Sunday, May 5th, 2013

A sterling chain of gorgeous days has kept me outside; in the garden, visiting plant sales, working my small, limited time in the church's outreach Bargain Centre (where I also found three perfect blue pillows for the outside bench),  and redistributing dirt into all the pots I could find so that tomorrow I can go to the garden nursery and indulge myself in wonderful flowers and veggies to fill that motley collection of containers.

 

The new blue pillows also inspire me to go to the paint store and spiffy up the benches they sit on with a new coat of paint.  White or blue, - what do you think?  These were left by the former owner - Charles said they were in such rickety condition they probably wouldn't have made the move to the northern reaches of the Province......but I like them, and we both enjoyed morning coffee here.

 

I find myself to be a little redundant at the Bargain Store; useful only for re-hanging and straightening out the crowded racks, removing empty hangers and engaging in conversation with our many customers. 

 

It is true that I have put in my time at the Bargain Store over the years when my energy was at a higher level, but even if just for morale I go gladly for a couple of hours twice a week when it is the Anglican Church Women's turn to take part in this village outreach.  Well, it's more than the village, - we also sort and send donations to the Gleaners, the Salvation Army, the Women in Need, and anybody else who calls upon us for help.

 

I  found a couple of old cotton T shirts at the Store and plan to turn them into a garden statue on Tuesday.  At a Paverpol statue workshop......

I would like to make a lovely large heron to brood over in the shady corner of the garden, but I think perhaps it is a little too ambitious for a first time endeavour.

 

I saw these statues at a local art show a week or so ago. They are made with wire and strips of cotton and Paverpol, of course.

 

 I went to the show with our son, Sid, who was showing some of his soapstone carvings, and I took along a basket of weaving odds and ends for interest's sake.

 

A busy week - it passes the time!

ABC Wednesday
May 1st, 2013

The letter this week is P
Perfect for Peonies

 

With a Paean of Praise from Mary Oliver in her beautiful poem "Peonies"

 

This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready

to break my heart

as the sun rises,

as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers

 

and they open -

pools of lace,

white and pink -and all day the black ants climb over them,

 

boring their deep and mysterious holes

into the curls,

craving the sweet sap,

taking it away

 

to their dark, underground cities -

and all day

under the shifty wind,

as in a dance to the great wedding,

 

the flowers bend their bright bodies,

and tip their fragrance to the air,

and rise,

their red stems holding

 

all that dampness and recklessness

gladly and lightly,

and there it is again -

beauty the brave, the exemplary,

 

blazing open.

Do you know this world?

Do your cherish your humble and silky life?

Do you adore the green grass with its terror beneath?

 

Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,

and softly,

and exclaiming of their dearness,

fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,

 

with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,

their eagerness

to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are

nothing, forever?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more wonderful Ps click here and push over to ABC Wednesday where Mrs. Nesbitt and her perky helpers provide you with many pleasant and piquant pictures.

Friday, April 26th, 2013

On Wednesday I said to Charles (out loud) "I am going to take a drive down to Cawston and see what's happening at Ginty's Pond - would love to have you come along....."

 

It was a gorgeous day.  Blue sky, wispy clouds, warm breezes and sunshine!!

 

 

 

 

 

I went first to Kobou Park, a project of the community to mark the 1967 Centennial Year,

-  when we were young, -

And since kept in beautiful shape by the young people of the community

(and some of the older people, too)

who use the ball parks and the children's corner constantly.

 

What interested me most was my thoughts of contributing in Charles' name

 to the trees that rim the park,

placed there in memory of pioneers of the Lower Similkameen 

and some of the people who

were part of the Cawston Bench Lands,

veterans of the Second World War who planted the dusty sagebrush flats.

 

I thought about what tree would best exemplify his dear, generous life,

and think it is a decision I cannot make on the spur of the moment.

 

 

 

I left the park, still pondering, and drove along to the western end of the pond.

 

 

where the shrubs and trees and grasses that line the water are that wonderful

luminous green of April and springtime.

 

 

Last year's bullrushes rise crisply above the rather murky waters, holding aloft

their soft, puffy seed heads, enticing the birds and the wind shamelessly.

 

 

Stretching into the eastern part of the pond there is a little green growth, then smooth waters

 

 

 

I pass beside the river, and the hills that rise above its far bank..

 

 

 

and I come to the end of the pond that crosses the road through a culvert that

stretches to the south, winding its way down again to the river.

 

There is a great deal of housekeeping going on here!

 

 

 

and perhaps still a bit of courting

 

 

I came home through the orchards in bloom and the gardens blossoming with spring flowers.

 

 

 

 

and along by the creek that runs through the Rocking Chair ranch

 

 

It was my first venture out alone, and I thought I did pretty well.

