Category Archives: garden

unfolding


unfolding, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

Picture: Pink rosebud, about halfway opened. An ant crawling on the edge of one petal.

This is a photo from last week. This morning I went to the garden but I didn’t take the camera with me. Rather than taking photos to share with you, I let myself wholly relax. I smelled, listened, and pondered.

There was hummingbird who splashed in the spray from the hose, bumblebees in the lavender, a bright yellow bird flitting around in some weeds by the back fence. It was just lovely. So were the two strawberries that I picked and enjoyed while they were still sun-warm. So, so tasty.

lavender’s blue, dilly dilly


lavender’s blue, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

Picture: a closeup of a single wand of lavender against a blurry background.

Contemplating lavender tonite. For relaxation. 🙂

I have two huge lavender bushes in my garden. I trimmed them back to a bundle of woody stems last fall and they are now back in full bloom. They smell absolutely delightful when I’m watering or at dusk when the scents rise from the plants in the evening breeze.

because some flowers are good eating…


broccoli, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

Picture: a closeup of a head of broccoli growing in my garden.

This ‘flower’ turned out to be pretty tasty. I ate it for lunch on Saturday 🙂 My goal, once the school pressure lets down a bit, is to eat one meal/day from the garden this summer. And I think I just might pull it off. 🙂

One of you, on your response to the pilgrimgirl survey, suggested that I should write about school more often. Hmmm….probably not going to happen. At least not anytime soon. Blogging is my escape from school. From the pressure that is building as my Qualifying Exams are looming. A respite from the many hours each day that I am reading, taking notes, writing mock responses to possible exam questions.

My other escapes from studying? The gym and the garden. Lifting weights does a lot to relieve the pressure. Sometimes I actually imagine myself pushing all the stress out through my arms as I’m bench pressing. It’s lovely to get that ‘release.’ The garden, well, that probably doesn’t need explaining. A few minutes with the sun shining on my face, getting dirt under my nails, running my hands through the lavender, well that’s a feeling so tangibly relaxing that it seems almost sinful.

How do you relax when life builds up on your shoulders?

I would really be interested in ideas you have for relaxing before bed. I find myself rehashing all I’ve studied the minute my head hits the pillow. Sleep is far distant and elusive. But at the same time I know sleep is what I most need during this stressful time…I also know that this stress is not an isolated thing, that academia is a path that will continue to be pressure-filled, as there will be deadlines, job talks, conferences, and all manner of difficulties that I need to get used to. I’m hoping that I can continue to build a storehouse of stress-relieving skills that will serve me now and on into the future….

berry-to-be


berry-to-be, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

Picture: closeup photo of a small white flower

This past year, because of no rain (whatsoever) during the winter, the blackberry vines that line the garden fences have not grown. I had pretty much given up hope of any blackberry cobbler this spring (usually this time of year we are bringing home berries by the bucketful–we even have the last cup or two of last year’s crop still in our freezer).

However, yesterday I found a small area of thriving blackberry vines flowering near the left side of my front garden fence. So we may not get berries by the pound, but I suspect we’ll still enjoy a few blackberries before the spring is over.

We’ll experience the joy of quality rather than quantity.

it’s a shy one


poppy, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

Picture: close-up of an orange flower

I found this flower, a poppy I believe, in my neighbor’s garden. I just leaned over the fence and snapped this quick photo. It wasn’t quite open all the way, perhaps because the sun wasn’t shining today.

wormz


wormz, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

Picture: a closeup of some worms in my compost bin.

This photo is for the the three crazy people that I live with. They are at the table adjacent to where I’m typing right now, playing some kind of wormy computer game.

Me, these are the only kinds of worms that capture my attention. These critters live in one of the three compost bins on my back porch. They make the rich fertilizer that makes my plants grow so pretty and strong. 🙂

translucent


blue, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

This flower is called ‘blue fairy.’ I think it lives up to its name quite well.

Today it was supposed to rain, but it never did. I planned my day all indoors, thinking that out-of-doors wouldn’t be an option. Now I’m feeling antsy and cooped-up. Too much studying, methinks.

Tomorrow I will plan to head to the gym first thing. To get out some of this extra energy left over from today. And then I will head to the garden to visit my new plants. 🙂

Update: The garden was gorgeous this morning. Lot of weeds, though, that I’ll need to attack soon. Oh, and my garden neighbor disposed of the dead gopher that’s been molderin’ under my favorite rosebush. Yay for brave garden neighbors (I was way too chicken to move the rotting carcass. bleh.)

Don’t forget to take the survey

iris, at night


iris, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

A study in using the flash on my camera. How to show the vivid purples and yellows of this flower against such a dark backdrop.

And don’t forget to take the pilgrimgirl survey!