All The Meadows Wide

This last Autumn I planted some mixed daffodil bulbs in my garden bed, as well as some crocuses. When Spring finally dawned bright and beautiful here at Blueberry Barn there were no little green shoots to be seen - though at Quinn's grandmother's home all her bulbs were in full swing. I despaired that perhaps I had planted them too deep, or maybe the bulbs were no good? Imagine my delight at seeing their sunny faces emerge from the cold ground. Perhaps a little late, but a welcome sign of warmer weather to be sure. 

My garden is all planted now with seedlings and a few treasures I got at the big annual plant sale here in Juneau. Now all that's left to do is wait for things to start growing (and do all the weeding and watering of course). Since this is only the second year of my flower garden it is still quite bare, however my mother-in-law Melissa's garden beds are already alive with color (her's being quite well established). I've always enjoyed this time of year when the flowers start blooming in earnest - especially the apple trees! They're pink and white blossoms always bring a smile to my face, and I find myself spending as much time around them as I possibly can.

This hasn't been hard this year, as two of the apple trees were moved just recently by my father-in-law Paul (who is making space for a green house). We had a wonderfully long stretch of sunny weather, and I was watering my garden bed seven or eight times a day (it sits in the highest and sunniest part of the yard). I would also water the apple trees in their new places. I had feared we wouldn't get a good crop of apples because of the move, but the trees were covered with blossoms and they seem to be doing really well so far!

This last Spring I did quite a bit of research on pruning apple trees, for ours needed a lot of attention (I don't believe they had ever been pruned before). Quinn and I set to work shortly after the family left on a long trip, which was good because I don't think they would have liked to see how many branches came off... Several trees were also quite bent over from heavy snowfall, and Paul has since propped them up with boards and ropes in hopes of straightening them out (which seems to be working quite well!).

Greta doesn't think too much of the apple trees - unless I'm sitting under one of course. Lupin on the other hand has a fondness for chewing on the lower hanging branches, the naughty girl! And not just of the apple trees but of the beautiful lilac bushes as well. Melissa and I have tried to curb her love of this, but I'm not sure we have yet succeed. 

A Poem from my Poetry Notebook:                                The apple blossoms hold no sorrow

Knowing they will fade the morrow.
No tear is shed, no sigh forlorn,
There is no room today to mourn.
For sun shines high, the bees they dance
Upon the wind in dreamlike trance.
Pink and creamy white the flower
Held aloft in fairy's bower.
They nod their heads and seem to say,
"Spring, my dear, is here to stay!"
They'll vanish then, within some squall,
But there'll be apples in the fall.

Perhaps I should have added a line in there about Lupin being the nemesis of apple trees. Oh well, haha!

As Quinn very kindly took the photos of myself and the apple trees, the sky quickly drew on towards sunset and we knew it was going to be lovely. Without thinking too much about it we ran down the road down onto the tidal flats to watch the sunset - and perhaps to pick a few flowers as well.

This photo here reminds me so much of the Disney cartoon version of Beauty & The Beast (Belle was my favorite princess as a child!), specifically the part where Belle is singing about how much she wants to leave her little town and go explore the world (here's a link to the video of her song! One of my favorites for sure!). I must honestly say I had no idea what the word "provincial" meant as a child, I probably thought it meant boring, ha!

The lupin has only just started blooming, painting the flats a lovely shade of purple. Last year I managed to plant some lupin seedlings I had grown in my garden, and I'm hoping for different colors than the blue that's all over Juneau. We will see!

I tried so hard to get a photo of a bee while we were down there, but they were all to busy buzzing away to stop for my expectant camera. Greta and Lupin enjoyed running around the flats - their favorite playground - but Quinn managed to get a shot with Lupin and her namesake, pictured here on the right. Later she enjoyed running around me in circles as Quinn tried to get a photo of me spinning (this vintage Gunne Sax dress has such a wonderfully full skirt!). Greta was off in a gully getting wet and muddy, as she so often enjoys doing.

As the sun sank lower and lower we made our way back up to the house, the dogs especially were sad to leave the expanse of light behind. After making our way back through the lengthening shadows and darker corners of the woods it was glorious to see the last of the setting sun in all it's majesty at the farthest point of the yard. We've since had several rainy and gray days, which makes the memory of this particular sunset so special.

It's all I have to bring today - 

This, and my heart beside - 

This, and my heart, and all the fields - 

And all the meadows wide - 

Be sure you count - should I forget

Some one the sum could tell - 

This, and my heart, and all the Bees - 

Which in the Clover dwell.

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It's All I Have To Bring Today

By Emily Dickinson