oh woe
I can hardly bare to think of loss...what with Handsome gone for so long
I cannot give up hope that he may return some morning
Life is a thread that connects me to all
even the squirrels of my yard and the feral cat, Handsome

I am almost ready to say
Autumn, I welcome your change

2011-08-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's still hot this morning
but I sip my coffe in the shade of an umbrella
on the deck and watch the goldfinch at his favorite feeder
..a garden chandelier that I have re-purposed
I need to get some more mulch for my lilies
and I know that I will bring home a plant or two
while I'm there....I love garden centers
and there is always room for one more plant
sultry....the garden is sultry today
...a wench word of joy if you work it right

2011-07-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

singing bell

2011-07-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is a singing bell I brought home from Door County
It has the most spiritual sound when rung
a call to meditate
perfect for the garden patio
I just hope birds don't fall out of the trees
so peaceful is the sound

2011-07-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes an ordinary coneflower
does it
...brings joy

2011-07-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

It was a scorcher yesterday...102 degrees
The garden suffers under this kind of heat as do we.
I did my best to give relief of water to my flowers and fill the bird baths
after having moved them into a shady area
Nothing seemed to move much in the garden yesterday
but this morning it is 81 and that must seem like a day at the beach to my wards
For they are out flitting around and dipping in the birdbaths and squabbling over seeds
in the feeders...ah...they have come out to comfort me this morning
Praise God for the garden
And my family of squirrels is up to its old antics ... yes
Oh I didn't tell you about what happened the other day when a worker was in the yard
and a squirrel was jumping from one tree to another..and slipped off of the river birch branch
and landed on the shoulder of the man....yikes...I don't know who was more scared
thankfully no one got hurt....but we had a good laugh
ah laughter.....
good medicine

Still no Handsome
I think my little furry ward
that I have cared for over 6 years
is gone...but I still open the drapes every morning looking for him
I need to hold onto hope

...maybe some wonderful older lady has taken him in
and he sleeps in comfort on a satin pillow
his meals made fresh by her loving hand
who knows...maybe she needed him more than I
and that is where he is
I like that.

2011-07-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

late July heat

2011-07-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

Even in the shade, it is too hot
As I walked onto the deck with bare feet, I let out a loud ouch!
holy moly....could fry an egg on that wood
my poor tootsies
But I had to go out to fill the birdbaths
and ground baths...(for little creatures)
One robin sat on my windowsill...mouth open...looking very distressed
They are my wards after all... it is my duty to care for them
if they happen upon my garden...even in this heat

Yesterday the poor landscapers came to trim bushes (very late and over due I may add)
but it seems there is a shortage of laborers...even those who come here only in the summer
so these two fellas had to do it all
Today I went out early to do my walking
to sit...feel the heat..the sun
the tiny flutter of a leaf overhead
I loved the feel of the cool shaded grass between my toes
a bite of chocolate mint
dog days of summer
arf

2011-07-19T05:38:00.000-07:00

The cone flowers and daisies are blooming
and the day lillies and prairie flowers are spilling over the garden
as are the bell flowers, hostas, coreopsis ,bee balm,
joe pye weed,sage, and roses
This I have waited through a long bleak winter to see
and as I bath in all this joy
I look around for what is still to bloom
not much
obedient plant, cardinal flower,
and lead wort
Thank goodness for faithful annuals who give it their all
until frost
All of these friends I have depended on for moments
of joy, beauty and stillness
So fast, like life, this all is accomplished
along my life's path
in the garden
We have achieved again this year,along with my garden wards,
a wild wonderful place of living

amen

thinking of you

2011-07-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

I took a walk in the garden
let it speak to me
God walks gardens, too.

And as I walked along my garden path thinking of you and loss,
I became aware of early fallen leaves.
Who knows why they fell off of the tulip poplar tree?
Maybe lack of water, too much heat..nudged off by this week's storm
But there they were on the flagstone path,
reminders to me that soon all the leaves will be given up
in their appointed time.

And just ahead of me on the path of fallen leaves
I spotted the nodding flowers of the Easter Lilly.
I planted the bulb...but I was not the one who made it bloom.
I think of you .

The garden...a cathedral of zen
let go...be
see what is before my path
take joy in the song of the robin
let my heart swell with the beauty of the blue shy
know that the apparently dead bulb
lived its destiny and bloomed
in the heat of this summer day
A glorious flower
as am I

stone path shows the way

fallen leaves on summer day

Easter lily seen

oak leaf hydrangea

2011-07-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite shrubs in the garden is the oak leaf hydrangea
I believe it is a native hydrangea
It has dramatic white blooms on it
that tend to turn pink as they age
and then in the fall the leaves slowly begin turning the most magnificent colors of red
This year I noticed a lot of die back and began my work of pruning away the old dead woody branches
Its leaves are huge and beautiful and quickly let me know if I have neglected them
This summer my garden has much to forgive me for..
hopefully I am back on track...no interruptions..only time
to live in the garden...to tend it, and me

zen in the garden

2011-07-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

I need to sit
empty
let go of my longing
hear birds
feel breeze
smell flower
touch earth
see what is before me

I may be sitting a while

2011-07-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

I thought it auspicious that lilies graced the head of Buddha
Sometimes these things just happen
..opened eyes see..

