Beautiful Orchids
“A garden should make you feel you’ve entered privileged space — a place not just set apart but reverberant — and it seems to me that, to achieve this, the gardener must put some kind of twist on the existing landscape, turn its prose into something nearer poetry.”
― Michael Pollan, Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education“There are many paths leading to a garden and many experiences awaiting those who venture in. No matter what your motive—whether to grow healthy, delicious food; spend time outdoors feeling more alive than your desk job allows; help save the planet; find relaxation, solace, or healing; meet your neighbors; get your hands in the sweet earth; or discover for yourself just how abundant and generous nature can be—a garden rarely disappoints. It’s a magnet for life in all its quirky, beautiful forms.”
― Jane Shellenberger, Organic Gardener’s Companion: Growing Vegetables in the West
Just a brief pause in the daily grind, a short pause between the semi lucidity that appears before the next round of pills need to be taken.
I managed to look through my window whilst there was light outside, in fact as the sun rose above the rooftops. It was not sunrise, but the next best thing. That pause between the flare of sunrise and it’s promise of a golden day and the gentle light that bathes everything before the heat begins. So, I carefully extricated myself from my covers and hobbled out the door. Creeping as best as my limping would allow, an improbable sight, and one worthy of a photo, but that I couldn’t manage.
I opened the doors careful to make no sound lest my gentle hearted jailor nurse would hear and usher me back to bed, scolding me along the way. He has good reason, it’s not been the best of weeks, and all through a silly accident. Time not to dwell there today.
This morning I saw my Lady’s Slipper Orchid out in full bloom, a smorgasbord of shoots twisting together to make a wonderful welcome to the sunshine. Then I spied my Rose of Sharon, such a luscious deep red and I knew I had to take photos. Those I have to share later, but I have plenty more to share now. My poor Hypericum had suffered in the heat and after a savage haircut to help the new shoots to grow, it was time to think about watering, I could hear my Hippeastrum’s calling.
“It’s being here now that’s important. There’s no past and there’s no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can’t relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don’t know if there is one.”
― George Harrison
I hobbled around the house, praying that unwinding the hose wouldn’t waken my husband, as the hose would sit between the windows of our bedroom. Who would think to put it there? No squeaking tap, the fairies are helping today, and we (the fairies and I) enjoyed a glorious hour watering the plants. You could see the fairies jumping between the globules of water and hear the sylphs playing amongst the puddles. They could have played longer, but I, I had to admit it was enough. Everything had been given a good drink.
Time almost ceased to exist as I watered, but eventually we come back to reality.
Hose draped over the holder, I carefully tip toed on those treacherous black tiles, back into the house. I crept around, closing the door so I could sneak inside and type this out. Time for “Pain Killers” is shrieking in my head, well, in my hips and legs, but that’s for another day.
Enjoy my brief escape into garden whimsy.
“When told the reason for Daylight Saving time the old Indian said, “Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket.” ~Author Unknown
Blessings for a Happy Saturday, Susan ♥
© Susan Jamieson, 2014
Owls and Orchids 
Hmmmmm! Said the now awake nurse! What’s been going on while I slept?
LikeLiked by 1 person
You miss so much whilst you snore and leave me alone to my own devices.
LikeLike
I think your going to have to bribe the jailer in future Susan, he’s too cunning 🙂 And I hear cooking is a weakness 😀
Oh, and beautiful flowers, well worth saving! Namaste
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cunning – I think not Mark. He has failed to catch me out more times than I care to consider – or publish and shame him 😉 Not to worry though, when I collapse after my 72 hour without sleep marathon I’m not aware what he does. (for a few hours!) Of course this is when he gets up to mischief…. whereas I only work or blog.
Blessings Susan ❤
LikeLike
sometimes, you have to take those painkillers. what happened to you?
LikeLike
Hi Cynthia, two days earlier…I’d had a long day visiting the doctor, tests and injections and come home tired and sore. (Actually 4 huge cortisone injections in my neck!)
Early the following day, so the one before this, I’d gone outside to take some photos. Being clever, or so I thought, I sat on a plastic chair. Unfortunately it had been in the sun, age and sunlight the plastic was ‘softened’ slightly. It gave way and I went flying.
So this post was the day after. That’s one story.
I haven’t been writing myself since due to a crisis of faith…in my writing and through a major personal challenge. I think I’m ready to come back now….
Many thanks for asking. I wasn’t sure exactly which “happened to you” I should answer so you have the lot!
Blessings, Susan 💖
LikeLike
Sorry for your struggles, and I’m glad to hear you feel ready to come back.
Take it easy, and be good to yourself.
LikeLiked by 1 person