Thank YOU! "Giving Gardens!"

I want to Thank You All so much for your kind words of support on my previous Anniversary post. I am so deeply touched and moved by your generosity and truly sweetest of hearts! Today I am sharing a great old/new idea of giving. A "Giving Garden" . . .  old in that back during both World Wars I and II citizens across the world planted Victory Gardens to help out with public food shortages.  

New in that Andria Post Ergun of The Alternative Gardener  contacted me yesterday with a similar idea and asked me to join her in spreading the word of creating a "Giving Garden" within our gardens to donate to Food Pantries, Shelters for the Homeless, Survival Centers and Food Banks in our areas the world over. People are struggling here in our country and in all lands across this planet.

I plant my veggies in with flowering shrubs, perennials and annuals to try to camouflage my food from rabbits mostly! Many years it works out fine, but not last year so it seems I need fencing. I planted enough to share with the rabbits but it is unfortunate they do not care to share with me! 

I will be planting extra vegetables this year to share with others,

 who might be caught in the net of economic troubles. I feel so outraged and disappointed with how our "leaders" have dealt with this economic downfall . . .  though I will continue to call my representatives in congress and my president pleading for them to act justly, I will not wait but will act according to my conscience. I love sharing fruit with the wildlife that coexist on this land with me.

Apples fall and accommodate other creatures reach. 

These little guys are more than welcome to the fallen apples.

There is always more than enough to go around and I will share my harvests with others in need this year too. Instead of just feeling angry about what is not being done I will feel better just doing something myself.

I will be offering some of my freshest and juiciest apples.

Native Blueberries too!

Leaving plenty for my feathered friends such as this Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 

They pick with their beaks while my fingers gingerly gather these perfect berries.

I will share one quarter of each container I harvest. They are tiny berries that take a good amount of time to pick... and I do so covet them! Just last week I finished my last bottle of frozen berries. They are so delicious in smoothies. What a luxury!

Every meal is not treated as a celebration, but maybe they should be in our hearts and minds considered so. During the growing season I feel so blessed with plentiful harvests and beauty all around me, that a dear friend and I get together once a month or more, for champagne luncheons to celebrate and be thankful. Though I struggle as an artist and farmer, I am so lucky to live in a paradise and have a warm cozy shelter to call home. In the summer I love to make large salads in big bowls filled with goodies like beans, local goat's cheese, nuts, grated carrots, beets and some sort of fruit . . .  maybe dried apricots all mixed with herbs, gardens greens, virgin olive oil and lemon! The variety changes with what happens to be in the garden and refrigerator. I can not recall the saying that goes something like . . . civilizations will evolve to higher planes, when they can no longer lift a morsel of food to their mouths, while others are hungry or starving. I am in no way trying to say that we should feel guilty for what we have . . . in fact I think . . . if we have abundance then we should rejoice. Here is to sharing our abundance . . . joyfully growing and giving. Please check out The Alternative Gardener and consider planting a "Giving Garden" of your own. I know that many share in so many ways with those less fortunate . . . or neighbors and friends struggling with illness or losses. I know of the generous spirit that lives in this gardening community . . . I see and read it in your posts, your comments and your worlds. Andria and I would love to hear what you think of this project . . .  be sure to visit her site and let her know what you think. 

Garden Bloggers BEE Long Together!

Garden Bloggers cultivate community in some ways similar to a colony of wild honeybees. We do not think much about having 'a bee in our bonnet' but we are obsessed and delight in having honeybees within our daylilies.

Each blogger gathers ideas, images and words for their own expression, while also contributing to the larger intricately constructed honeycomb of garden tapestries. Our gardens are 'the bee's knees' and it gives us joy to share them.

Each brings their thoughtfully captured and assembled collections to plots united in Blotanical land . . . much like a hive . . .  it thrives with hard working gardeners busy scrolling through blogs picking and honoring . . .  with lots of fanning going on! Of course their is a Stuart wizard behind the curtain! All aspire towards being queens (or gurus) and continue working and supporting other members long after being crowned with their red star and green banner! 

Then return to their gardens to harvest more thoughts . . . flowers and inspiration.

A variety of sweet offerings or posts abound . . . a unique craft in colors . . .  just as different flowers offer a different hue in anthers and pollen so too . . . garden bloggers offer a diversity of design and ways of seeing, exploring, and bee-ing . . . bee-longing to and longing for their gardens and land. It is interesting how some red flowers give yellow/orange pollen and often yellow flowers yield red/orange pollen. . .  while some white flower pollen is rather muted . . . of course this all has to do with the design of the flowers and how they cleverly use color to attract visitors. Are we so different? Honeybees carry their saddle bags of pollen . . .  like garden bloggers their cameras . . . going to every flower's depth in hopes of discovering it's beauty and nourishment . . .  for body and soul. Let us not forget the beauty of flowering vegetables and herbs, as well as the fruit . . . that feeds our physical presence. Could we survive without beauty and wonder?

