A little of this, and a bit of that....
One nice thing about having crepes for supper is that there is always a bit of batter left to have pancakes and bacon for breakfast.
On my second cup of coffee I sit down to write what I had meant to write yesterday, before I got waylaid in the garden. I went to the garden shop the other day to buy a bag of onion sets which I planned to pot up with a few lettuce plants and a bit of swiss chard. In all innocence I drove the half mile to the Garden Shop, knowing full well what danger awaited me. Don and Anna's nursery is just a shade less threatening to the wallet as Knapps, in Penticton.
I came home with another second year Foxglove, a Donkey Tail Spurge, a sturdy Campanula, four containers of sweet smelling allysum and two Dusty Miller's, a bag of summer bulbs and a Wisteria Vine that called to me softly, insistently, as I wandered the greenhouses. I know that Charles would shake his head indulgently, and in my mind I asked his advice about where to put the Wisteria!!!!!
And, of course, the onion sets!
This morning I will go and pot the summer bulbs; in layers, lasagna style, the Ismenes on the bottom because they are the biggest bulbs, then the Liastris to attract butterflies, and finally the Acidantheras for their beautiful fragrance, These are all white flowers, and I also have a white dahlia which I will put somewhere in the mix -
I envision them on the porch, at dusk, wafting their beautiful perfume through the open door.
Acidanthera
Ismene
Liastris (Gayfeather)
Before I go out I will stop at the piano, as is my wont each morning, and play a bit of Scott Joplin. But also I will be brushing up on my organ music as I have committed myself to playing at the funeral of an old friend and I am not terribly brave about this, but I do want to be competent, and confident.
This afternoon my DIL and I will make the trip to Penticton (with camera) to go to a concert at which our oldest son will be singing. And then out after to a Birthday tea for his MIL...a nice afternoon to look forward to.
The terrible events in Boston have saddened life, and brushed it with a shadow of disbelief at the incredible evil that seems to pervade the world. Is it worse now, this evil, or were the dreadful massacres of the past also a reminder that it is always with us, - that we must be aware and vigilant and actively retain the inclination towards goodness, compassion and moral strength. I hope one is not being naive in thinking that this could be a force that will eventually overcome evil.
In the meantime (how easy it is to say this casually, from a distance) the small pleasures of life here are good, and assuage the loneliness.
Come out with me to the garden and we will a-potting go!!!!!
7 comments:
Such a lovely post, so glad you are having a wicked time in the garden!
I have to have a new knee in June so I hope eventually I can get back n the garden, ready for our spring I think.
As soon as I read that you were off to the flower store, I knew we would be getting some new plants for the garden. I once visited an all-white garden at a home in Denver. It was so cool, calm, and lovely. Of course, after months of snow, I yearn for splashes of color. But your all-white planter will be lovely on your porch. Wish I could hear you play, Hildred.
Garden centers, fabric shops and book shops are all places where my firm resolve and frugality desert me. I am only slightly less carried away when shopping on line for such things.
I admire your discipline in playing the piano each day. I don't and then panic slightly when I must play in public. Your mention of Scott Joplin reminds me of my teenage years when I was given my grandmother's 'sheet music'--marches, rags, waltzes. Among other things she had played background dinner music for posh summer hotels in her native Adirondacks and also for 'silent movies.' My Mother recalled that she could play with only a tiny light on the piano while the rest of the town hall was in darkness for the films. She could play 'by ear' as well as by note and improvise endlessly.
I have had a wonderful book of Scott Joplin's complete works for the past twenty-five years or so, - I am just carrying on the tradition of playing for Charles each morning after breakfast, and it is amazingly therapeutic. I do admire your Mother's ability to play 'by ear' Charles could do that, and also our oldest son.
Barb, hope spring finds you soon and that your health is better,
and here's to your new knee, Penny!!!!
Hildred, I am cheered by your upbeat post and pleased to hear that you still talk to Charles in your mind - he is still there - I felt just the same for some years after my first husband died.
Yes, the events in Boston are almost too terrible to contemplate - I have friends who live in Wellesley - I wonder, when those young men planned the deed, did they ever image that one of the victims would be a very young boy in the prime of his life. I feel sorry now for members if their family who have to live with the shame of it all.
Yes, I suppose there were always tragedies like this, it is just that it has all got so much more sophisticated these days and I despair.
I shall now go and look at my garden and think of those beautiful summer bulbs you intend to plant - and think positive.
Hi Hildred,
It is good to read about your day and your garden plans. I pray you will have joy from your garden.
I am very sad about what happened at Boston; so many lives changed, and some ruined. May God help us!
You are amazing Hildred! And I wish I could go a-potting with you. Thank you for sharing all the ways you have to find joy in spite of...
I truly do believe that there is more good than evil in the world. Someday....
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