Wednesday, April 6, 2022

"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"








Midge Fly
Cup of this tiny narcissus, 'April Tears' is about 1/4 inch wide 



I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

     - William Wordsworth 

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.





Both of these are Tulipa 'Generaal de Wet, Fragrant Single Early Tulip
A descendant of the 'Prince of Austria' Tulip, 1904, 



Taraxacum officinale, Common Dandelion
I touched, and all the seeds became airborne.





Tulipa humilis Little Beauty
This little beauty returns every spring in the gardens.








Adiantum pedatum - Maiden Hair Fern
Leaves Unfurling
Mine is in a double-walled pot on the front porch.  It stays there year around.
    





Rain Garden with Iris fulva, Copper Iris
and
Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold', common name: Rheingold Arborvitae
This Arborvitae forms what is called a bird's nest when it ages.
The center becomes bare surrounded by green foliage.
The foliage is bronze during winter. 


My volunteer Dogwood Tree has suffered - 
perhaps from Cicada damage last summer.
The lowest branches have only leaves, the next level of branches appear dead,
and all flowers appear only on the top levels of branches.




Grace Note Chimes 30" long
'Himalayan Echo'




I'm in physical therapy to hopefully build up my neck and shoulder muscles, therefore, much of the time I feel as if I'm going to die, but of course I don't.

I think that's enough with the health reports :)  Nursery pots of Blue-stem Goldenrod and Pink Muhly Grass impatiently wait on my back deck for the weather to cooperate or not with their planting.  Most likely it will be or not.

A brief period of respite in the deluge of falling rain has allowed a walk through the back gardens.  Wildflowers are slowly coming into their glory, and the closer one gets, the better one sees their individual charms.

A beautiful mocking bird eats at my feeder and sings his lovely array of mocking sounds in my gardens.  I hope he finds a mate and nests here as they used to do many years ago.  I miss the night singing, and the raising of baby birds in the 'Grey Owl' juniper.

My introduction in the past years of my chickadees has probably been incorrect, so the chickadees I really have are Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis).  The Chickadee nesting box has a moss nest in it that is empty with a piece of egg shell on the ground underneath, therefore I have no idea at this moment what has happened, if anything.  The nest looks unused.

The texture and flavor of the St. Dalfour fruit spreads has changed over the Covid Years, and it is not a pleasurable experience anymore having it with my almond nut butter and crackers.  

We have also suffered many wasted hours trying to find canned cat food our cats will actually eat.  The flavors and brands they ate before Covid seems to never be available or no longer exist.  The 'Tiki Cat After Dark' brand they now eat is temporarily out of stock everywhere, it seems.  I get so tired of searching, and seeing that bloody phrase.

The wet earth has a heavy richness that creates a beautiful tapestry as it slips ever so softly into the bosom of darkness.  House finches change places with a pair of cardinals at the feeder, as traffic stays plenteous along the streets.  It's April, although some days seem as if March is still with us with her blustery winds of icy coldness.

I can't seem to make my life this week sound even remotely interesting, so I'm calling it a night and walking away from this incompetent computer.   





Stylophorum diphyllum, Celandine Poppy


Erigeron, commonly called Fleabane
Large patches of this have popped up everywhere in the back gardens.
It's a beautiful 'weed' while blooming, and attracts the smaller bees.


Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells





Fothergilla gardenii shrub
with a honey fragrance when the air is warm and still.





Polemonium reptans, Jacob's Ladder


Uvularia grandiflora, Larger Bellwort


Trillium cuneatum, sometimes called Little Sweet Betsy



Armoracia rusticana, Horseradish
maybe -
I thought this was a horseradish plant 
when it appeared in the garden many years ago.
It isn't aggressive and doesn't multiply,
causing me to wonder if it's something else.


Aquilegia canadensis, Wild Columbine
Stages of unopened flowers


Dicentra spectabilis, sometimes called Old Fashioned Bleeding Hearts


Mine grow on higher ground with intermittent shade.
They do well, and last longer if the ground doesn't dry out.
By midsummer they have disappeared for the year.





Canis lupus familiaris, Rat Terrier 'Dustin'


Sweet Dreams




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32 comments:

  1. Hello Yvonne,
    Beautiful collection of spring blooms. Love the poem. Dustin looks adorable napping. I hope all goes well with your therapy. Take care, enjoy your day!

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  2. The poem takes me right back to high school English Literature class. It is quite wonderful isn't it?

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  3. ...beautiful things that I'm still waiting to see.

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  4. Those photos of the bleeding hearts are exquisite. And Wordsworth certainly says it well, doesn't he? He never disappoints. The blooms are all gorgeous and so is sweet Dustin. I'm sure you've tried Chewy or Amazon for food. I've had pretty good luck there. I'm glad that Lizzie isn't a picky eater! I'm hoping to see at least some bloom soon... hey, it's Michigan. It could be a long wait! Always good to see you here!

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  5. Hello Yvonne,:=) I enjoyed seeing your garden flowers. The Bleeding Hearts, Jacobs Ladder, Virginia Bluebells,and the Tulipa humilis Little Beauty, are really stunning. The W.Wordsworth poem is one of my all time favourites. It never fails to capture the beauty of swaying daffodils each time I chance to read it. I hope you manage to buy the cat food your cats like. We also have been noticing a shortage of certain food in the super markets.
    Get well soon.:=)

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  6. Sweet Dustin! ❤️ Our little Miki is about his size and appearance - she's just "blonde". I really like to see dogs sleeping.

