Inspiration can reveal itself in the most unexpected places and at the most unlikely moments. I certainly wasn't looking for it two weeks ago in the hospital, of all places, as my mother and I walked the halls late one night. But, when she showed me a watercolor of large pots, full of green leaves and colorful blooms, all clustered together next to porch steps I realized how neglected my own little kitchen steps had become. Really, it was quite dismal and unwelcoming... what a shame, the side entrance to our home is the one that we, as well as our friends and family, use most often.
One afternoon last week the professor came home early and said, "Forget the dossier, forget the tenure and promotions committee, forget the book... I'm taking the rest of the day off! What do you want to do?" I knew exactly what I wanted to do; with the hospital watercolor in mind I was on a mission. After Tukes woke from his nap and a spring shower passed we made a trip to the nursery.
I chose begonias... they are colorful, can endure the full summer sun, and are drought resistant, which is good because I know things are going to dry up around here very soon. These red and white blooms are also inexpensive, which means I didn't have to skimp on quantity.
Puttering in the shed produced a nice collection of different sized pots that we already had on hand, and a morning of potting transformed the kitchen entry. If "the earth laughs in flowers," as the American poet e. e. cummings once penned, then there is definitely some giggling happening at the south end of our house... that makes me happy.
Speaking spring sprucing, there's been a bit of that going on around here, too. Thank you for the kind feedback and compliments that you've offered regarding the recent blog design changes. I so appreciate the encouragement. While I love visiting other sites that feature big, beautiful photos, I'll confess that it has been a bit jarring for me to see my own photography published in such a way... the new image size will definitely serve as a tool to push me toward growth {and, hopefully, improvement} as I use the camera.
Potting and sprucing, it feels nice. Things are slowly falling into place around here, just in time for the happy days of summer. What have you been doing to fluff up your world?
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