life, love, and loss

08 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by home, garden, life in blessings, color, home, life, Lifestyle, loss, nature

Tags

Central Virginia, color of nature, death of a friend, how nature comforts, life, loss, love, nature, November

Life and death are one thread;
the same line viewed from different sides.

~ Lao Tzu

One of my closest friends departed life this week. I still fail to grasp this fact. Facing each health challenge bravely, determined to love life unconditionally, and supported by her closest friends, she met her end on her own terms — with dignity and love. Sidelined by a freak viral bronchitis, I was not able to be at her bedside as she passed. This makes our afternoon country outing, two weeks before, even more memorable. Too soon gone!

as we find out paths in life, love intervenes and inevitable loss.

as we find our paths in life, love intervenes, and so does inevitable loss.

as I drove rural lanes yesterday, taking the slow way home, nature seemed to reach out and embrace me with breathtaking color and brilliant sky

as I rounded a curve, this maple popped to say, as my leaves depart, they wish to make your day joyful!

hues this vibrant in November are unusual indeed

then round a few more curves, I nearly drove of the road, as I gasped. In fact I turned around a few times and risked being rear-ended to get this shot

back on a wider path of road, more maples popped from between the sycamores and tulip poplars, draped with dazzling color

a pair of old persimmon trees, full of fruit, will be perfect following the first hard frost, if one braves the traffic. I imagine birds will have the best feast.

taking liberties with this shot's edits to create a painterly vista

taking liberties with this shot’s edits I created a painterly vista

nearly home, this time, an ox-blood hue catches my eye

these trees were planted by nature, not man, making the display ever more poignant

the dogwood appeared to be on fire this day

back home, the resident dogwood appeared to be on fire this day

November hydrangea never fails to deliver color

Oakleaf hydrangeas never fail to deliver saturated color during November

my landscape comforted me with much appreciated light, reflections, and memorable color. This was to be the last day before hard frost, finishing the magical displays and creating rake work in days ahead.

Life is unequalled.
Love is unparalleled.
Loss is the toll we pay to experience it all.

May your day be filled with life, your Thanksgiving filled with love, and may loss be away on holiday.

June is garden delights month…

10 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by home, garden, life in color, edible flowers, environment, garden, herb bed, home, landscape design, life, Lifestyle, nature, photography, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia, Virginia spring flowers

≈ 15 Comments

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garden, home, life, spring flowers, Spring Garden Delights, Virginia

Below are a few images of my June garden delights here in central Virginia.
Following a hard winter, the garden now rewards with color, texture, and edible feasts.

Sunny rose in first flush, Red Hot Poker, Oakleaf Hydrangea, clematis, all in bloom this week. Nice!

Up close and personal with the Red Hot Poker! Yeah! Only its second season in my Virginia gardens.

up close and personal with the Red Hot Poker! Merely its second season in my Virginia gardens.

Sunny Knock Out Rose. She makes me look like a rose guru! This is her second year in my gardens.

Sunny Knock Out Rose makes me look like a rose guru! This is her second year in my gardens.

O'Neil variety of highbush blueberry. Three deliver all the berries I can eat in one season

O’Neil variety of highbush blueberry. Three plants deliver all the berries I can eat (and share) in one season.

Tasty morsels...once the wild birds are fed, my daily ritual is a visit to the blueberry bushes. Can you just taste them?

tasty, plump morsels…once the wild birds are fed, my early, daily ritual includes a visit to the blueberry bushes. Can you just taste them? I cover the plants with row cover to keep the birds away…they can have sunflower seeds and currants!

This is the tiniest florabunda...she is recovering from a transplant last fall. I estimate she is forty years old and struggled for years under the flourishing dogwood. I finally mustered the nerve to move her last fall. Half died during the winter, yet today she shows a bud...and soon, she will flourish in the full sun bed. Yeah!

This is the tiniest floribunda…she is recovering from a transplant last fall. I estimate she is forty years old and struggled for years under the flourishing dogwood. I finally mustered the nerve to move her last fall. Half died during the winter, yet today she shows a bud…and soon, she will flourish in the full sun bed. Yeah! Note she is merely six inches tall today, yet still produces a bud. Go Girl! If you squint, notice the teeny bud near the top. I am so excited! In a few days I will add a photo of the first bloom…

a bit closer to bloom time on this teensy floribunda transplant…I’m like a bird on her nest…too bad a young bunny tasted all these buds just after this photo was taken. Now surrounded with wire screen, I wait for Tiny’s next effort.

the stonecrop sedum is showing her stuff in the herb bed planter. I think she resembles a candelabra, don’t you? Lots of bang for the buck, this plant.

a few Siberian Iris were gifted to me two years ago and now flourish anywhere they are planted…a garden thug? Time will tell.

can you smell the sweet perfume of this Little Gem?

