A fun idea
Frog Corner
I haven't began to work on my main perennial
beds. All the plants I
brought with me when we moved and new acquisitions
are scattered
hither and yon temporarily. This summer I
hope to execute a plan I
drew up for a walled garden outside my studio
windows on the west
side of the house. It is probably 30 x 50'
in size and will be a
wonderful project for a long while. Thank
heavens for my horticultural
background,( managed, then owned a large garden
centre for years).
It is wonderful to be gardening for myself.
Before I show you this fun corner I 'd like
to mention we have asparagus,
black currants, raspberries, apples and various
and sundry other
plantings in place. Blackberries and blueberries
grow wild in abundance.
Frog corner is one of the fun things I've
done; till I get beds more organized.
The wonderful hand-built clay pieces are done
by a good friend of mine
in Quebec.
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What better place to spend a
hot summer's day; than in Donut Pond in a floaty boat
and
drinking a frozen marguerita..
Direct quotation from our daughter Peggy who
does this often!
Donut Pond; barn in far right.
Donut Pond is a joy to us. We had gold fish
in it for two years. The Great Blue Herons came each morning for their
breakfast. One morning three otters visited.. no more gold fish. :-(
It is fed by underground springs; and only
in late summer in a dry year
does it go too low for a swim. Some day we
are going to deepen it, plant
the sides to stop erosion, and perhaps build
a small wind mill on the
island which will run a pump to aerate the
water.. then maybe some trout??
Lots of thoughts.. time will tell, for now
we'll just enjoy.
This last picture is of a group which really
enjoy Donut Pond. These are
some of my nieces and nephews. Each summer,
when school gets out
they spend a week with me at "Camp Willyhaha";
they named it, not me.
In this week I try to pass on some of my knowledge
about nature, and the world around us. We do pond studies, crafts,
reports for the newspaper which I make for them to take home with them.
The youngest was four last year and the oldest was twelve and was my junior
councilor. We try to relate something around us to another part of the
world.
This year it was Monarch butterflies and Mexico,
and Mayan glyph writing to our rock paintings. In this photo they were
singing an action song so they look interesting?? On their hats they wrote
their names in glyph. The t-shirts I made the design on the computor, then
made transfers with the printer. The slogan on their shirts this year was:
"Keeping In Tune With Our World"
Paula
Nichol
Charlie
Melanie
Luke
Bernie
Oscar
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Sorry; no poem this time but I do want
to share a
wonderful pre-Hellenic legend that inspired me to
do a painting, which I'll share with you in the studio:
GAIA
Free of birth or destruction, of time or of
space,
of form or of condition,
is the void.
From the eternal void Gaia danced forth,
and rolled
herself into a ball.
She molded mountains along her spine,
Valleys in the hollows of her flesh,
A rhythm of hills and stretching plains
followed her contours.
From her moisture she bore a flow
of gentle rain,
that fed her surface and
brought life.
Wiggling creatures
spawned in tidal pools,
while tiny green shoots
pushed upwards through her pores.
She filled oceans and ponds,
rivers flowed through deep furrows.
Gaia watched her plants and animals grow.
In time she brought forth six women
and six men.
Unceasingly the Earth Mother
manifested gifts upon her surface
and accepted the dead into her body.
In return she was revered by all mortals.
Offerings of honey and barley cake
were left in a small hole in the earth
before
plants were gathered.
Temples were built near deep chasms,
offerings were made yearly into her womb.
From within the darkness of her secrets
Gaia received their gifts.
Her children multiplied, prospered
and soon forgot.
Gaia today watches, waits and weeps.
Wish I could remember what magazine
I read this in to give credit where credit's due;
but it was a least 15 yrs. ago
in a dentist office;
I remember asking if I could have
the magazine.
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