Food for Thought, Nature

Six for a Blue Monday

60 Comments

As I just wrote to a blogging friend,  although blue is my favorite color, I am feeling blue in the sad sense. It seems as though our country is far, far away from getting covid-19 under control. And yet out everyone goes.

Not coincidentally, cases of covid-19 are rising around the country. To me, feeling safe seems like a distant dream, and the same is true for getting together with family and friends.

To cheer myself up and to remind myself, yet again, how lucky I am to live here, I am sharing six recent pictures that I took around the yard.

A visit from Mrs. Cardinal is always welcome. It’s a pity I couldn’t get a picture of her being fed by her devoted husband, as she often is. When I am on the patio, I’ll keep my camera at the ready. Maybe I’ll be able to capture this sweet exchange.

Shannon and Mike sent me these flowers for Mother’s Day. I had to keep them inside for a while as the beginning of May was decidedly chilly.  However, the weather improved, and into a pot these impatiens went. Perky and bright, they make me smile whenever I go out onto the porch.

In the front garden, I find the colors and textures of the hosta and fern pleasing and soothing.

Unfortunately my irises did poorly this winter. Some pulled through, but there are few blooms.  But here is one for me to marvel over. I certainly hope that 2021 is a better year for my irises. (And for many other things as well.)

Wild daisies have sprung up in various places in my garden. Blown in, perhaps, or dropped by birds. Whatever the case, I leave them where they come up. It seems to me that it would be churlish to pull them just because they are not exactly in the right spot.

For the last one, back to hostas, to Frances Williams, a plant with leaves so large it looks as though it belongs in the Jurassic period. This close-up shows the textures and patterns on this giant of a hosta.

Onward we go. I hope you find at least six things to make you happy this week.

 

60 thoughts on “Six for a Blue Monday”

  1. We also had only a handful of irises this year, our Lily of the valley, on the other hand, were spectacular. Like this covid year, in the midst of of the blues, there shine spectacular beauties!

  3. My “elephant ear” hostas are about to bloom. I love them, but Marian says they look as though they are moving ominously across the grass, ready to devour someone!

  4. Nobody has had chance to brag on irises this year! I am with you on the madness -We are still socially distancing-How can we do otherwise with the increases in cases! You stay well and I loved your conclusion!

  7. I love hosta, and the last one looks like old seersucker material with the puckers. Beautiful! 🙂 Let’s see if I can find six things for today – hubby and I are healthy, family and friends are healthy, weather is amazing, Knockout roses are blooming, I got a tour of a friend’s new figure 8 garden, and I had pizza for dinner. Now, on to Tuesday we both go. 🙂

    1. Wonderful comparison! Over the years, you have helped win me over to the glories of hostas. Now I am a convert. Wonderful to read your list of six.

  8. Thanks for beginning the week with the beautiful and peaceful images!🙂 It’s definitely going to be a year of staying home appreciating time spent outdoors and plenty of books and movies.

  9. I love the combination of colors in your pot of impatiens. It reminds me of Central America, where oranges, fucschia, pinks, and reds so often are combined. It is cheering!

  10. Thankfully, we have our gardens to distract us with their beauty. Your hosta is looking great, I love the seersucker pattern on the leaves. Maybe your iris need refreshing? After they are done flowering, cut the flowering stems off and top half of the leaves, lift and cut off old or rotten tubers. Add a generous dollop of lime and compost to the soil and replant in the sunniest place you have. They will thank you with more blooms next year!

  11. The flowers and garden photos are beautiful;, Laurie! I love impatiens, too. They are bright and cheery!

    Our irises did not bloom as much this year, except for the yellow flag, which made up for the rest of them. Those are in a wetter low area, and our neighbor’s septic field drains out that way. The green swords are about 3 to 4 feet tall.

    I do miss those cardinals! They don’t come this far west.

    1. Thanks, Lavinia! Who knows? The cardinals might decided to head west. When I was a child, we did not have cardinals in Maine. Now, they are common.

