A big fluffy white tail swooshes through the garden.
Sniffing fresh blooms.
Chewing tender grass.
Laying on damp soil.
What dedication to your garden folks say.
But really, I feel like, my garden is one of my best places of peace.
Like, I should be thanking it for its dedication to me.
Petals and leaves, being kind enough to grow and all.
A place to regain some sanity in this crazy life.
I work in the garden with such joy on warm sunny days.
I do it just because it brings me joy and balance.
Although…
Lately, I have come to realize more and more that…
There are others who love it, dare I say, maybe even more than I.
The skippers.
The relaxers.
The unapologetic yawners of great big wide open mouthed yawns.
The lickers of feet after running through pool and mud.
The true enjoyers of garden and sun.
Yep, it's the fur gang.
Two brothers + 1 cousin.
They skip through the garden with such joy.
I watch them go back and forth, front yard to back yard.
Flower garden and hammock in front, veggie garden in back.
Gypsy garden on the front/side.
They have their places where they sniff, round and round they go.
Truly enjoying life.
Boy, could we all take a lesson or what?
They do it, oh so well.
Delphiniums light the path.
Ranunculus slowly unfurl.
I pick wild chamomile which is carpeting our entire property.
I can't believe the vastness of it, candy shop sweet in its scent.
I smile at the true keepers of the garden.
I was kidding myself when I thought it was all for me.
And I am glad for it.
Because really, what is a garden without furs grunting with bliss as they roll on their backs to take care of an itch?
They snap their teeth lazily as a bee goes by.
Not really trying to catch it.
I take all my breaks in the sun.
As our days have been so nutty and busy.
Furs gather round, all wanting love.
All asking for it in different ways.
Early in the morning my furry nephew cuddles up on my lap.
He is quite enamoured with his auntie these days.
I think he missed me and he didn't even realize it.
We love his visits for sure.
And all the while, we watch and wait…
Waiting for the one time a year the climbing banks roses bloom.
Just once.
Every 365 days.
Imagine that?
I think the furs know that spring is here.
They chase each other and birds, and rabbits too.
Wrens build nests way up at the top of 15 foot cactus.
Crows stop by, while I enjoy the sound they bring, which reminds me of the San Diego zoo.
I wait impatiently for tomato sprouts to pop through earth.
I hope the birds didn't get them when I wasn't looking.
That does happen.
Hollyhocks get leafier and fatter.
Roses bushes have tufts of new growth.
And we all wait for the pecan and mesquite trees to wake up.
Their garden canopy is what we long for.
And then, then it will really feel like spring.
Today I'd like to roll all my paints into the garden.
I find that as a painter of things, who works from home, I have to be careful not to get too carried away with the chores of house and garden, and take more time to do that which fills my soul the most.
And that is, paint.
Making.
Claying around too.
It's my happiest place.
I have watercolors ready to go today, and sparkles too.
What's on your agenda?
Have you started any indoor seeds?
Did you quilt or crochet up a storm this winter?
I guess I can say I have one crocheted blanket to show for this shortie winter.
I love hearing the things people make in winter.
Winter hands in cozy houses.
Well, off I go for today.
Have a loveliest day, won'tcha?
See you real soon!
Love, Vanessa
Yay garden! Some herb, fruit, and veggie seeds at this little local seed shop on Campbell and I am oh so excited to plant them this weekend! The Fanciful Twist zinnia seeds I planted out in my front box are already starting to sprout. Hooray, hooray for growing things!
Oh shoot I mean I got the seeds. Don’t know what happened to that part of the comment!
Such a joyful post; as all of yours are! In the morning I like to start my day getting on the net hopping on a blog and yours is always a choice when I need immediate joy. Thank You! Oh and by the way I have a dog, Billy James, who looks just like your red one : )
“The unapologetic yawners of great big wide open mouthed yawns.” I love that!!! I love the reckless abandon with which furs go for it with the yawns. You can just tell they fully enjoy the moment.
