Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Gratitude, Dude

 It doesn't take long for a garden to change. I was away three days and on my return the flowers bordering the patio and the front of the house had blossomed like fireworks.

The day lilies splashed orange against their green foliage, the hollyhocks bloomed both pink and rose red.

The geraniums sported huge scarlet flowers...


and the phlox, with their musky scent, were spots of hot pink against the lush green of the giant Rudbeckia Nitida 'Herbstsonne' whose absurdly small yellow flowers are just forming.


The front garden is a watercolor wash of pinks. The fairy roses are the soft pink of a new baby's skin, the bee balm is closer to magenta. The weeds grew as as fast as the flowers, making hours on my knees a necessity.


The vegetable garden has been tidied as well. There are some stray pole beans amid the bush variety so I've constructed tepees of tree branches to give them a place to climb. The cucumbers are reaching for the fence with which I've surrounded them. The tomato plants are reaching for the sky. I noticed dozens of fruit hiding amongst the leaves.


It is good to be home again, to wake in the morning to a wash of warm gold over my feet as I sit on the patio sipping my first cup of tea. I like to watch the day hatch itself from the egg-blue sky, to hear the bird chorus sing up the sun, to smell the fresh watermelon scent of newly mowed grass and the rich brown smell of tilled earth.


In the afternoon, when the work is done and the sun slants through the screened tent, I stretch out on the outdoor swing and marvel at the beauty all around me. A nap is as restorative as the Yoga I've now undertaken. So is the thankfulness I feel for the riches I enjoy every day.

12 comments:

Brian Miller said...

hard not to with all that beauty around you...a marvelous array of color...i love the outdoors though. we took the boys on a hike to some waterfalls nearby today...so good.

Bossy Betty said...

Such beauty all around and that swing looks really good too!

Hilary said...

You certainly have a fine looking garden. If I bring so ice tea, can I join you on that swing for a bit? Beautiful summery post.

Pauline said...

Brian - I'd live my entire life out of doors if I could.

Betty - thanks for stopping by to read and comment. The swing is indeed comfy :)

Hilary - Iced tea would be great - cookies are waiting ;) Come on down.

Cheryl Kohan said...

Very pretty. And such a pleasure to read your descriptions of all this prettiness!

Marion said...

Oh, my...your garden is so much further along than mine! The lushness of it all, when I go away, is almost too difficult to prune and weed, when I come back from holiday. But your garden looks amazing...I shall look forward to my tomatoes bearing fruit in the not too distant future. Beautiful words and photos!

Tabor said...

Our tomatoes look like yours so I am guessing we are in the same climate.

Pauline said...

Thanks for stopping by and commenting, CherylK

Marion - last year the garden was a bust. This year the sun and rain have been in good proportion and it looks as though the whole garden will bear enough riches to put some up for the winter.

Tabor - I'm in the 5-6 hardiness zone - we have cold, snowy winters but the temps hardly ever go below -10 degrees and then not for any length of time (thank goodness). Summer temps can range form 60s (like today) to high 90s during the dog days of summer.

Flea said...

Oh my that is just beautifull! As always, I love your place!! :-)

Barbara said...

Looks like a bumper crop this year. Get ready to start canning soon!

Don't you just love restorative yoga? Are you near the Kripalu Center?

molly said...

June [and now July!]is bursting out all oh-oh-ver!

Peter Bryenton said...

Looks like the basis for a calendar, Pauline.