Mar 272010
PDF Mar 102010
“I am sure it is a great mistake always to know enough to go in when it rains. One may keep snug and dry by such knowledge, but one misses a world of loveliness.” ~Adeline Knapp
Soft spring rains today, one of the joys of the season. These drops are so gentle the birds continue to sing right through them, and fly carefully between them, sometimes without getting their feathers wet.
The radishes, both last year’s overwintered plants and this year’s newly sown seeds, are responding with enthusiasm. Yesterday there were three seedlings, so tiny F. claimed he could not see them when I pointed; this morning whole rows are visible, new life being born in neat, green lines.
The cats are both asleep beside me as I work, and the sound of their deep breathing mingles beautifully with pitter-patter and birdsong just beyond the window panes. This gentle, grey light makes the colors glow.
I keep thinking if I look closely enough, I’ll be able to see the lettuces grow.
Mar 062010
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” ~Margaret Atwood
I do!
Apologies for the almost abstract photo taken of the few remaining cabbage transplants as they sat waiting in their white ice-cube tray (repurposed after it got a crack) in the last rays of the afternoon sun.
Why is the photo so uninspiring, you might wonder.
It was a day of glorious blue skies, 62 degrees at its peak, and we’re only going down to 32 degrees tonight, the merest touch of freezing, like allowing oneself to sink to the bottom of the pool only in order to push back up, rising in a shower of glittering bubbles, breaking the surface into a glory of sunlight. Besides the cabbages, there were onion sets, broccoli, and lettuce seedlings to get in, and a million seeds finally germinating (mustard, peas, radishes, carrots) seemingly overnight.
When I finally thought to grab a picture, my hands had dirt on them, so I had to hold the camera gingerly, and I didn’t exactly take my time with the shots. The above was the best I could manage. I’m afraid my attention was elsewhere — and I don’t regret a moment of it.
I think I’ll make this my photo for week nine of the Focus 2010 project. With the coming of this delightful weather, I can’t seem to settle to anything much except the garden. I even fantasize about it while working (a dangerous habit). So this shot actually perfectly illustrates my focus right now.
