Week in Review~ Lunar Eclipse~Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (GBBD)~ Before and after ~ Beyond my Garden Gates

"All of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today." 

~ Dale Carnegie

Photo courtesy of Gerry Plunk

Trend Report: Color is in.  

The lunar eclipse- a radiant melon hung in the inky night sky in a was a cosmic menage a trois. No cloud offered a veil of privacy. The whole of insomniacs were watching the earth's shadow crawl between it and the sun. Such celestial beauty sky spawning prayers and prophecies. No wonder the the moon blushed.

                        

June, 1989. Our backyard was just beginning to tell us what it wanted from us. It whispered "I want to bloom."

                      

                               

April, 2014:   Today, my garden's wild heart sings.  The view from my study is a symphony of inspiration.  

My garden inspires me to dream in color. 

To have courage and work hard.

To have faith. 

 

It is divine to surround yourself with roses just for the sake of how beautiful they are. How they fill the air with beautiful perfume. 

This season, allergy season, there is a routine. Breathe deep. Sneeze. People offer "God bless you." My reply "I am."

The Mourning Cloak Butterfly- according to this  website- this black beauty is one of the longest lived butterflies in North America. Nothing in my garden is listed as a preferred source of nectar- but there are oaks in our little finger canyon. From there it must have spotted my garden and thought "This is the promised land."

The first several years, this rose bush was a sickly child.  It would send out a few dangling balls: which failed to open.  Her feet are planted near a feeder. Perhaps it is all that "free-range fertilizing" from the song birds  darting about which nourished her to a happy adulthood. 

The sparrows teach about the importance of opportunity. The garden arch wasn't erected for their use- they instinctively know- that is not important.  We can't always have what we want, but we can be happy with what we have.

Caring for this land has expanded my definition of stewardship. As a child, I thought that meant to leave things be.

A lifetime later, I realize that  Mother Nature is not only unreliable, she is, too often, cruel. To enhance the opportunity in the landscape for food, water, nesting and shelter-  this is a higher charge.

Fridays are my day in the garden.  Some time in the morning, I will have crossed over to less civilized terrain.  Clearing weeds. Clearing my mind.

But before I go, let me share a few pictures from beyond my garden gate.

                     

Meet Oulie. The White Highland Terrier is the daughter of the Caesar Dog Food TV Commercial model.  She lives the good life with Dawn Saunders and Ed Bilezikian in Laguna Hills. You may remember their garden from the 2013 Elegant and Enchanting Garden Tour.  

I am still reeling in a sensory awe of the captivating home of artist Maria del Carmen Calvo , and her husband, Dr. Walter L. Henry. This floor insert was created from a broken stained glass window and cast off bits of glass set in cement. 

Fresh flowers cut from the garden graced several vases.  Everything the artist touches- a bit of her soul flourishes.  

The artist has known great tragedy. But instead of wallowing, her gift is to rise motivated to capture moments of great beauty and share them.  

I am but a humble writer. I do not know if dreams of future roses dominate the horizon, or if the ugliness of certain governments of men shall.  It is ominous that Jews in the eastern Ukraine, where Soviet separatists have taken over, have been ordered to register with the government. 

This Easter season, may we lift our heart in joy for every moment of peace and beauty we have.  May our lives be dedicated to active prayer to spread our blessings to those without. 

Until we meet again, Thank YOU for all YOU do to make the world more beautiful.

Linking to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day (GBBD) October 2013- Mostly Roses and Wildflowers

Time flies. In my garden. With my books. With you, dear friends, it is all first class. 

This Brigadoon Rose is rarely out of bloom. A very sturdy bush- I expect it could be clipped by the truck  which is parked next to it - and the plant would be the winner. It was a memorial gift from my friend, a force of nature herself, Glenda Thompson- Bona.

Now a Nevadan, Glenda  provided this inspiring wildflower  image from her days as a docent with the Tejon Conservancy to pair with my Examiner.com article, with promises of a field trip this coming spring .   

This view through the pine is from just outside my study. Last week, our  Mr. Garcia trimmed out some lower scraggly branches- the horticultural equivalent of a bang trim.

The 'Cinco de May' Rose dominates the foreground.

The background is largely fallow.  A lightly sketched upon canvas prepared for the next report of rain on its way. Then buckets of wildflower seeds are on hand to paint with. Once they take hold- there will be no stopping the color wheel turning the hillsides of Diamond Bar bright as in the Poppy Preserve. 

Where the land is planted, it not only looks cooler- on summer days, where it is green is much more comfortable to hang out in than where it is brown. 

The bracts of bougainvillea wave from a thicket near a hidden corner of  back hillside. The blue flowers of the old fashioned plumbago- beginning gardeners beware: this plant acts as though it is shooting  itself up with steroids. Its penchant to muscle in where it wasn't planted presents quite a dilemma. While it is invasive- the soft blue flowers are beacons to butterflies. 

The butterfly rose-  the delicate flowers are so light and ethereal- they appear ready to float away like delicately scented butterflies. The first time it enchanted me was at the former nursery owned by the late Mary Lou Heard. Still hard to believe she is gone. But what a legacy she left in gardens across metro Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

The trumpet vine. I thought it died.  Perhaps it is Hindu. For it reincarnated itself from the bare spot a good five years after it disappeared in the dirt. It was gone more than enough seasons to change the understory from shade-lovers  to sunbathers. So much for that plan. Now  one arm wraps through a re-purposed iron wine rack now serving nectar to hummingbirds when the vine is in flower. 