I was looking for a vine to replace the Concord Grape on this split rail, and voila! Arctic Kiwi manifested. I cannot wait for this fruit next year!

looking for a vine to replace the Concord Grape on this split rail, voila! Arctic Kiwi manifested. I cannot wait for this fruit next year!

male planted on one side of post, female on the other.

everyone knows Lambs Ear. A classic in any garden; sometimes a thug, yet when that happens, I dig clumps and sell at the farmer's market to willing gardeners...

everyone knows Lambs Ear. A classic in any garden; sometimes a thug, yet when that happens, I dig clumps and sell them at the farmer’s market to eager gardeners… the bumble bees also adore the blooms.

this variety of clematis lived on the property when I bought the place in 2001. I was survived years under a tree, and now thrives on a slick tuteur in the deep shrub border.

this variety of clematis lived on the property when I bought the place in 2001. It survived years in deep shade under a tree, and now thrives on a slick tuteur in the deep shrub border with her feet heavily mulched and her height in full sun.

I cannot forget to mention the sweet, edible, most popular plant, the viola or Johnny Jump Up. I am convinced this plant parties at night, as thirteen years ago, seed was planted in the front garden and every year since, I find it growing all over the entire half-acre…

must not forget to show the beautiful salad greens and edible flowers from the garden this week. The arugula was especially nice.

quite an edible feast: beautiful salad greens and edible flowers from the garden this week. The arugula was especially nice.

Spring weather of 2014 was spastic. 40F degrees one night and 60F the next.
Daytime highs have swung from 40F to 90F numerous times, and rapidly humidity of summer builds.

Yesterday I rose early to add more mulch, river rock in wash areas, and to tidy the beds for the summer ahead. Finding garden solutions is a never-ending challenge.
Rewards arrive in the hues of spring color, tastes of flavorful edibles, and in the humbling glow of accomplishment.
Striding alongside nature while sharing the garden’s beauty/bounty is a legacy of unnamed bliss.

Gardening in Virginia has its challenges; with humidity comes powdery mildew, which I plan to attack with fresh abandon.
The peonies suffered terribly in the past two years with this fungal disease, thankfully following bloom time.
Since peonies are an important cash crop every May, I want to coddle my twenty-nine plants and avoid the ugliness of mildew.
Stay tuned…

over 400 peony stems went to market last month.

selling my garden bounty at the local farmer’s market in May…

I hope you enjoyed my June Garden Delights Tour today.

Comments are always appreciated.

Now back to the kitchen to finish that order of Key Lime Pies.

At least views from the workbench allow glimpses of my garden sanctuary and the adored wild birds.

May your June be bountiful and beautiful.

in love again…

15 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by home, garden, life in color, environment, garden, Lifestyle, nature, photography, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia, Virginia spring flowers

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

April in Virginia, Central Virginia, charlottesville virginia usa, spring flowers, Virginia garden

It is that time of year, when I am about at my end with winter.
Nearly ready to take a long walk off a short pier. My rescue?
My collection of heirloom daffodils emerge to save the day.
Below is a collection of recent cuttings — please enjoy.
I am in love again…

love is blooming all around me

sweet faces fill my office with delightful scent

these beauties knock me out

non-stop beauty this week

this precious wonder is named Minnow

close up ~ notice the minute tip on the petal. The design department worked overtime on this detail!

lovelies in my mother’s old vase

this is the companion vase

I hope these images cheer your day.
Freshly inspired to head off into another growing season here in central Virginia,
I daresay, hurrah!

bursting with pride

26 Sunday May 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, birds, Bluebirds, environment, Lifestyle, nature, photography, Virginia

≈ 15 Comments

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bluebird monitor, Bluebirds, nature, outdoors, predator guard, Virginia, young bluebirds

By now followers must realize my adoration of the US Native Bluebird. Four years ago, with the help of three bluebird experts, I joined the ranks of bluebird monitors. After a few rough starts and mortality rates, this year appears to be my most successful year. The following photos were shot this morning through my glass door, so some may appear blurry, yet the moment cannot be replaced. I hope that you enjoy!

for clarification this slightly blurry shot shows the predator guard acting as a perch for the 28 day old bluebird chicks. I rigged this private BB feeder in an unused BB box noel guard. It has worked splendidly–keeping other birds out.

28 day old chick safely explores the feeding ground below main feeder

adult male feeds chick and is instrumental in keeping fledglings healthy with food

OK, Smarty, as I named him, is the first chick to actually fly up into the private BB feeder

female adult perches amongst the chicks, as she has already completed her second nest in the other box used earlier (cleaned out by moi). I expect new eggs any day now.

Smarty enjoying the morning sun and awaiting more mealworms

notice Smarty’s blue tail feathers…at day 28 already we can see Smarty is a male. And how VERY adult he looks ~ very streamlined!

clever Smarty turned to the feeding bowl

I know, I am guilty of sharing too many photos, yet moi feels like a proud grandparent, with the hard parts left to the adult bluebirds

I surmise these three chicks are the ones that fledged first, before the last two from this clutch. If you recall, the last two chicks fledged two days after these, and I believe that somehow they do not associate themselves with the first three. I spotted a single chick with the adult male yesterday, a loner, who flew directly into my glass door window (despite the window ribbon) as I stood there, gasping. It was not killed, and flapped its way over the rooftop. The fifth chick alludes me to date. I shall hope to see all five together in order to soothe my concerns.
Observing wild birds can be difficult at times, as Mother Nature will take her course, despite the best efforts by moi. After all, I can only help so much, yet the hand wringing continues…
If you wish to see my other bluebird posts, merely type the word bluebird into the search bar on this site. I invite comments from readers more experienced than I. Yet, today I am one proud and grateful bluebird monitor. Kudos to the many naturalists who monitor bluebird trails and cope with hundreds of these beauties.
At home, garden, life, one box at a time is all I can manage.