All bring light and integrity to the whole community. . .  A bit of pluck and wit.

Garden bloggers have the option of expanding into other modes of expression . . . memes such as Blooming Friday, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, Wordless Wednesday or Rebecca's Rainbow Invitation become like beautiful swarms across the continents. Creative energy carries the promise of new ways of observing . . .  there are always scouts out and about . . .  finding and initiating a different kind of connection . . .  then as a group creating and recreating new forms together.

Garden bloggers existence or creativity do not depend on one meme queen (Can you believe there is one hidden inside this ball of bees . . . if she dies the whole colony may perish!) . . . they are independent and join many swarms of bloggers bee-longing and supporting several memes, always going back to cultivating their own plot of earth and blog space in an unique fashion. Some memes grow to very large numbers and perhaps branch off to form new and smaller ones.

Joining these groups provides new means to discovering blogs from around the world. Sometimes there are actual 'Meet Ups' where garden bloggers swarm to a particular city or town, and buzz around showcased gardens together . . .  collecting then reporting back to the main hive of bloggers, who anticipate bee-utiful images and heartfelt stories of actual eye contact meetings. 

We garden bloggers work well together, for after the fall we are all creating our own gardens of Eden. . . trying to reclaim paradise. By clicking together to share successes and failures . . .  sharing experiences of growing joys and pains . . . we enhance each other's individual plans . . . and lives.

There are times when some may get stuck . . .  lost or feel muddled under, and wonder 'why bother blogging?' . . . but there are many in the community to encourage them on and to help them out of difficult situations. Sadly for this little honeybee, I cannot help remove the Milkweed pollen that sticks to it's feet (though I did try and it seem to not mind.) Hopefully his fellow bees will come up with a way to free him of the burden. Some bees simply continue working towards their purpose adjusting to their added cargo.  (I wonder at the purpose of milkweed to have some of it's pollen constructed in such a way??) One of those glitches in nature perhaps not so unlike our blogging mishaps . . . on second thought most likely the purpose of the attached pollen is not simply to aggravate or harm the bee. . . as computer and blogging glitches can do to bloggers! . . . no there must be a survival goal in this.

Sometimes it seems like there are more important things to tend to . . . but garden bloggers are always there . . . holding their own . . . content in purpose even if somewhat hidden. In the beginnings they are mostly alone and I can relate to this, for when I launched my first post ONE YEAR AGO TODAY . . .  I had but a few who honored me with comments .  .  . faithful Eva and Brian and cousin Sandy. Soon I was contacted by 'blogger' saying I had a 'follower' . . . my very first was Sweetbay. I recall feeling so delighted and wrote to Sweetbay asking "Just what is a follower?" LOL! Now on my first blog birthday I am so honored to have one hundred who follow these postings. I am so appreciative of your support . . . if my posts in any way inspire . . . it gives so much more meaning to my work. I truly cannot remember now, but most likely it was Sweetbay's blogroll that led me to Katarina's meme Blooming Friday, where I met wonderful Swedish bloggers, who I have grown very fond of. Anja's and Lillebeth's blogs are two of my favorites! I happened on Frances's Fairegarden and Helen's Patient Gardener . . .  two blogs that inspired me early on . . . with their beautiful simple designs. I found their blogrolls to be a ticket to other bloggers as well, and then found the main hive of busy beelievers of gardening and connecting at Blotanical. It was not to be in May, when I first joined that I would discover the diversity of bloggers, but later in October when my garden was less demanding, that I truly engaged with the community and found many kindred spirits gathered here. 

 

Blogging is enriching my life . . . a discipline in editing images and writing. It is a creative process that in the end results in a post that did not exist before. I am so thankful to all who visit, if you invest the time to share your thoughts please know your words are like gifts to me. They do certainly inspire me for we all see things so differently. I also enjoy visiting your blogs and for that reason and wanting to comment, I only post two or three times a week nowadays. I have learned so much from all of you!

