Month: May 2015

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Dancing in Sunshine

ellenparkerwrites

They’re here for the summer. Join the dance on the lawn. There’s plenty of room to expand the circle.

This group of bright, silk clad dancers decorate the lawn during the day. At dusk they turn into a portion of an annual Lantern Festival. Use your imagination — hear the drum and tambourine. Is that a flute?

Skip. Step. Twirl. Brighter than the flowers in the surrounding garden. Come dance across the bright green grass. Join hands with a stranger. Make a friend. Smile. Laugh. Play in the sunshine like a happy child, if only for a moment.

Join the Dance!!!
Join the Dance!!!
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Hosting a Hoverer

ellenparkerwrites

My garden is shady.

Plant hosta, my friends advise.

I hesitate, fond of the variegated leaves. Less so of the summer blooms. Still, they have a certain charm.

Hosta -- with visitor
Hosta — with visitor

Another garden guest on the day of a recent visit is difficult to photograph. He’s not shy. He is quick. Transparent wings move in a blur. He’s busy. Minding his own business. Seeking a spring snack in a cooperative blossom. He brought friends that didn’t fly into the frame. I gathered my camera and water bottle and let the miniature gardener do his work.

 

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Honor and Gallantry

ellenparkerwrites

He volunteered. Answered the call — over the initial objections of his family.

He wasn’t the only one. Thousands, tens of thousands, of men willingly left home and family when their nation called. Others were persuaded, called up, or drafted. It didn’t really matter in the end. They reported. Followed orders. Performed their duty. Sacrificed. Returned home scarred or whole in body. Nearly all were changed internally.

He wore his ribbons with pride. Marched in every Memorial Day ceremony until his physical body failed him. To honor his comrades. His country. A country that recognized his gallantry — twice.

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A soldier’s record of service. From the top.

Combat infantryman. Battle campaigns – Europe, four (Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe). Good conduct. Purple heart (three wounds). Silver star for gallantry in action (twice).

 

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Gorgeous Growth

ellenparkerwrites

Showy. That’s the description of the flowers on this tree. It doesn’t begin to capture the feeling of standing near on an early May day with the Giant Dogwood in full bloom.

Giant Dogwood
Giant Dogwood

Yes, the layer of blossoms in the foreground belongs to the same trunk you see in the center. I’m not good at estimating distances, but I’d wager this tree has a spread equal to height. It earns the name giant.

These flowers will turn to fruit, a literally feast for the birds. Are you fond of fall leaves? Typical fall colors for this tree is pale green to yellow. It’s a spring show.

Do you have a smaller yard? Consider the Flowering dogwood, a smaller, still showy cousin.

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Out of Plumb

ellenparkerwrites

Time disguises change. Seasons come and go. Ground freezes and thaws. Objects bump against each other. Sometimes gentle — other times in haste or anger.

It’s the wear and tear of life. A firm foundation helps. Expectations in line with reality prevent mental anguish. Living things have life spans. Many inanimate objects also have a cycle of usefulness – from time measured in minutes to centuries.

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Once upon a time…when the post was set and the timbers were new…this enclosure stood straight, plumb with the building. By the time you read this, it will be gone. The wood sent off to where used construction materials rest. The post replaced, square once again with the world around it. I don’t know how long it will last. The one pictured was well over a decade. Perhaps the new one will outlast my time in the neighborhood.

 

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Frost Free

ellenparkerwrites

Spring is coming. Spring is coming.

Hours of sunlight increase my minutes each day. Snow shrinks into the ground followed by cold, early spring rain. Brave bulbs break the surface as if testing the air. But it’s spring in all it’s promise and glory when these familiar yellow blossoms burst on the scene.

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Forsythia shrubs planted to make a hedge practically shout the season. The one pictured above thrives next to a busy highway. You also find them hanging out along back yard fences and snuggling up to patio fences.

Native to Japan and China, the name Forsythia is derived from a Scottish botanist — William Forsyth. And if you find the right Chinese herbalist, it will be among his top fifty medicinal plants.

I think I’ll just enjoy the sight and leave the brewing of remedies for others.

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Decorating for a Party

ellenparkerwrites

I always find something new-to-me, perhaps overlooked on an earlier visit, when visiting the large, public garden in my city. After all, the people in charge understand how to use the color, shape, and texture of plants to good effect.

And they sprinkle in a few inanimate objects to keep it interesting.

These are difficult to miss. They’ve taken over a large fountain in a prominent place.

Party Animals
Party Animals

The elephants and their friends scattered over the acreage are getting ready to romp and glow for a Lantern Festival beginning later this month.

Hmmmm. Will they re-direct the fountain plumbing? How many elephant trunks spraying water are needed to cool off on a hot day?

 

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Energetic European

ellenparkerwrites

Stability. Tradition. Ivy covered walls. What could be more English?

English Ivy — our selection for an E living thing — has found a home in the New World. It’s a hardy plant and enjoys nothing more than spreading in (and out) of the area the gardener designated. Several times during a summer I find it necessary to pull up and clip off escapee vines which have reached under the fence, over the concrete, and attempted to be a wall climber.

The same features which necessitate my trimming are also advantages. Do you have a shady spot that needs ground cover? A steep slope where lawn mowing is hazardous? English Ivy or its close relatives are a good choice. It will stay close to the ground and send out lots of little rootlets to hold soil in place.

Thank you, England
Thank you, England
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High Energy Drink

ellenparkerwrites

Some creatures encourage their young to drink sweets. These are high metabolism animals, not to be confused with humans. No, not even toddlers or teens can compete with the energy needs of the tiny, winged patrons of this backyard feeder.

100_3706Hummingbirds back from a winter in Mexico or Central America should enjoy this backyard feeder.

Human assistance for this tiny, natural helicopter includes maintaining habitat for nesting, flowers for sipping, and fuel stations like that pictured above.

Basic recipe for hummingbird feeders:   One part granulated sugar, four parts water. Bring to a boil, then cool. Red food dye is optional.

Yum. Beak smacking good.