Out in the Garden...

I've been out of commission from the internet for a couple of days. 72 hours to be exact. Its a long story, but when my husband was pick-pocketed in Greece 3 weeks ago, it shut down our access to the internet.

Yesterday I figured out that I could pirate the neighbor's portal to the etherworld, so here I am. Sorry to keep you in the dark. I did learn something about myself in these last few days. I like to write letters. Granted there is a lag in the news, compared to zipping off an email. However, the act of putting ink to paper, then sending it off like a leaf floating down river, helps nourish that special connection to a loved one.

Since blogging was not an option for my daytime pleasure, I got busy in the garden. Weeding, scrubbing birdbaths, and moving hostas from back to front to fill in some bare spots. I even did some long-distance gardening in a flooded-out area of Ev's Butterfly Garden across the river. I added coreopsis, catmint, daylilies, and Russian Sage.

I haven't spent much time this summer enjoying my garden, so the last few days have been wonderful. I never worry too much about specific color in the garden. Mother Nature always manages to put on a spectacular show throughout the seasons, so I leave that to her. The phlox are currently splashing their colors across the beds, brightening every walkway and corner. The scarlet-red monarda, the bright yellow coneflower, and the ruddy orange tiger lilies have all added their punch of color to the softness of the garden. I prefer to work with the textural quality of leaves, bark, and branches of the plants. Colorful blooms are great when they step to the fore, but after a show we all need the restful landscape that follows.

Speaking of color, take a look at Tess' Photog Gallery in the sidebar. This is a foto she took with her pocket digital camera several spring times past. It's an iris blooming in my garden. Notice the furry reproductive organs - virgin white, erect, and available. The stripes remind me of the hide of a magical, purple zebra-stripped unicorn. I used this foto as my desktop background last year and the land arch students were intrigued by it. Tess has a great eye for capturing the everyday around her, then focusing our attention on one small aspect of this world's incredible beauty.