Update as of 5/31. This face-guard is my adaptation to keep a nosy Thrasher out of the mealworm feeder. She happened by when adult BB was feeding the chicks. This quick contraption, made from another butter box, works perfectly.

PS I should mention another bird blessing this spring. A pair of robins decided to build their nest in the Little Gem magnolia, just outside my bedroom window. So close is the nest, that I merely need to glance through the pane to see their chicks eagerly gaping for food. A first for this birding woman, and a joy to behold.

PPS Just spotted Uno (the chick who crashed into the door glass yesterday) at the feeder. Female adult ignored it, yet in zoomed the adult male, who promptly stuffed Uno’s gullet with mealworms. Yay!

And off in the distance the din of a zillion cicadas….

all or nothin’

25 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, cat, environment, Lifestyle, March, nature, photography, season, spring flowers, Virginia spring flowers

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

backyard birds, cairn, late snowfall, nature, snowfall, tete a tete, virginia countryside

a wisp of promise

embellished tuteur

raised beds at rest

Tete a Tete daffodils uncovered

cairn for Miss Kitty

Mother Nature was kind to this garden last night.
Mild overnight temperatures allow for a quick melt this morning,
yet not before I captured these images to share.
The backyard birds eagerly await their nesting season and
the snow (ha!!) peas would like to raise their heads!
For now, this garden looks like nothin’!

Where ever you are, I wish you a safe and memorable day.

another snow

24 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, environment, garden meditation, Hiaku, nature, photography, Poetry, spring, Virginia

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Haiku, heavy heaven, mourning doves, snow daze, snow peas, spring, Virginia

mourning doves hunker down

as night falls

will peas forgive this?
cypress leaning to the ground
heavy heaven sent

hinoki matted down

the sundial sleeps

~ time for fresh ribbon

16 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in environment, Lifestyle, March, nature, photography, season, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia, winter

≈ 11 Comments

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barns, cherry jam, crispbread, easter bonnets, farm bones, french wire, Louisa County, Virginia, winter dormancy, winter vistas

could this be a new look for spring?

This hat has been in my collection for two decades. I decided that the old black ribbon, stained from years of garden perspiration, needed to go. I fell in love with this french-wire spool and hope that this updated version of straw sustains me a few more years.

debut in the field last Sunday

The new bow quite resembles the french cherry jam spooned onto my crispbread both rich in color and sweet appearance—

rich and sweet

Yet not as rich and sweet as my views in the field last Sunday—

my love of barns continues

nothing like wood and metal

such elegant patina

a fine pair

bones of this farm at rest

teasel remains

I adore this time of year when views promise spring,
yet winter dormancy continues to color vistas.

she’s gone about as far as she can go

22 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in environment, garden, garden meditation, healthy food, landscape design, nature, photography, quick meals, season, sustainable lifestyle, winter

≈ 4 Comments

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crepe myrtles, daily life, environment, gardening as a meditation, in the winter garden, nature, pruning, sustainability, winter chores

winter landscape

I admit it, when daytime temperatures are in the 30’s F, I tend to dawdle inside the house. I wash things with detail—

restore the fluff of those lamb warmers

take cozy late morning naps on the loveseat—
then create wholesome hot lunches—

local eggs

easy over

then force myself into a warm down work jacket, wool cap, heavy jeans, and Bean boots. Once outdoors, with pruning tools in hand,

former bonsai pruning tool

I begin by observing branches of either crepe myrtles or dogwood that often require annual surgery.
Winter is the perfect time to observe the skeleton or bones of the garden. Deciduous plants, shrubs, and trees reveal both strengths and weakness, permitting the astute gardener a chance to alter branches and crown before the end of dormancy.
Late yesterday afternoon I climbed to the top rung of my ladder to reach numerous myrtle branches that needed editing. Regrettably, I must find a taller ladder to finish that task, so today I approached the lone dogwood.

lone dogwood in need of thinning

burn barrel with back log of pruned material

With a light hand—almost a meditative process for me—the dogwood succumbed to its procedure and is now rid of dead, damaged, touching branches. Alas, I can only reach one-third of the way up the crown, yet when I locate that ladder or person with a ladder, both myrtles and dogwood will be in great shape for the upcoming growing season.

winter interest in the garden

favorite winter companion

promise of spring

Tomorrow is Saturday and the weather forecast is for rain and sleet.
I am so tempted to bring the old bird-cage indoors to apply the rusty metal primer, yet the warning label forbids this type of application. I must await 50 degree F mercury to proceed with my projects.
I have gone about as far as I can go…