Beds of Sweet Soil

I almost didn't make an entry today then I happened to come across a blog by a man in Korea that inspired me to make the effort. He posted a collection of photographs that he took in a museum for wooden figures, and they were charming, colorful, whimsical and 'glad.'

His post just prior to that contained photos of cherry blossoms, of a tree that looked so much like my own Kwanzan cherry that it must be the same or closely related. The wonderful thing about this is that my own tree is just beginning to blossom. It is perhaps a week behind the one in Korea.

There was something about these shared images that made me feel close to this guy. He loves color and shape and seasons, and I love those, too.

He has posted some pictures of a girl, his 'urban fairy' as he called her, and I wonder if it is his girlfriend or wife or lover. I hope it is. She looked happy, and the pictures he took of her are lovely. It's nearly impossible to love life most of the time. This guy, though, he's loving life. I'm glad someone is happy.

Here is my vegetable garden (I cheat and plant flowers here, too.), laid out for the coming year. It doesn't look like much now, no chunky fruits or vibrant flowers, no butterflies and bees. To me, though, it is extremely satisfying. The beds are laid out as I want them and they are each filled with fresh, rich soil. Gawds, the dirt is so sweet you could eat it! There are already seeds in rows and little flags to mark their places and a few plants with stakes. The lettuce planted last fall is run amuck, and I am making salads from it as fast as we can eat it. Perennials, like Helianthus tuberosus, iris, lamb's ear, tigerlily, purple coneflower, garlic, parsley and oregano are just beginning to shoot up or are already growing strong. With a good eye, you can spot them all in the photos.

I hope someone enjoys these photos at least a little as much as I do. I hope that.