Friday, April 1, 2011

Garden Muse Day: Sweet Promises

April Morning

I walk the garden as the last pink streaks fade from the sky,
my faded blue robe drifting below my winter coat.
If the neighbors laugh or disapprove, I do not hear them:
this is my time, my private space.
The world does not enter here.



I look for signs—a bud, a spot of green that was not here yesterday.
Sophie gambols beside me, looking for her own treasures—
a chewy stick, a forgotten toy.
The morning chatter of birds catches her attention, and she rushes off,
trying to join them in flight.



I kneel to brush away leaves from the hellebores,
 their blooms too shy to face me.



Nearby, yellow trumpets blare--

Yesterday's lone daffodil bloom is now a dozen waving in the breeze.



Green buds on the lilac,

the first emerging leaves on the hydrangeas,
Hyacinths nestled in their cocoons,


Crocuses—purple, yellow, white . . .
all so small they would go unnoticed in the riot of July.
But in early April they are a source of wonder and delight.


Sophie returns to me, and we make our way back into the house,
content with the promises of spring.




Garden Muse Day is brought to you the first of each month by Carolyn Gail
at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago.


26 comments:

  1. Rose, what beautiful prose. I so enjoyed this morning stroll through the garden with you and Sophie.

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  2. Hi Rose, I love lilac buds--mine are huge, but not quite as far along as yours. Daffs are a bit off of blooming here, yet. P.S. I go out in my robe (no coat) and even pajamas a LOT. :)

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  3. Rose, I was with you for a brief moment. Knowing your gardens, darling Sophie, and all that surrounds you is an honour.

    Your beautiful prose touched my heart. My day is just starting, breakfast is finished, and I have a mound of bark to distribute around the garden (the farmer delivered too much). The moral of this situation is...Think big when you talk to a farmer. Ha!

    Have a good weekend and tku for a beautiful start to my day.....

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  4. Just loved that Hellebore!
    Great shots and presentation..... as always.
    Maggie X

    Nuts in May

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  5. Such a charming and poetical post Rose...beautifully written. I felt I was walking with you and dear Sophie.

    Your Spring blooms are lovely. I have a Hellebore just that colour!

    I also loved your observation... (all so small they would go unnoticed in the riot of July.
    But in early April they are a source of wonder and delight.) regarding the Crocuses...how very perceptive you are!

    So sorry to have inadvertently missed commenting on your 'Rain Gardens and Wildflowers' post. I read and enjoyed it on the day you published it and found it very informative but was called away from the computer before I could comment. Of course I intended to come back... but somehow forgot :(

    Enjoy Spring and your lovely flowers Rose :)

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  6. Yahoo for spring to come to you! It will come very fast now like dominoes here. That opening poem is me. The world does not enter my garden and I like it that way. Have a great weekend Rose!

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  7. I really enjoyed your beautiful post!

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  8. I enjoying reading this post. Words woven well with photos! At first sight I thought the first photo was that of parrots perching on a bare tree!

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  9. I love your Spring musing, Rose. Your walk refreshed my spirit this morning.

    You know that faded blue robe might get replaced soon. Mother's Day is next month!

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  10. Hi Rose,
    You have captured the essence of spring with your wonderful poetry. It is a pleasure to see your new spring blooms!
    Rosey

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  11. Happy Spring to you! Seems like it was a long time coming for you.

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  12. happy spring, rose :D beautiful blooms. it's such a great time of year!

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  13. Lisa, Thanks; Sophie is enjoying spring as much as I am.

    Monica, I'm hoping I'm too far away for any of the neighbors to see me:)

    Cheryl, Hope you've gotten all that mulch spread out by now. I'm sure you'll find a place for it.

    Maggie, I'm thrilled to have more than one hellebore this year--this is the first year for the dark purple one.

    Songbird, If crocuses bloomed in July, I probably wouldn't bother planting them:) No need to worry about not commenting--I've done that often, too.

    Tina, No doubt about it; spring is here. I just noticed my new forsythia starting to bloom this morning.

    Sissy, Thank you and thanks for dropping by!

    Chandramouli, No parrots here:) Not a great photo, but I do have some pretty plump lilac buds.

    W2W, My kids don't usually see me in the old blue robe, or I'm sure I'd be getting one as a gift soon:)

    Rosey, Thank you! This is such a wonderful time of year with something new coming up each day.

    Janet, I think I appreciate spring all the more because of the long wait.

    Rachel, Spring is my favorite time of year, too.

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  14. Your post very much captured the magic of spring. :) I put on a coat over PJs all of the time, but my neighbors can't see me. Which is good because I usually look like a wreck when I'm gardening. lol

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  15. I do so love the colours of Spring, and the almost daily joys of spotting the latest plant to show buds or prove that it is still alive by thrusting up a leaf or two. Gorgeous colour on that hellebore.

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  16. Rose, beautifully written, one of your best ever. Loved the hyacinths nestled in their cocoons. It went so well with the photo. Indeed, don't worry about those neighbors. Let's all glory in spring.~~Dee

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  17. All is grand, dear Rose. Aw yes, sweet promises! We are, slowly but surely, all getting there! April (((hugs))).

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  18. Rose that was such a sweet post and so much like me : )
    I really don't care what the neighbors think .. my garden is MY time as are the sky pictures I take .. it is the "earth/sky filling my soul" period ..and it can use all that it gets !
    You are ahead of me for daffs ! All I have right now are crocuses having a little party in the bulb circle and they are so sweet to see : )
    I love hearing about the ramble Sophie has with you Rose .. she is such a connected companion to be with you and enjoy those quiet times too !
    It is raining here but that is perfect .. it warms and quenches the earth .. you have to love that!
    Joy : )

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  19. I love all the little surprises just waiting for our discovery this time of the year. :)

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  20. Oh we must get some hellebores!

    I too love the first buds of Spring.

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  21. Beautiful pictures with wonderful words! I so enjoyed this one. Warmer days are on the way...

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  22. Rose, I love your writings. Thank you for taking us with you for a tour of your garden. I also was in my blue bathrobe, but don't tell anybody!

    Your crocuses are gorgeous! The ones in the header and the sweet little ones bursting out of the autumn leaves.

    Happy Spring! You are way ahead of me, so it's nice to come here and "visit" your garden.

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  23. Rose, You are a poet. Your writing is the perfect counterpoint to the spring blooms.

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  24. Sweetbay, I think the neighbors can't see me...but if they do, they probably think it's that weird Mrs. F in her garden again:)

    Janet, I'm so happy to have this dark hellebore; it's the first year it has bloomed.

    Dee, Thank you. And yes, I'm at that point in my life where I really don't worry what others think about how I look.

    Joey, April is one of my favorite months!

    Joy, Sophie really does love following me out in the garden; she gets excited every time she sees me get out my tools. It's supposed to rain here, too, the next few days, but we can use it.

    Racquel, Every day I seem to see something new.

    Liz, I had to have hellebores after seeing them on so many blogs; watch out--you can get plant envy:)

    Skeeter, Thank you; it's definitely been warmer here the past few days, so I hope to see even more buds soon.

    Wendy, Thank you; soon spring blooms will be appearing in your area, too.

    Jennifer, Thank you for those sweet words!

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  25. Rose how delightful to see all these Spring flowers blooming in your garden!!I have arrived home to dampness, grey skies, some snow, and single digit temperature..Whaaaa...I came home too soon!

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  26. That was magnificent! Honestly, truly! I fell in love with it almost immediately and then when I read the word "Sophie", I knew you were the author.

    This was a very special Muse Day post. I liked the photos, too. My hyacinths are just now poking out of the ground.

    donna

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