We continue to wander in the garden

As we strolled through Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford, Illinois, we heard a regular bump which, when we got closer, came from this water installation. As the water filled up the bottom “pipe”, the pipe dipped down, hitting the stone, making the noise. The regular clunking grew monotonous rather quickly. It looked pretty though.

Let’s move on and enjoy some fall color in yellow/gold. These memories of early November are especially appreciated as we had an unusual day of rain yesterday, although the rain in the dry Southwest was greatly appreciated!

More color with a sculpture in the background.

A gentle Oriental reflection.

Finally a little closer for some browns, blue-greys, and lovely lines.

The front yard

The “front yard” of our cabin is a space defined by poles, only there so that when the horses come in from pasture in the morning or go out at night, theyh don’t trample everything right around the cabin or rub against the cabin.  Long horizontal poles are attached to shorter vertical poles, fitting well with the surroundings.  This year, because it was spring and had been wet, there were plenty of flowers in our natural “garden”, many of them lupine.  Purple and white was the major color scheme.

As Rosemary is to the Spirit, so Lavender is to the Soul.

For your Monday soul…

“And lavender, whose spikes of azure bloom
shall be, ere-while, in arid bundles bound
to lurk admist the labours of her loom,
and crown her kerchiefs witl mickle rare perfume.”

William Shenstone The School Mistress 1742

Spring Sunshine

Spring Sunshine

I position my chair in the sunlight streaming through the front window,
the rest of the house behind me
chill in its winter-to-spring transition.

The heat soaks into my grey fleece top
gradually seeping its welcome way through my skin,
into my bones and the center of my body.

Bushes bow slightly before the wind,
waiting to shed their winter bareness for the new growth of spring,
each bare, brown sword-branch tipped with green.

On the porch, a chipmunk overlooks the buttery daffodils and fragile narcissus
ever so slowly raising their rain-battered heads
from soaked obeisance into erect beauty.

Two goldfinches swoop down, perching in the largest bush,
tiny bird-lanterns heralding the start of another Saturday
as a cloud ship moves regally through the sky ocean.

Your daily greens

The one had leaves of dark green that beneath were as shining silver, and from each of his countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadows of his fluttering leaves.
— J.R.R. Tolkien

Autumn’s rose

God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.
James M. Barrie

Colors of the fall garden

“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.”
―William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Lavender

Spring marching inexorably towards summer

It’s been hotter than usual and it’s been colder than usual and there’s less rain than usual, but all my usual garden suspects are heading from spring to summer with beauty and grace.

Poppies