Almost a year of tending a rose garden
No prior experience
Gaging water and fertilizer needs
Spraying insects
Pruning for shape and plant health
Always guessing
Questioning decisions
You think you have learned
Then the seasons change
So do the needs of the plants
Sigh!
Cooler temperatures arrived
Buds abound
First cutting this season
I know way more than last year
Yet know there is more to learn.
…By Shamu
I uncurl from my sleep and stretch, allowing my front paws to touch your arm. You’re still sound asleep and I’m hungry. I knead on your arm, but you just roll away. That will never do. I stretch a few more times and jump to my feet and come up by your face. I butt my head against yours. With groggy eyes you glance at me and rub my ears. Still you don’t arise. I decide you must be told what to do, so I start to talk to you.
“Oh, Shamu, why do you insist on such early mornings? Okay. I’ll get up.”
You slowly grab your robe to head downstairs. I’m way ahead of you, talking all the way. You set out fresh food for me then fix your coffee. I pick at my food, then saunter around the kitchen looking out the patio door. I know you’ll never let me outside. How I would like to get out, but only if you’ll come with me.
I stretch out on the couch and watch you until you come and also sit on the couch. I roll over and approach to sit on your lap. You know I want to be close to you, but you never sit still for very long.
Your daughter arrives, and I approach her. She will pick me up and cuddle with me. I purr and butt my head against her. She’s grand and I love her, but you are still my preference.
…2020 was the lost year.
I disagree
2020 was the year…
I became focused
I got serious about my writing
Enjoyed contact with writers from around the world
Was challenged and encouraged
To be bold
To let the words out
To trust my voice
Learned the peace of spending time with my thoughts
Found joy in simple pleasures
Around my house
With my husband
Enjoyed time to read
And then read some more
Cooked some amazing meals
Wrote, and wrote and wrote some more
Became comfortable with Zoom and its limitations
Met other creatives who were open about their struggles during this time
Up rooted myself
Moved
Settled in to find myself surrounded by unknown plants
Doors opened to new learning
Writing continues
Meeting neighbors and others
Continue Zoom meetings with writers
Projects progressing…
2020 was the year that continues in 2021!
The blue agave is still reaching for the heavens.
Branches to hold some of the blossoms are forming.
For some who’ve witnessed an agave bloom, you may wonder why I’m doing this.
My fascination with the new and different vegetation of this area is getting the better of me – and I’ve never seen anything like this before. So, I’m sharing…
Can you see the excitement building?
All the photos from this series have been taken from a second story balcony.
Compare these photos with those in the last post to see the progress.
There will be more to come.
Stay tuned…
Change is coming. Last week I thought this plant looked different. Then decided, maybe not. By Saturday, I knew a bloom was coming. The gardener remembers planting this agave 30 years ago.
I’ve heard the bloom growth is phenomenally fast. The following displays what can happen in only two days.
Besides growing fast, the blooms are supposed to be spectacular. Expect periodic photo updates.
It will be fun to watch, and a wee bit bittersweet. With the bloom, comes death. It will be sad to loose this plant as it is a showcase specimen on the pathway to a patio area. Perhaps it’ll spawn another.
Frequently, I’m asked how I’m enjoying my new home.
My response flows.
“I’m loving it more every day.”
Perhaps I’m under the influence of the intoxicating fragrances that waft through the air. Depending upon where I stand on the property today, I might smell orange blossoms, or alyssum, or eucalyptus, or other yet to be identified scents. Each offers aromas I enjoy, and I savor those moments of fragrance.
Regularly, I’m learning something new about the plantings on the property. The former owners enjoyed the diversity found in this locale, so there’s a variety of mature plantings to enjoy. Our styles may be different, but our love of plants and being outdoors to enjoy them is something we share with those owners. We’re grateful they invested in the property. We’ve relocated and moved some things to create different spaces or zones; this visually opened the approach to the house; yet maintained almost all the species we worked with. It’s a process and we’re comfortable knowing that it will all take time. I wake up, look outdoors and say,
“I love living here.”
It’s February
Yet spring abounds
The birds are busy
Calling from one to another
We watch them building nests
Or scavenging in the garden
Buried plants have broken the earth’s crust
Then released their blooms
With these blooms, comes color
Fragrances fill the air
Sweet alyssum flows down the hillside
While the aroma wafts back to the patio
Citrus trees share their harvest
While setting blossoms for next year’s crop
It’s all part of the cycle
The invigorating cycle of life
It feels so good to be in the middle of this
2020 – I join with friends around the globe to say “Adieu”
Your stories will be told for years to come
No need for more
…and now I direct my gaze forward
2021 – enter
Open our eyes to see fresh things
Teach us to see beauty in the little as well as the grand
Remind us there is nothing new under the sun
And that peace comes through faith
Let that faith grow in our lives
As we recognize all of mankind is suffering
We make a difference one step at a time
Give us courage to take those individual steps
Welcome 2021
The world is ready for a change
How about you?
Best wishes to all in this new year!
…what sparks yours?
I’ve written earlier how Covid-19 has helped me establish some better writing habits, and it has. Yet the last two weeks provided some interesting self-learning opportunities for me. We traveled to California (via car), to spend time with family. This hasn’t been a trip for sight-seeing, but has allowed us to connect with some family members while staying in one location. A location different from our house. Everyone here has their normal activities, as do we.
Yet the environment differs vastly from home. The sights, the temperatures, the plants—I’ve found all these differences sparked additional creativity for me.
In the past, I’ve found traveling ignites creativity, or time appreciating natural beauty, or enjoying another’s art creations. Just spending quiet, uninterrupted time in a different environment from home provided an unexpected burst.
This gift of creative energy was a surprise, a very pleasant surprise.
A daughter commented that she’s heard other writers say that’s the reason they enjoy going to a retreat. I’d always thought one went on a writing retreat to remove one’s self from their routine and have more time. So like me to consider “time” as the limiting commodity. …and so, incorrect! I’ve enjoyed this “writing retreat” to work on multiple projects.
What fuels your creativity?
