My life is so full these days, I barely have time to write about it. A few family obligations have stepped in the way of my writing time to some extent and this blog has been neglected while I kept a few other balls in the air, so to speak.
The truth is, I have been doing some writing, but it has been mostly poetry. Much of it is on my poetry blog here : wabi sabi poems and images and lately, on Facebook too. I was delighted to have several of my short poems published over the past few months including these two haiga.
I have a wrap-around view from my sunroom of the entire garden so even when the mosquitoes are biting, I can enjoy it.
In the sunny area we've planted an array of flower magnets with lots of nectar and seeds to attract the hummingbirds, gold finches, butterflies and bees too.
Above you can see the blue salvia - sure to bring in the hummingbirds ....
as will the monarda.........
also called bee balm!
Day lilies add so much joy and color to one area and each variety feels like an old friend.
This hydrangea loves its shady spot and, with the ferns and astilbe, it brightens up the mostly green fern garden.
Chamomile has seeded itself willy-nilly throughout the garden - I welcome these cuties especially since they make a wonderful sleep tea AND I add them to my hand cream and ointment recipe. Chamomile is a lovely healing herb found in many natural skin care products on the market.
The truth is, I have been doing some writing, but it has been mostly poetry. Much of it is on my poetry blog here : wabi sabi poems and images and lately, on Facebook too. I was delighted to have several of my short poems published over the past few months including these two haiga.
These appear in the current issue of Prune Juice, a journal of senryu and kyoka .
My garden is blooming and I am so blessed to have a wonderful peaceful backyard where I can work up a sweat pulling weeds and meditating on the beauty all around me. I am one of those people who communes with the trees and the birds and even the bees. In the garden, I feel close to the Creator.
In the sunny area we've planted an array of flower magnets with lots of nectar and seeds to attract the hummingbirds, gold finches, butterflies and bees too.
Above you can see the blue salvia - sure to bring in the hummingbirds ....
as will the monarda.........
also called bee balm!
Day lilies add so much joy and color to one area and each variety feels like an old friend.
This hydrangea loves its shady spot and, with the ferns and astilbe, it brightens up the mostly green fern garden.
I have begun harvesting herbs. Today the kitchen smelled of lemon verbena. I dry this wonderful herb to flavor my teas.
Chamomile has seeded itself willy-nilly throughout the garden - I welcome these cuties especially since they make a wonderful sleep tea AND I add them to my hand cream and ointment recipe. Chamomile is a lovely healing herb found in many natural skin care products on the market.
The herb garden, moved to its new sunny location, is thriving. The African Basil plant pictured above (purple flowers) wintered over very successfully in my sunroom and took off as soon as I planted it outdoors in the spring.
The summer weather has been good to us so far - not too much humidity. The plants look so healthy this year- not as stressed as usual. The humans are loving it too!
My plans for the rest of July include:
* Keeping up with the weeds and the herb harvest.
* Early morning walks with the Admiral, who is recovering from surgery.
* Making photos and poems as a way of writing the joy I feel in the natural world around me.
* Reading list : Moloka'i by Alan Brennert and Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver.
* Daily meditation (and prayer) a way to spend time with God and offer thanksgiving for all of the wonders of summer.
Take Away - It's summer! Don't forget to stop to smell the lemon verbena!
Absolutely beautiful Barbara! Love the photos and poetry. Congratulations on publication :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for sharing the joy and abundance of your garden. Gave me a big smile!