blooms – Living, Loving, Laughing….

My Mother’s garden.

In the Spring, the hands of my mother turn the soil. She picks each plant lovingly and places it in the dirt. She pats the ground around it and wills it to grow beautiful.

She works her garden all the year, but most especially, spring and summer. Sweating, watering, and arranging until she gets it just about right (but it’s never done).

We look upon her gallery of color and placement as if in the finest of museums. From one garden bed to the next, there is more to gaze upon and revel in. Hidden delights find your eye in wonder. Magic sparkles and weaves throughout the yard, delighting in fairy tales come true.

I don’t know if I every thanked my mother for her work, or for the love of gardening, she has instilled in me. I don’t know if she knows how much I appreciate the beauty she brings to life.

I took my camera to Oklahoma, in hopes, I could capture her joy and return it to her.

Mom, you make life more beautiful by just being in it. Thank-you for what you share with us, and for what I can share with all of you.

Gardening is a very special gift. It’s a mix of nurture, artistry, and love. There are many lessons taught in the garden of life. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

“There is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.”

When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden.”

“A little garden in which to walk, and immensity in which to dream.”

“All the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of yesterday.”

“As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.”-Ben Hogan

“”True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice.”
— St. Francis of Assisi

“To plant a garden is to believe in the future.”

“Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844

“Flowers whisper “Beauty!” to the world, even as they fade, wilt, fall.” ~Dr. SunWolf

“Count the garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall. Count your life with smiles and not the tears that roll.”

The third weekend in April is not just Palm Sunday, but the peak of the Texas Bluebonnets. A Texas staple in our land.

I think my mom’s words to me went something like….. Dig some of those up and bring them to me to plant. I love the bluebonnets………. And most people who have seen them feel the same way, but in Texas, I’m pretty sure that’s illegal (plus, she lives in Oklahoma, heh!).

I wouldn’t want to pick them anyway. With their sea of blue, they are just too pretty to touch.

Before my injury we took the girls to Cedar Hill State Park. They have a place called Penn Farm. It was a working farm until the 1980’s. It is now a place to explore and read about Texas farming and equipment. There are several barns, houses, a windmill, and yes, even a bluebonnet field. It’s a photographer’s dream place.

Don’t leave home without your Dad’s old iPhone. You might need it in the bluebonnet field. I don’t think she wanted to miss her iPod music. LOL!

A stunning place with beautiful subjects. If you live in Texas, I urge to get a look at these gorgeous fields. NOT THE ROADSIDE BLUEBONNETS, but the REAL fields of them. They can be found in most of the state parks. There is also a Bluebonnet Festival in Ennis this weekend. In addition, many flowers and activities are on display at Clark Gardens. It is a must-see for the Texas Bluebonnets and worth the drive from the metroplex.

Wherever you are, I hope the weather is nice and you can get out and enjoy it. I can’t believe this is our peak spring season in Texas. That means the brutal summer heat is pushing at our backs, ready to knock us down, and fry our grass blades to a crispy brown. I may have a sprained ankle, but I am armed with a walking boot and I know how to use it. I will hobble along to one of these gorgeous sites before the flowers of Texas fade for another year.

The State Flower of Texas – the bluebonnet.