“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And revery.”
~Emily Dickinson

After days on end, no weeks on end of rain and further rain at last there is a break in the wet weather. Blue skies, bright sun and a delayed spring have at last returned to Northern California–necessitating the need, finally, for actually considering the Mowing of the Lawn. I’d been contemplating this for some days, anxious to begin on the one hand, to bring about some normalcy and caring to the front yard, but unexpectedly hesitating, for there, in the middle was a rather large chunk of white clover about the birdbath, which the bees had discovered and I was wont to cut, frankly.

I deliberated as the ground dried out sufficiently to actually bring out the mower. And in that interim a teeny rebellious thought took root. What if I didn’t actually mow the clover area? What if I let it be? What if I mowed a respectable circle around it, or a square, and gave the bees, now in abundance, their due? Hadn’t they suffered more than I with the unduly late arrival of spring? Didn’t they need the pollen more than I needed the neat and respectable appearance of a lawn well kept? Well? I thought they did.

And, so, dear readers, when I at last did bring out my much loved Lawn Boy, my shy grin widened increasingly as I cut closer and closer to the clover, knowing full well what I was about to do. For who, anyway, would contemplate for a second charging into the beloved busy bees at their work with a motorized blade? What heartless creature? Not I. And so the bees had their way!

Creating the above I was literally laughing out loud. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a lawn mowing ever as much. For sure not. And here is the happy result.

What can you do for a bee this week?

Bee Facts to Ponder

*The average worker bee produces about 1/12th teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.

*About one-third of the total human diet comes directly or indirectly from insect-pollinated plants

*Bees fly an average of 13-15 mph. They can fly up to 20 mph.

*Honeybees visit about 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey.

Love and garden blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Book Notes: Many thanks to all who came to meet me at Baker Creek Seed Bank’s 2-year Anniversary Celebration in Petaluma on June 12th! It was such a joy to see you — and to meet new readers in person! This wonderfully rich gathering also afforded me the opportunity to finally meet in person Paul Wallace, the man directing the West Coast Baker Creek Seed Bank! He’s as lovely as I expected!

Posted on June 9th, 2011 by Kathryn
Filed under: Animals | 9 Comments »

Knowing that my dearest daughter is deeply immersed in graduate studies, and having received a very beautiful card from same, I knew it was very unlikely she might appear unexpectedly at my door on Mother’s Day, thus I made a point of bringing in an exceptional luscious bouquet for myself from the garden. Mmmm. Soaking in their profound beauty I felt nurtured immediately. Who would not?

What I had not anticipated was that Mother’s Day morning darling daughter would be calling me and engaging in what turned into a three hour conversation about the generations of women from whom we descend, as one of her current (many) assignments, as she winds up the first year of her Masters in Women’s Spirituality, is to trace her ancestry, including the various possible psychological components. While the psychological part is her own inner process, the facts of ancestry are my forte. I’ve been studying our family tree for over fifteen years and can trace back to my Earliest Known Ancestor, who arrived on New England soil in the third decade of the 1600’s! While my daughter’s classroom needs did not extend to such great lengths, it did afford a profound and beautiful conversation about the women we knew, who shaped our lives and I can’t imagine a more lovely gift on Mother’s Day.

Following the conversation I went into my histories and pulled out a very cherished photo of my Grandmother wearing a red silk suit at age 94 on the occasion of a family wedding, which I scanned and sent to my daughter. She said, “It touched my heart.” Yes, she has the power to do that, to this day.

I thought carefully and with deep gratitude about the blessing of having such an amazing Grandmother and all the gifts she bestowed on me, and the additional great blessing of having such an extraordinary daughter, who sent me this on Mother’s Day. She said, “See? Studying, but I’m still playing!”

And then, dear readers, I went into the garden. And immediately turned back around to retrieve my camera, for this is what awaited me there, in the stillness of the late morning sun, in the sanctity of my garden, God bless.

Iris

rock rose

4th of July

If you look carefully you will see the tiniest of spiders on this next rose. (S)he kept going in and out under the petals, hiding, and I had to be patient to finally catch this little one in full view. I love it.

And these are common roses, traditionally used as root stock, and some would probably pull them up, but I prune and fertilize them each year and love them for the lovely bouquets they bless my home with.

I became fascinated with this last photo as I noticed the green living swirl of light that embraces this particular rose. It’s a good metaphor and reminder that each of us is part of all that lives, and that we are, indeed, surrounded by an infinite light of love and peace and support. All we have to do is tune into it, at any given moment. It is always available to us. Perhaps it is a bit easier to find in the garden.

Love and hugs and garden blessings,
Kathryn xoxoxo

Posted on May 9th, 2011 by Kathryn
Filed under: People at Life | 6 Comments »