I just love those morning glories

I think light is the secret
to the garden
Early morning, late afternoon
sigh
On cloudy days I hold in my heart
that behind them is the same sun
that I love

But I do love the way light makes shade
In the heat of the day I am joyful
that I have shade to recline in
to watch the goings on in the garden
so many robins grabbing the lining of my hanging baskets
I wonder which nests got the Easter grass that little miss threw
all over the lawn?

And bees...why so many bees today sticking their
noses in the Heavenly blues
I wish I could too
so glorious are they today

and when you can't make color in some spots
make your own....love this glass orb

Look closely...do you see the robin that was looking at me?
He's hiding in the flowerpot
This one is very friendly
I guess he's smart...knows I am the one who puts out blueberries for him
..don't tell my husband I tell him as he rushes to grab them before the blackbirds get them

This is what I know as Meadow rue
unlike Vicki's rue

I hope that a butterfly gets the hint
and sits a while on this stepping stone
enjoys the light

RAMBLING

LOOK CLOSELY AND SEE THE GOLDFINCH
ROBINS DO EAT SEEDS, DEAR HUSBAND
I HAVE PROOF
AND BELOW...WHAT'S BLOOMING IN MY OPENBAR OF JOY

 

 

 

OH...WITCHIE-POO
SHE HAS BEEN WITH ME FOR A LONG TIME
...SORT OF A DARK SIDE THING
AS LIFE HAS...YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE

AND THE ROSE
THIS ONE ...MY DAUGHTER AND I RESCUED
FROM AN URBAN CEMENT AND GRASS LOVER 

AH THIS MORNING'S LIGHT
I WAS UP AT 5;30 AM
FINISHED PUTTING IN A FEW PERRENIALS
NO MORE..I TELL MYSELF
YOU ARE GETTING TOO OLD
AND WHO REALLY CARES
BUT YOU....ENOUGH
BUT EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL IN MORNING LIGHT
IT WASHES OVER EVERYTHING WITH NEWNESS
A NEW DAY GIVEN
A GIFT FROM GOD
LIVE IT SUZ

I SAVED THIS YELLOW TRILLIUM FROM THE BULLDOG
ONE OF MY PRECIOUS WOODLANDS

AS IS JACK IN THE PULPIT

AND GOLDENSEAL

I LOOKED UP THIS MORNING AFTER FINDING
A TULIP ON THE GROUND
THAT JACK!  (SQUIRREL)
THAT JACK..ISN'T IT BAD ENOUGH HE ATE
ALMOST EVERY BLOSSOM OFF OF THE HORSECHESTNUT TREE
WHICH I AM CERTAIN IS WHY I HAVEN'T SEEN A BALTIMORE ORIOLE THIS YEAR
BUT NOW...HE'S WORKING ON MY TULIP TREE
GOODNESS!

AND THEN THERE IS THE WOOD FAIRY
SHE'S OLD AND FALLING APART
AND I UNDERSTAND HER CONDITION
AND STILL LOVE HER IN MY GARDEN
...SOMEDAY WE MAY BOTH JUST
FADE AWAY
IN THE GARDEN THAT WE LOVE

 

JOY

tiny life

 

Yesterday, in the garden, was a slice of heaven.
I finished potting up my annuals
and planting a few perennials..again
When will I learn....?
But the desire to dig into the earth is strong
So many earthworms
And while digging I came across a grass spider
who would not move but stood his ground
and when I pulled a little more grass
there, I saw it his/hers egg sack
I pushed it over to the defiant spider and it immediately grab it and put its body around it
ah...such love  and drive to perpetuate your kind
It was nursery day in the garden for sure
The purple finches were creating such a racket in the bushes and trees
so many hungry mouths to feed...it was a delight of the heart to sit and watch them
But the one that got me..right here
was the tiny sound of a chickadee in the mugos
Could there be a nest?
I moved a branch and peeked in...and low and behold a tiny replica of its parent
a baby chickadee staring me right in the face..about 5inches away
My heart, my breath, my being
joy
I left him alone and went about my business
I ran out of potting soil and made a quick run to the garden center
Like dope
I came home with more flowers....sigh
When I continued my planting of pots around front on the porch/patio
I was stopped by the presence of two tiny new born birds-dead on the sidewalk
oh my heart broke....I was so sad
New life....snuffed out before it could live
and then I broke down and really cried
as it struck me that my little granddaughter  will be such
six more weeks to go before her due date
and we are so sad..heartbroken that she will die
She has Edward's syndrome
I took the little birds around the back to the shade garden
and buried them....mourning their short life
acknowledging  the circle of life that for some is so short
I cared
and God bless my daughter who bares this pain
with love faith and courage

