The crab apples lost their blossoms

the other day in the high winds of a storm

that never amounted to much

I was standing on the driveway as the pink petals

were swirling around

rather pretty and amazing at the same time

almost like seeing the wind

The next day pink colored the driveway

As I was weeding yesterday

a little bird flitted past me

scratching through the dropped seeds

It was the white- crowned sparrow

I think something wasn't quite right

it didn't fly away as I got nearer

thus the picture with this old camera

I saw a catbird and thrush also but they

are too fast for this wench

I hope to get a better camera soon

look out world

I though I lost all of my ajuga,also known as bugleweed

but here it is..in a different place

oh the surprises of the garden

..why a daily walk is essential

..a meandering through

intensely looking for hidden joy

 The garden is filling with

joyfulness as the strong color of the azaleas

is like a samba

through the garden

Oh how happy I am

in my element

 The Celandine poppies are blooming
along with the weeds...!
This morning it was glorious being out in the garden
The birds were bathing like crazy
right in front of me and the little white crowned sparrows
were flitting about only 2 feet away
I could spend my entire life in a garden
surrounded by plants and animals
OH!
Yesterday afternoon in the 90 degree heat
while I was rearranging the rock pile
my toad appeared
Oh this is a good sign
I can for sure open the bar of joy!




 

 It is finally happening
my heart, my spirit, my whole body
rejoicing in the garden
So much love I feel for this wondrous place
I thrill in the mystery every year
what tells them to wake up
to rise, to open?
What unseen conductor is here?
The violets right now are glorious
no matter what is next to them, be it
false indigo,ferns, or dandelions
it is a symphony of joy to me

purple petal joy
near you false Indigo true
the color of kings

 

broken pots

 My heart is filled with beauty this morning
...though the birdbath is empty
Do you have trouble keeping your birdbath filled?
It seems happy birds like to bathe

One of my clay pots broke over the winter
so in an effort to cross over the vinca
I placed broken pieces across the ground
to step over to the birdbath
and looking at it I said,
Hey, I rather like the look of it
so I went around looking for more broken pots
to make a path through the vinca to the birdbath
Ah this wench was happy with what she had created
Necessity... the mother of my  joy!

The fox was on the deck early this morning
sleeping all curled up
I let him be and made a pot of coffee
When I looked out again he was gone
I had a few errands to run today
but late morning I went for a walk outside in the garden
Little by little the weeds are going and the old stuff cut away
There was the distinct smell of what I now know of as fox
wafting through the yard as I surveyed the ground to see what new plant
is showing its glorious head
I can't believe how tall the Solomon seal has gotten...bells hanging off of it
Tomorrow I will post pictures of them...my camera's battery today was dead
The wild geraniums and sweet wood ruff and ferns
are joining in the dance of spring merriment
as are the columbine and violets and trillium and golden seals
I got a new computer so I could have some peace.....not going to happen
I had to wait for the computer guy to come over to help me figure things out
That meant less time in the garden.....will it ever happen?
a full day outside with no interruptions
This wench is getting horny for the garden
hee hee

Lunch today with my mom was a delight
We also managed to swing by a few garden centers
and boy did we load up my car with plants
Tomorrow we will be heading off to Galena
so the garden will have to wait somemore
oh dear
I did take an afternoon stroll and found this volunteer
Oregon Grapeholly growing in the sweet woodruff
I have never tried to transplant one..maybe this year
The robins are crazy over the berries in the fall
waiting till they are good and fermented
and
they always manage to "plant" some seeds before they leave
Now if they could only plant roses
joy

Oh dear, it's going to be warm today
and the fox wasn't here this morning
but I can't garden either
I having a day out with my mom
But I am so happy to see that the garden marches on without me
and so the weeds
But this morning I uncoverd my spirit rocks
and felt happy...old friends
oh that old toad I had forgotten about him
hee hee .. I just love toad and frogs and turtles
This ceramic one should have been put away
in the fall
oh well
wabi sabi
he's beautiful now
seeing that he survived the cold

garden of the wild things
awakening life again
from the window too

It is still so cold outside
and the ground still moist
not nice to kneel on
But the garden goes on without my interference
and this brings me joy
Like spotting these Golden Seals rising out of the earth
These are honored guests of the garden
rescued plants that survived
now my wards

The garden...
A constant
growing things and seasons
wind and light
birdsong and insects
and fox
On my deck this morning... curled up like a good old pooch
As soon as things got stirring in the neighborhood
he was gone
I'm trying to ignore him
but tell me..could you have a fox sleeping on your deck
and not peek out the window?

