Sunday, September 7, 2008

What does it all mean? (My Sacred Life, Sunday)

As is perfect for this day, this singular day when I can shoot our garden arbor before we depart for weeks, knowing it will be long-faded by the time we return, here is a photo taken at dawn this morning of one of our favorite views and most-precious garden elements.
(the photo is a bit odd-looking with the rounded edges at the top corners only because it is two photos, left side and right side, stitched together)

It has taken years--roughly six or seven--for the various vegetation we have introduced on the two sides of the arbor to take flight. It was Julia's brilliant notion to add a Clematus of the variety, OuttaMyWayI'mClimbingUpitus (a recent addition to the nomenclature which you may not yet see listed in your horticulture books) which finally has given us almost complete, end-to-end all-the-way-over-the-top coverage of the arbor.

I'm happy to report that I can find no photos at the moment which show what this area looked like years ago. I know some of you are sensitive and easily brought to tears, so I'm glad to spare you.

While we will have an absolutely marvelous time on our trip, I know that both Julia and I will miss the special time when our garden begins to fade, even as the fall-blooming plants rush to the fore and have their moment in the spotlight. With a little luck, we will get home before the first hard freeze and enjoy a few more home-grown tomatoes. Lots of the herbs, meanwhile, don't seem to give a doggone about freezing or snow, so some of those will make appearances in soups and such all the way to Christmas.

So, what does it all mean? My friends, it is all about now, all about where you are. I'm here on East Mexico Avenue in Denver preparing for our yearly pilgrimage to Michigan, and I'm reporting what I am living.

You? You may be about to leave for Algonquin Park or Seattle or some crazy hill-infested 10K in the Atlanta area, or even be busily nailing plywood over your windows in the Florida keys as you anticipate Ike. It's all the same thing, people. It is all being where you are, doing what you are doing, and loving every second of it because it is exactly where you are supposed to be right this moment.

Love to you all as I embark on two more days of getting ready both to travel and to be away from work--I easily confess to being one who frets too much when gone too long from the office--and please stop by now and again...I promise there will be words from the wilderness ("do they have electricity there, Julia??").

7 comments:

Steve Sherlock said...

Rick, the before photo is not necessary. I trust your judgement and effort to make such improvements to it so that it does look like a wonderful environment for sitting and talking and...

I trust there will be elctricity where you are going so we will be able to keep in touch. Enjoy this precious time away!

Rick Hamrick said...

Steve--thanks for stopping by!

My wisecrack about electricity was of the same genre as people from the east coast who were worried to come to Denver for the Democratic convention because they did not want to dodge cattle in the streets or horse apples (to employ the euphemism) on the sidewalks.

Yes, we do love to sit and enjoy the garden back in that corner known as The Happy Place. I need to get a couple of shots from the sitting-down view because the shot today is looking toward the corner instead of out toward all the little gardens we support in our backyard. Maybe I'll offer those up late today (late afternoon offers the best light for shooting back toward the yard, which is east).

Julie said...

This post made me spit coffee. You owe me a screen.
Have a great trip!!!!

Rick Hamrick said...

Gosh, Julie, maybe I should put up a spit-guard advisory on my blog! [big grin]

I'm glad you caught the reference to your weekend activities. I promise I was not intending to have you spit coffee...that was just a little side benefit!

Last year's trip at this same time was when I really got going with this blog thanks to Carla Blazek and her My Sacred Life idea, so it will be a bit like a reunion trip, I'm betting.

There will certainly be more time for writing than there often is at home.

Olivia said...

I hope you have a wonderful trip, Rick. I always have a hard time letting go of things I love (like my garden) before I go on vacation too. Then, almost immediately, when I actually physically LEAVE, then I'm able to let go and have a great time. Wishing you the same, Love, O

Jane said...

looks gorgeous! Have a great trip!

Rick Hamrick said...

O--yes, it seems 'out of sight, out of mind' is a valid old saw for me, as well. Now that we are here, and now that the road trip is over, I'm not missing the garden nearly as much!

Jane--thanks for the good wishes. We are, indeed, having a great trip.