MLK Quote

MLK Quote

Nature's Inspiration Movie

http://www.flickspire.com/m/HealthierL433/NaturesInspiration -- Nature's Inspiration Movie: The photographs in this short video are from award-winning photographer, Ken Jenkins, and they are breathtaking. However, this video is much more than beautiful photographs! Peggy Anderson has compiled beautiful quotations from the likes of Emerson, Thoreau, and many others that truly capture the beauty of nature and solitude. Absolute must watch for nature lovers.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Summer and Spring....Life and Death.....

This post is for the meme Seasonal Celebration that Donna of Gardens Eye View is hosting, and Nature Notes that Rambling Woods is hosting.

Summer and Spring is both here at the same time. The temperature shoots up to about eighty or ninety degree Fahrenheit (27 to 32 degree C). Dark ominous clouds gather at the horizon. Rains pour out in bucket loads, drenching the earth. Temperature drops below fifty degree Fahrenheit (below 10 degree C). Mother Nature is very confused this year; she is vacillating about whether spring should continue or summer should come.

I am cowering and whimpering in fear about the climate change and its eminent danger, but the plants are dancing in glee. They are slurping up all the rain water like thirsty dogs and then rising upward to embrace and kiss the sun. Weeds are having a field day. I declared a war on them, one day; got drenched in green sap as I pulled, maimed and killed the weeds, but accepted defeat soon. Where do all these weeds come from, like an army of fire ants?

So, summer is a time for me to rejoice as much as in birth, life and beauty as in death. The potato plants and Jerusalem Artichokes have grown like jungles. The Asparagus have developed such big fan of fern-like leaves. Lettuces, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, onion, garlic, potatoes, cabbages, collards, radish, turnips, beans are thriving. All the seedlings are developing strong limbs. Summer is the time to work around in the garden, and when hungry, snack on the juicy strawberries and luscious snap-peas. The blueberry plants are full of blue-berries; I have covered them up in fine deer-resistant mesh in the hope of protecting the berries from the birds. The red strawberries are peeking out, from here and there, in the bush. The wild raspberries are indeed growing wild. I am now waiting eagerly to pick my first watermelon as I have planted six watermelon plants. the birds are building nests and chirping loudly. The squirrels are active. The chipmunks are back, dashing here and there.

I am already having much of the lunch and dinner by picking either salad greens or other greens, onions, garlic scape and peas from the garden. I can't wait to harvest more of the other vegetables, and pick more berries.

The seedlings from Donna's bee-garden seed packet is also growing up fast. The flower garden is in full swing; the rose bushes are covered in roses; gaillardia, sages, foxgloves and lupine, dianthus and saxifrages are profusely blooming; many of the other plants like lily-of-the-valley and other bulbs have spent flowering; now their green leaves are soaking up all the energy to bloom again next year. Many of the other plants are full of buds to be blooming soon.

Amidst all these beauties and happiness lurk some disappointment and sadness. The American Melon seeds have not produced any seedlings. Perhaps I need to sow more seeds. I feel immense pain and sadness in pulling out the weeds. After all, they are life forms and I am killing them because they are happen to be growing in human beings defined vegetable and flower beds. The bees are also absolutely absent this year. I am really worried. Last year also, this time, the air was buzzing with wasps and bees. I had to tread carefully on the ground as the bees would hover above the low-creeping ground flowers. Not only bees, but even the wasps are hardly there, this year. I can count how many I am seeing.

Summer is also the time of hard work and self-restraint. Almost every day, I have to do some kind of work in the garden -- clear a patch, dig it and make it ready, plant something, provide fertilizer-food, arrange, weed, hill up the potatoes, look for pest attack, trim and the list continues. As I visit the various garden-centers, a favorite summer past-time, I control myself from buying plants; they are just as enticing as all the candies, ice-creams and cakes. It is also the time to experiment growing pineapples in water.

Summer is also the time to sit in the patio in the twilight, contemplate and watch the birds fly to their nests. It is the time to go out in the dark of the night, with a flashlight, to catch the slugs and snails from ravaging the plants and get immersed in the musical cacophony of the crickets. It is the time to play in the soil and observe its microcosm -- the various ground spiders running around with its eggs, the earthworms wiggling, the ants making lines and nests and other insects scurrying around. It is also the time to already start making plans for the fall-garden and growing things during the fall and the winter, about how much money to save over the year to buy certain plants in the coming years, grow and store food for the winter and above all spend time with friends and families, vacationing, visiting and barbecuing.

Summer is indeed that time of the year when there are so many things to do that one blog-post will not be enough. Thank You The Long Winters of NJ for making me welcome, enjoy, endure the heat and appreciate the long days of summer.


30 comments:

  1. Your vegetable garden and roses are looking fabulous! Hard to believe you are a novice gardener.

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    1. Jason, thanks :) but I am. I learn about all the plants and flowers from other bloggers, go to stores, buy them and learn more about them :-).

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  2. Beautiful post, beautiful plants, beautiful flowers! I can certainly empathize about the weeds. They will keep us busy and in our gardens throughout the warm season, which is just where we gardeners like to be. Welcome, Summer, indeed!

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    1. Anastasia, thank you :-). You must be enjoying gardening year round in Texas? But, I wonder what you do with weeding in your 4 acres!!?