Rainy Day tour

Rain, rain, go away
come again some hot summer day
Little Suzie wants to play
in the dirt
 not mud

Oh dear....this morning when I opened the shutters
the birds and squirrels were waiting
for their food hand out
stew bums...all of them

I waited until the rain let up a bit
and put out some seed
and scattered dried bread for the robins
.....but there must have been scads of worms for them
but it is my routine
dry bread everyday...even if it is a slice or two
They all love it....

My camera was getting a bit wet
so I hurriedly shot some pictures of my garden
in the rain......now remember....no garden club will have me
I garden for the critters and winged things
and bumpy toads and whatever graces my Open Bar Of Joy
OPEN....that is the word I like the best...it makes JOY work

O love the rue...its delicate dangling fringe 

and false Solomon seal...or starry Solomon
love its texture in the shade garden 

Wonderful Squirrel I found in a shop in Galena
...oh boy, did I get kidded about that one
from he who does not garden
"YOU NEED ANOTHER SQUIRREL!?"
yes.

I have a love affair with marigolds
they say Grandpa to me
I visit with him every time I break off a bit of leaf or petal
he's in the scent of it

Ah this spinning copper woman
she twirls in the wind
free...free....

All winter I craved "green"
so barren is the winter landscape
...and boy did I get it this year
with all this rain and cool weather
joy

 

I told you I liked frogs
and gongs

Oh this is my clinging clanging collection of coliginous junk
He hates it....but my magpie heart
well, it sings every time I walk under the arbor

just a peek at my side yard
that this year will be blessed by wild balloon flowers
can't think of their real name...its early
They bloom every other year
so pretty in the waning days of summer
But heck, this year everything is blooming early
so who knows when I'll so all that glorious
periwinkle color

don't you just love texture?

 

 

Happy Mother's day to you mothers out there
and that includes you Stafford
hee hee

:-)

Staffford is so happy to be back outside in the garden

the amsonia is less this year
but if I close my eyes I can remember
my old neighbor's garden filled with them
as high as 4ft
and I remember her

Seeing a heavenly blue morning glory
is one of my life's joys
they are being batted about by all this rain
see the little fly on the petal?
he too brought me a smile

Have I told you that I love amphibians?
I was always hunting frogs when I was a skip of a girl
I found this one at a garden center years ago
and had to have him

Peonies....what can one say...
gorgeous
but don't they seem to bloom right before a storm
or high winds!?!?!

This buddha
sits over a poorly draining area

 

Goldfinches are everywhere in my garden
for which I say thank you
they bare happy thoughts on their wings for the sorrowful gardener
angels in disguise

 

 image by Tony Northrup


It rained all night
and I will not be taking a walk in the garden today.
But this morning as I opened the kitchen shutter
I saw a Rose breasted Grosbeak sitting in the
feeder tray attached to the deck just inches from the window.
Of course, he flew away immediately
before I could get my camera...
But I did shout out to my husband
A Rose breasted !

The Servceberries are loaded with ripening berries
I wait for the cedar waxwings to arrive
as they do in a huge flock
and with the Robins...they pick them clean in one afternoon
Ah...joy

Let evening come

Thank you for the light

 that passes quietly ....

And for the garden that calls me

 to witness it

checkering through choke berries
 and river birch

                                                       falling onto azaleas and fern

making silhouettes on the fence
that wave in the breeze

gliding along the Siberian irises
 and lilies

whispering to oak leaf  hydrangeas
Let evening come

It is that switching hour
that spirit rides on light beams
and I feel his presence
oh so close
and I long for it to last
and last

But day moves into night

like a quiet prayer

 I thank you for this gift
 of another day
 in my garden

 

and bless my HappyJack
who knows not who
 he brings joy to