A Winter Day


The air is silent save where stirs
A bugling breeze among the firs;
The virgin world in white array
Waits for the bridegroom kiss of day;
All heaven blooms rarely in the east
Where skies are silvery and fleeced,
And o'er the orient hills made glad
The morning comes in wonder clad;
Oh, 'tis a time most fit to see
How beautiful the dawn can be!

Wide, sparkling fields snow-vestured lie
Beneath a blue, unshadowed sky;
A glistening splendor crowns the woods
And bosky, whistling solitudes;
In hemlock glen and reedy mere
The tang of frost is sharp and clear;
Life hath a jollity and zest,
A poignancy made manifest;
Laughter and courage have their way
At noontide of a winter's day.

Faint music rings in wold and dell,
The tinkling of a distant bell,
Where homestead lights with friendly glow
Glimmer across the drifted snow;
Beyond a valley dim and far
Lit by an occidental star,
Tall pines the marge of day beset
Like many a slender minaret,
Whence priest-like winds on crystal air
Summon the reverent world to prayer. 


                                    Lucy Maud Montgomery 

*Photo from Internet

Sedum

Sedum is becoming one of my go to plants for fall. The 'Autumn Joy' variety being my favorite of all.

I love the color of the flowers that bloom in September and October and the foliage brings beauty to my garden all summer long. Here are a few photos from my garden. Can you find the little visitor? : )



The Autumn


Go, sit upon the lofty hill,
And turn your eyes around,
Where waving woods and waters wild
Do hymn an autumn sound.
The summer sun is faint on them --
The summer flowers depart --
Sit still -- as all transform'd to stone,
Except your musing heart.

How there you sat in summer-time,
May yet be in your mind;
And how you heard the green woods sing
Beneath the freshening wind.
Though the same wind now blows around,
You would its blast recall;
For every breath that stirs the trees,
Doth cause a leaf to fall.

Oh! like that wind, is all the mirth
That flesh and dust impart:
We cannot bear its visitings,
When change is on the heart.
Gay words and jests may make us smile,
When Sorrow is asleep;
But other things must make us smile,
When Sorrow bids us weep!

The dearest hands that clasp our hands, --
Their presence may be o'er;
The dearest voice that meets our ear,
That tone may come no more!
Youth fades; and then, the joys of youth,
Which once refresh'd our mind,
Shall come -- as, on those sighing woods,
The chilling autumn wind.

Hear not the wind -- view not the woods;
Look out o'er vale and hill-
In spring, the sky encircled them --
The sky is round them still.
Come autumn's scathe -- come winter's cold --
Come change -- and human fate!
Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound,
Can ne'er be desolate.

                                          Elizabeth Barrett Browning

*Photo from internet

David Austin Roses

My favorite roses are David Austin roses.

They look very similar to peonies and many of them have a beautiful  fragrant scent.

I have one David Austen rose bush in my backyard, but its on its last leg for the season, so I thought I'd share some photos I found online. (Mine look similar to the William Shakespeare variety)

Aren't they gorgeous? Looking through these photos makes me want to plant some more!

Crown Princess Margareta

Glamis Castle

Scepter'd Isle

William Shakespeare

William Morris


What are your favorite roses?

The Sun Rising

 
BUSY old fool, unruly Sun,
        Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains, call on us ?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run ?
        Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
        Late school-boys and sour prentices,
    Go tell court-huntsmen that the king will ride,
    Call country ants to harvest offices ;
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

        Thy beams so reverend, and strong
        Why shouldst thou think ?
I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I would not lose her sight so long.
        If her eyes have not blinded thine,
        Look, and to-morrow late tell me,
    Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine
    Be where thou left'st them, or lie here with me.
Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,
And thou shalt hear, "All here in one bed lay."

        She's all states, and all princes I ;
        Nothing else is ;
Princes do but play us ; compared to this,
All honour's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
        Thou, Sun, art half as happy as we,
        In that the world's contracted thus ;
    Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
    To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere ;
This bed thy center is, these walls thy sphere.


                                                            John Donne


Hummingbird Feeder

I finally got my first hummingbird feeder and I'm excited to have these little birds come by and visit.

I've placed it in front of our sliding doors so we can watch them come for a drink, and so far a few have!

