Thursday, February 09, 2006

Awakening

I sit by the fire tonight anticipating the new life which stirs outside. Just beneath the surface bulbs give birth to green fans and foliage, some tip-toeing through the soil reaching toward the sun's warmth. I took a walk through the remnants of winter’s unkempt gardens this week to examine the earth; to touch, to see, and smell. The sun warmed me as its rays touched my arms and face; a sun absent far too long from our lives. The earth was dry again. A few white candytuft blossoms greeted me among the buds on the bank. This bank will be magical when it is fully covered in white and sprinkled with blue lithodora. It will be the first to bloom. I observed it all carefully, searching for the flush of new growth, the promise of tomorrow’s bounty. I noticed one Lenton rose now open, and the primroses blooming in pastels. Little green stubble peeped at me from crowns indented in the soil. Short wisps of thin green stems moved gently as I passed. All was perfect in this NW garden’s life.

Irises are pointing their green fans toward the treetops, and new foliage is inching up to join. Soon the daffodils, now taller than my hand, will cover the landscape like lemons ready to be picked, and the perfume of hyacinths will float in the air. Tall stalks of tulips will dance lightly in April’s breeze, swirling pinks and purples around the cherry tree whose weeping arms will swath her in white. May will open the irises like a color box of crayons, some petals pointing up and others curling down to give the bearded flower its formal shape. Their Dutch cousins will mix creamy yellows with lilac and splash India-ink blue across the palette. It will be a stunning bouquet. Rhododendrons breaking the silence of their green winter nest will open in waves of lavenders and purples, whites and magentas. Pink azaleas will join in this celebration of rebirth, and in every direction I look I will see nature's glory. It will cause me to pause. Every time my eyes meet this landscape I will marvel that it is ours.

It is no wonder we love to garden. We paint a canvas with flowers instead of oils and then rest in perfumed air, drinking fresh lemonade as we admire our work. Spring cannot come too soon to this house.

11 comments:

liz elayne lamoreux said...

beautiful. you have expressed how i feel as well. i love living here because spring is already peeking its head out from under the chill of the weather. and sun beautiful sun these last few days.
the crocuses in my yard are blooming as well...little purple blooms...

MB said...

Pacific NW gardens are so beautiful. I miss them.

JD said...

I feel like I am there. What a great description.

Somnambulist Seeker said...

This makes me feel a little better as I look at the current snowstorm outside my window. :-)

Signora B. said...

What a beautiful way to start my day.
A walk thrue your garden.

Tammy Brierly said...

This was beautifully written and we share this passion. I had to sit on my husband to wait just a bit longer. It's one of his greatest passions!

I thank you for the movie suggestion :)

Hugs

Helene said...

Gardening is an acquired taste in my opinion. I think that people often can appreciate the end results but are intimidated or put off by the efforts needed to create/maintain one. Once, my daughter took a packet of mixed seeds and scattered them throughout the veggie garden. I was so mad until they began to bloom... we had the most amazing assortment of color surrounding our tomato and cukes! Spring is definitely welcome at my home too! nice blog ty

Alex S said...

Yes, we are lucky people here who get to live in the NW! I just saw my first daffodils yesterday on a walk and it made me so happy. Beautiful, inspiring writing!

celestialmtn said...

I had a passion for gardening when I was younger but became dismayed and discouraged when I disovered that I did not have a green thumb and instead possessed a black thumb which resulted in the painful death of many beautiful house plants and a handful of exotic bonsai trees. Alas, I leave the gardening to the experts and respectfully admire the beauty of the earth and its blooms from the sidelines.

Frankie said...

This is so fantastically beautiful. You have such a way with words. I could really feel spring, taste spring, love spring through your vivid imagery. I love the way you write and feel myself dancing along with the flowers you have made bloom in my heart. Thank you!

Jennifer S. said...

your writing is quite inspiring. I love the NW so much.