The Garden Primer Makes My Heart Soar

" Gardeners make the world a better place. So when they show me battered, sun-bleached, mud-spattered copies of my book and tell me it has coaxed them into the garden, I feel that I have done the job I set out to do." -Barbara Damrosch

When I got serious about gardening one of the top five books in my gardening collection was The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. I learned so much practical information about soil, plants, composting, and garden planning in this book. Barbara and her husband Eliot Coleman also had a show on the Learning Channel called Gardening Naturally. I gained even more gardening knowledge from that show.

My heart soared over spring break when I saw a display of a new Second Edition of The Garden Primer advertised as "The Classic, Even Better". I love how Barbara has aged gracefully in the twenty-two years from the first cover to the second and how the front still has a familiar look. Also the book is deemed "The Completely Revised Gardener's Bible....100% Organic." That is one big difference with the second edition. The gardening wisdom is 100% organic. I have just begun to use the new edition as I prepare new beds, rearrange some gardens, and amend soil.

Our spring blooming trees and shrubs are benefiting from the knowledge I have learned from Barbara. To read other Sunday Scribblings using soar go here.

Spring Has Finally Sprung

Today was a long, exhausting day at school. I ended up staying later than planned for a long conversation with a dear friend. What a joy to come home, take a deep breath, grab the camera and a beverage, and enjoy a late afternoon spot in the garden. We wondered if we would ever get to this point this year. Ahhhh! Bliss.

The Joy of Writing

The Joy of Writing

Why does this written doe bound through these written woods?

For a drink of written water from a spring

whose surface will xerox her soft muzzle?

Why does she lift her head; does she hear something?

Perched on four slim legs borrowed from the truth,

she pricks up her ears beneath my fingertips.

Silence - this word also rustles across the page

and parts the boughs

that have sprouted from the word "woods."

Lying in wait, set to pounce on the blank page,

are letters up to no good,

clutches of clauses so subordinate

they'll never let her get away.

Each drop of ink contains a fair supply

of hunters, equipped with squinting eyes behind their sights,

prepared to swarm the sloping pen at any moment,

surround the doe, and slowly aim their guns.

They forget that what's here isn't life.

Other laws, black on white, obtain.

The twinkling of an eye will take as long as I say,

and will, if I wish, divide into tiny eternities,

full of bullets stopped in mid-flight.

Not a thing will ever happen unless I say so.

Without my blessing, not a leaf will fall,

not a blade of grass will bend beneath that little hoof's full stop.

Is there then a world

where I rule absolutely on fate?

A time I bind with chains of signs?

An existence become endless at my bidding?

The joy of writing.

The power of preserving.

Revenge of a mortal hand.

By Wislawa Szymborska

From "No End of Fun", 1967

Translated by S. Baranczak & C. Cavanagh

Look Deep, Deep Into Nature

I was able to capture a series of cloud formation photos on my drive last week-end.

" Look deep, deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein

Happy Mother's Day Silver Valley Girl

While staying with my nieces this week-end they had a great idea. The three decided to make the house sparkle as part of their Mother's Day gift for their mom when she returned Sunday evening. Kiki Aru remembered her mom Silver Valley Girl had said she wanted the windows cleaned. Kiki Aru is carefully cleaning under the supervision of Sadie the dog. Z2 tackled the kitchen downstairs and after organizing, scrubbing, and polishing she was ready for the white glove test!! I found The Princess online at the computer probably searching for sites with cleaning tips for making the bathroom sparkle. The girls worked very hard on their project and I know my sister will love their gift to her. They also managed to find time to purchase flowers and a card for both their mother and grandmother.

We took a break from the surprise cleaning project to serve dinner to my mom and their grandmother. Grandma Mary loved her roses, cards and hummingbird feeder. I had such a great week-end with my nieces and mom. We shared lots of funny moments, some mochas and lattes, a bit of hard work, and a special Mother's Day dinner.

Happy Mothers' Day to all you special mothers!

Spring Bouquet #3: Happy Mother's Day

This beautiful bouquet from my brother Raymond Pert and his wife The Deke was delivered to my mom's house on Friday for Mother's Day. It was a perfect match for her new living room furniture.
This was one happy mother as she posed here with the spring bouquet.

For other Photo Hunts on the Free Week topic go here.