I am working on a “Weeds” post, so I have been taking pictures of all my weeds.

You will love this when it’s done.  It has song lyrics.

While I was out lamenting the success of all the pesky weeds,

I also took pictures of lovely plants that I did not plant. At least not on purpose.

Here are some serendipitous surprises.

They have come from a land of shifting sand.

Where people flee across borders to live in tents,

Where battles are fought and drones are flown,

There is no safety or certainty.

The man came first to earn and learn on this safe soil.

He studied the language,

he worked long days,

he filled out forms.

Two years went by.  The boy grew older.

Now FINALLY his family is here.

We must celebrate their arrival.

We will have a cook-out,

with cookies and watermelon.

We will make some Jazar Halwa

with ingredients familiar to them, though strange to us

.

Will the flash and bang of our fireworks scare them?

Or will they delight in the sparkling colors

of red, white and blue

On this safe soil.

Happy July 4th  

CELEBRATE YOUR FREEDOM.

Follow the Flower!

Let the flowers come to the funeral.

We mourners need to see their up-turned, shining faces.

While our heads are bowed out of respect and sadness.

We need them to brighten this darkness.

We need their ribbons and tags.

So that we can read the names of the people moved by his passing.

We need roses and mums, lilies and glads

to add scent to the hushed air.

Let them line up at the altar and surround the tent.

In lieu of chicken and biscuits,

In lieu of casseroles and pound cakes,

In lieu of a check to the church,

SEND IN THE FLOWERS.

To stand like sentries over the plot after the mourners leave,

Making the grave look like a garden.

In memory of my precious cousin Mark Bayzik, who died yesterday.

No, this is not going to be a rant against Monsanto.  I won’t even go there.

I am sharing my methods for saving seeds of annuals, biennials and perennials.

I do this to have more plants, keep “heirloom” plants going, share seeds, and avoid buying annuals’ seeds every year.

I will demonstrate with some poppies that were given to me by a dear, artist friend, Bill Troutman.

He is no longer around, but every spring these poppies take my breath away with their beauty.

Poppy Pods

Once the pods are brown, the holes around the crown will open. Shake some seeds out onto a piece of paper with the name of the flower written on it. This labels the inside of the seed packet.  I do this to avoid that “What is This?” issue if I forget to write the name on the outside of the folded paper.

I do this on a box lid to avoid losing seeds in the process. I have multiple sheets of paper in it, so I can walk around the yard collecting different seeds at the same time. It’s also handy for carrying the roll of tape and the marker.

Then fold up the paper and tape it up. Then write the name again on the outside.

I sow these poppy seeds in November.

Some other seeds I save in June are foxglove and columbine.

Now,  share some seeds with your gardening friends.

They make great hostess gifts for garden parties. Just add a photo and bow and wah lah!!!   Future flowers.

Follow the Flower!