For you.
There is your hue in high summer. A splash of layered, rich lavender on jade.
With waning light you knit a feathery lattice. A gauzy softness from afar.
A smooth heart forms where petals fall. Streaked with plum and strength.
We bundle together, a “cram” of shrouded hearts.
You are now love fringed in mist.
I love you, in the mist.
As if you didn’t already know, or notice… art is everywhere. Artisitc concepts surround us.
Line.
Form.
Shape.
Value.
Space.
Color.
Texture.
The garden is my palette.
In the great green garden,
There was a flower bed
And a big red bloom
And a picture of
A clump of lavender with a sweet perfume
And there were three little boys making some noise
And one sweet girly
Waking up early
And a half buried glove
And a sun face above
And a pod and a seed and a bed with some weeds
And a quiet light breeze who was whispering “hush”.
Goodnight garden
Goodnight lovage
Goodnight the secrets hidden beneath
Goodnight light
And the red tomato
Goodnight bees
Goodnight peas
Goodnight dill
And goodnight chill
Goodnight rocks
And goodnight ‘hocks
Goodnight greenhouse
Goodnight mouse
Goodnight thyme
And goodnight beets
Goodnight nobody
Goodnight tweets
And goodnight to the golden leaves whispering “hush”
Goodnight seeds
Goodnight air
Goodnight gardens everywhere.
On many of our forest walks, we move….quite…s-l-o-w-l-y. Little ones finding the magic in small things, mama with camera in hand. A favorite game is If I were a Fairy. The following is narrated by my sweet and imaginative 5-year old, on a recent walk.
“If I were a fairy, these would be our mountains.”
“This might be an umbrella.”
“We could climb these cliffs. Like rock climbers.”
“If we want to fly, we could use these.”
“We could drink nectar, like the bees do.”
“If we need firewood, we could collect this.”
“If I were a fairy, these would be my pipes for my sink.”
I am always so thankful for taking time to enjoy the quiet of the forest and all that it has to offer. Even if we don’t get very far up the trail!
The Hum and the Pause.
You feel it before you hear it. The energy, the buzz, the hum, then gone. Then again the buzz, the hum, then gone. There it is, zooming by. A boy with tiny feet, then another. A bird with tiny wings, then another, sometimes many. In deep imagination, in playful games, at the feeder, at the flower. Hummmmmm. The hum of the days.
My boys and I have been trying to capture on camera the fleeting visits of one tiny hummingbird to the bright red salvia in our deck planter. We hear the hum, we watch, wait. Then we see it, we feel it…the pause.
It is a single breath, it is quiet, it is laughter, it is a hug in the morning, it is the eagle flying above, it is the lazy afternoon, it is the bedtime story. It is because of the hum that we are spellbound by the pause. It is because of the pause that we can embrace the energy of the hum.
Disgusted
appalled
infuriated
repulsed
irritated
Grubs, grubs, grubs,
handfuls of grubs.
Overtaking tomatoes.
Spoiling the moment.
Stop. Turn it around.
Delighted
elated
delirious
frenzied
satiated
grubs, grubs, grubs,
saucers of grubs
more and more and more
back and forth
then gone.
one more? no….all gone.
Photos and story inspiration courtesy of Mom.
Grow.
to spring up.
to expand.
to develop.
to become.
to raise.
to change.
Here we are, springing up, side by side. From dark, cool earth, a flash of green. From thoughtful inspiration, a flash of brightness. Soil gently falls away but covers the roots. Comfort rolls away, but stays the anchor. Leaves unfold, our voices expand. To tell ourselves, our world, what it is we love. From within, reaching up, reaching out, the ground is covered, the community develops, we are surrounded. The garden path, fresh, wild, free. We lead, we follow, we become our best selves. Raising up our own in lightness, in joy, in love. Embracing, ever changing.
Daughters, sisters, wives, mothers thriving where our passions lie: in our gardens, in our families, in our homes, in our words.
Grow.
grow 