 

Lots of lovely memories of other days, other drives, other conversations.

 

And memories from long ago, - I remember the first year we were in Cawston,

roller skating down the Main Street with Steven, our oldest -

 

and skating on Ginty's Pond during the 1950's when the winters were

cold and the snow was deep and there was a marvelous place to party and have bonfires.

 

Ah yes, and here is this ancient lady, wandering around, taking pictures

 

and finding some contentment,

 

 

as I turn into the driveway at home and see Callie, waiting in the window....



ABC Wednesday
April 24th, 2013

The letter is O

O is for the Ox-eyed Daisy

 

Humble and derided as a weed in many places, but still beautiful in its simplicity.

 

If it just wasn't so ubiquitous!!!

 

 

For more wonderful Os click here to visit ABC Wednesday, with thanks to

Mrs. Nesbitt, to Roger, and to all who make ABC go round the world in such great fashion.

April 22nd, 2013

Monday morning, and a new week begins....There is a sharpness in the air, but the sky is blue, from one horizon to another, and there is a promise of sunshine, all day long........

In my heart I remember a dear friend whose loveliest gifts were her gentleness,

 her kindness and her compassion. 

 

And a beautiful capacity for friendship.

 

 

April 22nd, 2012

 

In loving memory

 

Friday, April 19th, 2013

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)

I got this idea from the Internet, and it reminded me of the days when I used to layer wool in large jars, with natural dye material (like onion skins, rabbit brush, etc.) and a little mordant, and during the summer leave them in the blazing sun to dye the wool.  Maybe I will do that too, -  I still have some wonderful white singles wool that would make a lovely warp!!!!

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!!!!!

ABC Wednesday

The Letter is N

The flower is Nicotiana

 

A truly elegant flower, and intensely fragrant

 

This particular species is called 'Only the Lonely'

and it is said it is the tallest and most graceful of all the nicotiana plants

available, growing to four feet with six inch long candelabra-like sprays of

sweetly scented tubular white flowers.

 

The fragrance is released at dusk and continues through the night,

attracting all those fabulous humming bird moths, hawk moths and other species of moths with

long tongues and a yearning for sweet nicotiana liquor.

 

A genus of the family (Solanaceae), indigenous to the Americas, Australia,

south west Africa and the South Pacific

 



Several species of Nicoliana are grown as ornamental plants, including the

 Domino series and 'Lime Green', but in my opinion

nothing compares with a clutch of these beautiful white flowers, swaying in the garden as dusk

begins to fall, spreading this most beautiful jasmine-like fragrance

through the garden and the open windows where people

dine, or sleep, or read or just relax in the richness of the scent.

 

On 10th Avenue where I grew a large cutting garden

I planted the nicotiana in short rows and they came back year after year,

glowing in the darkness like fragrant white spirits.

 

I have grown the Dominos, but their fragrance is less spirited.

 

In my seed basket today I have a package of 'Only the Lonely'

Two hundred and ninety five seeds, it says on the package.

 

I will plant them, along with Cleome, at the back of the bed and surely out of

all those seeds I will have a moth or two visiting

in the backyard,  enjoying the heady fragrance with me.

 

 

 

 

For more takes on the letter N click here to visit Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday, with thanks to her and her Nifty helpers.

 

April 15th, 2013

Fickle April

 

The Goldfinch has returned, along with his mate and lots of cousins and other relatives.  I have borrowed a photo from Google to share his lovely goldenness!

 

His arrival, of course, instigated a search for the long, slim thistle feeder.

 

The one hanging in the back garden seemed a likely fill-in until the other bags were found.  When I last looked it had been ignored by all small birds, but when I went to retrieve it I found it half full and the centre of attraction for a number of very small birds, which I haven't identified yet.

 

Back to looking for the nyger feeders!  I have seen them just recently, - I search all the likely places inside without any favourable results, and then decide I must go out again into the cold, miserable morning and look in the garden shed.

 

Well, where else, - they were there, of course, and now are filled with with seed and hanging seductively on a limb of the willow where all the other birds congregate.

 

 

 

A nice surprise after a fitful night and another morning of damp cold, low clouds

 and threatening rain.

 

Nevertheless, despite the weather the garden plants are growing by leaps and bounds - oh look, there - see the lilies leap - they must be 15 inches high!!!!

 

There are fat pink buds on the Oriental Peony and tiny white ones on the anemones

in the little garden outside the fence at the front, promising to make a nice showing with the tulips.

 

I had planned to go to the garden on the hill to steal away some of the prolific

barn flowers that would fill that corner along the lane with gorgeous yellow bloom

all summer long, but alas, it looks like an all day rain!

