Tag Archives: Spring

Easter, Poetry, Spring, Wildlife

Welcome Spring!

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“It is Easter morning.
Children who are still gentle as milk,
wake to its wonder.”
Caryll Houselander, “Souer Marie Emilie”, The Flowering Tree (1945),

It’s Spring!

 “Autumn arrives in the early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day.”
Elizabeth Bowen, The Death of the Heart (1938).

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“Forsythia is …pure, undiluted, untouched joy.”
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Bring Me a Unicorn (1971).
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“Flowers and plants are silent presences; they nourish every sense except the ear”.
May Sarton, Plant Dreaming Deep (1968).

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Have you ever looked into the heart of a flower? …I love their delicacy, their disarming innocence and their defiance of life itself”.
Princess Grace of Monaco with G. Robyns, My Book of Flowers (1980). 

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“Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day – like writing a poem, or saying a prayer.”
 Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift From the Sea (1955).

“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment.”
Ellis Peters, The Summer of the Danes, (1991).

 

Spring is a time of reflection and hope for new beginnings (SMB).

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It’s Spring !
Welcoming sun’s warmth on bare arms;
tilting  faces up to tree branches ablaze with pink and white blooms;
bending to touch nature’s  yellow and red living lights on bushes,
gathering a bouquet of smiling faces pushed up amidst grass and rocks.
Witnessing a joyful display for the senses this Easter! (SMB).

Sue Marquis Bishop,2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exploring My World, Poetry, Spring, Transition

Changing Carpets From Winter to Spring

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In spring, nature is like a thrifty housewife…taking up the white carpets and putting down the green ones.” Mary B. Eddy, Miscellaneous Writings, 1896.

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ONLY A FEW SHORT WEEKS AGO,  we enjoyed a light carpeting of Southern snow as a snowstorm blanketed the North in huge drifts.  But…it only lasted two days in Charlotte, until it morphed into water and disappeared.

WHEN IT SNOWS IN THE SOUTH,  it only stops in for tea and a brief respite before melting and running away.

SIGNS OF SPRING are emerging here and there in Charlotte as February and March days turn warm, then cool, then windy.  Today, it is sunny and 80 degrees.

Dormant
buds bursting
open winter casings;

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Carolina
Jasmine’s display
beckoning us outside;

Blue
birds gathering
at the feeders:

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Pedaling
with the
wind in my face;
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Rosy
pink ground
cover kissing lawns;

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Forsythia
showing up
gray tree trunks:

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Reading
and dreaming
at Spring Park Pond.

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I’M READY FOR TOMATOES from the garden, flowers blooming in profusion, breezy days on the porch, walks in the sunshine, reading by Spring Park pond, cookouts, and yes… even Spring cleaning.

I AM GRATEFUL to be here, in this place, witnessing the emergence of Spring once again.

“Suddenly a mist of green on the trees, as quiet as thought.”
Dorothy M Richardson, Pilgrimage: The Trap, 1925.

Sue Marquis Bishop, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

Spring, Transition

What’s New for Spring Gardens?

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SPRING PEEKS OUT from Winter doldrums.   It’s time to visit Spring Home and Garden Shows…to see what’s new and interesting for Spring 2016.

SPRING FLOWERS will soon be
Dressing yards and neighborhoods in  colorful finery,
Re-awakening senses to the world spread before us, and
Tugging on memories of playful Spring days with loved ones.

We see flowers everywhere on our visit to the Cabarrus County Home and Garden Show in North Carolina.

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Water features on display are varied and add soothing music to garden displays.

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Hummingbirds prefer a shallow water feature. This year’s show featured artistic hummingbird baths for the  colorful birds to dip their needle beaks into a garden art piece.

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Created-to-order wrought iron garden benches add sculptural beauty to any garden .

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The whimsical item plants smiles in the garden.

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And places to sit a spell and chat, or have an evening meal in artisan-crafted furniture, add comfort and style to outdoor garden rooms.

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OK.  Now, I really do have Spring Fever.  Cool Spring breezes, dining alfresco, flowering bulbs and budding trees, working in the rich earth.  What project do I want to tackle this year to brighten my garden?

“Spring …bursts with all the relish of a sudden surprise.”
(Mrs. William Starr Dana, According to Seasons, 1894.

Sue Marquis Bishop, 2016

 

Spring, Wildlife

It’s Spring at Spring Park! Flo Builds a Rabbit Warren

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AS I SAT IN THE SUNROOM reading yesterday, I witnessed an AMAZING scene.  I was in the right spot, at the right time, to see a busy rabbit prepare her Spring burrow.  What a privilege to watch!

THE RABBIT SELECTED A LOVELY SETTING for her den underneath a patch of purple groundcover in the backyard.  She worked diligently digging out a cavern with first her front legs.

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THEN SHE STRETCHED HER LONG, BUNNY LEGS straight out and dug some more and pulled the dirt away from the growing hole ballooning under the flower bed.

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I ADMIRED HER DEDICATION to her task.  I named her Flo.   She finally excavated a hole with an opening about the size of a softball.  (I regret I didn’t get a picture of the entrance before she closed it).

FLO PULLED GRASS AND CLOVER and carried it in her mouth to the rabbit warren…  I supposed she was making a soft bed for some baby rabbits she was expecting.

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WHEN SHE HAD CARRIED enough grass to suit her, she entered the rabbit cave, and began to pull the mulch surrounding the flowers over the opening, until it was completely covered, and she was no longer visible.

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I DIDN’T HAVE THE HEART to chase her away before she took up residence.  I guess I’ll need to fence my vegetable garden and protect the young flower shoots a little.   Maybe there will be enough for all of us.

SPRING IS EVERYWHERE NOW… bringing industry and enthusiasm for new beginnings.

BRIGHT PINK DRESSES cover the bases of our trees,  making an appearance just in time for Easter this year.

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SOFT PURPLE SPRAYS  tossed in the air by other trees.

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CAROLINA JASAMINE waves its branches in  the April wind…decked out in lemony yellow and whiffs of lovely.

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IRISES are popping open their showy beards in colorful array.

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THE MALLARDS ARE PAIRING for their seasonal selections of mates.  Annie stops by each evening with the two drakes she has accepted for this year.  They are always at her side … her mate and his wingman (wingdrake?)   They wait patiently while she eats her fill, and protect her when other drakes come too close   They stay about 15 minutes, begging for a corn  handout before flying back to the pond across the way.

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OBSERVING SO MUCH  industry outside, I am motivated to work on my own Spring “to do” list.  Let’s see, I have cleaned out the sock drawer…

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… and had the chaise lounge in the sunroom re-upholstered.  What’s next? (The chaise is my favorite place to read, make lists or just enjoy the flowers, birds, and other critters at play and work in the back yard.)

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Happy Spring!

Sue Marquis Bishop 2015