Spring at the Old Mill

I have so many favorite places to see in the spring that it's hard to fit them all in, especially with the spring showers we've been having. Well, more than showers . . . downpours! A must see every spring is the Old Mill, but this year I had to dodge the rain and hope the blossoms had not been destroyed. 

A little history of the Old Mill. It is a historic re-creation of an 1880's water-powered grist mill. It's pretty famous. It was used in the opening credits of the 1939 movie "Gone With The Wind."

It's such a beautiful and relaxing place to take a stroll.

No matter what angle you view the mill from, It's breathtaking!

Friends of the Old Mill and the Pulaski County Master Gardeners do an excellent job of keeping it clean and pretty.

Sometimes the water is an icky reddish color, but with all the recent rains it was flowing clear and pretty.

If you look at the foreground of the picture below you can see a concrete bench created by Senor Dionico Rodriquez, a sculptor and artist of Mexico City. There are also concrete sculptures of toadstools, tree stumps, and tree branches entwined to form bridges.

There are some very pretty pathways to stroll along.

I was surprised to see something new at the mill. An unidentified carver had been at work carving an old tree trunk. He carved an amazing replica of the Old Mill and the letters N L R, which stands for North Little Rock where the mill is located in Arkansas.

The Mill has never failed to please in the springtime.

This year it was exceptional!

"The flowers appear on the earth;

the time of the singing of birds is come

and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."

Song of Solomon 2:12

Celebrate the Colors of Spring

Seven full days of sunshine!

That's all we've had since January 1st!

I'm not saying we haven't seen sunshine

on other days, we have, 

but those days were mostly cloudy or partly cloudy.

Only seven full days of sunshine in over two months . . . .

no wonder my Vitamin D level is low!!

I'm saying that to explain why my sister, sister-in-law and I made the trip to Garvan Woodland Gardens on a misty, overcast day. We wanted to see the daffodils before they were frozen by the way-below-normal-temperatures in the forecast.

There are several paths you can take through the garden. We came for the daffodils, so we headed that way first.

On our way we spotted some pretty red tulips that were just beginning to bloom. We'll need to go back in a few weeks to see all the tulips in full bloom.

On the way to Daffodil Hill we pasted by thousands of hyacinths. I don't remember ever seeing the darker purple ones before.

We ventured down the Camellia Trail to see if there were any blossoms left and there were! Some very pretty ones.

Finally we came to Daffodil Hill! This is only a very small portion of the daffodils scattered across the hill. No matter which way you turn on this small hill, you can see daffodils.

As I mentioned before there are several paths you can take through the garden. We didn't take this one. It looked much to slippery, not to mention very steep. We sure didn't want to chance a fall!

A new addition to the garden this year is the tree house in the Evans Children's Adventure Garden. This pictures doesn't begin to show how large it is. I should have asked my sister and sister-in-law to go up in the tree house and wave at me! The 500 square foot structure is 28 foot tall. Adults can stand on the first two levels with no problem at all! The third level, well we didn't go that far. You have to climb a rope net to the crow's nest. A small area that gives you a bird's-eye view of the woods. Josh Siebert, the architect, describes the idea behind this modern looking tree house by saying "Our concept was a tree house in the woods and amongst the woods. It floats, it's mysterious, but it's also modern." I'll admit when I first saw it, I wasn't impressed. I'm not real keen on modern architecture, but the beauty for me was on the inside.

  

I love the repetition of the yellow pine ribs and the spectacular views. 

As you leave the tree house, there are some really cool mirrors set in the railing. They reminded me of fun house mirrors at carnivals. They each made you look a little different and sometimes silly. I avoided the one that made me look short and rather plump!!

We wandered back to the front of the garden to eat lunch at the Chipmunk Cafe. As we waited for our food, we watched three very friendly, not-scared-of-people peacocks. Or I guess I should say one peacock and two peahens. Last year there was only the peacock. Maybe with the addition of two peahens, little pea chicks may be in the future.

You have to be patient, but they will eventually show off their feathers.

Despite the damp, chilly air we enjoyed our day out. This day was also a celebration for me. I am one year cancer free. It's been a long year, sometimes difficult, but I feel like I've passed a milestone! 

