APRIL FLOWERS, APRIL BEAUTY
"all the more I wish to see
in those blossoms at dawn
the face of a god"
Matsu Basho
"Silently a flower blooms,
In silence it falls away;
Yet here now, at this moment, at this place,
The world of the flower, the whole of
the world is blooming.
This is the talk of the flower, the truth
of the blossom:
The glory of eternal life is fully shining here."
- Zenkei Shibayama
(The above is a fresco from Pompei and housed in the Naples Anthropology Museum. I have seen it and it really is beautiful. It amazes me that it is still in excellent shape despite being buried in the volcano ashes and the centuries of its life.)
FLORA
"In Roman mythology, Flora was a goddess of flowers and the season of spring. While she was otherwise a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology, being one among several fertility goddesses, her association with the spring gave her particular importance at the coming of springtime. Her festival, the Floralia, was held in April or early May and symbolized the renewal of the cycle of life, marked with dancing, drinking, and flowers. Her Greek equivalent was Chloris. Flora was married to Favonius, the wind god, and her companion was Hercules. Due to her association with plants, her name in modern English also means plant life. Flora achieved more prominence in the neo-pagan revival of Antiquity among Renaissance humanists than she had ever enjoyed in ancient Rome."
- Flora (Mythology) - Wikipedia
"Flora is the Roman Goddess of flowering plants, especially those that bear fruit. Spring, of course, is Her season, and She has elements of a Love-Goddess, with its attendant attributes of fertility, sex, and blossoming. She is quite ancient; the Sabines are said to have named a month for Her (which corresponds to our and the Roman April), and She was known among the Samnites as well as the Oscans, where She was called Flusia. She was originally the Goddess specifically of the flowering crops, such as the grain or fruit-trees, and Her function was to make the grain, vegetables and trees bloom so that autumn's harvest would be good. - Flora - Roman Goddess
Pear Blossoms
"An altered look about the hills;
A Tyrian light the village fills;
A wider sunrise in the dawn;
A deeper twilight on the lawn;
A print of a vermilion foot;
A purple finger on the slope;
A flippant fly upon the pane;
A spider at his trade again;
An added strut in chanticleer;
A flower expected everywhere ..."
- Emily Dickinson, Nature: April
Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra)
The Bleeding Hearts
Delicate beauty….
Brilliant passionate hue.
Droplets of tears.
Drawing near to us.
The sweet scents of summer.
The bleeding hearts.
Capturing the essence of beginnings.
Possibilities to ponder.
Nature and self, to renew.
Fragile and fleeting beauty.
As with all hearts.
Brought to fruition by the deep, warm blood.
Slowly seeping;
to nourish and sustain.
The bleeding hearts.
Perfectly framed in tender green.
Captured for the moment.
Once again we savor;
their timely, graceful charms.
The Bleeding Hearts © 2008 Geraldine H. Hartman
Tulips
The Legend of the Dogwoods:
The legend surrounding the symbolic meaning of a dogwood tree is intrinsically linked to Christianity. It is said that the wood of the dogwood tree is the hardest and that it was chosen to be used in the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Although there are no direct accounts that this is so, it is known that dogwood grew in the areas surrounding Jerusalem during this time period, and it is entirely likely that this wood was used.
\
Dogwoods
down the dogwood path
salamanders frogs and toads
I can only hope
-Susan Taylor Brown
First Azaleas
After all, I don't see why I am always asking for private, individual, selfish miracles when every year there are miracles like white dogwood.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
All flower photos by Proserpina
“There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun”
Pablo Picasso
April is the cruellest month,
Breeding lilacs out of the dead land,
Mixing memory and desire,
Stirring dull roots with spring rain (T S Eliot)
The miracles of nature do not seem miracles because they are so common. If no one had ever seen a flower, even a dandelion would be the most startling event in the world. Author unknown.
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I too remember that proud day when we sent a man into space, and then to the moon, the ill-fated Challenger and Columbia, the teacher in space, the first female in space, etc. I met Sally Ride, and later one of the astronaut who graduated from Fairfax High (my son's school), and another astronaut who spent a year at the school where I worked (he brought a Madison T-shirt into space). Yes, I am proud of our USA achievements and the people who helped make history.
Yesterday our temps in my area hit 89 degrees! Today is cooler but not as pretty. Lots of cloud cover. Oak pollen counts are up to near 1300! We are all suffering from allergies in this area. Well, a large number of us. I must say though, the azaleas are spectacular this year. No matter where you go in this area there is a riot of azalea colors.