I’m so pleased that the days are getting longer. I’m a sun shine and blue skies kind of gal. Though I spead two hours a day in the car, it makes it better when I’m not to-ing and fro-ing from the mundane in the dark and all the day light is spent in the office. Yay and hurrray for spring! I also love the early smells of the orange blossoms, lovely.
Enjoy your beautiful, sun filled days with the fur babes!
Have a great day.
Always, Queenie
HI hi hi Vanessa!! I have been painting yogurt cups…….yes yogurt cups! This ‘little’ project has taken on a life of its own for about a month now…….. Do you ever have projects that do that? One thing leads to another and before you know it you’ve been immersed in it for quite some time……. My last project that did that was my shingled bird feeder …….putting those shingles on took FOREVER……
Its spring here too girlfriend……. central valley ca…. the almond tree blooms are past their prime now but the redbud trees are gorgeous and the Bradford pear trees.. and now the grapevines are unfurling their leaves….. Hugs! deb
Beautiful pics. Love the joy of the garden the furries share with you. We are planning ours. Hubby plowed the garden spot the other day. We will buy seeds soon, onions, etc. We had a short burst of spring then it got coolish again. But things are in bloom. I’ve seen daffodils, pink cherries and plum trees blooming.
I have been crocheting, knitting, etc. Today I have been working on a quilt for the youngest grand. Who will be 1 next month. Yikes how did that happen. Her big sister will be 12. So we are planning birthday parties and Easter baskets for 2 🙂
So blessed with so much.I know You know this :)Your words bless Us also.
Beautiful dogs and flowers! http://www.lovelyclusters.com/
Your spring flowers are wondrous…and so are the keepers. Winter is still hear but slowly melting as we speak. You can hear it trickling down the drain pipes and running down the driveway. It will be 40 (F) Hopefully more will melt with out the temperature dropping. Your flowers and puppies make me smile.
A poetic and love-filled journey of a post as always… 🙂
Garden and Spring joys to all of you lovelies…furry and otherwise… 🙂
You are an amazing talent, dear Vanessa…and I have to say that painting is one of my greatest passions as well…(very amateur, but a joy nonetheless…)
Love to you!
xoxo,
– Irina
Gardens are indeed a peaceful place! It is encouraging to see such loveliness in your garden. We still have snow on the ground, although I am happy to be seeing more of the actual earth. I do spy little daffodil and crocus buds! It’s always fun to see pups frolicking outdoor! Such a happy happy place for them! My pups are happy to be able to sniff the ground again. Spring cannot come quickly enough!!!!
Goodness your garden is beautiful. This past fall I planted some daffodils, hyacinths and tulips. I kept them in containers in my garage over the winter. Despite the really harsh cold weather (-30 degrees with windchill!), many of the flowers are growing. It’s so lovely to see 🙂 I’ll have to remember to plant some delphiniums someday when we actually purchase a home.
I have delphiniums coming up in my garden and I am soooooo excited.
Now these aren’t just any delphiniums, they are extra special. My
94 year old aunt got a packet of seeds last year at this time and started
them in little paper cups at her retirement center on the window sill.
She was thrilled because the seeds had germinated and were small plants
doing so well, then she had physical problems and ended up in hospice, never
getting them in the ground. She asked me to take some and I took 3 plants.
Well no one’s plants survived but mine. So early this February she said are they
coming up and I had to say “no”. She died the end of February and when I looked
in my garden that weekend, there were the delphiniums just peaking through the
ground. I know this is a long comment, but I just felt she was there with me, smiling. So seeing your delphiniums just makes me smile.
OH Marilyn, my goooodness, what a story, thank you so much for sharing…..
bliss sigh…..
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 3/16/2014 9:01:08 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Seeing pics of your fur babies makes me smile…they are so cute.
I’ve been tilling the soil in my front and side yard, putting down grass seed, and pretty wooden-borders for a garden bed. I haven’t worked enough enthusiasm to actually weed the BIG garden bed because that’s going to be a beast of a job. Ugh.