You Have to Be There

 The iris bed is in full bloom. Deep blue, lemon yellow and rich burgundy. Held aloft on sturdy three foot stems just the right height in which to cradle a flower in my hands. I place my hands around a blue flower and sink my nose into it. A soft sweet fragrance. I can see the yellow pollen sitting on top of the stamens, lined up in a row, like the lights on a runway, for the bee to follow. The patches of white and streaks of purple enhance the entrance. As I stand here, face buried in the flowers, a catbird lands nearby to pick up a caterpillar. He is so near that I can see the velvety black feathers of his head that blend seamlessly into his gray body. I can see his black eyes and his black beak. He files away.

This iris bed is visible from the house. I have looked at it from a distance this past week, admiring it but too busy with daily work to go out and get close. Until just now. So much to do. Always. The list too often becomes my God. Putting aside the tasks at hand and heeding the call to get close enough to those irises to inhale their color, I am reminded of my goal in life. To be fully present in each moment. To see all that is around me and find God there. I am reminded too that this means making the time. It may rain heavily tomorrow, weighting down those blooms and causing the stems to break.

Life is like the season of Spring. So many plants seem to flower at once. Some will bloom for a few days. Most will last for a week or two. They all will fade and drop. How important it is to make the time to have a cup of coffee with a friend who needs to talk about her failing marriage. To write and mail the thank you note I’ll do when I get the chance. To make rhubarb crisp because my husband likes it. It is in these places and moments that I encounter God. Where life takes on meaning and purpose. May I always heed the garden’s call.

It's May - Spring is in High Gear!

We may have long winters here in New England and Spring often seems to take forever to get here. But by the beginning of May, there is no mistaking that it is here and ready to go! You can almost watch the plants growing, they mature so quickly!

Here's what is blooming now in the Hortus Conclusus:

Johnny Jump Ups and Violets nestled among Yarrow

Field Notes:

Birds
The house wrens arrived yesterday.
The catbirds arrived today.
Great Egret at the pond.
Lepidoptera
Eastern Tailed Blue  and American Painted Lady (neither positively identified)
Pollinators
Carpenter Bees
at least one other type of bee (unidentified)
Wildflowers in Bloom
Viola species, Pussy toes (Antennaria plantaginea), Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) and Chickweed (Stellaria media).

The God Who is Everywhere

"While it is true that God is a hidden presence, we have only to let nature speak to us about the God who is everywhere." 

- John Eudes, Abbot of the Genesee, 

as quoted by Henry Nouwen in Discernment

My first thought on reading this was that if this is true, then God is more present in some places than in others. For instance, in areas south - especially Florida and the Caribbean - where the weather is always wonderful, there is always an abundance of green, flowers, animals, birds and insects. What about in areas like here in New England during winter? All is bare or dull. There is wildlife but it can be sparse. What about in Alaska? What about in cities? Especially cities in the north during winter time.

Alaska, though frigid cold and covered in deep snow most of the year,  has a majestic quality that does reflect God. Not having been there in person, photographs and movie footage alone have shown me this. 

God can be found  in the city, but there he is discovered more often through people than in nature. Yet even a dandelion growing in the crack between foundation and sidewalk can point to God.

Winter in New England can teach us about rest and slowing down. A valuable lesson for so many who live by the "New York minute."

God is everywhere and I think that if we love where it is we live, we will find him in everything.

Welcome Spring!

The long winter is gone and already a fading memory. Spring is here and I am enjoying her company. She is such a dear old friend.

I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” 

- Lewis Carroll

Monthly Garden Photos - February 2014

Here is the last set of monthly garden photos for the blog challenge 12 Months in View. There is approximately 30 inches of snow in these photos. We had four snowfalls in two weeks time.

The Enclosed Garden

Birdbath pedestal in the Perennial Border

notice the bench

outside Wisteria Studio

The Family Pond and Wetlands

I Can Relate

It is that time again. Wishing that spring begins in February. I so need to be outside for more than a quick walk to the mailbox.