Feeling Groovy







I spent yesterday morning weeding, something that has to be done to balance out the garden, to keep invasive plants from choking out others, to remove the seeds that the birds leave or that washed into the cracks and crevices of my yard. Honestly other than the removal of some very insidious ivy ( ivy which I would burn with glee and diabolical laughter) I generally feel bad about the process of removing the plants, as in my mind I believe that they did not chose to be a weed. Some such as dandelions and poppies flower and I find them quite beautiful. I have however manged to overcome my natural inclination for entropy within the confines of my garden and try to plant species that naturally work together and are conducive to our Texas weather. Twice a season I purge out the volunteers to maintain the integrity of the garden. I am always recharged by the feel of dirt between my hands, a connection that is formed between man and their environment, the tendering and caring of another living thing perhaps, the ability to witness the miracle of a seed, I am unsure, but any time I spend in service to the earth recharges me and begins to restore my own sense of balance and perspective. I have been more solitary than I have been in many years, enjoying the solitude of being, of understanding that the ability to move my diaphragm in the exchange of oxygen is a gift, a joy, a blessing from God, and perhaps also feeling a deeper responsibility for how my life interacts with both man and planet. Perhaps a maturity of middle life, the desire to live fully and to find a way to honor my own gift of being through the choices I make using whatever natural talents that I might have. I have made an accounting of myself and found in some areas I fall short. I believe this has been a good thing. The photos from my garden yesterday, a baby oak tree that I weeded up, and then planted in a pot, I found it incredibly beautiful; full of hope and promise, I stopped to photograph its potency before I planted it. I really need that macro lens and if anyone close to me wants a baby oak let me know.

A photo taken from behind the waterfall, I was laying down in a bed of Asian Jasmine, for some reason I like the photo.

A Texas Knock-Out Rose.


The first of the Ganazia, this plant three years old, one of my favorite of all perennials.