Will it ever get over 70?
will I ever be able to spend an entire day outside?
I saw it squat the other evening and pee
a girl?
oh no
no
no

I will be busy this day moving things
transplanting them to new areas
Like Bee Balm and coneflowers and sundrops
way too many in certain areas
Above in the photo are Tiger Lillies
just rising through the earth out front in the bed
I did not plant them
I am a believer...that when I see something new rising
through the earth..I wait and see
maybe it could be something good
In fact that is how I got my mystery plant out back
that no one seems to know what it is...smells like horse barn when it flowers
but it is a beauty from afar and it hasn't spread...just has become a huge clump
anyway.....When I spotted the plant that now I know is a tiger lilly

I just watched and watched until it popped flowers of the most beautiful kind
But the most wonderful part is that it drops seeds readily and now I have a host of them
out front. I have had to instruct the landscaper on what is a weed and what is a flower
..such a thing..
I have them weed out front...I have my hands full out in the back
but one summer they pulled all the babies out...
this wench was not very happy...that doesn't happen anymore
But it seems that the lillies have jumped the border into the rocks
and I have to take action
want some?

The harebells have begun to leaf out
These I have moved from house to house
bits of me coming along
over 35 years of moving
There is something comforting about old friends
especially when you can remember who gave them to you
These came from Mrs. Pfifenroth

One spring the landscapers almost
removed the lot of them
Horror
No more letting them in my yard
except to cut the grass
I have given many harebells away
their happy nodding bells of violet blue
cheering up even the most non-gardener
and they ask for little
mostly to be left alone...that I can do

I used to have Jack in the pulpits growing there
I guess he's preaching elswhere...I miss him next to them..sort of the choir
but I have other preachers throughout the garden
that I enjoy gazing on when they outstretch their arms
in full glory
Had a varigated one...he left too
oh well..such is the life of a wench
you love em and they leave you

The fox...well, he's still here
showed up this morning and went straight in the "den"
he had a run in again with the racoon...who is making my yard a nightly haunt
NO Handsome in over a week
What with all this wildlife traffic going on in my Open Bar of Joy
I can't blame him...but boo hoo I miss that old rascal cat

I glued a few birdhouses back together, cleaned the feeders and birdbaths
now on to the pots..and planting the annuals...though they say we might have frost!
can you believe it?
So much work to do
 to make the garden look effortless
and inviting..
maybe I should rethink this inviting thing
right now it seems ..standing room only
blessings and joy

Little weary fox
I'll not bother you for now
rest
I have a front garden to tend
...and I really make nothing grow
it grows for someone else
That same someone you serve
without knowing

I walked out front and saw
sidwalk art
ash tree buds reflected on concrete
shadows of delight
like I was little again
and I would have missed it
if it weren't for you
forcing me out front
to wander this morning

fox in the box

Oh dear
I have a fox in the box
literally
Yesterday morning I opened the drapes and there
in Handsome's box
 (my feral kitty that I have been feeding for 5 years)
was a fox
Well we left him alone and went our way
when we returned later in the day he was there
but shortly after my looking at him through the glass door
he left
phew..problem solved
ah..no
This morning I saw him drinking out of the bird dish
and eating Handsome's old food
and then he curled up in the igloo shelter
and went to sleep
oh dear...he has a messed up tail
and his back legs are full of mud
As I look at him now..he looks like a very
happy dog sound asleep
What's this going to do to my gardening
...and don't tell me to call the police
they'll kill him
...... now he's my ward
my problem
we'll just wait and see
I'll let you know
poor thing
and I haven'tseen Handsome for over a week
hmmm
oh..
and he and Boo were having a stared down
poor Boo he hasn't got a clue
that's him in the picture hunkered down
hee hee he thinks the fox can't see him
oh dear how do I always get myself
into these things

wild one

Celandine poppy
a woodland delight blooms alongside bluebells
I have had trouble keeping their numbers up in my garden
don't know why
But it is a strange thing these plants
all plants of the wild kind
they grow where they grow
Like in my neighbor's border of red twig dogwoods
I spotted them this morning
just as I was lamenting how few are coming up this year
and there was one! growing in his stone mulch (?)
Hey..I said..You are supposed to stay in my garden!
I will have to speak to my neighbor about relocating it
to its proper place..he won't care
would probably yank it out anyway
The man is a Neanderthal when it comes to gardens
all he cares about is grass..nukes it with everything
..my burden I know
Hard to live next door to someone who doesn't see joy
in flowers other than the marigolds that surround his pool
But he is a nice fella.I guess I should give thanks for that
...otherwise I'd have to be a common thief
and take the poppy while he wasn't looking
Hey...wenches have been known to do such things
for love

returning

"Yes, there is a Nirvanah; it is leading

your sheep to green pasture,

and putting your child to sleep,

and in writing the last line of your poem."