Up on the hills the Balsomroot is thirsty for all those wonderful spring nutrients
sent along with each shower, and in return present a beautiful sunny picture to passers-by.

 

I think this is a weaving day, rather than a gardening day,  - or maybe I could even go and make some muffins and fill the house with fragrant baking smells
and the promise of a nicer day tomorrow, - although the weatherman
is most discouraging of this and it seems the best we can do is look forward to May.

 But then, isn't April famous for its fickleness!!!

 

I have been visiting in blogland - lovely exotic spots and old familiar places, where I can catch up on what friends are doing and thinking and saying. 

It occurs to me that I might write a post.   It's time!

I consider how I am filling my days.

There are the books I am reading, and the loom in the back room that lures me intlo winding a bobbin with lengths of old silk blouses, cut into brilliant slippery weft,  covering the warp with whatever comes to hand and in whatever manner I unconsciously choose the colours that fill the bobbin, - a lovely mindless activity that leaves my mind free to wander, and when I have finished a session it is a surprise to see what I have woven, and how the monet colours blend together.  I have almost finished the first little mat, and will go on to another in shades of green that will perhaps encourage spring to visit.

There are wonderful daffodils and tulips in the garden, and I must go out in the rain in the morning and gather an armful to take to the church, where we are catering to a 'Retreat' tomorrow.  Tonight I made pastry and lined two large quiche dishes to make a Lorraine and a nice mixed seafood quiche, to take along with some ham.

About the books, - I have just got from the library 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' by Milan Kundera - a book referred to by Edmund Sherman in his book on Contemplative Aging.  That was a library book too, but I sent to Chapters for my own copy because there were just so many comments I wanted to pencil in about what I was reading, and that habit is somewhat frowned on in Libraries.....

I am quite ambialent about 'contemplative aging' - I see the benefits, but on the other hand too much contemplation is liable to lead to melancholy, for which a good busy day is the only antidote, I think  -  or a lovely chat with old friends, or a shopping day.  Or a day spent cleaning the house!!!  Orin the garden.....

I planted potatoes in a tricky orange plastic bag, with a little door at the bottom to retrieve the new spuds when (if) the seed potatoes produce results.  And I put a big pot of yellow pansies by the back door, hoping they would inspire the sun to shine!  Some of the peonies are sporting large, fat buds, and the rhubarb is reaching its ruby red stems up the little barrel I put over the plant to force enough stalks for a pie.

When I went in to make the bed the other morning I passed by the open window and the fragrance of the violets that grow along the fence line, under the window, made me stop and close my eyes and take deep breaths and think how lovely life is and how terribly important it is to hold close each day and squeeze every last bit of happiness from it.  I have lost two old and dear friends this week. 

I think about the continum of the years and the happiness they contain and plan another day!

It hasn't been grey and miserable every day, and we really have had some beautiful signs of spring.

ABC Wednesday

The letter is M

The flower is the Morning Glory

 

A beautiful purple Morning Glory, stretching out from the fence

 

to blossom amidst the roses and delphiniums

 

Lovely in the morning sun, the Morning Glory is partial to afternoon siestas

 

but early in the morning a wall covered with these sweet cup shaped blossoms

 

is reward enough for any early riser.

 

Once you have this annual established each year the seeds germinate in the warm ground

 

 and the vine starts climbing in the spring,

 

covering up all sorts of unsightly garden debris

 

and lingering until the first frost.

 

I wouldn't be without them!

 

For more Ms mosey over to Mrs. Nesbitts, here,

 

with thanks to all who make this meme such a pleasure.



ABC Wednesday

The letter is L

Whereas last week it was necessary to scratch for flowers that

began with K,

 

L has been lavish with its supply of lovely flowers -

somehow it's just that kind

of a letter.

 

Lupins,  Lunaria, Lilacs, Lobelia, Larkspur, Love in the Mist

 

It is early in the morning, towards the end of May.  I am up with the sun and before I breakfast I go into the garden where himself, the sun, is making long shadows along the pathway.

 

The bright blue above is kissing the Linum awake, and as the petals open they reflect the colour of the sky, tossing and turning in the morning breeze.

They are morning flowers - by noon they will have closed up shop and be napping.
 

Within a few weeks the lavender will add its delicate
 perfume as I brush past it and stoop to pick a sprig.

and the lamb's ears will start to poke their little mauve flowers along their stems
just under their ears

 

 

and then it will  be time for the gorgeous,elegant lilies!

 

 

That come in many beautiful colours

 

 

and practically send one swooning with their heady fragrance

 

 

Oh,what is life without a garden!!!!

 

For more interesting Ls click here to reach ABC Wednesday

with many thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt and to Roger

and all who help with this great meme.