Memories of Fall

Fall, Leaves, Falls,

Fall, Leaves, Fall. by Emily Bronte

Fall, leaves, fall;

die, flowers, away;

lengthen the night and shorten the day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow

Blossoms where the rose should grow;

I shall sing when night’s decay

Ushers in a drearier day.

Accidental Gardens

The colours of summer’s end…….

Earth Day in Photos

Another year around the sun.

Oh, to Fly

Oh, to fly.
To fly away,
with the wind 
on a breezy day!

To be set free,
where I can be
like that branch,
high in the tree.

I went for a walk, 
in my forest today. 
My first walk
since things were blown away.

The earth was still. 
The ground was wet.
It was the best walk,
that I've ever had!

The Colour Yellow

Peaches

Originally cultivated in Eastern China, peaches now grow in the gardens of a wonderful and generous friend literally ten minutes from our home.

In many cultures, the peach is a symbol of prosperity and abundance. These trees, planted three years ago, are bearing fruit for the first time. The boughs are so heavy laden with fruit that supports have been put in place to keep the branches from breaking.

Four, four litre baskets of freshly picked peaches and the trees hardly notice.

In the words of the late John Prine.

We blew up or TV
Threw away our paper
Went to the country
Built us a home
Had a lot of children 
Fed 'em all peaches 
They all found Jesus on their own.

My Little Piece of Eden

I began the process of building this garden when my children began leaving home to pursue post secondary education.

Back then, the area was a small forest partly on our lawn but mostly in our field

A large, three trunked, old Manitoba maple tree was its focal point. Under its enormous boughs was the remaining sands of a large sandbox that was slowly being over run by a variety of ground covers and grasses.

An old apple tree, a lilac bush, and a number of oak and maple saplings covered the area. I trimmed and clipped and trimmed some more. I added a bench, a bit of a stone wall, a few hostas, and some English ivy.

A beautiful shade garden emerged. A canopy that provided shelter from the rain for the person resting on the bench.

Then, one day, while I was away, one of the three large trunks of the manitoa maple tree came crashing down, taking with it most of the oak and maple saplings. By the time I returned home, the remaining two trunks, now unsafe, had been taken down. A mass of branches and wood were all that remained.

I cried. I mourned the loss of my beautiful trees and the comfort they had provided me.

Then the sun came out. New opportunities poked out their little heads.

The hostas and the periwinkle began to bloom. The stump ends of the fallen trees , I covered with beautiful pieces of stained glass.

A Soul Sister project. Beautiful women creating beautiful art.

Another stone fence was added.

Friends shared pieces of their hydrangea bushes. My husband shared his lilies.

A pet cemetery found a home in the old sandbox.

Fairy houses found themselves a home.

Birds moved into the bird house.

Little feet run along the pathway that runs through the center of the garden.

Monarchs fly amongst the milkweed.

Lily of the valley and english ivy run rampant, as does the goutweed.

I celebrate my new garden as I pull weeds and apply grass clippings to keep them from coming back.

Mostly, I enjoy sitting on my bench.

As I celebrate my new sunny garden and the blessings it brings, I continue to mourn the loss of my shade garden and the protection it gave me.

Locust Blossoms

Our black locust trees are loaded with blossoms…..

Ten years ago, on the day of our daughter’s wedding, the flowers were even more plentiful. Blossoms, beautifully white, hung over the garden beds below. Flowers and blossoms, mingling.

Pea like white flowers, dripping from the boughs and the branches.

Bumble bees, drawn by the sweet honey musk scent of the flower, assemble into a buzzing orchestra high in the branches above the ground.

So many blossoms, so many bees, so much honey, in hives located in other trees.

Down by the River

I wanted to walk to the river today,
Just a little over two kilometers away. 

But I could not take that first step.
My shoe, it would not move.

Somehow, over the years,
I have lost my groove. 

As the tears rolled down my face,
I silently cried.

Like ketchup on a plate 
Of old French fries. 

I know the day will come 
When into the river
My toes,
Will drum.

Until then
I will contemplate 
How I ended up
In this ridiculous 
STATE!!!!