--Kahlil gibran

I love the wabi sabi of the garden

..therein lies my lust

to exist to the end and return

while I am yet here

may my eyes always be open

to see

the ordinary

wonder of woodland violets

and yes, that is an axehead

alongside them

returning

joy

migration time!

Joy this rainy morning
I spotted a Black throated green warbler
in my alder tree!
I have never seen one before
and he was beautiful
his yellow encircled eyes appeared
to be like the barn owl's face
Oh goodness...I have forgotten the joy
of sightings
especially ones that my husband can't claim (hee hee)
and this one ... a new bird on our life list..my life list
He didn't stay around, but flitted over to the horsechestnut tree
where I spotted a fully yellowed out goldfinch..JOY
those little birds are a favorite in my Open Bar of Joy
...who am I kidding...all birds are my favorite
well..except for the hawk..he and I have issues
Oh and there was also a white-crowned sparrow
kicking around the garden floor
Oh JOY...migration has begun
I only wish I had a good camera and the skill
to photograph these fast moving birds
ah life..isn't it grand
when you keep your eyes open
and be there when there happens

It has been miserable here....too much rain

..the squirrel has been digging up everything
and eating all my horsechestnut blossoms

But live and let live I say
a wench has no room to talk

 while walking through the wet grass
inspecting what has newly risen out of this wet soil of spring
I spotted a ladybug...
well..sort of..this one I believe is an asian one
not the kind I really like..
they bite
but this morning it was a joy to see one
a tiny little bug clinging to an unfolding fern
such drama in the garden if you look closely
soon there will be butterflies and bees
I can hardly wait for it to warm up
everything is waiting for the sun
to say
rise! grow bloom
even me

I heard your song this morning
and gave thanks for
simple
wonderous things
in my
Open Bar of Joy

Dear husband brought these home this week
for my garden
Who's going to plant them? I asked
hee hee
Happy Easter all
rejoice

Oh dear, the Siberian irises are all ready
poking their heads up through last year's debris
I can't believe how far behind I am in the garden
and now I have a new computer to figure out
Something has to give
this wench is spinning around in things to do
It is sunny today...finally!..but a bit cold still
I have no choice...I must get out there in my
Open Bar of Joy before it gets away from me
.....all this work to do
and yet....I swooned passing by the garden center
yesterday....itching to buy some more plants
....oh I can feel it...pulsing through my being
another growing season has begun!
joy

ouch

Plenty of these popping up
everywhere
-curse of the garden
But I guess it is the nature of the garden
to have hardship
and annoyance
and work that never ends
I could nuke these babies
but I won't
choosing instead to
hand pull them....best I can
I let them grow tall..it's easier to pull them out
but every once in a while
one hides from me
and the bees seem to love the pretty purple flowers
....of THISTLE... of the common weedy kind
the kind that hurts your hands unless you wear gloves
and I don't know about you, but I do not like
wearing gloves...
I want to feel the soil, the rocks, the plants
...the sense of touch
often over looked in gardening
but it is a joy
for this wench

Columbine,the flower

Columbine



Columbine has always been a favorite of early spring
its bouncing nodding flowers
bringing beauty to the garden
It lives peacefully alongside
sweet woodruff, irises
bluebells,trillium, solomon seal
and violets
I love the gang
that hangs out under the pines
my kind of
wildness
Makes this lustfull heart
for the new growing season
throb

another rainy day

As I walked in the garden this morning
rain drizzling on yet unraked leaves
I sighed ..Will my spring garden work ever get done?
 Then I saw the birdbath holding heaven's gift of water
it did nothing but be present

Let me be a vessel ,too
 ...for your gifts oh, Lord
 Get done what you can Suz
the garden doesn't wait on you
 or your hand
 it is rising as you moan

Spread your heart and capture joy
it splashes in the concrete
let it splash in you

He sings

A lazy morning got to bed late
....theater last night
Ah I love the magic of the stage
The play was called, The God of Carnage
We went with friends and then had a very late dinner
not a good thing when you are getting older...
 and the wine didn't help
But while I was leasurely enjoing my cup of coffee
 I glanced out the window and saw lady cardinal
with a mouth full of dried grass..then head off to the back garden?
What about the honeysuckle place you were scouting out in front?
Then he began to sing...at the top of the oak tree
annoucing I think...that it will be soon
I took my cup of coffee and went to the back window of the family room
 and yep there she was..flitting in and out of the mugo pine
 Oh dear...I did want to remove it....
 I guess she liked the way I severly pruned it back last fall home.
..she calls it home now
 and he hangs around the trees singing
and calling out with sharp notes for her to HEADS UP.....
 I can't wait for the arrival
...the reason it is all worth it
 life in the garden
joy!

