TOO SOON GONE

 DICENTRA SPECTABILIS: Bleeding Heart
(Lady in a Bathtub)


Below, in text and photo, all the flowers and ephemerals that I mention in the poem as well as those blooming early spring to midspring here in eastern PA will be eventually featured.





Too soon gone, the Fairy Bells,                                          

the Shooting Stars of wonder;                                           
Then God sent forth the Trillium,                                      
Jacob's Ladder to climb, to ponder.                         
                                                                                    
                                                                                       
Up popped white Spring Beauty,,,,,,,,,,, 
Virginia Bluebells announced, "It's spring!"                
Primrose blushed across the lawn,
As Iris crested with the Sun.

Now mid-Spring, my Bleeding Heart fights

hard to heal, amid twisted Pachysandra.
Drifts of Daffodils deride, the Crocus calls,
"Join chorus," all you nodding Helebores!

No longer stated the Forget Me Knots,       
Dressed now with faded blues.
Tulips will never get their chance
All hope for them is gone.

My deer made it clear, when,
With one fell swoop he cut them off,
"just, like, that!"
Now, what is this, in it's place?
I've contracted Poison Ivy!  -suzie (she)

picture one (at right): remove a flower from a Bleeding Heart plant and turn upside down. This is known as "lady in a bathtub."

picture two (at right): carefully pull apart the pink petal giving you two bunny rabbits!!  Peel from center of what you have left and voila: Aladdin's slipper's and Cupids Heart! My mother-in-law Rosemary Ensslen taught me this; isn't that cool! Something to pass down from Grandma!!!

note: I've attempted to represent the color of each flower mentioned; when the color would not show up on the page I blocked it in with a contrasting color. Below are those mentioned in the poem as well as other spring ephemerals and flowers blooming  in my gardens this time of year: virginia bluebells, rue anemone, dutchmen's breeches, hepatica, 
phlox, arum,  allium, dogtooth violet, wild ginger, bloodroot,
trout lily, celandine poppy, shootingstar.  Water garden: water hawthorne

1) MERTENSIA virginianica: Virginia Bluebells: also known as cowslip. (ephemeral)  Below: Mertensia with Doronicum orientale (leopard's bane) and Lily of the Valley on the way, Ligularia and White woodland Phlox.








 





2) Sessile Bellwort: Fairy Bells (to right: chose a picture from 2009 that shows the plant not en masse. Later putting up how it has multiplied!!!!






Hellebores (below) (to be continued) Need to show en masse as well. These need to be planted along a stone wall as the flowers nod their heads down and are bettered displayed this way.

In An Eighteenth Century Drawing Room

In the entry prior to this one I mentioned a song my mother played on the piano for us kids; that I would write the words out. There is a rendition of the music you can listen to if you go to Wikipedia and search for Piano Sonata No. 16 (Mozart) or type in google:
"In An Eighteenth Century Drawing Room" and go to Wikipedia from there. 
 listen to the ''allegro'' version!!!

Music and Lyrics by Jack Lawrence and Raymond Scott:

I FOUND AN OLD MUSTY BOOK,

LONG LOST

IN SOME FAR FORGOTTEN NOOK.

IN THE BOOK A FADED PICTURE,

AND THE SCENT OF FAINT PERFUME,

TWO OLD-FASHIONED LOVERS

IN AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY DRAWING ROOM.                         (hope to put a picture here of

                                                                                                        my mini-grand, mom's pic...)

NOTHING IS EVER NEW,

EVER SINCE LOVE BEGAN,

SEE HER TWO EYES OF BLUE,

FLIRTING BEHIND HER FAN.

LOOK AT HIS SILK AND LACE,

ISN'T HE DEBONAIR?

AND THE SMILE ON HIS FACE

TELLS OF THE LOVE THEY SHARE.

HEAR THEIR TWO HEARTS SOFTLY BEAT,

ONE MOMENT MORE

AND THEIR LIPS WILL MEET.

WHAT A SWEET AND CHARMING PICTURE,

LOVE IN GLORY, LOVE IN BLOOM,

DON`T YOU WISH THAT WE WERE

IN AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY DRAWING ROOM.