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  3. A great blog KL. I really thought I was there with you. What a lovely selection of fruit and veg you have going. I doubt I would be able to resist munching as I worked!
    I have noticed a distinct lack of bees in my garden too. There is plenty on offer but no bees to benefit!
    Sorry to read your American Melon seeds didn't germinate.
    You have no melons and I have no frogs...... Maybe your next batch of melon seeds will appreciate a bit of bagpipe music ;-)
    Your plants are certainly looking very healthy, rain is good (not too much though) for them.!

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    1. Angie, my garden and the gardener -- all are waiting for the lovely bagpipe music. When will it come here :-)? I should send some Jazz there, and you will see all the frogs are jazzing (that's my invention of word which means swooning and moving to Jazz) up to your garden ;-). Thanks for all the compliments :-D

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  4. Wow! What a luscious garden :)

    Maybe you'll be comforted a little to know that I have seen lots of bees here in TN? Maybe not quite as many as last year, but there have been more and more the past few weeks. I think maybe we just needed the weather to warm up and the sun to shine. You said you've been having a lot of rain and I think the bees stay home more on rainy days...

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    1. Aaron! that's a great news that you have bees in TN. If they are alive and thriving somewhere on this earth, then we can take care of them and make them thrive again. But, with all the news coming in, I am getting worried.

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  5. What an enjoyable summery post! You manage to capture the strange mix of never-ending tasks and relaxation. I agree that the long winter has made us appreciate the warmer weather even more, but I am sorry to read about the bees. Let us hope that it is just the stormy weather which is keeping them subdued and out of sight.

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    1. The Gardening Shoe: I hope so too. Weather and temperature is really funny here this year. I don't think the real peak summer with days and days of sunshine will come here this year. I am glad that you liked my post :D.

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  6. The success of all your vegetables is so exciting! I am a lazy vegetable gardener - I need to have your dedication to it. I have never heard of growing pineapples in water! There seems to be a lower population of bees here, too. I blame the late freeze we had. I had noticed the bees were out and about until then. I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one covered in weeds right now. It's truly amazing how they can be so very prolific!

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    1. Holley, you are back :-). I was missing you and Christina. You can grow pineapple in water, I mean rooting it. So, take off the top from the pineapple. make sure no pineapple or soft/cushy portion is attached to those top leaves and part. Take some of the bottom leaves out; put in a jar of water. Let the roots develop; then, transplant them in soil.

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  7. KL, our daily weather is like your good weather and yes those weeds... can't stop them... they just keep growing and growing... I have to pick them out everyday! arghh... keep calm yeah (telling myself the same!)... You have some lovely greens despite some failures and I just love your collection of blooms. The rose is admirable! I think I am going get new roses next time I go visit nurseries hehe... Btw that plant with pink blooms in my post is Adenium obesum or commonly known as desert rose. You are right I think it is difficult for you guys to grow it esp. when you have to bring the plant indoor during the winter. The plant loves the sun ;-) Cheers and happy composting!

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    1. Stephanie, thank you. I heartily encourage you to buy more plants because then through your blog, I will learn about those new plants :-). So, go for it :-).

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  8. What a pleasant, light-hearted story... and wooh, pretty pictures... :-)

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    1. Ironglim, thank you :-). Glad that you liked them.

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  9. I am finally getting to read this delightful post. Your garden plants and edibles are so lush, beautiful and yummy. This year I am seeing lots of pollinators but not butterflies...too wet and chilly I think. What a wonderful celebration of summer and thank you for joining in the meme!

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    1. Donna, thank you and thanks for hosting such lovely memes and writing such nice blogs -- it's great to get connected to you, your world and the blog.

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  10. How nice to hear about your successful vegetable harvest, it is so great to grow your own food. And you have so many really nice summer blooms too. I assume you are composting the weeds you pull up so at least they are being put to some use, becoming nice soil for your garden eventually, just look at it as the circle of life, not as killing plants :-)

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    1. Helene, thank you :-). I do compost and try to think of them in that way only, but it does not help :-)

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  11. simply beautifully captured shots…lovely!

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  12. Oh wonderful post...I enjoyed it all. I do feel and share your sadness. I am seeing bees, but not many butterflies. I too have planted the "Save-the-bees" in 2 places for the last 3 years. I really enjoy it. I should plant veg...hmmm....an idea for next season I think... Michelle from Nature Notes..

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    1. Michelle, thank you :-). It's great that you are see bees. I am seeing nothing :-(. But you seeing them means they are there, surviving, we just have to work harder to ensure their success.

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  13. Everything is looking so full of vitality in your garden. Great to have so much produce too. It's a busy, busy time of year but I just love it.

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    1. Bridget, I agree with you. Extremely busy time but lovely time..

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  14. Your garden is so colourful now.
    Love the granny's bonnet (columbine), they don't grow well in the tropics I think.
    But we had them in our old garden and they self-seeded so readily.

    Looks like by fall or end summer you will have so many harvest.

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    1. Malay, isn't it interesting to know how some plants grow some where but not others. I used to think, and many still does, that give soil, water, air and sunlight and plant will grow. But, that's not the case. I hope for some harvest, but not sure yet :-) as I am eating everything up :-).

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  15. Kl, sounds and looks like that there is sooo... much going on in your garden and in your life at this time of the year. How awesome that you are able to pick so much salad and other greens from the garden that you have your lunch or dinner almost together. I would love to be able to do that myself!
    Christina

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    1. Christina, you are back :-). Missing you..thank you, thank you. But, I have not become self-reliant yet. Need to become that.

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