bees on a mission
devouring the last pollen
before winter comes
There are lots of bees in Scotland, and they’re feasting.
© 2018 Glover Gardens
Haiku: Bees on a Mission
Flowers
Haiku: Seeing Red
draw near, honeybees,
to this scarlet perfection ~
feast on its beauty
From the University of Aberdeen’s Cruickshank Botanic Garden on the King’s College campus in Old Aberdeen. More to come…
Copyright 2018 Glover Gardens
Like it? I hope you'll print or share:
A Fire in the Fireplace in the Middle of Summer, a Haiku, and Wildflowers
Escaping the Southeast Texas heat for a few days, I’m chillin’ in the mountains at Little House in the Rockies.
Oh, the glory of it!
It was 40°F when I awoke this morning (that’s 4.4°C for my international readers).
Oh, the glory of it!
A little fire in the fireplace was just right for morning coffee and reading. And finding the names of all the Colorado wildflowers I picked yesterday.
Oh, the glory of it!
Fire is mesmerizing – have you noticed? I sat with my coffee, staring into the flames, and dozens of welcome ideas came knocking, like neighbors with fresh-baked cookies. So here’s a haiku for the inspiration that flames can bring:
gazing at the blaze,
fiery hues, controlled-burn warmth,
flame-thrown ideas
Now to jot all those ideas down before they leave like Thanksgiving guests when it’s time to do the dishes!
But first, the wildflowers. What a beautiful bounty! Here’s a rundown of the bouquet: Bigelow Tansy-Aster, Black-eyed Susan, Shrubby Cinquefoil, Fairy Trumpet, Giant Red Paintbrush, Mountain Parsley, Parry Primrose, Canada Thistle and White Yarrow.
I gathered this clutch of color in about 20 minutes yesterday afternoon, right before a mountain rainstorm came sweeping through. I hunkered down inside our tiny cabin with a book during the storm, listening to the rain pound rhythmically and peacefully on the metal roof.
Oh, the glory of it!
I’ve been busy with the camera, so you’ll see posts about hummingbirds and mountains and chipmunks (oh my!) over the coming days and weeks, even as I settle back into the summer heat at Glover Gardens in Southeast Texas.
Wishing you a peaceful and cool Sunday.
© 2018, Glover Gardens
Like it? I hope you'll print or share:
Lordy, Lord Baltimore!
I’m out of town, but the Grill-Meister keeps me up to date on Glover Gardens happenings. My day started off right this morning with his “digital postcard” of this gorgeous red hibiscus with blooms as large as dinner plates:
Lots of blooms on Lord Baltimore this morning!
It’s the little things.
Did you know? Lord Baltimore hibiscus are a very hardy hybrid that’s quite easy to grow in hot climates. They get frostbitten in our garden in Southeast Texas each winter, but always return the spring after being cut back close to the ground. These low-maintenance beauties get revved up as it heats up, and are super-showy by July when other bloomers are starting to get a little wilty and tired. Go, Lord Baltimore!
© 2018, Glover Gardens
Like it? I hope you'll print or share:
Haiku: Nature Wins Again
abandoned train tracks
abundant purple flowers
nature’s strong comeback
© 2018 Glover Gardens
Like it? I hope you'll print or share:
Haiku: The Road to…
Some sights inspire, and must be captured. With the camera and the pen. On Elkhorn Road headed North toward Como, CO and headed straight for a mountain range, the tired and weather-beaten old asphalt is framed in spring by spunky yellow wildflowers. It’s breathtaking.
The Grill-Meister went out of his way to help me get this photo, waiting patiently until there were no cars, giving me advice on the angle, etc. It’s an imperfect representation of what we saw, but…can you feel yourself being pulled toward a bright and unexpected future, on this road lined with bright yellow wildflowers?
Anything could be possible up ahead. Anything.
Haiku: The Road to…
the yellow road to
endless possibilities –
what lies ahead?
