Tuesday, June 22, 2010

A Lesson From My Garden


It's been a bit challenging to be in the garden as I wait for my back to heal.  Right now I know that bending and twisting are off limits.  As a gardener, I rarely take a walk around the yard without bending down to pull stray weeds, pick up sticks, deadhead or clip a pretty bouquet. 


Hard to believe that the innocent looking patio stone above could be responsible for the situation I am currently in.  After purchasing the column at the GoodWill, I was on a mission to plant some flowers around it.  Thinking the column would be straighter if it was on the patio stone, I assumed it would be no big deal to lift the stone and carry it across the yard.  Wrong!!  I can tell you it is much heavier than it looks, but I was a woman on a mission.

I was envisioning these pretty Pentas planted around the base and bought a nice big petunia to place on the top of the column. 


A few days after "the incident", we had a big thunderstorm.  I discovered the petunia laying on the ground.  It was a bit beat up and the decorative stake in the center was all bent and twisted.  It looked about the way I felt.

As I sit and wait and try to be patient, it seems that the garden is offering a lesson in this waiting game.



As we watch those tomatoes go from green to red, the anticipation of that first delicious bite begins to build.  Once that first bright red tomato is plucked from the vine and popped into our mouths we know, without a doubt ... it was well worth the wait.



The first bud on the hibiscus is cause for excitement.



I can't help but wonder if the bloom would seem quite as spectacular if we hadn't been waiting so patiently for it's arrival?



As we watch five perfect blue eggs go from this to ...
 

this, we know that this incredible miracle is well worth the wait.




This will be the second little family to be born in my backyard this season.  When I see the Eastern Bluebirds fly through the sky, I feel like a proud mother.


This afternoon I saw the first butterfly of the season hovering around the butterfly bush.  After three trips outside with the camera, I was ready to give up on getting a picture of this rather elusive butterfly.


When I decided to just sit quietly on the patio and wait, I was rewarded with some photo opportunities.



My mom often used to say "good things come to those who wait."  It seems as though my garden is also trying to tell me that.  I'm thinking it might be a good idea to listen.



26 comments:

  1. Kim, what lovely pictures! I love the impatients in the chair! I also really love the bird nest picture with the lovely blue eggs! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Loved your post and your beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing. Hope your back feels much better real soon. Love & blessings from NC!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kim, I know it must bug you to not be moving freely. Look at your beautiful yard though!! Oh those baby birds and the butterfly. Maybe when you have to sit still you see more. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Kim,
    This was such a beautiful post. I so related to moving things that I shouldn't, been there done that. Your flowers are so beautiful, and home grown tomatoes I too am so waiting to taste.Also love my beautiful butterflies too.

    I also know what it is like to want to be out in the garden and can't . it is like a child looking in a candy store, wanting to go in but can't because of not having the money to buy. But the advise your mom gave you is so true.I recently didn't take my mother's advice about a ladder and had a fall. Needless to say when I told her about my fall, she reminded me . lol
    You asked about what type of cukes I used in my relish it is the regular pickling kind. this relish is so easy and delicious. Thank you for coming by and for taking the time to leave me such a sweet comment. I will be praying for continued healing of your back.
    Hugs,
    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great pictures. Enjoy the imposed rest from the weeding.....they will still be there when you are ready!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kim, you have lots of things happening in your garden!! Lovely pics!! thanks for sharing!

    Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a beautiful butterfly. It was well worth the weight. We ladies are really bad at getting things moved when we want them. I put my back our pushing a piano across the room a few years ago. I hope you get better soon:)
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kim...this is awesome! Written so well with good feelings and such truth! Thanks for sharing your beautiful garden and the little bluebirds (we have them here too, my favorites) and the butterfly. Good things do come if we can just...wait.
    Come say hi :D

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your garden and the critters that visit it are just beautiful!
    I hope that you are feeling better soon!

    Blessings!
    ~Nadine

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm so sorry you're still in pain!
    I love your mum's words and the lesson your garden is teaching us.
    Take Good Care of Yourself!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautiful! You certainly wouldn't notice so much of what is around you if you were busy picking, fiddling and twisting. Those butterfly photos are amazing. Hope your back to new very soon. :) Tammy

    ReplyDelete
  12. You lifted that? Ouchie. Don't do that again! Your garden is gorgeous and your photography is, too. Enjoyed seeing the flowers, benches, birds, babies, and butterflies, not to mention the tomatoes. Good things do come to those who wait. Enjoy this time of waiting.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a lovely post and a good lesson about patience. :-)
    Your gardens are so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am behind on reading blogs, so scrolled through to see what happened with "the culprit." I have suffered with degenerative disk disease since my late twenties. I can honestly say that without the stretching exercises I loyally do twice per day, I would be a mess. I had back surgery at 30 and owned a cane. At 40, a sports doctor taught me how to do these, and I have no sciatic pain. NONE! I do far too much, but when you're properly stretched before you attempt something like this, you're far less likely to suffer injury. I've been doing these exercises for 13 years now.
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh Kim, your pictures are amazing and beautiful...... your flowers are so pretty! The little birds are indeed a miracle from God.
    Hope your back is healing quickly (I'm sure it isn't quick enough for you though)...
    Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures from your yard.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I hurt for you even as I read this post. How quickly things change in our ordinary week schedules. I understand you picking up the rock to move it, and I understand the pain that resulted. I am amazed though at how beautiful your gardens appear through it all. Your tomatoes made my mouth water. Your bench with the impatients made me want to find something similar for my garden. Take care my friend. Like you were told, good things do come to those who wait. Great photography.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Kim ~ You have such a beautiful space...so much going on to enjoy! Thank you for sharing such a pretty post! Blessings! Teri

    ReplyDelete
  18. Kim, what a beautiful post. Your photos are outstanding and your garden is lovely. I hope your back is getting better ~ I think your Mom was right too ~ good things DO come to those who wait.

    Enjoy your day,
    Hugs,
    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm so sorry about your back Kim. Stonework can be deceiving to us. It may look innocent and an easy thing to lift. We may not know until the next day what we've done to ourselves. I lifted a little stone bunny statue and carried it all over the store. My arms literally ached for two weeks.

    Your garden is so pretty. It's hard to be patient, but your mother is right. It's so worth the wait. God bless you Kim with speedy recovery. Kathi

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hoping you feel better real soon! Your garden pictures are lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm sorry to hear about your back. Your garden is just lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  22. An inspiring and beautiful post...sometimes when we slow down the blessings speed up.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thank you Kim, that was such a lovely post.

    I hope you are feeling better day by day.

    I agree that Patience is a MUST have virtue for gardeners. We plant these tiny little green leaves and WAIT for them to emerge into flowering wonders! It's so worthwhile.

    Please come and visit me and I'll get out my prettiest teacups and make YOU very welcome!

    ReplyDelete
  24. And you should feel like a proud mother! Beautiful birds...and to know you had any part in assuring the survival of the species is something special...even if it was just supplying the yard.

    Lovely pic's! And do sorry about your back.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love your photography and beautiful blog. Hope your back is better. Thank you for visiting my blog. You are going to have some great tomatoes.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Those are lovely pictures of your garden specially those bluebirds and the butterfly. Certainly, if you haven't met an accident, you could have not taken that butterfly picture as you will surely be spotted easily. I just wonder how you have "tamed" those bluebirds to have a nest on your garden. They like your garden that much.

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are welcome and appreciated.
I will do my best to answer any questions here in the comments section.