Seeds

It's been a while.

 I still need to organize photos of our house to post. 

First I need to take said pictures so that could be a while.

We put in a new garden, I forgot to take pictures.

We painted the spare bedroom, again no pictures.

I have a secret board on Pinterest...

full of ideas and beautiful things to share, and it just sits.

That's OK.

 My eyes have been opened to how incredibly hard it is to maintain a regular blog.

When I check my feedly I have a new appreciation for the work of those I read daily.

I was panicked for a while, thinking the 'blog thing' was failing.

But why add a schedule to something that is meant to be an enjoyable expressive hobby?

Why force it? 

I'm going to take my time....

 that's my schedule.

At least I'm trying.

HOomen

Back to the garden...

Our house was built 20 years ago...

when someone decided to drop a subdivision on acres of old farmland.

In terms of a garden that means no more than half a foot of dirt before you hit clay.

So my husband built up borders, and I filled them with bag upon bag of black soil.

My parents and friends so kindly passed on cuttings...

 the standard hostas, day-lilies and tall grass.

Now, with next to no moisture in the ground combined with a two week heat wave,

everything looks pitiful.

Seriously, I have gone through 4 hanging baskets, 

flowers for dummies!

No amount of attention seems to keep them.

Could be my erratic watering habits but I will blame it on the weather.

At least I am trying right?

Luckily most are perennials.

HOWEVER..

during a trip to the nursery I found some marigolds.

Thinking they would add color and fill a few bare areas I bought two pots.

They took off.

With little attention and very little water they have grown 4 times their original size.

Crowding out the yellow and brown burnt lilies that sit beside them.

What is it called when a smell can trigger memories?

Olfactory memory.

Google that, it's fascinating.

One night while taking the dog out I bent down to admire them and the scent startled me.

I had forgotten for so long, the smell of a marigold.

My Grandmother and mother are avid gardeners, 

and likely the reason my standards are so high in the landscaping department.

As a little girl I remember trying to help in the garden.

My ever patient grandma taught me;

if you dead head certain flowers you will receive more blooms,

 if you save the seeds for later, then nothing goes to waste.

I couldn't tell you how old I was, 

but I will never forget walking around with a ziploc bag and filling it with seeds.

At whatever age, I had entire afternoons free and open.

I spent them outside picking and playing away.

Impressive enough, so did Grandma.

Every other day or so I try to get back there, to the brightest spot in the garden.

It might only be 5 minutes after work, but I try.

I usually have something 'better' to be doing, but I like to remind myself....

"you have time..."

So I sit and pick and play with the flowers. 

I sit in the quiet and think about how important it is to just pause.

I understand now why the ladies in my life spend time in the garden. 

Slowly, I'm getting it.

I had to pause.

We work and eat and clean and rush right over these open opportunities...

we put unnecessary pressures on ourselves to keep up and to keep going.

Sometimes the most important things to do is to just be quiet. 

I guess what I am saying is that I have realized something important.

We need to try, 

but we have to pause, 

and we should always save the seeds for later..