going outside

Thursday, May 9, 2013











bleeding heart / the dude, the cat - Mr. Oliver aver thyme / from a Cavallini butterfly calendar / the black velvet chicelet looking dusty in Doug's sun porch workshop / daffs / handsome Virgil - those eyes / that rose / Virg chillaxin' in the sunny workshop sun porch / tulips & Miss Dixon / Cavallini calendar / our magnolia's bloomin'

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.

Rachel Carson

The air lately smells like grass and other living things. The great blue herons are back, as well as the kingfisher's and cormorants. Buds turn to blooms, bees bumble by, ants march on. I'm going outside today, this morning, there's rain in the forecast, lots of rain so I'm shifting my Creative Empire building schedule around so that I can make hay while the sun is shining. I'm in charge of the little vegetable garden this year, I have new annual beds to dig, to get ready for the zinnias, the cosmos, the poppies, calendula, morning glory, sunflowers + the wildflower mix. I have perennials to move & to divide. Shrubs to prune, mulch to spread. I am determined this spring/summer to be in nature as much as possible, to get dirty, to become lost in my own garden for it truly is my tonic - nature - a sure cure for darkness.

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.

Margaret Atwood

8 comments:

  1. Bleet needs to be vacuumed!

    Precisely! Take advantage of planting weather while it lasts, so you can enjoy harvests and beauty in the Summer. That is what I am doing now, too. Was it you who reminded us recently... Gardening is an act of optimism and faith in a beautiful future.

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  2. love the pic of virg chillaxin. :) i'm missing the smell of dirt on my hands these days since i live in apartment now. need to remedy that!!

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  3. Rx: gardening.....go for it!
    Thought I would share this read with you, so much truth in it.
    http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.ca/

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  4. Are those bleeding hearts from this year ? mine are up about 5 inches !
    I find gardening such a tonic. My mind is quiet and doesn't chatter at me.

    My friend says it's my version of meditation and I think she's right. That means I meditated for 6 hours yesterday !

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  5. What a wonderful, bright and sunny post! And a great reminder. We have rain today which makes me happy for my garden, but tomorrow I will be back out picking the weeds. (Really wanting to plant some onions and veggies and herbs...)

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  6. Oh man! Spring is my favourite season and I was worried I would miss it in China. I mean, I was sure China had 4 seasons, including spring, but I was worried it wouldn't be the same as home. And of course, it wasn't (isn't - technically it's still Spring but we seem to have fast-forwarded to Summer weather), but there were some similarities (I found lilacs!). But the smell wasn't the same. And the smell of Spring is the best!

    Also, my Nan had a bleeding heart tree in her yard when I was growing up. That and a lilac tree so those two flowers will always make me think of her, I think.

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  7. Gorgeous flowers, plants, cats, Winnie and butterflies...our soft Autumn air had the sweet fragrance of the bushland today.
    xoxoxo ♡

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  8. Oh, oh, oh, sooooo beautiful!!!

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