Moonshadows

Escondido, CA

On the night before the moon was fullest,  I took a long walk with Dudley the little brown dog in the hour before midnight.  The streetlights were out on one street.  There, we saw our shadows from the light of the nearly full moon, elongating our short legs (Dudley and I are both vertically challenged) and slimming our bodies.  Perhaps more impressive were the spindly prints of the newly naked trees, along the sidewalk, embracing us as we walked through them.  A fox crossed the road ahead, startling the dog and sending his back hairs straight up.

Escondido, CA

It was a peaceful walk.  We encountered no one.  I had a feeling that something was about to happen. 

Homosassa Springs, FL

Next morning, I heard that a dear family friend passed in the early morning of that same moon, as the shadows grew longer.   Ed was  of my parents' generation, bedridden for some time.

Blue heron near Great Falls, MD

He would have liked those moonshadows on his last night.  A scientist and a minister, he was a teacher, a friend, and a lover of all things in nature.  He personified love and grace through his tender care of living things and his ability to invoke humor at the perfect time in a conversation or awkward moment.  Under a rock or in the murkiest of waters, he found living treasures.  Under his guidance, plants bloomed and flourished.  

Frog-catching nieces, Greeneville, Tennessee

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Washington, DC

He was my friend when I was a really dorky middle schooler.  I got to accompany him on some of his expeditions to find plants and creatures in lakes and ponds.  He taught me a greater appreciation for living things, and for the thrill of discoveries in nature.   Skinks and worms, beetles and spiders, minnows and tadpoles - they were all part of the nature safari.

San Diego, CA

Fresh water jellyfish, Fleming County, KY

Ed encouraged my love of the pond, and I shared photos with him when I finally had one in my own garden.  I think he liked that.  He bought me a beautiful pair of angel fish for my aquarium when I was about 12.  I was heartbroken when my heater malfunctioned and I poached them - worse than the murders was having to tell him.  He understood but recommended I stick to less fragile aquarium beauties after that.

US National Arboretum Orchid Show

US National Arboretum Orchid Show

Ed conducted the memorial service for my Dad.  He told stories about their adventures; they too were good friends and fellow nature lovers.   He shed a few tears at that service.  I like it that I shared him with my Dad.

Potomac River near Great Falls

Lessons I learned from Ed:

• Creepy crawly things are cool.
• You never know what you might find under a rock.
• Beauty comes in some surprising packages.
• A day by the water is a gift from God.
• Life is both fragile and magical.
• The mentoring of a grownup can change a child's life in countless ways.
• God watches over all of his creatures and we must be good stewards, too.

Hummingbird in Escondido, CA

On the night of the full moon, Ed was in heaven.  He and Dad probably explored the gardens together.

Falls Church, VA

I don't know if Ed was a Cat Stevens fan, but this song makes me think of those days when we explored ponds and of the moonlight walk I took on the night he went to heaven.
Cat Stevens singing Moonshadow (youtube)

Washington's Birthplace, VA

Extended Gift: Amaryllis

A dear friend, knowing I was likely to have some dreary winter days ahead, had the foresight, good taste and generosity to give me a gift certificate for bulbs for my birthday last summer.  Sometime in the fall, when the days were getting shorter and the leaves were falling like raindrops, I ordered 4 enormous amaryllis bulbs from a magical place called White Flower Farm.  

I spent days perusing the catalog filled with photos of spring blooming bulbs and my beloved giant amaryllis.  It was hard to choose, and had I been fully employed and with cash to spare, I would have ordered a plethora of spring bulbs for my garden;  but I chose wisely and within the confines of my wonderful gift.   Because I was saving them for January and February blooming, by which time I knew I would be tired of Christmas red, I chose springy pale pinks such as the Apple Blossom and the most dramatic --- Aphrodite.  

The bulbs arrived quickly and in good order.  Each was in a paper bag bulging with pent-up energy.  I saved them, planting them in pots a few weeks apart so that I would be able to extend their splendor.  Sure enough that has happened.  

