This last weekend I spent a day cleaning up the garden. It was the first time this Spring that I have really dug in and spent quiet hours alone with my plants. It's like getting reaquainted with old friend. I caught up with the roses and checked on who was budding and who was having a little trouble getting started; I checked on the baby climatis that was planted last year and saw that it was thriving; I noticed who was overcrowded, and who was dwindling... The bees are hovering, something has been nibbling my rose leaves, there are bird's nesting everywhere... I was trying to straighten a trellis, and I was mortified to find there was a bird's nest hidden in the climatis! Two baby birds fell out! The mama bird was beside herself, frantically bopping around a bush near my head! The birds fell in the English ivy, I could hear them chirping. I found one, and with my gloved hand tried to replace it in the nest. That was the best I could do, but when I checked on it later, it was gone again. I could still hear the babies and the mama chirping to each other- I'm hoping they live. I feel so bad about that! Later, my husband and I were sitting on the front porch swing and a hummingbird flew right in front of our faces, changed direction, and flew off! It really took us by surprise, we didn't know what it was- it happened so fast! We had quite a start! The hummingbirds love the front porch area. Then the swallows swooped right over our heads to a nest they built right on the porch! It's an ugly, muddy mess of a nest- but I guess it will stay until the babies fly! We decided the porch wasn't at all relaxing- and headed inside!
I love my garden. This is where I do a good deal of thinking. As I weed, trim, and putter around I collect my thoughts. I mull over my art ideas, I memorize colors, I trace petals and leaves in my mind, I think about bible verses, and I gather general concepts. For me, art and gardening go hand in hand. I watch the garden from a distance in the winter, but I think over and plan for the next year. In warmer weather I check on my garden up close and personal. When I am digging and physically working outside, I do my best painting in my mind!