This post is to honor all of my readers and also the Honeybees . . . wild and kept . . . for it is these little creatures that our flowers and food depend on . . . but also just for their own well being . . .  for they deserve a life free of pesticides and questionable manipulated plants. If you would like to see the original post of the wild honeybee swarm here at Flower Hill Farm you can click here . . . just scroll down. Honeybees, like so much of the wildlife that we share this planet with, are highly evolved and our respect and care should reach towards their heights. Bloggers Let Us Bee True to Ourselves and cultivate and care for our microcosms, while remaining vigilant . . . demanding the macrocosm stays on the right track. Our own little paradises are greatly affected by what is happening to the larger planet paradise. May you always have (unless you are vegan . . . my gosh . . . do you know the bee effort it takes to make a bit of honey. . . makes me all the more appreciative!) a pot of golden amber honey to sweeten your days. In metaphor or the real sticky thing.  You can see my very first post here! Thank you for being part of my first year of blogging! 

Wolf Moon Sails From Month to Month Musings of Winter

Fresh beginnings looking both ways,

Janus leads first night into day.

Darkest December's blue 'Long Night Moon' 

sails into January's breath of etchings. 

Frosty forest landscapes unwelcoming

bitter cold, seeping into cracks grasping

hidden life, caught between dusk and dawn.

Vibrant sun paintings stretch and yawn.

Joyous light fades into tiresome clouds of gray. 

Now departing Janus, glances forward

casting wild full 'Wolf Moon' charcoal marks,

leaping across canvases of titanium white.

Bright shadowy bone chilling nights,

a long dark month of winter past.

Still and patient gardens sleep fast.


What a wondrous Wolf moon we had! The frost etchings on the windows are winter made... I do not heat the upstairs when there are no guests here. The amazing images of winter's breath is due in part to a minus 12 wind chill! The photos are backlit by the moon giving them the cool blue tones. No matter how often I see frost drawings I am amazed at their intricacy and plant like forms. I am joining CarolynGail over at SweetHomeandGardenChicago for Muse Day. I humbly offer my own little free form verse. 

Smith College Winter Conservatory For Liisa

Winter can be lovely with it's canvas of white and startling shadows, yet we long for more light and colorful blooms of spring. The Smith College Lyman Conservatory allows visitors a peek at their Spring Bulb Show in its infancy right now. A walk through the Conservatory is delightful and a feast for all the senses. I was to be sharing this day with Liisa from  Green Mountain Gardener  but studies did not allow her time to travel down from Vermont. So Liisa I will dedicate this post to you and hope it will inspire you for your spring visit. I met Liisa over at  Blotanical  and find her blog filled with inspiration and understanding of nature's wisdom and beauty. Her posts are always beautifully written and a great resource for gardening ideas. If you have never visited her, you are in for a treat!

Several weeks will pass and this room will be filled and overflowing with fragrance and blooms of hundreds of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, freesias and more. A riot of color will knock you out when you walk in the room . . . personally it always feels overwhelming to me and I believe I prefer the more subtle time of beginnings . . . buds showing colors and nearly bursting at their seams . . . with others just opening, spilling out their luring scents. These Cineraria are lovely to me just as they are.

I love the different stages of growth in these primroses! The freesia plants behind them will offer an array of colorful blooms and a delicious bouquet.

Now we are standing in what will be the entrance to the Spring Bulb Show. . . the walls will be filled with flowering branches that will stand brightly blooming above the dazzling colors of tulips. You can see through the door the room we were just visiting . . . note the tall freesia in the back all lit by the sunlight. The late afternoon light is fading and the Conservatory will close soon . . . so lets move on into other rooms where many blooms await us.

Walking out of the cooler rooms into the corridor there are lovely Camellias in bloom.

 There is no doubt an interesting story behind these sculptures and column but I forgot to ask . . . I will update this soon. Perhaps a link to Dionysus or Demeter?

Here we are in the 'Stove House' (once heated by a wood stove) which is filled with orchids, bromeliads and epiphytes. There is a water tank in the center of the room that I will present in a later post. 

Phalaenopsis (Butterfly orchids) are hanging over the center water tank, along with many other orchids I cannot identify. Along the side table are various flowering Paphiopedilums (Lady Slipper orchid).

We will quickly walk through the 'Warm Temperature House' on our way out of the Conservatory, as it is four o'clock and the doors are closing. I will bring you back inside on another cold winter day.

We can sit for a moment in the sun before walking around the botanical gardens and the Smith College Arboretum. You might remember this dramatic Camperdown Elm from an earlier post on these gardens.

This majestic Gingko tree was also featured in my earlier Smith College Botanical Garden posts. If you follow that link you can see many views of the gardens along with the Chrysanthemum Show and last years Spring Bulb show at night! This post will show up on the link too . . . just scroll down. Next time I will take you along this walk to share some other incredible trees and then we will return to the Conservatory to warm up and see more of that marvelous indoor paradise. It is the last Blooming Friday of January 2010! Visit Katarina's Roses and Stuff to see other blooms from around the world!