We too need rain, we should get a few drops tomorrow. Just like your area, we are in danger of fires.
Stay well, enjoy whatever spring gives us (hopefully all good). :)
This week will probably be the big gardening week; it's supposed to get in the low 40s here this weekend, but that won't be cold enough! My roses have started blooming!
I'll bet your flower garden is a fine sight to behold now, if your nice pictures are any indication! Have a fine day!
I had a choice of enjoying the fleeting moment of the shuttle flying by or taking a photo. I chose to just enjoy the moment. We have lots of clouds today and I am in a rather limited area for a clear view of the sky (lots of trees), so I had to make a 'smart' choice. How exciting it must have been for you when you saw the unexpected shuttle. We do not get too many opportunities to enjoy something so exciting.
Sandi and Briar, you are two wonderful people. Thank you for the moral support. I have not done anything to be regretful about but I have been going through a tough time. Many years ago, I had conquered my emotional baggage from childhood, but in my old age there are forces that are propelling me back to an unpleasant time. It will be short lived, I am a survivor and will be back to my 'confident' self again.
Briar, I love the mirror graphics and messages. You are inspiring, and so are you Sandi!
Bug, strong and excessive perfume is one of my pet peeves. I am allergic to scents and react immediately when I am in a closed space (such as church) to the mix of scents coming from around me. I used to wear Shalimar, loved it! Now even a tiny whiff of the stuff sends me into breathing spasms.
Interestingly, the natural scents emitted by the flowers themselves do not bother me. So gardenias are welcome in my presence, my home, in a restaurant,... Sorry that you cannot have gardenias at work, but I do understand the concern.
Hi Kat! Love the Mucha post!
Hi Gamma, sometimes I take a Benadryl to help me with allergies. I love the side effect of getting some sleep! How is your kitchen coming along? What did you decide for the counter top?
I hope that I said hello to everyone!
Rain remembers the Enterprise, seeing it circle twice before landing.
We have been discussing it today, and Skye too, who was kinda sad about it.
Yes, yes, it was a fabulous moment. Now I can't wait to go see it at its new home!
Aqua, tell Rain to hold on to the memories of the Enterprise. Someday he will enjoy reliving them!
Poor Skye, I too feel somewhat sad to see this phase of our space 'discoveries'. Hopefully we will have a new and more enthralling space program. I will gladly pay that part of my taxes!
What a sight that must have been - Discovery being carried Piggyback - a moment that I'm sure will be forever etched in your memory.
Double thank you. For checking on me over the high risk severe weekend, and for the wunderful flower photos and captions.
I was worried about you, you sure do have a lot of unpleasant and dangerous weather events. You do a wonderful job in informing people, who knows, you may even have saved a few readers.
How are you GG? Any more spur of the moment fun adventures?
Have a blessed day dear one. ENJOY.....
We have lived at a time when a huge number of discoveries were made, and not just in space. So many new and helpful things, from the computer I am typing on, the tv I am watching, the medical advances that keep us living longer and with relatively good health, etc. I feel that I have lived in a space pioneer age, a magical age, a historical age,... The the thing that I regret about my lifespan are the wars, and more wars. We seem to find an answer to most things in life except on how to live amicably as a universe!
Big hugs dear Alley.
It was such a pity they disbanded, rather than developed, the Concorde.
Glad that you had a lovely memorable moment with the Concord, unique since it no longer flies.
Hubby just came home from his day at the golf course. He knew that I was going to do all possible to see the shuttle, so he asked if I saw it and from where. I brought him to the spot, described, told about my excitement,... Then he told me that he too saw the shuttle and the escort plane! I asked him if he was excited when he saw the shuttle, he said not excited but happy to have seen it. Well, for my hubby 'happy' is as close to excitement as he ever gets! LOL
Glad to see Raindad was "happy", lol!
Take care!
We have a few drops or rain here and there today but nothing to brag about. Pretty soon I will have to haul out the hose and start watering.
Not much new here, I am however mastering the art of doing nothing and enjoying it. The Italians call it 'Il dolce far nulla".
By the current look of your local weather radar, it appears you'll be finally receiving some of that much needed rainfall in your area! It should also help in lowering some of the very high pollen counts.
Our region has also been bone-dry for weeks and months on end, but at least we've been pleasantly distracted by a few recent days of unseasonably high temps. This morning, however, provided us with a rude awakening of only 48F degrees and it appears the highs of the day will hover around 60F. Boy, this has really thrown our aging body thermostats a real curve! BRRR! LOL!
