“Sometimes it’s important to look at what is dissimilar in your life. I remember enjoying childish games, such as “which one is not like the others” with fondness, even nostalgia. We like to compare, and contrast. But in reality, our attention is often focused on divergent objects, which we force, by necessity, to make sense within some imagined, greater whole. I’ve come to believe this is the trick of existence, to learn how to carry things that make no sense, in harmony with those which, currently, do. You can bet the whole thing will turn itself upside down, within a couple of years, if that. Investing too heavily in any one view of reality is foolhardy. My trek up a ravine, proved that map study alone, has flaws. One has to take into account new developments & new boundaries, and not merely long for the simplicity of days gone by. Just as my drive to a neighboring town, to attend a friend’s rare, live performance, opened a well, of joy, and, frankly, of grief. You can love what is, as well as mourn what never did pan out, and put the two together, and feel something akin to gratitude. Next day, throwing myself into coaxing a garden to move to its next level of magnificence, it seems an all too familiar refrain. But gardens, and lives, are never static for long. Everything changes, or cycles thru fads. I’m almost ready to say that there are no new ideas. Which is not bad. It’s how you employ whatever ideas you’re enamored with, that lasts. I always suggest: “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it”. What does this mean? I guess it’s so simple. It takes only a few words to convey kindness. In contrast to how many words it takes, to tear a person down. There is likely no end to it, once the ball is rolling. But in hindsight, the abuse can stop here. We’ll hear no more of it. It’s as easy as saying the one word: “no”. It takes work, I admit, to build a life that rejects betrayal. And if tending gardens for hire has taught me anything, it’s that I can create safety, without money, or scheming. An honest day’s work is all that’s required. On the job, she keeps saying “ I want to take a picture of you, you’re so cute!”. What is this about? Well, I’ll tell you. We’ve spent a year, ripping apart, renovating, and invigorating neglected gardens. Finally, the blooms are telling the story. Our story. Every garden has its moments of triumph. Yellow heliopsis, red zinnia, velvety petunias a rich, dark purple, alongside a brighter obedient plant, spider wort and lavender bee balm. False sunflower, and sunflower, both. Tangerine annual minis, stabilized by Cheyenne Spirit echinacea, in a range of hot colors. Maroon yarrow, with yellow centers. Muted, dusty blue-green yarrow, full yellow, tall and erect. Late daylily. Pink mallow. Rainbow grass. Crowned by cosmos in profusion, white, mostly, huge and bending, inconvenient and delicious. Chinese lantern, like a child’s toy, translucent with age. Enormous comfrey, lit with clear blue bells. Mint. Sage. Chive. Basil. If only we knew how nature has provided for us. It’s not a conspiracy theory.”
