Wordless Wednesday: An Iris called Jesse's Song and a beautiful Columbine

Wild Blue Lupine Morning

"It's Spring fever. That is what the name of it is.

And when you've got it, you want... oh, 

you don't quite know what it is you do want,

 but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

 ~Mark Twain~

I know this quote well. I understand what Samuel Clements was saying. He died in the Spring of 1910 in Redding, California. I live in the same part of the country. I know what he means. I hope that he was looking out of a window filled with Lupine when he died.
I love winter here. I love the mildness of our weather, the hope of snow and the ability to hike and walk in December and January... but, Oh spring. I feel its joy when I walk outside. The birds that choose to nest on our porch, the green hills, the wildflowers and the fragrance of this place. It's a sweet "heart ache" and it's there every year for all to see and feel.

The Prospector was weed eating the old goat run and came in to tell me that he left the blueish purple Lupine standing so I could take some pictures of it.
I walked down to the vegetable garden with my camera and went through the gate to the pasture below, sitting down in the field where the goats use to roam. For five years our goats did not leave these flowers for us to enjoy but, in exchange, they cleared the land below the house. These flowers were tasty delicacies for them. I could always find the flowers elsewhere on our road. I didn't mind that the goats enjoyed them so... if only I could see Brownie and Murph' down there again. I miss the boys.

"Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns..."

~Byron Caldwell Smith, letter to Kate Stephens~

Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. 
~Rainer Maria Rilke~

I know the thrill of the grasses when the rain pours over them.

I know the trembling of the leaves when the winds sweep through them.

I know what the white clover felt as it held a drop of dew pressed close in its beauteousness.

I know the quivering of the fragrant petals at the touch of the pollen-legged bees.

I know what the stream said to the dipping willows, and what the moon said to the sweet lavender.

I know what the stars said when they came stealthily down and crept fondly into the tops of the trees.

~Muriel Strode, "Creation Songs"

I know. I know.

Yes, I know.

Wordless Wednesday: Flowers to Feed the Soul.

Wordless yes, so look... breath in.... "Bread may feed the body, But flowers feed the soul." ~The Koran~

Being Productive in the Garden

I HURT THIS MORNING!!
My legs, my feet, my arms, my hips.... Everything hurts. Why is it that working in the garden all day brings me such great satisfaction..... and so much discomfort? I got out of bed like an old lady this morning. Oh, wait a minute. I am an old lady.
Yesterday was one of those wonderful Spring days here in California. I think I could live inside of a day like this 365 days a year. The breeze was cool, the sun was warm and the soil was soft. My love affair with my garden begins again.
This is where it started. I went to WalMart the day before and got a bit carried away.

The Pansies were so beautiful. They just shouted "Springtime!!" from the shelf outside the store. So I came home with a flat of them. Actually, it was a half flat for $5. That would give me the color I wanted for my dreary containers. And, of course, I had to get some soil amendments to liven up the old dirt in the pots and add some compost from the veggie garden composter.
I got a little carried away with the flower seeds.

COSMOS~PORTULACA~CLEOME~ZINNIAS..... The American Seed Co. has these beautiful packets of seeds for .20 cents a piece. I don't know how they can sell a package of seeds for .20 cents. I'm guessing that there aren't as many seeds inside (I will count them and see) compared to the Burpee packet that costs $1.50. and the Burpee brand says that they are a "select variety" from Holland. At .20 cents a packet I can buy a lot of seeds, different varieties and it feels like I'm getting a real deal.
I do buy the Burpee brand for seeds that I can't find elsewhere, like the Zinnia called Envy. It's a beautiful CHARTREUSE color and huge. It's a $1.50 also. Sometimes you just have to splurge.
I also bought a few packets of American Seed's "Cottage Garden" seeds. I love them. I throw them into my planters and it's like a surprise later on to see what comes up. This wildflower mix gives the garden a lot of color with very little effort. I'm into the "Cottage" look in my garden.
So, yesterday morning, I put all the new garden supplies into my wheelbarrow and spent the day in the garden.

I planted those Violas everywhere.

And now I have color all over the front garden. It looks wonderful!

At some point, and this is becoming a ritual behavior, I take my gloves off because I can't feel the soil. I don't know why. I just love the feel of the soil and packing it down with my bare hands.

I haphazardly throw them down somewhere because I'm "in the moment" with my garden.
But I have Carl. He is Little Mr. Opportunity incarnate. He always finds them.

And I always think that he will leave the gloves alone, especially when they are in plain sight on the porch.
But NO.....

 He always grabs one glove. ALWAYS!! and runs away with it.. It's our game. If I didn't like this game I would put the gloves up on a table  where he couldn't grab them. But I don't. Because this is a game, you see, and Carl would be so disappointed.
I run after him, calling his name and telling him to give me the glove. Like I said.... it's a ritual. A bit of comic relief. It's what we do around here to entertain ourselves.

So, back to the garden. I love that feeling of dirt under the nails.

I never regret taking my gloves off. I will always have hang nails and cuts in the Springtime. It's OK. It's tradition.

It was not the planting of violas that  made me feel like I was a hundred years old this morning.

It was this corner of the garden.

This is the cause of all my pain. It wasn't enough to plant some flowers in pots. I also spent the rest of the day redoing the area near the entrance. Now that I look at the photo I realize that it doesn't look that much different for all the lifting of rocks, raking of debris, moving of garden art and transplanting of a few perennials. But I wanted to clear everything away from the flowering Pear tree because I read that having too much mulch or plants that get watered a lot right up against a tree can weaken the tree and make it vulnerable to diseases. When I removed everything, I saw that there was mold all the way around the bottom of the tree. So I felt really good that I did this.
It looks nice and I feel better about the tree. Cutter, my sweet puppy, proceeded to dig a hole in the new spacious plot of dirt, which he thought I made just for him. Then, I realized that I may have to put a little fence around the area to discourage the pups from this favorite activity. Digging is not a "ritual" I wish to encourage .
All in all it was a very productive day.
*************** 
Brownie is recovering slowly except that the other goats are ostracizing him. They won't let him into the goat house. Last night I went out there because I heard him making goat complaints and there he was, standing in the rain, crying and complaining. Bart was guarding the doorway and blocking Brown from going in.
IT WAS RAINING! and DARK.  I tried to push him in and every time he tried, one of the goats would push him back out.
BAD GOATS..... even Murph' was part of this betrayal. I'm so upset with them. I know this is normal animal behavior but it stinks.
Finally, with encouragement, Brownie pushed his way into the goat house and I went back into my warm house.

*************
So, this morning I woke up feeling like I fell down a mineshaft and survived. It's not raining. I should be out there finishing the planting of seeds.... but I'm not. I'm rubbing Aspercreme into my feet and hands. I'm laying low for the day. I'm writing this post and  not much else. I feel really old and sore today. I can identify with Brownie. Maybe I'll sit and read a book. Yea! I said read a book... or maybe I'll knit something.... or felt.... or bake some cookies.... or....

Sometimes things just turn out great.

This is how I feel today. Happy like sunlight....

Relieved.., like after the storm when the sun reflects on a flower in the late afternoon.

And a tulip becomes something so beautiful that it takes on an inner glow of peace..., even though we are reminded that our life is very fragile.

It's been a long day.., but I found out that the early morning drive to the hospital, a dreaded procedure and the results were all worth it. The details are not necessary. It's just that some days are so much happier than others. This was one of those days.