It appears your gorgeous flowers are remaining intact with the probable good use of garden hoses. Hopefully, no one will have to break the bank on those watering needs much longer and the pollen count can tampen down to reasonable levels. Yesterday our pollen count was 11.80 out of 12.00! A-CHOO!!!!
Hope you're feeling better and can somehow take advantage of your inclement weather while indoors.
We are getting a little drizzle now and then, nothing that would help quench the earth. Maybe later tonight. The dreary day gives me a chance to stay inside and do some chores. I have just started the first load of wash, there will be several to follow. I am about to do some walking on my treadmill. I do need some physical activity to keep me sane and healthy.
Take care Mass.
Yes, they have the ladder back up so I can finish the job. But, it's not the same ladder - the sort that provides a nice, easy ascent from the dock. Oh, no. This is a vertical ladder attached to the side of the boat, rather like the boarding ladder they put down for pilots to use to get aboard ships they're bringing in to port. I could get up it, but it required a good bit of concentration, and both hands. Thank goodness I can reach the deck from the dock to set my varnish and such up there - otherwise, I'd still be out of luck, because there's no way I could get up without both hands.
Anyway, it's workable. It'll be interesting to see if it's easier today - but I'm not going down until I do some work on another boat and get the kinks worked out! And I'm keeping my cell phone in my pocket, just in case I end up on the dock with a broken something. But we're going to try really hard to keep that from happening.
I did pluck another gardenia from my other job site yesterday, and decided to take a little pic for you. It still smells so good, even though the flowers don't last very long. So happy Thursday, from me and my gardenia!
If I went up the ladder, you would not get any work done since you'd be spending the day with me at the hospital. For sure, I would tumble down and break every bone in my body.
Really, I hope that you are getting lots of extra dinero for doing a job under dangerous conditions! This morning I was telling Sandi what a brave and courageous person she is, well so are you!
We started out with a very foggy morning, the eerie kind that I like as long as I am not driving in it. Now the sun has burned the fog and it seems that we have a gorgeous day. Maybe it will be on the cool side but sunny and limpid. Deceptively limpid sky and air since the pollen counts are very high.
Down the road at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (I refuse to call the place by its new unpronounceable name!) the Enterprise is being prepared for its piggy back flight to NY, her former home will become the new home for the Discovery. If I weren't so lazy I would go join the festivities but here I sit idly. By the way, yesterday Post printed a fabulous photo of the Discovery balancing right over the tip of the Washington Monument. I love this photo and if I can find it on line I will post it. The illusion it creates is amazing, so I think.
Have a wonderful day and please do not fall off that ladder!
Take care!
I have done a little housework then took my coffee out into the garden... the sun is wonderful after the grey and rain of the last few days. I watched the robin hopping about, and the blackbird collecting the meal worms I had put out to take off to his young in a nest somewhere. He was certainly busy - back and forward he went, totally ignoring me about ten feet away from the bird table!
Time to "slap-on-the-war-paint" to go and meet my friend - we have sandwiches, she only gets 40 minutes for her lunch so I arrive early to get the order in, then we talk fast to catch up on each others gossip!
Ylee, I had no idea that you worked in the garden planting your veggies. That's real work!
Sandi, I am visualizing the fast paced chat with your friend. I bet you both have it down to an art! You sure have lots to relate this week, in between bites.
Time to go make that pot of coffee, take care of Koko and the birds. By the way, Koko's groomer was here yesterday to make K beautiful. And she is, her hair is white as snow (it will last until she goes out today and roll in the mulch in the flower beds), and trimmed. I can now see her eyes again. I bet she feels more comfortable in her skin at the moment, she really was filthy.
Wishing you both a wonderful day.
I managed to get a few photos of the garden centre after my "solo" lunch, thanks to my IPhone :)
Well, we have at least one more lovely sunny warm day in store before this weekend's alleged monsoon hits us Sunday eve into Monday. Truthfully, I won't mind one bit living through a few days of much chillier rainy weather as long as it helps to eliminate our potential fire hazzards and this darn high pollen count. Today, our pollen count is exceedingly high at ll.80 out of 12.00! It's been sneeze and wheeze for the past week.
Hope you, too, receive enough beneficial rainfall to downgrade those areas that are of chief concern to you! In the meantime, may you get to enjoy what sunshine, warmth and activities come your way!
I hope your day is lovely. I'm off now to get a few more hours in before the front gets here. There's no telling when it will hit - I think I have most of the afternoon ahead of me, but we'll see.