Oh the bluebells
arriving like Cinderella to the ball,
outshining the violets and sweet woodruff
If I were a prince
I'd bow
then take her hand
and dance

Oh my, bunny fur
Why just yesterday I saw one
big and fluffy,hopping around the shade garden
...standing on her hind legs to look
over the garden bench
...and a few days ago I saw her sitting statute
in the dry branches of the redtwigs,
she thought I didn't see her
until I spoke to her..then she moved her ears
 ..Don't worry, I won't hurt you,
But watch out for Harry Hawk and... maybe a handsome cat... named Handsome
I have seen him watching you... from the deck...his belly full of roast chicken

But today here at my feet....fur ...woe
I looked around..no more than that tuft
I hope you got away....
What will the summer be without you
in the garden......and your little ones
scurrying around me like wee ghosts while I weed
...delighting me as I worship in the garden
with the great spirit
who has given it all to me to tend??

My husband says there are too many rabbits...don't worry
...one will show up sooner or later
I don't take my wards for granted....I value the wildlife
that graces my yard..and I do mean graces

Maybe it was nesting hole liner fur...dropped
maybe

Fern fists rise up

  wild geraniums spreading 

the command is heard

turned up violet leaves

the bluebells are opening

woodland drama stage

Breeze moves old dead leaves

copper wind lady spins around

Robin in tree waits

Rust coverd trellis 

Dried grass rustles in the wind

age comes to them both

Broken lantern glass

the garden witch has no spells

light comes from above

 

Shadow across brick wall

rose climbs up trellis

they hold each other

joys

The chilly air did not stop me this morning
from doing a bit of early morning puttering
in the garden and around the house
It is frustrating to me that when I get
a sudden burst of energy to start cleaning up the
garden from the remains of autumn
I have to thwart it......always something lately
today...dentist
But I wrote in my garden journal
that I discoverd that the clematis vine is waking up
I am so proud of this vine....the only wisteria that I have
ever had success with......oh
I can't take credit......I guess she's happy where I put her
And to those of you who remember that awful day when
I cut down (by accident) my  sweet autumn clematis....
well...she Lives!!
I also jotted in the journal that the tulips are leafing out
the honeysuckle is bursting with leaves..by the minute
...sunshine and warmth do that to all of us right now
The landscapers came yesterday...to clean up the front
...wise woman I am to bar them from the rear garden
I noticed that many little yellow daffodil flowers were
blown over..forever to kiss the ground...by their brutal leaf blowers!
A price I pay to have the front garden looking clean and neat for passersby
and for my husband.....You can have your wench's garden in the back...but ...
a civil woman's garden must be out front....I agree....sort of
There will be plenty of day left when I get home from the dentist
I plan on suiting up.....and grabbing the rake...and digging into the task of Spring cleaning
It is hard every year to believe that this barren debris filled garden
will be beautiful in about a month.....truly a leap of faith and a lot of work
But seeing the solomon's seals long fingers..
.and the heavenly violet leaves (I LOVE wild violets)
..and the pulmonaria waking up.....joy!
Makes it all worth it
Spring...I love you

I don't know about you,
but I am having the worst time
posting pictures through Picasa

So I apologize that this is the one I have to show you
of my HorseChestnut tree opening its buds

Now that I have that ordinary world stuff (complaining)
out of the way...let me tell you
what this means to me.....It is getting warmer
and soon the baltimore Orioles will land on the very top of the
tree's perfumed blossoms......
I can only see these birds from my bedroom window
they are so good at coming in and out without being discovered
The first time I saw them...my husband didn't believe me
just like he didn't believe me about the flock of Cedar Waxwings
in the Servicberry and elderberry
We sort of have this life long competition going on
we keep a bird list.....
I am joyful that he loves the birds as much as I do
'cause he doesn't love the squirrels at all
But it's my garden and I say they are welcomed
Last night I saw a raccoon  at my patio door looking in
I clasped my hand in joy and watched in silence in the dark kitchen
...that's how I am
and I hope I never change
Now to figure out this Picasa thing

Horsechestnut in spring
orioles flit through blossoms
color in the tree