The Unfinished Ceramic

The expression, "Stop to smell the roses"

 is merely a metaphor intended to prompt us

 to cherish the beauty that presents itself to  us daily.

I found it growing in the mulch, next to the leaves of one of the large Leatherleaf Viburnum bushes which stand in a row on the side of our back yard.  This huge mushroom caught my attention when the sun shone upon it on an especially bright day, before we left for our vacation Up North in New Hampshire.  

 
When we returned, there it was, just as healthy as before, with the sun causing it  to gleam like a piece of unfinished ceramic:  an irregular bowl fully glazed at the top, but earthy brown and seemingly unglazed at the bottom – an admirable work of nature, as are all things.
 
This particular fungus measures about a foot across and appears determined to hold out for another couple of weeks before it succumbs to its eventual destiny, which is that of all living things.  I’ll watch it advance to a ripe old age and admire its tenacity as it continues to bask in the sunshine of each day.
 
Thanks for reading.  Have a good weekend.
 
(Click on the image for an enhanced view.)

The Predator in our Garden

A Praying Mantis assumes its innocent-looking

 posture as it waits for its next victim.

One of the most humbling experiences for mankind is that whatever it discovers or develops is merely an acknowledgement or an application of what already exists in its natural state. 

 
For example, the United States was the first nation to have applied military stealth technology with the deployment of bomber and fighter aircraft, one of which – the F-114 Nighthawk – was used extensively in 1991, during the Persian Gulf War.
 
Because its approach could not easily be detected by radar, the F-117 was a fear-inspiring ground-attack aircraft.  Nature, however, has its own way of employing stealth in the design of its predatory creatures, one instance of which is the Praying Mantis . . .

The Politics of the Weed Patch

During the week, I’ve had to do a great deal of outdoor work in order to get the garden in shape under the challenge of an early and demanding spring.  Each year, I’m reminded that Mother Nature does not stand still for anyone who chooses to ignore her. 

Crocuses announce an early spring on March 7, 2012
(Bergeron Image)

I’ve also come to understand that, when gardening with someone else, you must work as a team. The days are short, and there is no time to be fretted away in fruitless discussions about how to get things done.

There are shrubs to be trimmed; holes to be dug for new plantings; mulch to be spread, and other related chores that won’t wait.  If you don’t move along, the day flies by, and not much work gets accomplished.  Ignore what needs doing and, by summer, you end up with what resembles an unattractive weed patch.

Just observe a gardening crew that gets paid to do this work professionally:  You can’t help but notice how most of the workers are well supervised, know what to do, and work quickly in unison to get the job done.

As I was digging in a spot for a small Spirea bush which needed to be transplanted to the front yard, it occurred to me that much of the dysfunction which is being observed in the political sphere these days could be easily compared to that of a garden which has not been well-tended.

Nature Goes its Own Way; Takes Little Heed of Us Humans

This little marvel feeds while not alighting on the bloom.

One of the refreshing things about nature is that it moves along each day taking its time as it has for eons, tolerating our presence, but largely ignoring it.  It’s not that we humans are a wholly insignificant presence on earth – far from it.

But we certainly can do our best at times to mess things up.  One has merely to look at the worldwide contemporary economic, political and cultural scene to come to that conclusion – one, I should add, which is not easily challenged even by the most optimistic among us.

Nevertheless, there are some very pleasant observations that can be made, if one will only – albeit temporarily – turn away from some of man’s self-inflicted problems and turn to an observation of nature and some of her creatures for an example of how to live.

Getting Down and Dirty

Sometimes, it feels good to get down and dirty – literally down and dirty, where your body, mind and soul get to meet the elemental earth. That may sound kind of kooky, but it’s something with which farm workers, landscape people, and home gardeners are on intimate terms.

I did a little weeding today, and found myself on my hands and knees, using hand tools to cut and pull out stubborn weeds encroaching on a few shrubs, as well as around the perimeter of the mulching bed. When you’re down on all fours like that, you get dirt black. But, it’s with a satisfaction that comes from the knowledge that it’s from honest work done on honest soil put there by God’s own creation.

Some politicians, through their actions, have given the intrinsically good expression ‘down and dirty’ a bad name by changing its original, derivative meaning to one in which dirt is seen as a negative noun.

We can fix that: Instead of sending convicted politicians to serve time in prison, maybe the judge could dole out sentences in which offenders would be required to spend spring, summer, and fall out in the open working the soil, thereby helping to restore nature’s lost reputation.