Click on photos to enlarge and view as slideshow.
In 1759, Voltaire wrote his most famous novel, Candide, in just three days. It was a satire on the hopes that were pinned to science and technology, which instead of improving the world, he was sure would destroy it by giving more power to tyrants. Better, he said in his parting message, to till our own gardens and leave the rest of the world alone. What an appropriate message that has turned out to be.
I took Voltaire’s advice, and this is the new garden I created during the first year of Covid, transforming an overgrown lot next door full of twelve-foot high castor bean plants, garbage and castoff boulders and leftover construction supplies from surrounding houses into what is a garden in progress. This is the photo I took yesterday through a space in the fence that protects it from further dumping.
Below are “before” and “during” photos. Click to increase size of photos:
But, forgive me, Cee, I just have to show it in color as well!!!! More to come.
Please click on photos to enlarge and read captions.
My extra lot that I’m developing down below is coming along. It’s my biggest collage to date!
For Cee’s FOTD
(Click on photos to enlarge.)
Lucky
(The Pleasures of Advancing Age)
If I were a golfer, I fear there’d be no putting,
for my grass is lush and verdant— badly in need of cutting.
Meanwhile, the bougainvillea has gotten out of hand.
It’s like a barbed wire jungle—every twisted strand.
If I were more rambunctious, I’d grab work gloves and scramble
to gas up the mower and to tackle every bramble,
but those days of industrious gardening are far back in my past.
Those Olympian feats of plant and tend simply didn’t last.
Instead I lie here in my bed growing and trimming words.
Outside, through the curtains, I hear the wakening birds.
I hear the front gate opening, make out the squeak of wheels.
Is there a single reader who detects how good it feels
to just fluff up the pillows and type on throughout the dawn
as Pasiano trims the thorny vines and mows the blasted lawn?
Prompt words today are verdant, meanwhile, rambunctious and lucky. Here are links:
https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2019/05/13/rdp-monday-verdant/
https://fivedotoh.com/2019/05/13/fowc-with-fandango-meanwhile/
https://onedailyprompt.wordpress.com/2019/05/13/your-daily-word-prompt-rambunctious-may-13-2019/
https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2019/05/13/lucky/
The thunbergia seem to be advancing on the back yard. If the bougainvillea can’t defend themselves, then so be it. I love the lushness and the contrast between the two.
For Cee’s FOTD.
They shoulder out my succulents and commandeer my grass.
Perky little coins of green, they have a lot of brass.
Chinese garlic lifts white heads a bit above the fray.
Although they’re uninvited guests, I guess they’re here to stay.
When this new little hibiscus blooms, it will hopefully add some color to this area of the garden. You can barely see it’s spindly little limb sticking up above the citronella, succulents and new bushy red plant. The cactus spine was one we collected in AZ to make a lamp out of before Bob died. It has found a new purpose in this arrangement. The terra cotta cone is the top of a clay sculpture the animals knocked over and broke, now repurposed .
The garden isn’t at its best during the dry season, but I’ve had a request to photograph it, so here it is, with all of its warts. With the exception of the sculpture of the seated woman from the front patio, this is all the back garden. The front garden is a bit of a mess due to all of the debris from the roof repairs. I’ll show it in a later post. The dome of the roof is here pictured as a pale gray as it is currently being repaired but will eventually be restored to its rose color. Please click on first photo to enlarge all and view as a slide series.
Plumeria, papyrus, cactus, bougainvillia, yucca and palm form the layers in this garden collage. I need to go our and see how much remains after the colossal storm last night.
Do not miss Cee’s iris bud after rain today. Here it is.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 