  14. I like the idea that Mr Cardinal sometimes feeds Mrs Cardinal…the more you observe birds the more interesting they become…I also love your impatiens, my father-in-law always grew them on the path leading to their house, a lovely welcome.

  16. Beautiful, Laurie! You are single-handedly converting me to hostas! When it comes to irises I need no persuading, although I have never been able to grow them. Keep looking for these little gems of brightness in what is a dark and worrying world at the moment 🙏

  17. Your hostas are amazing – mine are full of slug and snail holes. You took a great photo of that cardinal. So sorry to hear you are feeling blue, not surprising, it would be odd if world events did not effect us. I had one of those days yesterday – people in UK have been crowding into shops as the non-essential ones were opened yesterday. We humans had a real opportuniy for positive change …. sadly, we as a species, do not seem to be able to learn from our terrible mistakes.
    Your iris looks just like mine (over now) does yours have a scent? Sending hugs of solidarity. ❤

    1. Yes, we are all going to have our share of blue days in the upcoming year. Sigh. Despite feeling the blues from time to time, I am still hoping that positive change will come out of this. It does help to have a yard full of plants and fluttering birds. As for slugs and snails…big problem here, too. Usually they start their offensive later in the summer. Stay tuned!

  18. Sorry to hear you are feeling blue Laurie. The more other people play fast and loose with this virus the more I feel I want to stay home and avoid contact. But I know that if I didn’t have my garden and walks I would be going nuts too and desperate to get out. Shops opened in England (but not here in Wales) yesterday and there were huge queues to get into them which I really don’t understand. What is so urgent? Anyway, glad your flowers and wildlife are giving you moments of cheer. I took some photos of wildflowers yesterday and will post them soon I hope to share with you.

  19. Sorry you are feeling blue but happy your lovely garden can provide solace.
    Like Wild Daffodil Sandra, I have been visited by (mostly) snails and so have untainted hosta envy.

    1. Thanks so much! I’ve spotted some snails, but so far they’ve left the hostas alone. But I know they are planning their offensive. Usually, by late summer, the leaves look like green lace. I have more or less made peace with this as the hostas come back year after year.

  20. Laurie, it can be hard to keep our “chins up” as my mother used to say, when so much unhappiness swirls around us. I’m sorry you are feeling blue, but it’s pretty understandable. I’ve been so grateful for my volunteer work as it gives me a purpose. I’m serving homeless women from behind a gate, wearing a mask and washing hands with regularity. I’m 60 and in good health, so I’ve weighed the risks, and implemented safety protocols. I wonder if there is something in your community that you could do that would also allow you to keep safe? We have some volunteers picking up items to sort into toiletries kits at home. It minimizes contact, but gives them something to do.

    I sure hope we can vote 45 out of office in November so we can start to rebuild this country into something inclusive. MAGA has been anything but. Sending a virtual hug your way.

    1. Many thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, both Clif and I are high risk and so must stay at home. Mostly it’s all right, but every so often… fingers, toes, and everything crossed for a new president next November.

  22. I can relate. I actually like what I do every day, but if my thoughts stray to how long it will take for a vaccine and seeing people more, I do feel down. One day at a time seems to work best.

    1. Same here. Working on a new book and other projects. Plenty to keep me occupied. But like you I get down when I think about how long it will be until a vaccine comes out and I can see my family again.

  24. Beautiful series of photos. They all made me smile. I particularly like the last hosta. The texture is wonderful. I can understand feeling blue. I wonder how it is, with the way things are going, we’ll ever get back to some semblance of normal.

    1. Robin, you hit the nail on the piton, as we Francos would say. Wondering if we’ll ever get back to some semblance of normal is what makes me feel so blue. And, as you know, hard having the children so far away.

  26. For some reason violets and daisies are making me happy this year. When I start to get really down, I try to remind myself that I have some really nice neighbors and that I am living in the house of our dreams in the middle of a wooded area within walking distance to the lake and the state park.

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