February
is when I start to think about gardening. It’s the time of year
when daylight hours are noticeably longer and we start to stir from
winter’s hibernation. It’s easier to get up in the morning and
easier to drive home at night from work. And didn’t that infamous
eternal groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predict an early spring?
The
energy the sun exudes cannot be underestimated! It always awakens a
fresh hope and anticipation of expectation and I find myself overrun
with ideas as the days grow longer.
I
recently went out and took some pictures of my property where I
intend on doing some landscaping this year. This particular spot is
about 10 by 15 feet. I began to imagine myself sitting here in
the warmer months and drawing, bird watching, or even napping! I love
color and texture and natural fragrances, and pretty soon I was
inside a lovely little world of herbs and flowers!
I
printed my photo onto a piece of acrylic art paper.
My
Connecting Threads ‘junk’ mail had come this week, so I pulled it
out and began looking through for colors, shapes, and patterns.
I
started tearing and cutting tiny pieces
and
randomly placing a few on the photo.
Gluing
such teeny tiny scraps is a chore! I added some paint for detail –
and of course our fat cat Chubbs had to be there! And then I saw a
trellis – reminiscent of the one my son Gabe made for me many years
ago – and I wanted that to be my entrance point.
Painted
clay pottery adds a lovely artistic flair and can be arranged and
rearranged. I imagined several sizes bursting with color and foliage.
I envisioned the soil dotted with some ground cover of white allysum
and lemon thyme, added some flowers – anemones would be nice –
over by the propane tank to hide it a bit, and outlined and shaded
here and there.
Lastly,
I coated it with some diluted Aleene’s tacky glue and put it into a
frame!
I
can feel the warmth and smell the fragrances every time I walk by it;
and now I REALLY can’t wait for spring!
“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”
~Antoine
de Saint-Exupéry, Flight to Arras, 1942