    Everything I see here is wonderful! The bells ring in the wind tone.
    I also like poetry - a lot!
    I see Adiantum pedatum for the first time! Is wow! 😊

    Here too, some food brands for cats are starting to disappear - or the brands are no longer producing certain "kinds" ... I'm glad that our (he) cat is not very pretentious. The one who died :( in 2019 was pretentious to eat.
    I wish you all the best! 💕

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  7. Hello Yvonne, In this post, you said, “I can't seem to make my life this week sound even remotely interesting, so I'm calling it a night and walking away from this incompetent computer.” I had to smile about that because your week looks wonderful to me. :-) As always, your photos are excellent. I see you putting some serious time into the design of your post … the way you organize the photos, captions, and your commentary … well, it is superior for sure. Thank you for stopping by my blog this morning and leaving such a thoughtful and kind comment. I put a reply for you on my blog. Thank you for sharing your blog! Take good care, be well, and stay safe. John

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  8. Hello Yvonne,
    I do enjoy seeing your lovely garden images and the poem is beautiful. I hope your sweet Dustin is doing well, he looks adorable. I hope you have found food for your kitty. Gorgeous flowers, I love them all. It is nice to see and hear the Mockingbirds and Chickadees in the garden. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  9. I love seeing the Spring blooms. Some of the buds are so unusual too. And how nice to include the poem. I'll go back and read it again!

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  10. I don't think your life is uninteresting. To me it seems full of the joys of observation and appreciation of the many aspects of nature around you. I live not many miles from Wordsworth's daffodils in the Lake District, about 40 at the most. It's such a tourist hotspot , more so after two years of lockdown and now summer on the horizon. Love your photos again!

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  11. so many beautiful flowers :) Not sure I would like that fly though, but the little dog is cute. :)

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  12. Beautiful words and flowers. I feel spring in my soul after appraising your post.

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  13. Oh your doggie is so sweet and napping so well ~

    Lovely floral macro shots and other nature shots too ~Xo

    Wishing you laughter and love in all your days,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  14. Absolutely beautiful, the flowers and dog, stunning.

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  15. Marvelous collection of photos!

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  16. These are beautiful spring photos.
    Photos 24 and 25 are my favorite.
    Greetings Irma

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  17. The Dandelion shot is fantastic! I got a new camera so I'm stealing your idea to practice with! #MCoW

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  18. I visited a lovely botanical garden today. Didn't come away with nearly the images you've posted here, though.

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    1. If you only knew what I go through to get a good shot :) I'm bending and stepping all over the place, which is perhaps more difficult to do in a botanical garden, than in one's own garden.

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  19. Enthralling series of photos, Yvonne. Your macro shots are stunners!

    Happy Wednesday!

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  20. Lovely photos! Others are reporting pet food shortages. My daughter drove an hour to get cockatiel food.

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  21. Your spring flowers are happy blooming. Your furry friend is enjoying sweet dreams. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  22. Oh WOW!, dear Yvonne, you have the offspring of an Austrian prince in your garden! How nice, then you are connected to my home country through the tulip :-D
    This Adiantum pedatum - Maidenhair Fern looks mesmerizing, a little entangled alien!
    I also had such a beautiful Bleeding Hearts plant for a few years, but it has since disappeared. Probably pushed out by the ivy, which wants to eat up my entire garden.
    I don't think your life sounds uninteresting this week - it all depends on what kind of action you expect, but your plant and animal descriptions always sound interesting and poetic to me. The Cloud Daffodil Poem goes with it. And that you do physical therapy to build up your neck and shoulder muscles, is a good thing, even if it involves pain. I used to have several physiotherapies and know the pain - but if you don't let up after the therapy and continue your exercises, then it's worth it.
    I too wish your Canis lupus familiaris :-) 'Dustin' sweet dreams!
    And I wish you a wonderful Easter! 🐣🐇
    All the best,
    Traude

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  23. An awesome selection of nature at its best. Thanks for sharing.

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  24. Not much is blooming here in Colorado as yet so I loved seeing all your beautiful flowers! Your macro shots are so interesting. I've always liked that Wadsworth poem and used to know it by heart when I was young....now I only remember the first stanza well and need help with the rest. I hopenyour PT helps--neck and shoulder pain is a growing problem theses days as we are all looking down at our phones so much. I try yoga stretches to help strengthen my back and neck.

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  25. Thank you for sharing all these beauties and William Wordsworth's poem.
    And thank you for the visit on my blog.
    All the best and health! Take care! ❤️

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  26. Gorgeous blooms and Wordsworth is always in season.

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  27. Your closeups of the midge fly, dandelion and maidenhair fern are wonderful. I enjoyed seeing your daffodils (mine are mostly gone) and tulips (the few species tulips I had were lost to an early heatwave). I've had issues with cat food supplies too - my cat likes some of the Weruva varieties and some of the 'Just Juicy' Lotus varieties.

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  28. Wow ! what a lovely collection of spring blooms, I love the array of blooms of fothergilla and bleeding hearts.

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  29. Wonderful! Beautiful!
    The Daffodil poem reminds me an elementary school teacher I had (many, many years ago) who loved poetry and taught us to love it too. Thanks!
    Happy Easter!

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