A Taste of Spring in the Heat of Summer

On August 16, 2011August 16, 2011 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life16 Comments

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.”

My Whirling Mind

On December 12, 2010 By AngeliaIn Posessed by Nikon, Timeless Treasures12 Comments

I might as well attach streamers to it.

Streamers of silver and blue, and then at least, I can say, “Look! Something pretty!”

My mind goes nonstop and I’ve wondered more than once if I have ADD of the adult variety.

You see, I used to read – books. Novels. Series. I would devour them and savor them, because? I LOVE to read. Now? I blog. I read blogs. And that is all I have time for.

At first, I blamed my lack of reading on ADD. I started many books, but never finished them. Now, I know it’s my mind. Not only is it occupied by blogging, but also photography.

I have been ~~reading~~ studying books on settings; ISO, white balance, aperture, shutter speed, and f stops. I know! Why not use auto? And I have, but I have to edit the pictures (hours) to come out the way I want them to (which is more time). So, I am using manual. I am learning. I am reading. I am loving it.

Plus, I picked up a novel the other night and guess what? I am enjoying it too. It makes my mind stop whirling and I can enjoy the characters and the writing. My mind can be still.

The future comes one day at a time.

– Dean Acheson

Jason and I have been married two months now.

My wedding bouquet has long been gone. The beautiful flowers faded and died, but frozen in photographs, perfect and fresh. Holding the memories inside their pixels.

It’s December. It’s winter. I wouldn’t expect to see any flowers blooming. Especially, the same ones in my wedding bouquet like Gerber Daisies.

Would you mind telling that to my flower-pot on the front walk? See, I planted pink Gerber Daisies in the spring for the girls. One pot bloomed and bloomed, then died. The other pot bloomed in the spring, then did not bloom again. It didn’t die either. It just sat there in the pot through the long hot summer. I watered its green leaves and thought……well, that’s it. I never have any luck with Gerber Daisies. It was worth a try, and I did try……….. because I love them sooooooo much.

Then…..a miracle.

GerberDaisys — Two pink blooms in the winter.

Walking to my front door I saw a flash of pink. I thought, no friggin’ way, it couldn’t be. This was November. I took a closer look and sure enough, out of the green leaves was a single pink daisy. Awh! I was delighted. It’s twin sister appeared a day or so later. They have been hanging out through two freezes.

It’s December 12th. I took this picture yesterday.

Gerber Daisies in December — Texas Garden

What does this mean for my whirling mind?

I don’t know.

Two months have flown by. Two flowers have appeared.

I feel a new direction on the horizon. A new year coming – 2011 (wow).

Maybe it means, getting off the mind spinning merry-go-round, relaxing and enjoying these frozen moments before they are gone.

Wecloming the Day

On September 6, 2010September 6, 2010 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life, Days and Nights18 Comments

It’s been a rough weekend – moving. Need I say more? It’s not just the back-breaking labor of it (heh, labor – Labor Day – get it?). But the fact that I must accept help from others. Help cleaning. Help packing. Help loading heavy items and moving them from one place to another. Load and unload of those items. Most of which that have no place to go. Do I feel like I deserve that kind of support? That kind of assistance? A giving of service, out of love, out of family. Well….

No , I don’t want to burden anyone else, I feel like I should do it all MYself. But as Jason’s niece says (at four), “That’s ridiculous!” So, I shelf my pride, and I shrug off the chips of independence on my shoulders, and I accept. I accept the generosity. I accept the gratitude. I am humbly and eternally grateful in having this help voluntary, from the outpouring of kind hearts. Jason tells me, of course, my family is helping you. They love you. You are our family and will be my wife.

So, I let his step-dad fix the broken things. His mom clean the dirty things. His brother move the heavy things. I bow my head in thanks for family. A family chosen from loving another. How beautiful.

And today, I welcome the end. The final cleaning. The four-week countdown to the wedding and final preparations. Where do I find the peace and serenity God gives me?

My moonflowers.

One of the baby yard plants had a bloom last night. I felt as proud as the mama plant because I saved the little orphan by flagging it from the mower.

Here she is in all her little glory. Wow – to grow through grass and untreated soil – to just keep growing until the reward of opening her petals to the moon. And maybe that is how I feel too. Going and going and going towards that reward. That day blooming in the future; our marriage, our one home. The seemingly overwhelming details still to handle will finally be complete – and resplendent beyond imagination.

As I turned to go inside, after proudly photographing my little moonflower-that-could. I see a small bee on the mother ship. It’s not the ginormous Okie bee, but it is a busy bee. Something I will be today (and many others). All the wonderful hobbies I love – reading blogs, writing posts, and taking pictures. All on the back-burner as this wedding closes in. So bear with me, as I work my bee bum off and try to get everything done, plus work full time. I will BEE around, just very busy.

Have a bee-u-tiful day!

Moonflower: Worth the Wait

On August 13, 2010August 13, 2010 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life, In my heart forever & ever, Timeless Treasures34 Comments

Moonflowers – they have been in my family for years. They bloom only at night and some of the blooms can be saucer size. If a full moon is out, these flowers absolutely glow. It’s incredible. They only last one night, then they droop down, until the bloom falls off. It’s kind of sad. They have their one night of glory.

My mom gave me Moonflowers many moons ago (heh). They were planted under the dining room window and bloomed beautifully for several seasons; until I moved from my garden oasis. I kept meaning to get more from her, but never had a spot that I wanted to cultivate at the rented duplex. I knew they would be left again, so why bother.

That’s why last year when I was admiring the many gorgeous blooms at Calloway’s, I notice a lone plant on a table. It had grayish green leaves that I recognized. The Moonflower. I could not BELIEVE it. I had never seen one at a plant store. My mom had them and my second mother-in-law had them. No one knew where they got theirs though. They just were. As far as my mom knew, she had dug them up from a railroad track. My second mother-in-law guessed her husband’s deceased wife had planted theirs. The night he died, every bud flowered. Every single one. So yes, I think she had planted them too.

Last year I planted it at Jason’s, outside the dining room window. The Calloway’s Moonflower grew and bloomed. It was beautiful. I almost killed it giving it TOO much love because I wanted it to do well, so badly. But I didn’t. It bloomed night after night. Then, as winter descended so it did too, into the ground to await spring. However, at springtime, I watched to see what would or wouldn’t come back. Anxiously awaiting the Moonflower, but there was no sign of it.

I was so disappointed! I had seen several large seed pods that went to ground and got rained on. They always came back, always, but it didn’t. No sign at all. Until…..late, late, late spring – well summer (especially in Texas). I saw the leaves and there she was. A baby of a thing, but growing.

I did my obsessive thing – willing it taller and stronger – almost killing it with Rosemary organic spray because some bug was chewing on its leaves. Apparently Moonflowers leaves get burned by Rosemary spray. Oops. I left it alone. I thought it was a goner, and there were no other budding plants in sight. I looked at Colloway’s for a replacement, but not one existed.

I grieved a little. Then a wondrous thing happened.

The plant I almost killed prevailed.

Buds grew.

A bloom appeared.

Awaiting nightfall with great anticipation.

Opening to the night.

Last night was my first Moonflower bloom of the year, and the reason for my feel good Friday post. I don’t know what it is about this flower that means so much to me, but it does. It’s my mom, it’s my step-father-in-law who was a tremendously sweet man, it’s the glowing moon that I adore. It’s the unique rareness. It’s the light in nights. It’s me. It’s my journey to start over. To grow again and again at a new place. To be found, to be treasured…….. to be home.