Do we get a photo of the newly-restored Koko? ;)
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Qualunquismo
By Michael San Filippo, About.com GuideMarch 21, 2009
Indifferent to political and social issues? Apathetic or skeptical of party politics? You just might be exhibiting signs of qualunquismo. It's a term derived from an Italian political party that took its name from a newspaper founded in Rome in 1944 by Guglielmo Giannini. The Fronte dell'Uomo Qualunque (FUQ) promoted a generic and aggressive antipolitical feeling and strong mistrust of institutions and political parties. They preferred to focus on the real problems of the people, of the everyman (uomo qualunque), the ordinary person. One of their primary goals was to remove party politics from Italian government (they failed miserably!).
Today the term has a decidely negative, pejorative sense, and refers to an attitude of distrust of democratic institutions, of diffidenze and hostility towards politics and the party system, and a lack of involvement in civil affairs. Worse, it can serve as a label in political discourse to brand someone as stingy and narrow-minded, who only thinks of his own interests and as such can be considered neither progressive nor democratic.
I share your feelings and, when I pause to consider, it truly does feel like a magical age. It seems like we live in the best of times, to have experienced so much. Then I think about my great grandmother, who grew up in Victorian times of long skirts and horse-and-buggy and lived to see a man orbit the Earth. That's mind-boggling when you think about it.
As to living amicably, I often wonder if that will be possible. I sometimes think the only solution would be if war-making reverted to how it was in the 14th century, when kings led their armies into battle. If today's leaders had to lead the charge and risk their own lives first, perhaps then there would be peace.
Happy Earth Day from the middle of England:)
It is almost noon here and I haven't seen you wandering the WU corridors so hopefully you are still tucked up in dreamland:)
Have a great day!
I will add the afterflowers - -
Love and miss you, and RainDad, and Koko, too.
It has rained here for over two days and it is very cold for this time of the year. This morning temps were just above freezing and the highest it got here is 49 degrees. Normally this time of the year we are around 70 degrees. I wore my winter jacket to go take a few pictures, in-between rain sessions.
Shore, I hope that you have had a lovely work day. Are you still climbing that ladder?
'I hope you dance', you have a great memory. Yes, I wrote quite sometime ago that it is one of my very favorite songs, and it really is. I am so glad that you sat down and enjoyed the moment. I guess you smelled the roses of music. I am so glad that you did. Life speeds by much too fast, and we need to enjoy special moments whenever we can.
Aqua, what beautiful veggie flowers and veggies. Those tomatoes have the promise of deliciousness! Every time that I see a zucchini flower, I think of sauteed zucchini flowers and scrambled eggs. That's how my mom used to prepare them.
I am so glad that you posted the photos of some of the things growing in your garden. I miss your blog with the emphasis on the happenings in your garden.
As you know, we love you and Rain as well. And DAU too! And we miss all of you. Mom.
Hi Ylee, if we have frost tomorrow morning, I will not be surprised. We came close to getting it this morning. I understand that in some parts of VA and MD it has been snowing today! So glad that we have not had nay in this area, not yet anyways. I hope that your garden does not suffer any damage due to cold temps. You worked so hard a few days ago.
Sandi, thank you for the dandelion photo. It is nice to see people appreciate the 'weeds' of life! The message is a real one. Time does drift away, just like dandelion seeds, and that is the reason that we need to 'carpe diem' before it is too late.
Happy belated Earth Day to you. This year I could not get to leave a little Earth Day message on any blogs. Sorry.
Today I was able to use the words 'Every day is Earth Day for the birds', and get 20% off one big bag of bird seeds. I actually bought two bags,some suet, and a bag of special mix for Finches. But got a discount on only one bag, but considering that I used the 'gift' one day late, I did pretty well. The people at the wild birds store know me very well and are usually pretty nice to me.
Briar, 'Then I think about my great grandmother, who grew up in Victorian times of long skirts and horse-and-buggy and lived to see a man orbit the Earth. That's mind-boggling when you think about it.' It is amazing that your grandmother was able to see so much in her lifetime. It truly is mind-boggling. One of my husband's aunts lived to the age of 96 or longer. Before she passed away, she wrote about the changes she saw in almost a century of her life. I was astounded at the things that occurred in her lifetime. I probably got interested in genealogy as a result of her few pages or remembrances, but pages that contained tons of revelations to me. How I wish that my grandparents had left some documentation of their lives. My beloved grandpa lived to almost 98 years, imagine the things he could have written about. He saw the changes from a feudal system to a whole different world for him and society in general. He died in the 1960s.