© 2018 Glover Gardens
Like it? I hope you'll print or share:
Two-Fer Spring Blooms at Glover Gardens
For the first time ever, my Easter lilies and Red Tiger Amaryllis bloomed at the same time.
Awesome: a two-fer!
I’m sharing them here with you as a visual postcard and an early Happy Mothers’ Day to all my fellow Moms out there.
© 2018 Glover Gardens
Like it? I hope you'll print or share:
Happy Earth Day! Join Me for a Walk in the Park
The first of two Earth Day 2018 posts.
I’ve lately lamented on the lack of time for the Glover Gardens blog due to time-consuming springtime chores around Glover Gardens. I shouldn’t complain, though, because every hour spent in the spring garden pays off exponentially as the yard comes into full bloom. More on that soon!
Today is Earth Day, a great day to bask in the glory of our wonderful, life-giving planet. My celebration here in the blog comes in a set of nature photos I took recently during a road trip to visit our Musical Millennial at college in Austin. I was at Butler Shores Metropolitan Park, along the edge of Lady Bird Lake. I was killing time waiting for him to finish a rehearsal for the next day’s University of Texas Jazz Orchestra concert, using my new camera to stalk humans and animals around the park and practicing with the zoom lens. This post focuses on the animals, who were perfect models. Like this squirrel – can’t you just hear him saying: “Got nuts?”
It was a glorious couple of hours on a sunny, cool afternoon as I wandered through the park. Enjoying the sights and sounds of nature with only my camera as a companion was tranquil and restorative. Just looking at the photos brings me back there – won’t you join me?
A Walk Around Butler Shores Metropolitan Park
A spirited dog chased a frisbee, over and over.
She posed for me afterward. She acted just like the men in my family when I make them pose for a picture, resigned and mildly impatient: “Just get it over with!”
There were turtles all along the water, sunbathing. This one was like me, having a solo day at the park.
These turtles were having a social hangout. I watched them for ten minutes or more as they watched people gliding by in kayaks and canoes, and gently kicked their back legs to keep their log perch floating in their chosen trajectory.
A purple bearded iris was opening up in the sunlight.
Birds of all kinds were everywhere, darting about and singing. And seemingly, posing.
The swans did a whole routine for me, turning into synchronized swimmers. A haiku popped into my head when I was watching them, which I’m saving for a post later in the week.
Thanks for joining the animals and me on this little excursion through Butler Shores Metropolitan Park. And Happy Earth Day!
© 2018 Glover Gardens
Like it? I hope you'll print or share:
Jasmine, the Calming Smell of Spring
Not much has been happening in the Glover Gardens blog, because so much is happening at Glover Gardens. Spring keeps us busy! Not one to shuck a heavy load, Spring is busy, herself. Look at what she’s done with the jasmine. Our whole yard smells heavenly.
I did a little research on the smell of jasmine and it turns out that Glover Gardens is an aromatherapy district! The Telegraph, a venerable UK publication, said in a 2010 article,
The sweet smell of jasmine is as good as valium at calming the nerves with none of the side effects, according to new research.
Thank you, Spring!
© 2018 Glover Gardens
Like it? I hope you'll print or share:
Happy Easter!
These pages have been silent for a short while; so much has been going on at Glover Gardens that there hasn’t been time to stop and chat with you. I miss that! Once I get a handle on things, I’ll be back.
But I don’t want to miss the chance to wish you a Happy Easter. It was a vivid, verdant and temperate spring day here in Southeast Texas. After church, we were surrounded by family, enjoying a meal together here at Glover Gardens, reminiscing, missing our loved ones who were at this table at Easters past, and still, making plans and looking to the future. Easter is like that, with its theme of rebirth, second chances, faith in things you can’t see. Whatever your beliefs, I wish you the peace that comes from living in accordance with them.
For your visual Easter basket, here’s a photo of a Glover Gardens rose that the Grill-Meister texted to me while I was at work the other day. (I love it when he does that.)
Again, Happy Easter. I hope your spring of 2018 is wonderful.
© 2018, Glover Gardens
