Tag: Garden

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An Immigrant

ellenparkerwrites

Immigrants are not unusual in the United States. If you shake nearly any family tree you’ll find an immigrant or two fall out of one, two, or perhaps five or six generations past.

Many came from Europe by choice. They moved to improve their financial, religious, or educational opportunities. Some came from Africa against their will to labor for others. Asians were imported to work in agriculture and build railroads.

Not all immigrants survived. They became victims of disease, poverty, and accidents. A great many managed to carve a place for themselves and their children in this new land. A few accumulated fortunes and power.

They continue to arrive to this day — centuries after Jamestown, St. Augustine, and Plymouth.

And just a quick reminder. Not all immigrants are human. Consider this lovely import.

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Mexican feather grass

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Bird and Salad Combo

ellenparkerwrites

When dining out, one of the items I frequently order is a large salad. Often it will come with grilled or breaded chicken. The combo is delicious. And it has lots of the things dietitians and nutritionists approve of.

It’s good to try new things. New combinations in foods. Perhaps with the addition of one or two unfamiliar ingredients. (Careful. You might like it!)

You can also look at a familiar object or event from a new angle. Ever lay down to watch a dog walk past. (They may stop to investigate you. It might be boring looking at human feet and knees all day.) Or go high – stand on a chair or ladder, or climb up to look down on a lawn sprinkler?

Or you can just go silly — as with this photo of cranes and lettuce.

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Art glass birds in water lettuce salad.

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More than Books

ellenparkerwrites

Have you walked into your local library recently?

Books predominate. Just as you expect. However, they have competition from magazines, music, and movies. Computers available to all fill a need. Classes and lectures are scheduled for a variety of age groups.

It can be a lively place. Or a quiet place if you seek out the reference or study rooms.

Have you walked around your local library recently?

I’m privileged to frequent a new building and when I followed the sidewalk around the side (intending to photograph something across the road) I had a pleasant surprise.

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Library garden. Careful — you might learn something!

Have you checked my “reviews” page recently? Some nice summer reads are displayed  – both historical and contemporary.

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Reminds me of…

ellenparkerwrites

Red purple blossoms. Bright globes of color.

At first glance I thought of a field – red clover – a hay crop primarily replaced by alfalfa during my lifetime.

A second glance returned reality. The leaves are all wrong. This is not a forage crop for livestock. Instead it would be a great addition to a flower garden. Imagine it contrasting with a white fence or trellis. Attracting bees to pollinate this and the neighboring plants. Accent it with a row of low growing annuals along a sidewalk.

Globe amaranth
Globe amaranth
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When We Grow Up

ellenparkerwrites

What do you want to be when you grow up?

It’s a common question for one human to ask another, especially a child.

But what about other things. What does the puppy want to be? A search and rescue worker? A family pet?

What about a fruit? Do they want to be in a shortcake? A pie? A lunchbox?

I look at this little grouping of pears and wonder how many of them will make it to ripe? What will be their fate? I’m thinking a nice salad in the botanical garden restaurant would be a good place to end.

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Have you another idea?

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Mister Twig

ellenparkerwrites

Our group arrived in the village a mere week before the 400th anniversary celebration.

No — not of the town. Not of the house. Rather, the death of the most famous of residents.

Tourists arrive from every portion of the globe. (Fitting since his work was performed in The Globe Theater.) Like many historical sites they begin with a video and then you are “turned loose” to explore within the fence, listen to docent, or spend money in the gift shop. (Or Shoppe.)

The house is his birthplace. A portion of the house was his father’s glove shop – made as well as sold. The building was also his home during the early portion of his marriage. (Adult children staying with parents is not a new thing.)

It was difficult to select a favorite portion. Historical houses intrigue me. The gardens were lovely. On this fine afternoon it would be natural for a servant, or the unemployed son of the house, to be assigned some garden work.

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Was Mr. Shakespeare as thin as a twig?

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The Garden Assistant

ellenparkerwrites

Gardening can be difficult work. A person can use an assist with many of the tasks.

Two to dig a hole and plant a post. One to bring a wheelbarrow of dirt or mulch and the second to spread it. Sometimes the assistant can be a child in training for simple things.

And some gardens are simply too large for one person to keep up with. All the trimming, planting of seasonal blooms, care of the pathways. The work requires an entire crew. A team of professionals works in many public gardens in all parts of the world. And even the team needs a small, quiet assistant now and then.

Cherb holding gardner's jacket
Cherb holding gardner’s jacket.

This silent assistant was spotted at Hampton Court Gardens.

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Hang it High

ellenparkerwrites

Decades ago, when I was a newlywed, it was popular to have hanging houseplants.

The concept has charms. In our circle of friends, the apartments were small and often older buildings. Furniture was minimal to match our paychecks. But if you had a nice window it was common to find a spider plant, wandering Jew, or other tropical foliage draping over the sides of a plastic or clay pot. During a macrame craze the holders became works of folk art with beads incorporated  into elaborate string designs. (Not at my house. I need to concentrate when tying my shoes.)

One plant more than all the others seemed designed to be admired when hung. Imagine this thriving specimen hung in a foyer with a cathedral ceiling.

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Green First Aid

ellenparkerwrites

Go green! Recycle! Use Renewable!

More than a dozen years ago, we did some major re-arranging at my work place. One of the items which had to leave during this time was a small collection of houseplants. Take this one. You need both of these.

Really? I’ve killed a considerable number of sturdy(?) houseplants in my time.

But I relented and brought them home. Wonder of wonders, one lived. It out grew the original pot and then the next one larger. Now it’s split into two, both a couple sizes up from the tiny aloe which came home from work all those years ago.

It’s had some close calls. e needs to be careful and patient before setting it outside in St. Louis. The years I set it out when the temperature warms in May it’s had some close calls. Last year waiting until June almost killed it. Our spring rains were too abundant and the plant suffered another near drowning.

100_4240 Burn treatment for a Klutzy cook.

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Autumn Abundance

ellenparkerwrites

More than enough. Amply sufficient. Plentiful.

Any or all of the above could be used to caption this photo.

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Piles of pumpkins. Stacks of squash. Cribs full of bright yellow corn are a few of the sights in a typical October. This is the final harvest from the garden. Onions are braided and hung by their long, flexible tops. The canning jars are full and stored on deep shelves in the basement. Potatoes are dug and stored in cloth sacks or wooden bins in a cool place. A trip to the apple orchard results in boxes or baskets of red and green treats to store beside the potatoes.

And a tramp in the woods. My dad would get permission and we’d take an afternoon (before hunting season), grab burlap bags, and got nutting. He knew several groves of butternut trees. At other times and in other places I’ve collected black walnuts or hickory nuts. They’re not easy to crack. But the treat inside adds flavor and texture to baked goods all year long.

Yes, these days I do my harvesting at the supermarket. But the sights of autumn bring joyful, and joy-filled, memories.