There is a spare beauty in gray mist
floating and rising from the valley floor,
Droplets on the window panes,
the quiet whishing of rain on the trees.
Melancholy, some say.
But it teaches patience
and the understanding that we can’t always have our own way.
We are not in control of much,
though we like to plan and wear the foreman’s white hat.
Urbanization has meant misunderstanding of rainy days.
For city dwellers
rain brings spoiled plans, ruined picnics, traffic snarls.
Farmers, gardeners,
And those living in drought
know.
The earth thirsts for rain,
And the water feeds and
fertilizes and
fills and
renews.
Inside, I ponder the choices.
Organize drawers, Write, Read, Sew, Bake bread, Take a nap?
Be productive,
Or not.
Such Luxury.
And the world looks so much sweeter when the sun breaks through.
Yes, it certainly is odd. One lone stalk bursting into five gorgeous icy pink lily-type flowers that circle the top. We had no idea how or why that one odd flower was growing in that one odd spot. But it made us laugh and take a picture of it.
Later I googled Naked Lady Lily — ahh, the small joys of the internet — and discovered that it is not, in fact, a lily. It is Amaryllis Belladonna, and the only true amaryllis. You know those giant flowers sold at Christmas time, under the Amaryllis name? Not. (For your gardening pleasure, they are technically named Hippeastrum.)
Apparently Clara’s Naked Lady doesn’t know that it is hardy only up to Zone 8, and up here in the frigid hinterlands of Zone 5, the bulbs have to be dug up in the fall and replanted in the spring. They look best planted with hostas, and they don’t mind a shady spot, though they prefer sun.
So now I have a quandary — should I just let it be and risk losing it? Should I dig it up and replant it in the spring with a few others? One website noted that they really don’t like being disturbed… The bulbs are 3 for $39.95! Gulp. No wonder Clara only had one! Maybe I’ll just plant some pretty hostas around it…
Fields of wildflowers smiling at the sun.
Sun rises early over the distant hill.
the circle of life 