Here it is hanging up from our back deck:



Beach Sand

Summer is almost here and I love going to the beach. The breeze, the water, the sun and especially the sand under my feet.

Here's a lovely poem which I found describes it beautifully.


Maybe it is the memories
the change of pace that brings us there
the sense of vacation
maybe the smell of the place
the sights of the gulls, the dunes, the grasses
but oh it is the feel of it,
the crunch and slide of it
the feeling of beach sand
so different from dirt, soil, loam
no, not earthy, moist, rich,
but oh so granular and gritty
even when wet,
moveable paper spreading under toes
sliding beneath the soles
smoothing my skin
clearing my mind
unburdening me of the rest
drawing me to the tactile, the feel
of beach sand
                                  Raymond A. Foss

(Photo from the internet of a Cape Cod beach)

Garden Paintings

I newly discovered painter Abbott Fuller Graves, an American expressionist, who painted mostly gardens and flowers. They are beautiful. I love the light and colors he used.  My favorites are the first and last ones I have here.

As you will see, the last painting is not of a garden but I felt it was so pretty that I had to include it. The colors he used for the water are so gorgeous!

In the Garden

In the Garden

Flower Garden

Morning in the Garden

Among the Hollyhocks

Woman with Flower Basket

On the Deck

Snow-in-Summer

Snow-in-Summer is another one of my favorite flowers.  These beauties put on a brilliant show in May and June. They also love the sun and enjoy being placed in a dry area.

Mine are in full bloom right now and look beautiful with their white blossoms. Once the flowers stop coming out the silvery grey foliage keeps a pretty backdrop to all my other plants. Here's a few photos from my front garden...






An April Day

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day,
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March.

                              Robert Frost (an except from Two Tramps in Mud Time)

A few Spring flowers...

Cherry Blossoms

Grape Hyacinth

Daffodils

Tulips

Forget-me-nots

(All photos found on the internet)

Sunflower Seeds

I've been wanting to grow sunflowers for awhile now and finally started some seeds indoors. This Russian variety called 'Peredovik' is suppose to get to 6 feet.

I haven't decided where I'm going to plant them yet, but I'm excited to watch them grow!


Here they are just beginning to sprout...


And a few weeks later...


If they survive, I'll post more photos in the summer. : )

Signs of Spring

My birdhouse, after 18 months of sitting empty, has finally had a prospective house hunter come by! I only got this one shot and it's a little blurry because I took it through the window, but I'm so excited! I hope she comes back!


And here's a few early spring photos of my potted pansies...



                                                                    HAPPY SPRING!

Birthday Flowers

Yesterday was my birthday and my husband gave me these gorgeous roses. They reminded me that spring is just around the corner. Can't wait! : )

It is Easy to Love Him When...

                                     "It is easy to love Him when the blue is in the sky,
                                     When the summer winds are blowing, and we smell
                                     the roses nigh;
                                     There is little effort needed to obey His precious will
                                     when it leads through flower-decked valley, or over sun-kissed hill.


                                     It is when the rain is falling, or the mist hangs in the air,
                                    When the road is dark and rugged, and the wind no longer fair,
                                    When the rosy dawn has settled in a shadowland of gray,
                                    That we find it hard to trust Him, and are slower to obey.


                                  It is easy to trust Him when the singing birds have come,
                                 and their songs of praise are echoed in our heart and in our home;
                                 But it's when we miss the music, and the days are dull and drear,
                                 That we need a faith triumphant over every doubt and fear.


                               And our blessed Lord will give it; what we lack He will supply;
                               Let us ask in faith believing - on His promises rely;
                               He will ever be our Leader, whether smooth or rough the way,
                               And will prove Himself sufficient for the needs of every day."

                                                                            George McDonald (1824-1905)

Flowers and Teacups

It's been cold and rainy in my neck of the woods and I'm really missing my flower garden. I found these beautiful pictures online of flowers set in teacups and they brightened by day.  So pretty. : )










Happy New Year!




Happy New Year Everyone!

This time of year gets a little slow in the garden and I haven't had a lot of inspiration for blog posts lately, but I'm happy you are all here and hopefully I will be posting more with the coming of spring. : )

Meanwhile feel free to visit my book blog, where I try to post more regularly...Thoughts on Books