The summer of 2012 was brutally hot.  It killed the air-conditioning with over-use.  While on travel-the sprinkler to the dainty fuchsia failed.  What remained to greet me upon my return was a littering of parched leaves - and little else.  By the grace of God and a full year of intensive care, what looked like a hopeless case is now pushing her way up, blooming  through the protective outer skeleton of an iron obelisk. 

'Easy Does It' Rose-  Another long bloomer, she provides ample opportunity to study her character. While not declared in her lineage, I believe she is part cactus. She likes sun-bathing in a spot where other roses wilted; begged to be planted elsewhere. There is also a certain charm to the crimped edges of her petals.  Someday I will tell my granddaughter that  the garden fairies designed the unfurling edges with pinking sheers.

'Mary Rose' brings to mind the paintings of Rembrandt. If he were alive now- I imagine this would be a floral muse .  

'Tamora'  rose is one of those cheerful friends who gets along with everyone.  I wouldn't die for her- but I did once break my arm pruning her. 

What would be a collection of David Austin roses be without 'Graham Thomas'. This image was taken looking straight up into the shade.   

Linking to May Dream's GGGD and My Romantic Home.

 

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (GBBD) September 2013

 

Summer arrived on wings of butterflies just in time to wave good-bye.

Society garlic- you can measure how long you've lived in a home by how many times the clumps have been spaded apart .  On triple digit days- stand near a clump and you find yourself craving garlic toast.

The border to hinterlands is mapped by where a thousand shades of green gives way to the taupe of where brush was cleared and the land allowed to lay fallow.

I would not call shrimp plants invasive- their habit is better described as liking local travel. 

 Carpet roses serve visual shots of color when the last summer heat torches the landscape.

Rosa 'Betty Boop' continues to grow like a teenager. 

The 'Cinco de Mayo' roses are earning a more prominent role in the garden.

Instead of display as a pair- next year  I would like to budget to change their use to a hedge.  Which means relocating quite a large rose- stay tuned...

Leaves are a source of color and interest. This little spot was created when a terrarium was allowed to spill into the garden.

The charming little angel faced geranium was planted near a seating wall.

The valerian 'ruber' popped up next to her- nature's version of friendship.  Who am I to interfere?

My shed- the window was long-ago cast-off from a neighbor's remodeling project. It is a blessing to live in a neighborhood with some really good trash):-

Here's a close up of the bedding begonia. The secret to her keeping in good shape  deep into her middle age is regular clipping.

The peppers potted up with roses keep color popping above indigo blue pots in our extra- wide driveway.

'Easy Does It" rose- she doesn't seem to be bothered by the hottest of locations- a curbside hell-strip-   that's another rose you should expect to see more planted here in the coming years.

Azalea 'Inga' blooms sporadically throughout the year. 

I read frogs are considered good luck in Japan. This one is equipped with a motion sensor-

Along with the ceramic chirper across the front porch

No more rabbit droppings on the front carpet. Which is a very good thing.

Begonia' Ginny' was potted here the week my young niece died. That was a decade ago. I never expected to say goodbye to my niece before any of my plants.

I am on my way to say last goodbyes to a dear friend.

If you ever loved someone - tell them.  In the bouquet of life- try not to stuff it with moments of regrets.

Until we meet again- thank you for all YOU do to make the world more beautiful.

 

 May the garden gate still be open to link to May Dreams Gardens Gardens Bloggers Bloom Day

Savoring Sunday ~ Nature Break

“A world without a Sabbath would be like a man without a smile, like summer without flowers, and like a homestead without a garden. It is the most joyous day of the week.” 

~ Henry Ward Beecher

Is it just me, or does food taste better on Sundays?  Our Lord on High certainly knew what he was doing when he prescribed one day a week to take a break... to have definable negative space between the busyness of everyday.  

This morning all the calories landed on the brunch plate. Cozying up to fingers of sausage were fresh cinnamon waffles slathered with cream cheese whipped light with cream  flavored up with sugar and real vanilla- topped with macerated strawberries and blueberries glazed with a drizzle of real maple syrup.  

On  the side, a creamy quiche filled with layers of cheese and Anaheim peppers  planned over from last night's light supper left us dreamy and full.

Overall, it's been a cool summer. Well into August already,  today the thermometer barely tripped into the mid- 80's.  It's kind of fun watching BBC  and hearing our temperature translated into Celsius- just a bit over 30 degrees):-  

The monarch butterflies are just now regularly sailing silently through the backyard. It doesn't matter what is on TV when this is the view from the patio.

It has been a superlative week communicating with colleagues, friends and family at home in the different latitudes of this great nation.  

North Dakota frog image by Trevor Plunk

 Trevor, our oldest son  works in oil and gas in flyover country.  He lives in one state, works in others. We joke that he is our Bedouin son- he owns what he can carry with him from field to field- including the camera he recently put a macro lens on. 

Image by Trevor Plunk

Trevor has always felt a kinship with all of God's creatures.  

It is not the prevailing thought of the popular culture, but it is my experience that many of the great conservationists are those who extract the earth's bounty for our daily use. 

Image by Trevor Plunk

Frogs and grasshoppers-  our son captured the miracle within ordinary inhabitants of the countryside.  

Tonight I'll say a prayer, asking God to watch over our family. I will thank Him for the crickets who serenade us all to sleep- those near - and those very far. 

 Until we meet again, Thank you for all YOU do to make the world more beautiful!