I've been traveling, and I'm tuckered out, so I've just got something small to share with all you you.
Yesterday I found this wonderful quote in a little book I picked up at a thrift store: FLOWER THOUGHTS: A SELECTION, edited by Louise Bachelder with illustrations by Eric Carle.
See, I've been thinking I want to become a Master Gardener. So, suddenly, flower/tree/garden things are finding me EVERYWHERE. I mean, why not? I've got this amazing backyard that's just begging for some loving... plus it's just FUN to learn stuff about nature and hang out with passionate folks and spend time outdoors.
Any Poetry Friday Master Gardeners out there?? I'd love to hear from you!
And now the quote:
"Romance and poetry, ivy, lichens, and wallflowers, need ruin to make them grow." - Nathaniel Hawthorne
I love this idea of ruin as necessary... isn't it? (Yes, I'm working on a "ruin" poem!) What a wonderful way to reframe some life experiences. And how perfect for autumn, when the leaves are changing and crumbling, everything shedding and going quiet and still... such a beautiful time of year, because somehow the ruin holds deep inside the promise of SPRING. xo
I love that--the need for ruin. Strangely, I've been working on a ruins poem this week.
ReplyDeleteOoh, Liz, I want to read your ruins poem! Thanks for visiting. xo
DeleteYou are discovering some lovely old books lately, Irene. It is a beautiful quote, and fits this autumn time well. It makes me think of 'ruin' in a different, more positive way, too. After 'ruin' comes 'creation'. Hope it's a restful weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you, LInda! Yes, it's very much like the phoenix rising, isn't it? Fun to think about. Thanks for visiting. xo
DeleteI, too, have turned my life more to my garden...though not in a masterful way. I am choosing beds to tend and plan, and it is filling a part of my inside me too. It makes me very happy that we are on this journey so far apart, yet so together. xo
ReplyDeleteYay for hands in dirt and beautiful things growing! Love sharing LIFE with you, Amy. xo
DeleteBecoming a master gardener sounds like a fantastic idea!
ReplyDeleteHere's a quote that your ruins reminded me of: "One reason that people have artist’s block is that they do not respect the law of dormancy in nature. Trees don’t produce fruit all year long, constantly. They have a point where they go dormant. And when you are in a dormant period creatively, if you can arrange your life to do the technical tasks that don’t take creativity, you are essentially preparing for the spring when it will all blossom again." Marshall Vandruff (I'm not sure where I saw that quote -- I might have gotten it from a Poetry Fridayer, maybe even you?)
Tabatha, I love that quote! (No, it wasn't me!) We can learn so much from nature about the creative process... I was reading this weekend bout the beautify of repetition...so many so very similar leaves! A sunset every day! And still beautiful, each and every one. Thank you for sharing! xo
DeleteIrene, I love my meditation garden. It is small but it is peaceful and makes me happy. My husband enjoys his vegetable garden and we had many delicious tomatoes this summer. I think it is interesting that you brought up ruin poems because I do not think of nature in that way. I guess I lean toward what Linda said and I love the quote Tabatha provided. A dormancy period brings quiet and stillness something I do long for in the midst of hustle and bustle.
ReplyDeleteA meditation garden... oh Carol, that sounds lovely! I think things that are small and peaceful and make us happy are the very best things in life. Thank you for sharing! xo
DeleteWorked all day in the garden yesterday and loved it - autumn is the best time to be outside, especially in Seattle. "Ruin," yes, but (if Northrup Frye is to be believed) not only spring is coming but also winter, the in-your-face season of wit and irony - we couldn't do without it. For me, autumn is like the necessary breath in - cold and crisp, with a certain earthy smell of decay - before the necessary breath out. There's a wonderful book called The Way of All Flesh: The Romance of Ruins by the Dutch biologist Midas Dekkers - I bet you would like it, Irene, especially as you craft your "ruin" poem.
ReplyDeleteDear Julie, thanks for the book recommendation -- just put it on hold at my library! Thanks also for your reminder about winter. Of course of course! Much to come before we get to spring, and all of it beautiful, necessary. Thinking of you enjoying your autumn in Seattle! xom
DeleteI admire gardeners from afar, and I love seeing the fruits of their labors. Kudos to you for stretching in this new direction. Needing ruin to make them grow, a new way to look at this season of fall that I dearly love!
ReplyDeleteHa, Ramona, you remind me of my husband who says our garden is the farmers' market. :) Here's to admiring things from afar and for stretching and for new ways of looking! xo
Deletep.s. finished ECHO. My favorite part was the first part, Friedrich's story.
What an intriguing quote. Thanks so much for sharing, Irene.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carmela, for stopping by!
DeleteWhat a wonderful quote. Strange, as I had picked up gardening fairly recent. Mine though are mostly in containers. I recently planted some morning glories and chives. It's been so far an interesting experience and an exercise in patience.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of 'ruin' as necessary reminds me of how you dig ground to plan, how a seed needs to break open to become a plant. Thanks for sharing.
Ooh, container gardening! I rather like that, as it's not so overwhelming! And PATIENCE... could be the reason my soul is taking me in this direction! I could use some lessons. Thank you for sharing! xo
DeleteJust yesterday, I was wondering why I'm getting so excited as I see signs of fall (death/ruin) appearing. Besides knowing that spring will be on the other side of all that, I think I am looking forward to the struggle of making it through the challenges of winter!
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, I, too, appreciate the struggle of winter. So much to be learned! Thank you for visiting. xo
DeleteI am not very good at growing things. My hands tend to be more adept at ruin. But I do appreciate the death/ resurrection cycle. Fall is a perfect time for tending gardens and tending poems.
ReplyDeleteHi, Irene, thank you for joining our Poetry Friday group this week and for sharing your newest passion! I hope you'll share garden photos and poems as you move along!
ReplyDeleteTotally intrigued by the cover of that book! I'm sure it's full of gems, like those ruins.
ReplyDeleteHi Irene, your quote makes me think of a time when we drove through a national forest in Australia that had fallen victim to wildfires. So many of the pitch black Eucalyptus trunks sported hints of bright green where life was renewing itself once again. Isn't nature fabulous! Good luck with your gardening endeavors. xo
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