Man, I can hear Mom singing this as plain as day. It was wonderful and as a young teenager, well, just hopeful and such. Thanks Mom for sharing your love of music with all us kids.

SPRING IS HERE sung by Mom

SPRING IS HERE, NOT A MERE

JANUARY THAW....

BUT A LITTLE ROBIN I SAW,

TOLD ME IT WAS SO.....

AND SO I KNOW THAT....                     

and the song goes on into other verses.  I WISH YOU COULD HEAR THE TUNE!!!!! It is beautiful!!! (the photo to your right is a miniature Iris that blooms now in Honor of Mom. She had 3 super long rows of tall iris or different varieties. Before I was aloud to go to the pool all day I had to ''weed the iris" said Mom. Yuck! I was so mad about that all the time! But weed I did and as fast as I could. Man it was h.o.t! The weeds were ''horse weeds" and I promised I would NEVER!!!!!!!!!! GARDEN. Boy did I get that wrong. Jersey has these horrible horse weeds; Pennsylvania they just pull out with a blink of an eye. Back to the song....

My mother sang all the time or recited verse. She played with us and her idea, like mine, is to ''sweep the house with a glance!" ha ha ha! We were more important than the house and other ''things." So, every spring Mom would sing this song looking forward to spring, the first bud, the trickle coming down off the roof from melting snow. Our laundry room had two windows. The back window facing the cow pasture and red garage had a small roof extending just below the outside sill. Mom always had a bird feeder sitting on the roof and an old kitchen pan she filled with food for her coveted winter birds. For me the melt began there and watching the birds. Of course the cats kept watch as well.
I had three favorites cats that were all mine; they were always black. Why I do not know. The funny thing is, Sarah now chooses all black cats as her favorites and she never knew my choice. I know I told her long ago but she doesn't recall those stories. Mom always told us stories!! My first cat was name ''Inkie." I have never been talented at naming animals. I think it followed suit to my children as well. Our first rabbit was named ''Bun Bun" by Jonathan. Imagine, Bun Bun! Oh my. We have our last batch of kitties right now, four of them. Of course the black ones are Sarah's favorites. Johanna and I love the tiger striped kitty Nabisco. Well, we love them all. How can you not?

So Mom sang several spring songs often this time of year along with her usual songs. She would laugh at me trying to remember the verses. I always have trouble keeping the order of verses and their words straight! But, the idea is still there so isn't that ok? So yeah, the kids laugh at my doing the same with current songs as well.

Another song Mom sang was:

THE COUNTRY SIDE IS GREEN AGAIN

THE WORLD IS SEVENTEEN AGAIN...

MY HEART AWAKES WHEN APRIL SINGS....(and so on...)

that is my favorite..."my heart awakes when April sings...."

Lastly, I want to add another song she would sing because of St. Patrick's Day in March. We have quite a bit of Irish ''Heritage." This is the song I get messed up all the time with order; it is beautiful. I might be giving you the middle of the song or beginning; I really do not know. Will  have to look it up but I just keep on singing it in all sorts of order; its the beauty of the song that's important right? (Aside: Do you know the song ''There's a Bad Moon on the Rise?" Well, not only verse but the words get jumbled for me as well! Ding dong. I thought it was "There's the bathroom on the right." Now is that ridiculous. I guess I was too busy dancing and enjoying the rhythm of the music. I never figured it out till college what it really       said.) Now Mom! Mom wanted to major in music and write music. She was gifted in song, the piano and ''i guess'' to write music. Never experienced that with her. But, she gave all that up to be a dairy farmer's wife. She did teach us some piano and played herself alot when she could get in the time. I still cannot play like mom did; and probably never will. She kept the piano in our living room and I still can see her playing.
Here is the beginning of the song she would sing in spring around St. Patrick's Day:

HAVE YOU EVER CROSSED THE SEAS TO IRELAND

WELL MAYBE AT THE CLOSING OF YOUR DAYS

YOU WILL SIT AND WATCH THE MOON RISE OVER CLETTA

AND SEE THE BAREFOOT GOSSINS (sp?) AT THEIR PLAY (or is it "in the BAY.")...

[pictured left is White Trillium...peaceful...]

