Where it comes to building positive energy, another thing that does it for me the garden. In the summer just to walk into it or sit looking into it is satisfying to a deep place inside me.
Even in winter when I look out and see the flowers gone, the plants mostly dormant, the weeds that have yet to be pulled, pots yet to fill, I see beyond all that to what it will be and it inspires me for what's coming.
This season, especially with all the garden catalogs coming in, with the new bulbs to plant, the seeds to start, is one of promise. One of my recent reads (the book wasn't really about gardening) had some powerful statements about what a garden is.
"Most folks tend to overlook the dark, stinking parts of gardening as a pastime, a hobby, but it's really more than that." He buttoned up his jacket and glanced at the sky. "A garden is where you can find the whole spectrum of life, birth, and death. It's where poisons meet nectars, where sustenance challenges rot. A garden, in short, is a theater for war." from The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany BakerI hadn't thought of it that way and yet, it's true and maybe why gardening is so strong a place for building our own energy-- even if it's only an herb pot in a window. The book, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, was a good read with a highly unusual heroine. It had another quote that relates to plants and us which I think is also worth keeping in my quote collection.
"She may have had a whole lovely garden spread out at her feet, but in her heart, she still thought of herself as a weed-- unlovely, uncultivated, unwelcome even in her own backyard. Everything in the world has two faces, however. Weeds sometimes blossom into artful flowers. Beauty walks hand in hand with ugliness, sickness with health, and life tiptoes around in the horned shadow of death. The trick is to recognize which is which and to recognize what you're dealing with at the time. At any given moment, you can tip the balance just a little, one way or the other, if you're paying attention, but that afternoon I wasn't. I was too preoccupied with the hard stones rolling around inside my own heart." from The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany BakerI'd add my own thoughts to what she said but how could I?
Digital painting of my garden in a good summer where the lilies, roses, lavender, rosemary, red hot poker, and yucca were in their full glory
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I keep looking at my yard with plans of redoing some of the landscape this spring. I have drawn up plans of where the new plants will go. Even removed some of the old shrubs and plants. And been to stores to look at possible new plants and researched them on the internet. It all makes me feel good, now just need the cold weather to end so I can get started planting.
The extra cold spell we had in December while I was out of town did a lot of damage to young trees and shrubs. Some of them may not make it. So I have even more plants to replace than I had originally planned on.
I love your digital photo!!!!!! I was sorta looking for plants to put in but since I hope to move, I am putting that on the back burner.
That quote is sooo excellent!!!
Gardening is an important relief for us in a busy daily life. It's Peace and Beauty.
It's the exitement from the very first seed to the last dying leafes in the late Fall.
It's the first Flowers in the Spring, struggling for Life, under the Snow.
Growing rapidly in the short, hectic Nordic Summers.
We will put our Red Pepper (Paprika) seeds in soil, indoor this week. The Kittens are in new Homes, so we have nothing thereabout to fear;)).
Our Summer Garden gives us joy and harmony.
Flowers, Roses, Tomatoes, Pepper, berries, fruits, potatoes, grapes, vegetables.
Everything grows in our steep Garden. Amazing to think we live at allmost 60 degrees North.
(Portland, OR, is at 45,31)
Have great week.
btw. Once again I must admit I've been a bad commenter for too long. Still at 100% job. We had 2 breeds of Kittens, got a new Grandchild, now living in Germany (Yes our Daughter has moved).
Haha, we have one Son living in Michigan, one in Oslo, on is dead and a Daughter living in Germany.
And very good, close friends in Sweden, Holland, France and USA, besides Norway. + Family here and there, even in Turkey (We will go there this Summer).
In fact, we are very lucky we do have Family and Friends so many places. But can't be all over at the same time.
This year we will go to Germany (End of March beginning of April - Turkey around mid-July then Hosting bloggerfriends from Sweden and France in August - we would also like to visit friends in France and Holland and US - but rankly: It's allways a time and budget limit)
Last week I began to miss my garden. Today, with the sun shining, I'm missing it badly. Funny, I miss the garden more than most of the people Theresa and I left behind in Arcata.
Beautiful painting.
A garden to me marks the beginning of Spring; my favorite season. The winter is over and flowers bloom again and I am at peace.
Those are wonderful quotes and rgere is so much truth to them. I remember when I realized one of my first Euphorbia's (a low to the ground one that spreads out and hax a lot of arms...) was suffering from a severe "illness". My Cactus Garu said to me..."I know this will be hard for you Naomi, but cut off all the arms and let them fry and then you can plant them....The mother plant is dying. Save what you can...."
It was the hardest thing I had ever done, but....he was right. Over the years we have had a horrible Fungus that was in the soil and kept spreading---I lost 45 plants...Heartbreaking! But....then there are the rest of the plants that thrive and touch your heart in such a deep way. Life, death, disease, etc. ALL in a garden!
What do you mean when you say it is a "Digital Painting" Rain? I would love for you to explain, please...It is really so beautiful and colorful.
Digital art just means I did it on my computer and it's a painting with the color palette that Corel Photo-Paint 7 offers. I write more about it in my Image Gallery. I have seen digital art where artists use a photograph and (computer) paint combined. This one is all my paint colors, but I have done it both ways.
If I tried to do that it would look like bad graffitti!
I love gardens and flowers and the breath of Spring...:-)
I love this image, rain. Beautifully done.
Mary Lou, it's actually easier than you think. The beauty of it is you don't have to care how it turns out. You can play like a child and learn the tools, the colors. My favorite program is the corel one because it isn't that complex to use. I have written about the process before but right now don't know where it is. Basically you start with colors and begin to draw with one of the tools, block in shapes and then refine. It has the advantage of not having to worry about an 'end product' which I think is what stops a lot of art cold as people fear it won't be good enough. Also since you have a computer, no supplies to buy, just an old version of Corel to download and then play.
I finally got into my own patio garden today and am envisioning some planting I'll do on break. I love your digital painting.
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