Enjoying the view from the kitchen window as I cleanup, I marvel at the bird activity. I had left some verbena bonariensis and was considering a final cleanup. But those darn finches are still merrily pecking away and they are such a treat to watch as they dangle upside down from the swaying stems!
And here comes a new critter—ruddy belly and head, white markings on blackish wings, about the size of a large sparrow. I have fun investigating through my bird book and goggle images. Still not sure, I called the local Audubon office and got some help. Seems I have a visiting White-winged crossbill. What fun. Because it’s 50 degrees outside and the mess in the garden is a feast for my guests.
The advantage of garden messiness–at least, for awhile
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The amazing fall color of ‘Blue Shadow’ Fothergilla
I was enticed to purchase this lovely specimen after being introduced to it through my friend, C.L. She has a grouping in her lower woodland lawn. Their summer color is a soft greyish blue and they do well in shade.
I came across one for sale recently and decided to go with it; one would have to do.
I had been told of its’ fall beauty–but LOOK at this. I can only imagine what it will become!
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Expressing oneself through song
One of the things I like to do in life is sing. So I am a singer, in a choir. It took a long time but now I’m pretty comfortable with that; if I pay close attention, get really confident with the music, and remember to breath.
But a dream of mine is to sing solo. Who knows why? It’s a goal. So I am “growing” confidence in myself as a soloist. It is very, very challenging, almost traumatic, to stand up, alone, and use my voice in a controlled manner—and have it actually be a pleasure to hear!
My friend, Donna, is a fellow singer, but one with a lot of training, and consequently, more confidence. She knows my plight. I have asked her to help me by performing a duet. And she has agreed! Well, that’s great. We sound quite nice together. We’ll sing “Mary, Did You Know” one Sunday this month.
BUT, there’s another opportunity coming up and she has not only offered to accompany me on the piano, she suggested the music. I will get to be the soloist. Her being there with me means so much.
Well, for some reason, as a melancholy teenager, I became enamored of Billie Holiday—and would love to perform songs like “Good Morning, Heartache”. Plus, it is just great music. But Donna has reminded me that so many great female vocalists sing rather sad songs. Blues. Not very uplifting. And the words we sing, the tone of the song, affects us and the people who hear it.
So I’m going to sing “What A Wonderful World”. It’s perfect. Simple. Uplifting. And words that remind us just how lucky we have it—-blue skies, white clouds—you know.
I am so grateful to Donna. I’m like the newly-planted sapling. And she’s the compost helping me grow my roots into the confident singer I want to be.
Happy Holidays!
Cleaning up, but not to “perfection”
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Cleaning up, but not to “perfection”
A client had had his landscaping crew clean up after our recent storms, as much as his property was littered with leaves and branches. When I arrived to plant some bulbs and dig up the dahlia tubers, I was shocked and a little saddened.
Standard operation for many landscapers—the crew had used blowers to clean out the beds as well as the lawn. And had been so fastidious in their removal of leaves to obviously please the customer—and he was pleased—that they had blown off the top layer of earth, including much of the mulch and organic material they had spread in the prior season! The blowing machine had been used fiercely enough that some newly-planted shrubs were almost uprooted.
So I called him outside and explained this to him. How he would ultimately be paying to improve his soil, and was paying the price of “perfection”. And losing over all. He understood.
We determined that, in the future, only I would gently rake out the beds, they could haul the debris away, and we would use nature’s way to “perfection”.
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Pamela Phipps 