One song Mom liked a lot, the name of which won't matter to any of you since you won't recognize it; but, when I tell you the words you will because of my playing part of it on ocassion. Mom had the words all down that someone added much later to the beginning portion of this piece. First I will give you the words:

dah dah dah....(gee can't remember the beginning..will have to ask Hannah,,it is great..) 
well, its about two lovers, old fashioned books, somewhere in time, a drawing room...ever changing hues.......a lovely lilting romantic song....
I wish you could hear the tune...Mom was a romantic!!! -will come back and put the words in soon-

The words were written to the beginning of
MOZART'S :                           SONATA No. 3 in C Major K. 545

So now its time to go out in the garden and get movin' and groovin' and make a dent? ha ha, in all there is that ''could be done''........then piano lessons. My piano teacher, Ori said I could take up this Sonata for my next piece if I wanted to but ..."ahhhhhhh..." it is so difficult! It will take at least  6 months to work up and a few more to perfect. Yeah, Ori is a perfectionist and so am I but, there is joy in that journey of piano and it connects me to my mother and all these years of l.o.v.i.n.g music.

Why did I make this also in Honor of my Dad? (the tall tree picture is symbolic for Daddy: tall, strong, handsome, a rock, security...and not to be corny, but Dad did branch out into many directions in his abilities serving & in giving). Well, he worked so hard, very hard, to provide for us so Mom did not have to work, staying home with us and driving us everywhere!!! She was the ''wind beneath his wings," though. She really was. Well, I could go on and on....the end. (driving me everywhere...another story...out of the 5 kids she had to say no to me since I wanted to do the next activity offered......Hannah loved being at home with books, art & piano; Jack too-a "mr. fix-it engineer" type, content with stuff around home. I wanted to do ballet, .....well, another time......)

Notice the bee in the picture to the right? Well it isn't a great picture but I just have to add him. Played around getting pics of him in and out of the Fairy Bells. Got a good one of his bottom hanging out from the flower but it was not in focus enough to publish, rats!!!
A sign of spring. Flower: Disporum sessile:  Fairy Bells Variegatum

Mom loved Dutchmen's Breeches. Will put a pic of that in next time..they are awesome! And, a pic of Bleeding Heart. Did you know if you take the flower apart you can find two bunny rabbits and Aladdin's slipppers?

AMY'S BIRTHDAY

Today, April 2nd, would be Aunt Amy's 51st birthday. Just want to reminisce and enjoy the neat things that were "Amy." that's all. Maybe I will write about her one day and add it right here. Miss you Aim.

APRIL 16th, 2010

Everybody is gone and I am sitting just thinking about my family and I remembered this little scene about Amy.
I am going to call the story              "FAT A GYOU"
Hannah and I shared a bedroom all the time growing up. When Amy came along Mom gave her a room all to herself. Well, everyone once in a while I would sleep with Amy in her double bed. We would talk and laugh and giggle before falling asleep. Amy was 4 1/2 years younger than me. 
Well, I would read story books to Amy and she learned to read some because of those times. She would watch the words as I read. An aside to this story that I tell is funny. Here I was teaching her how to read and she ended up being so much smarter than me and gifted in areas I was not. She was a brain; brother Jack got brains too. Sometimes I thought it was better not to be so brainy because they seemed to struggle with some areas that I didn't but who cares. That isn't meaningful to this story. So yeah, on with the story. 

I was reading a book to Amy; I don't recall which book. As I was rambling right through a sentence she stopped me and said to go back. ''Go back to what?" I said. 
"That word," said Amy. 
"What word?"
"That's not how you say it," said Amy. 
"What word?"
"That one," she said. And she pointed.


Well, we got to giggling as I said the word for her; the word was ''fatigue." She said very sternly and seriously, ''that isn't how you say it!" And I said ''YES IT IS!" smiling with wit. So on and on it went and we were laughing. She didn't believe me and I tried to convince her and then I said, "well, how would you pronounce it?" And, Amy said, "Fat-eh-gyou." Well, did I crack up; and she got to rolling in laughter...and on and on it went.


Amy and I had tons of fun as little kids. She was so cute and a happy child.