Fluff and Majesty

The Chinese name for the peony is sho yu and this means "most beautiful." I totally agree. Peonies are among the "most beautiful" flowers in a garden. Hidden inside the hard, tight bud glorious flowers patiently wait to spread their petals. We have to wonder what lovely color it will be.

The edges along the green scales produce sweet nectar. If you have peonies, most likely you will have ants. Don't be too quick to wage war against them. They are beneficial to the peony. Those ants that take advantage of the peony flowers not only help to open the buds as they try to get to the nectar, but they eat insects that are attacking the plants.

A peony represents romance, a happy marriage, compassion, riches, and honor, but it can also mean bashfulness. They do seem to be a little bashful as they slowly open, popping up one petal at a time.

Peonies bring back memories of my mother's love for flowers and her gardens. Peonies and roses were her favorite flowers. The peonies in these pictures are in her garden.

"The fattest and most scrumptious of all flowers,

a rare fusion of fluff and majesty, the peony is now coming into bloom."

~ Henry Mitchell

Happy First Day of Spring to you!!

The first day of spring has arrived in Arkansas with cool temperatures, cloudy skies, and brisk winds. Although today is the official first day of spring, flowers have been springing out for the last couple of weeks. We've had some wonderful warm days with sun shining on the blossoms of spring. How about taking a stroll around the yard with me? 

You'll see spring colors just as soon as we step out on the porch. My Forsythia bush blazes with yellow in front of my neighbor's Bradford Pear.

We'll head around the front of the house where you'll see my two Chinese Fringeflower bushes. My daughter bought me these several years ago and they are fascinating to watch in the spring. The blossoms begin as tiny, tight buds that slowly uncurl. My bushes have gotten huge. They're both about 10 feet tall now and loaded with blossoms!

Of course, it wouldn't be spring without weeds! The lower part of our property, which we call the pasture although it's not really a pasture, is full of weeds. It's such a beautiful sight in spring. I have to encourage Jerry not to mow too early so I can enjoy the colors of spring weeds. Among my favorites are the Creeping Buttercups (Renunculus repens) and Purple Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) which has the Greek translation "the devouring purple monster." Spring weeds may be a gardener's worst nightmare, but they do have good qualities. Purple Deadnettle is one of the first weeds to bloom in spring and are therefore a great source of nectar for bees. I can testify to that! These patches of weeds are buzzing with bees! Deadnettles are also a highly nutritious super food that are in the mint family. The leaves and the purple tops are edible and can be used in salads, soups, and smoothies.

If you'd like we can relax for a little while in my swing. There we can see the Phlox and Jonquils showing off their colors while dancing in the breeze. We can watch the birds flitting through the tree branches and finally landing on the feeders. Their spring songs are delightful!

I hope you've enjoyed our short walk and seeing spring in my yard.
I also hope you're enjoying your First Day of Spring!!

"Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves

is heard in our land."

~ Song of Solomon 2:12

Every Fifteen Steps

I began the story of my trip to Garvan Woodland Gardens in last week's post. I went to the gardens with a list of intentions: things to photograph for four classes I am taking.

Mission #2

This exercise was for a class I'm taking called A Year With My Camera. It started with the basics of taking your camera off automatic and then moved forward into light and composition. Most of those first lessons were things I knew, but it never hurts to review. The lesson for this past week was a creative one. She gave us several options to pick from. I chose to go on a photo walk taking a picture every fifteen steps. 

As you can imagine a photo walk through a garden would bring endless possibilities of photos every fifteen feet. Knowing that, I chose to take a woodland path where there weren't many flowers blooming.

Sometimes as I stopped I had to look very closely to find something interesting to photograph. This lesson was not about taking amazing photos. It was not about learning our camera. It was about looking closely, what I call seeing. It was teaching us to let our eyes slowly scan the area instead of taking a quick look and snapping the shutter at the first pretty view.

I took a total of sixteen pictures for this exercise. My last steps brought me back to a paved path that led to the welcome center. And who was there to welcome me back? George, the peacock greeter! He's been at the gardens for several years. Last year he was alone, but this year he has two peahens to keep him company and oh, how he loved to show off his feathers for them! He was the perfect ending to my photo walk!

"We look at the world and see what we have learned to believe is there.

We have been conditioned to expect . . .

but, as photographers, we must learn to relax our beliefs."