I have been enjoying amaryllis beauty for several weeks.  In addition to the birthday bulbs, I purchased a few locally when they went on sale after Christmas.  They have not been as prolific.  One-stalkers, they were red and looking very out of season.  

The third stalk of Aphrodite

The Aphrodite bulb is true to her name - she is sensual, beautiful and sexy.  The pinkish flowers are outlined in a veiny dark pink and it has magnificent presence.  Five blooms are in the process of unfolding from each of two stalks.  And there is a third stalk miraculously beginning to appear at the base of the bulb.  I have never seen a bulb with three blooming stalks.  This is going to be one drawn-out gift!

If you have read my blogs before, you know that there are lessons here.  I'll keep it short.  After a while, the lessons are just repeats.  After all, we never learn everything the first time, and we do have our transgressions.  

Lessons from the Amaryllis

• Size matters.   My gigantic birthday bulbs out-produced the Christmas ones 2:1.
• It's worth the wait.  It takes weeks and weeks from plantinguntil the flowers slowly unfold. 
• Drinking too much is never a good idea.  If you over-water your bulbs, they will rot and die.
• Morning light transforms.   Light shining through the leaves is just the most exquisite thing to see.
• Top-heavy usually means an upheaval is about to occur.  The heaviest one ended up on its side with soil scattered everywhere.
• Beauty brightens the darkest days.  The amaryllis have been such a cheerful focus on some dreadfully cold and damp days.
• God sometimes hides beauty behind an ugly outside to teach us a lesson.  From ugly old bulbs come the most amazing flowers.
• Gift giving is very personal and can have lasting rewards.  Try giving a gift of bulbs to someone special. It really is a great way to stretch a celebration.
• Nature provides endless learning opportunities.  I am still learning how to get the bulbs to produce again in subsequent years.  I'm hopeful my birthday bulbs will not disappoint and be back to brighten my winter days next year.  

______________________

About White Flower Farm.  Really this isn't a commercial. I am just a happy customer and this is part of the story.   The farm was purchased in the 1930's by two writers who bought "a little place in the country" in Litchfield, Connecticut.   Their hobby grews over the years and in the 1970's the farm was purchased by Eliot Wadsworth,  who owns it today.  They have a huge selection of plants and bulbs.  One thing I like about their amaryllis is that they guarantee each will produce two flower stems.  That's quite a gift.  If you are fortunate enough to live in a more tropical climate you can grow your own amaryllis outdoors.  They sell bulbs for outdoor use and claim they might naturalize under the right conditions.  

Fall at the US National Arboretum

Washington is alive with color and much of it is at the United States National Arboretum.  Today I attended a class on winterizing bonsai and had an opportunity to go behind the scenes (on the other side of those doors marked "STAFF ONLY") at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum and enjoyed a walk around the grounds.

bald cypress (bonsai collection)

bonsai collection

My lesson for the day:   take advantage of opportunities to learn and you will be richly rewarded.  Not only was the class interesting, but I got there in record time, had a fantastic parking place (no small feat on a busy Saturday) and the fall colors were amazing --from the tiniest bonsai to the japanese maples and the groves of maples, oaks, sycamore and more.  What a gift, what a day!

Frog Learnin'

Learning opportunities never cease and nature continues to be a good teacher.  My garden pond, now with several kinds of frogs adopted from the local international supermarket's meat department, has been a very good place to observe, ponder, and meditate.  The frogs provide endless entertainment and lessons.

Things I have learned from the frogs in my pond

When danger is present, dive to the bottom of the pond; get as far away as you can.

Burying your head does not make you safe.  You could still be nabbed by "the enemy".

When danger is too close to run from, sit perfectly still and blend in.

Wait patiently for dinner to arrive.  It may land unsuspectingly right next to you.

Smile.  It puts others in good spirits and it may boost your own.

Use your back legs and kick like heck when you need to get away.

Communicate with your loved ones.

Pay attention to where you are going or you might invade some else's space.

Good friends come in many colors and sizes.

Keep your head above water. 

Sing! It's good for the soul.

When something is on your mind, get out of the pond, sit on a rock and cogitate a while.

Be patient.  Whatever you are waiting for may take some time.