... Quite all right to ask for a little bit more of anything that makes you happy.
Azaleas are re-blooming for the umpteenth time. Plump, pink buds ready to open as soon as the big flower's time is up.
Early this morning I was anxiously awaiting the end of the coffee pot's drip, drip, drip. The signal I can begin my day. Busying myself, inspecting the flowers and thinking about that idea: HappyThankYouMorePlease and what, exactly, makes me happy.
The face only a Mother could love. Plumeria stalks are preparing to set their first leaves.
Certainly flowers do. You can't get a job in my indoor garden if you won't flower. But what really makes me happy...
What really and truly gets me excited is not always the flower...
Delicate Cyclamen buds hiding in the shade of the big green leaves.
It's that spiffy green growth and new tiny buds ~ the promise of another flower. After the ones the store provided, the flowers that prompted me to buy her in the first place, are all gone.
Look close. Pink and yellow Rosebuds are hatching a plan.
Same deal outdoors. Half the time I look right past the gorgeous blossom to see who's waiting in the wings to do the same darn thing.
African Violets ~ Maybe, just maybe, will be showing off for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
The day I started behaving like that is the day I feel I officially became a gardener. When those little buds that nobody sees but me suddenly became my gratification.
Because they tell me the whole story.
Which always prompts me to exclaim:
Hey! You're not dead??
Perhaps I'm a good gardener, after all!
Bonus Photo: Even my leftover produce is in a happy growing mood these days.
Kate, I like this title and its premise based on the movie you speak of! Sweet blooms and I too love the buds nearly the most. You crack me up with the Plumeria stalks comment... only a mother indeed! ;>))
ReplyDeleteHahahaha! 'Hey, you're not dead!' what a Garden Success slogan! My favorite is,'It came back!' Of course my favorite plants are the ones that come back, with a vengence! (except the weeds...)
ReplyDeleteFrom you pictures, it is obvious that you are a very good gardener :^) I love the little rose buds, the African Violet buds, the Cyclamen and I could go on and on....
ReplyDeleteKate, You've said it so well! When we get past the pretty flower and look closely at a plant...we see so much more....Gail
ReplyDeleteYour plants look so healthy with all those green shoots and buds in your indoor garden. I like your definition of a real gardener, Kate. I realized one day, too, that the showy blooms that eventually come aren't the only things that are enjoyable in the garden. I can get just much enjoyment from an interesting leaf or a dried seed pod--last summer I spent a lot of time getting excited about caterpillars on my plants:)
ReplyDeleteHow exciting to live in the same town as the Sundance Film Festival! Have you ever caught a glimpse of Robert Redford??
What a fun and charming post! I am happy your produce is happy ha ha!! So cute! Gorgeous pictures of buds and leaves..all the flowers an plants..love the textures..great light..so beautiful. Wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteKiki~
It's amazing how the sight of 'green' can make us so happy!
ReplyDeleteHi Kate, how lucky to live in that wonderful place! Our only connection is getting the Sundance catalog with an occasional purchase. HA I love the sound of more of what you love. And agree completely that buds are reason to rejoice, perhaps more than the flowers themselves. Anticipation is better than the event, the uphill as opposed to the downhill of life. :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
Is it bad to admit I'm not wild about African violets? People kept giving them to me because they wouldn't bloom for them, but they did for me... and now my last one looks dead because it fell over... and it turns out I'm a little sad. Ah, the complex emotions of tending plants! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'd never thought of bringing pulmonaria indoors... Very nice post, Kate. And yes, YOU are a gardener! :-) (My onions like to grow, too. ha!)
ReplyDeleteHi, Carol;
ReplyDeleteIt's remarkable, really, how ugly the beginnings of a Plumeria can be - in comparison to how lovely they are in full bloom.
Hey, Jan;
The 'come back' is a big time for rejoicing around this joint, too!
Hi, Noelle;
Those micromini roses keep me sane during our long, snowy winters.
Thx, Gail!
Those seedlings are like my little babies. And, oh how I do love to meddle. :)
Hi, Rose!
ReplyDeleteI'm exactly the same way.
And, yes, you bump into a lot of celebs during the festival. Here's some pics but why settle for
Robert Redford when you can have Pierce Brosnan, too?
Hi, Kiki;
ReplyDeleteThank you - that means a lot coming from you. I love your photography.
I hear ya, Peggy!
During the winter months any growing thing will do. :)
Hi, Frances;
ReplyDeleteThere's a Sundance Farm near here, where they grow their lavender, etc. It used to be open to the public. I haven't been there in years but I should go check that out again. Might be blog-worthy. :)
Monica -- I have a love/hate relationship with my African Violets, too!!
ReplyDeleteThose lazy ladies don't flower often enough to suit me. And, to top it off they're very fussy. This one gets the royal treatment simply because of her special color.
Hi, Shady;
ReplyDeleteIf you have a sunny window the Plumeria does very well indoors. And the fragrance is just amazing when she's in full bloom.
Kate,
ReplyDeleteGreen is the best color for therapy. I am in withdrawal...with the exception of the trees, it is all dirty brown snow outside and dried up grass. It is amazing the benefits of a blooming houseplant. My amaryllis kept me sane this winter. :)
You are so lucky...I love all those independant films, not in the mainstream.
Rosey
Kate, that is awesome! We women are often the very last to ask for anything, especially something that simply makes us happy.
ReplyDeleteLife lesson in color, there. Beautifully done.
Hi, Rosey;
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest Brunnera Jack Frost? He's a little shade lover, loaded with dainty blue flowers - might do well inside your home. Bonus! He'll happily settle into your garden if, or when, this winter ever ends.
Thanks, Titanium;
ReplyDeleteGood observation. I try to remind myself that I can ask for things -- even while I'm busy trying to keep everybody else too happy. :D
I am glad you posted a picture of your Plumeria- I stuck mine in the dirt two weeks ago, put it in the window and I thought nothing was happening! But come to think of it, the tops are beginning to form those strange little nubby things. Success!
ReplyDeleteHi, Noel;
ReplyDeleteI was freaked out by the squiggles on my first Plumeria, too. What colors did you plant? We're working on fuschia and petal pink...
Hi Kate, lovely blossoms and you are indeed a good gardener! I also wanted you to know the mystery bird at our place has been solved: a juvenile Golden-crowned Sparrow... never seen a sparrow that large. ;)
ReplyDeleteThx, Di;
ReplyDeleteA golden crowned sparrow... Never heard of it but that doesn't mean much. I'm not very savvy when it comes to birds. However! I certainly wish my sparrows were that pretty! :)
I had no idea plumeria started as stalks like that. And I don't usually like big showy flowers, but azaleas are one of my favorite. Beautiful pic.
ReplyDeleteThe Plumeria stalks photo....that made me smile. I'm quite sure a grandmother would love it, too.
ReplyDeleteYour bonus photo was great. I think I'll go check my onions and potatoes right now.
donna
lol everything i touch seems to die these days...glad my kids are still around
ReplyDeleteKids are resilient. Roses? Not so much...
ReplyDelete