Mass, I am sure that you too are savoring the colder weather, rain, and wind! At least the rain will quench the thirst that our gardens have felt. Hopefully soon we will enjoy warmer days again. Then it will get so hot and we can complain about the heat! LOL
I hope that your day has been a pleasant one.
GG, did I ever thank you for leaving such a beautiful photo of the butterfly? Last summer we hardly got any butterflies in this area, hopefully this year we will have an abundance of these beautiful creatures. I noticed that one of my climbing rose bushes has been decimated by some chewing critter. I am hoping that it is butterfly caterpillars! I am willing to share!
I want to plant a yellow rose bush this year, I am hoping that Knockout comes in yellow. They are so much easier to take care than the old fashioned rose bushes. Not as scented but pretty and 'easy'.
Hopefully I did not miss anyone. If so, hello and glad you stopped by. Have a wonderful evening every one.
I have a clump of forget-me-not growing in my garden - dad called them weeds!
I must get a shot of them, they are such pretty little blue flowers.
I am up and have done some housework, been on the computer for nearly an hour and now need another coffee and I will begin work - story writing!
I also went for more bird food yesterday - the starlings have arrived!! They are such greedy birds and also dirty eaters, knocking the food off the table!
Hope you can get back to sleep.
LATER - How can you call this pretty flower a weed?
Okay, the knockout is called "Sunny Yellow Knockout"
Link
That link goes to an online vendor that does a nice over the top showing of the rose. You should be able to find it at most local nurserys. If you do order roses on-line I recommend Chamblees Link
They are local to Texas and have a sterling reputation. The drawback is that the shipping can cost more than the plant.
I am going to make a stew with dumplings I think - it is like winter out there!!
Brrrr!
Happy Wednesday, hope you can read a few more pages of your book :)
Sandi, I slept very well last night. And I really needed to catch up on lost sleep!
Yesterday I did not read any pages in my book, I busied myself with other things. Instead, my pre-bed relaxing activity was a crossword puzzle. One would think that the puzzle would activate my brains, but no, it relaxes my mind. It sure is puzzling how my mind works!
I hope that you will be writing while smelling the aroma of the delicious stew. It is cold here too, maybe you can send a little warm cooking this way.
Stay warm and create this Wednesday.
PS Sandi, I love forget me nots! I actually buy them and plant them in my yard. I like the way they spread in-between stone paths, out of the way spots, ... Do not know why but when they start getting a wee bit invasive, they die out! So no real problem, and I leave them alone to enjoy, and then enjoy a little more.
GG, thank you so much for the information on the yellow rose. I did go to the link you point out, got some information. I am not so sure that I like the shape of the rose, I need to see one in person. My local garden shop is huge and will have some of the plants, if they exist this nursery carries it. I think I want the versatility and easiness of the Knockout for the yellow rose, and the looks of a beautiful long stemmed rose! I is probably just a dream, we'll see.
The Yellow Rose of Texas song just surfaced in my mind and I will probably hum it all day! I will also visualize the moment that gave rise to the song! LOL
I have been working on a new blog, and I must say that it is not coming easily. I think that I have lost my writing skills, such as they were. Seriously, I am having problems concentrating and writing a coherent blog!
Have a great day everyone.
I have a clump of forget-me-not growing in my garden - dad called them weeds!
I must get a shot of them, they are such pretty little blue flowers.Lovely picture of this "weed."
One species is honored by being the state flower of a truly unforgettable U.S. state. Will leave which state for anyone interested to determine. According to wiki, and you may already know this, the same forget-me-not species is also the county flower of (historic county) Westmorland, U.K.
:)
image credit: wiki commons, user Tigerente (link added)
Hi Prose,
Have a great day.
:)
BF, the answer is 'our Great State of Alaska!
So in thinking for an emblem
For this Empire of the North
We will choose this azure flower
That the golden days bring forth,
For we want men to remember
That Alaska came to stay
Though she slept unknown for ages
And awakened in a day.
So although they say we’re living
In the land that God forgot,
We’ll recall Alaska to them
With our blue Forget-me-not.
by Esther Birdsall Darling.
The poem above helped in the ultimate choice of the Alaska State Flower and Emblem.
:)
Oh, Prose. The name of the poet reminded me of Alaskan artist Byron Birdsall, whose work I know you would enjoy. I am most familiar with his watercolor work from late 1970s to 80s - landscapes, seascapes, nature in general. He also designed a U.S postage stamp in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Alaska (Alcan) Highway.
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