~ Aaron Siskind

Scene & Story - April 2017

Every year we wait and wait and wait! This young tree in our yard is always the last tree to unfurl it's leaves each spring. Every year it makes me a little nervous until I see those first leaves begin to form. We have a lot of trees on our property, but this one is special. It was just a little seedling when we got it. It was so scrawny that I never expected it to live, but it did. Maybe it lived because it was planted with love and care. Our oldest grandson, Jake, was only four when he helped Jerry plant the tree. I remember his excitement as he helped dig the hole. He held the tree straight as Jerry packed the dirt around the roots and then he gave it lots of water. It's been ten years. Jake has grown unbelievable fast and so has the little tree. Jake is taller than me and the tree is now at least 15 feet high. Each year as I wait for it's springs leaves I think of a little boy with a big smile and dirty hands helping his Gramps!

* * * * *

I'm linking today with Scene & Story hosted

by Lee and Sarah.

You can see all those who link up on Sarah's blog.

Join us each month as we choose a photo and tell a story.

Lately. . .

It's spring! I'm supposed to be lively and energetic, but I'm not. I've been fatigued, yawning my head off, and feeling irritable! It's called Spring Lethargy. The opposite of Spring Fever, where energy levels rise! Leave it to me to do the opposite of everyone else! I've been trying to overcome this ailment through photography.

So, here's a list of twelve things I've found or done lately.

1. I went to a photography exhibit featuring Ansel Adam's early works. Very impressive and inspiring. Makes me want to take more black and white photos!

2. I worked in my shade gardens getting the last of the fallen leaves removed and burned.

3. I picked one of my mom's peonies to bring in the house to enjoy. Of course, I waited until the bee left.

4. I walked in the woods a little. Not much, the mosquitoes are out in massive numbers. I had to wait for a cool, windy morning!

5. I found some honeysuckle and tasted it. Did you do that as a child; hold the honeysuckle in one hand, pinch off the end,  pull out the stamen and then lick the drop of nectar?  I did! For some reason though, they don't seem to be as sweet and tasteful as when I was a child. This photo makes me laugh. The bloom on the left looks like it's sticking it's tongue out trying to get rid of the spider web!

6. I mowed again! The weeds seem to be winning the battle!

7. I did a little traveling. As Jerry drove, I took pictures out the window. I enjoyed the beautiful spring greens surrounding my favorite barn!

8. I finally purchased a plant I've been wanting for a long time; a hellebore. They aren't showy flowers, just very simple with elegant colors and lines. They do like to keep their heads down which makes photographing them difficult. They remind me of myself when I'm walking; always keeping my head down. There's such interesting things on the ground, but I miss the view that way!

9. Quite by accident I was able to go into a small, old post office (someone left the door unlocked.) It was once the Detonti post office and now sits with an old church and historical home in a town near me. There's not much inside, a bulletin board with old pictures and papers, a typewriter, and a book, The 1932 edition of the Postal Laws and Regulations. Among the papers was a copy of an old envelope. The postmark reads North Hollywood California Feb. 4, 1946. The postage was only 3¢. The fascinating part is the address: This letter is going to Uncle Lee down in Tull, Arkansas, Grant County, between Mud Creek and Saline River, and across the field from Uncle Hardy's, better know as Detonti, Arkansas RR#1. Uncle Lee got the letter all the way From His Nephew Grady DuVall out in California! Wasn't the world simpler back then!

10. I've been watching for the buckeyes to form on our buckeye tree. We had three last year, but the squirrels got them first! This year there are several and also a strange looking bug!

11. We took our car to the shop where it will getting it's new upholstery. You can't tell by this picture, but there are six people in this little car. Jerry, our son, and four grandsons! Just so you know, no child was on the road for the making of this photo! They met Jerry at the end of our long driveway and road to the house. I say that because there are no seat belts yet and three of the boys were on their knees facing backwards. There is no back seat!

12. And lastly a fun surprise as I was driving down some country back roads. I spotted a camel enjoying himself in the spring sunshine. I imagine he was glad to be done with winter! The strangest thing is he doesn't live too far from me and I've never seen him before! Maybe he was there to bring me a laugh!

That about wraps it up! I'm trying very hard to get through these few weeks of low energy. All will be well as soon as I adapt to the seasonal changes. I'm hoping your spring is filled with beauty and that you're enjoying it RIGHT NOW!