It made me think of the lilies I saw when leaving the writing workshop

I saw lilies hugging tree

that's what these opened eyes saw

The garden is in full bloom...live in the moments

magic vehicle

2011-07-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

I went about deadheading this morning,and this simple act
took me away
as the fragrance of spent marigold flowers released in my hand
a powerful vehicle for time traveling
As the scent began to enter my brain as memory
fragrance of another kind filled my being
longing
longing for my grandpa and the days spent in his garden with him
a simple thing...who would think I would remember so powerfully this scent
that as an adult I seek out the dead flowers to rub between my fingers
to find him in the darkness of my closed eyes
for truly it has the magic to put me there

deadheading flowers

closed eyes I see him and me

magic vehicle

2011-06-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Clematis flower
feet in darkness, head in light
how did you know this?

2011-06-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

Summer has officially begun
Now is the time to enter joy
for everything rises
blooms
and light...that element that awes my being
is at its best
the rising sun as it strikes across the lawn and awakening flowers and trees and bushes
and grasses
moving slowly above high in the sky
until that time when the robins sing at the top of the house
sunset is a lullaby through their beaks
straight into my heart
Today sunshine all day....80's
but it is a Finn day...so garden I sweep my hand across you like the sunlight
grow grow grow
joy

making and finding peace

2011-06-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to shake this tiredness since returning home
from writing workshop

It stopped raining so I took a walk in the garden
began pulling a weed here a weed there and before I knew it I was full steam into weeding
lost...so happily lost in thought of nothing and everything
Close by me was mama rabbit.....I know there is a papa somewhere...so many little ones
scurrying around. She got pretty close to me and started eating some of the weeds I had pulled...
to bad not the thistle...I wish they ate thistle....and goldenrod and nightshade...but they don't
In fact...I am here to tell you that little hare wench and her brood ate my new Cardinal flowers...and my newly planted Black-eyed Susans (since they ate all of them last year)
We looked each other in the eye...made peace and went about our tasks.....
Later in the morning I came inside for a drink of water. I heard chattering in the service berries
..low and behold....a branch of little miniature black capped chickadee babies....begging their parent for a seed or two...from my feeder....What a sight....thank you God....joy
What would I do without a garden to heal and comfort me?
...Two months...still no Handsome.....a broken heart I carry inside

vessel

2011-06-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

Again, more rain
in fact, a storm
My mind is not present this morning, but rather lost and wandering
about what I have to do and what can't be done because of so much rain
and I want to curse it.....bringing so many mosquitoes
that I can hardly stay in the garden even if I wanted to venture
into mud and more mud

Then I see the glass flower that has captured rainwater
I have seen butterflies drink from this very unreal flower
a resting station....a place to sip...
and then they are off... about their duty alighting on flowers
my path has led me to a moment

water held in glass

a butterfly takes a sip

vessels of moment

tulip poplar

2011-06-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

Rain greeted me the day after my return from Wisconsin
Everything looked so wild and unkempt, but so happy
This morning the sun shown brightly
I stepped outside and entered my Open Bar of Joy
Someone must have done a REALLY good job of filling the feeders
...all the seed is gone

The little wards of yellow and red and black and orange
wait in the trees
but they must wait some more
It is the first day of summer and I desire to enter this space of being
So long was the winter
so much longing inside of me
for this very day

I walk the garden..see what has arrived or poked its head through or wandered in
while I was gone....and I am struck by the story told to me from little on
that..God walked the garden...I see the footsteps in my mind's eye
and place my feet in them
....a sliver of happiness before me

I looked up and beheld....yes, that is the word...beheld
for it is full of awe..this sighting of the first tulip flower on the tulip Poplar tree
and already I feel the pull of autumn
But I tuck it away and see the moment and am happy

walk in the garden
tulip poplar's first blossom
I return with awe

gone writing

2011-06-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

This wench will be gone this week
living another dream
not hands in dirt
but hands in words
and story
May God ...and Stafford...
watch over it all
till I return

2011-06-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

The goldfinches have become accustomed to seed being there
in the candle cups of the chandelier hanging in the garden
Little yellow bickering buggers
they have even brought their young
to learn the way of the chandelier
Lately so much rain....rain...rain...and more rain
I think of fox under the deck
now only bones and teeth
I hope you are running free
on the other side
I will forever hold you in my being
a messenger
I too am fox woman
one who walks on the edge of two worlds
...everything is blooming around you
and in me too

saudade

2011-06-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

Rummaging through the garage I found this
amaryllis plant wrapped in a plastic bag tied in a knot
that was placed on the shelf since January
no water, no light
When I opened the bag, the tip of the plant had a touch of green
so I planted it in a spare pot and look
what has happened.....
who knew?

2011-06-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

It rained all night
and this morning it continues to rain
...thunder and lighting
I ran out and filled the feeders
for the hungry goldfinches
that sat on my chandelier bird feeder waiting for me
and I even saw a robin dipping and splashing in the
birdbath...what gives with robins and bathing?..in a storm?
The above pictured candle holder was filled with water
..this season has been crazy
Oh and the mosquitoes....woe
this wench must be desirable
and sweet....they descended upon me
as I was doing my good deed...itch itch

..still no Handsome

2011-06-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Oh , climbing rose
forgive me for trying to get rid of you a few years back
now you bloom even more
maybe your way of saying
with the thorns comes the blooms
focus on the blooms
glad..I let you climb
You add that certain color
at the right time
when all others are getting ready
or storing up nourishment for the next growing season
Soon you too will bow to the lilllies
and cone-flowers and Coreopsis and Black-eyed Susans
So go ahead show off
your place is secure
and thanks for the forgiveness

2011-06-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

Is not the peony that bends to the ground
bends to its fate
just as lovely and alluring
and filled with romance
as the lucky one that was spared the high winds and rain?
It is we who must bow
to love her