Fragrant Jasmine Climbing Vines
Have been languishing on the couch for nigh onto a week, now, following doctor's orders for a speedy recovery from an annoying anemic condition.
You'd think, with all this lollygagging, I'd have plenty of time to be blogging but there just aren't enough hours in the day.
Flowering Plum Bonsai
First off, I had to perfect my Sudoku skills. Then, I saved 4 college kids from a spooky fate at the Dire Grove mansion (computer game,) AND! I spent copious amounts of time drooling over several bloggers' gardens who simply have it altogether.
They've got stone walkways that actually lead somewhere. Fancy solar lighting and ~ best of all ~ outdoor living spaces that look nicer than my indoors!
Guess.
That got me thinking about the one shady corner of my property where I could easily create a secret hideaway, with fragrant climbing vines, trickling water, bamboo chimes, maybe a goldfish! But, most definitely lots and lots of cool, green, soothing, squishy... Irish Moss?
Is that breaking the rules? I think Zen-y Gardens are supposed to have sand but I'd be off my rocker to install more sand in this high plains desert.
So, whaddya think? Inquiring minds want to know.
The irises in your banner are so achingly, persistently, beautiful! Nothing like flowers coming up through the snow...
ReplyDelete*sorry, I got sidetracked*
The zen-ness reached out and grabbed me. I want some of that. :)
Dire Grove was awesome. I am eagerly awaiting the next one.
ReplyDeleteKeep resting up, get your strength back.
And Irish moss would work wonderfully in a Zen garden. Moss provokes contemplation, too, y'know; you just can't make designs in it.
Beautiful beautiful photos...so lovely! Yay..glad to hear you are both on the mend..keep sparkling!
ReplyDeleteKiki~
Kate, I, too, am a Sudoku fan - it's how I start every morning, kind of a tuneup for the 'ol brain!
ReplyDeleteThe bonsai is very lovely. Hope you're feeling yourself soon - no pressures, no worries, languish away I say - Spring is coming!
I'm glad that BD is better and that you're getting your prescribed rest. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it! Does that mean FAC is back on this week?
ReplyDeleteThose flowers are beautiful, so simple. The one in the background of the first photo though... well I won't go there.
ReplyDeleteHappy WW!
Hi Kate~~ I hope you're well on your road to recovery.
ReplyDeleteAs far as creating the shady corner of your dreams, may I remind you that rules are made to be broken. Go for it.
They're Crocus, Titanium. I'm glad you like them -- they would happily grow for you in Alaska! PS: I'm gonna make a gardener out you yet! :))
ReplyDeleteHi, Omega;
ReplyDeleteWell, you turned me onto those games. I just loved Return to Ravenhearst. Dire Grove was sooo well done! Now I'm hooked. :)
Thanks, Kiki. Jasmine reminds me of New Orleans. I love that fragrance... And, it grows so fast -- so I think I might make it a summer outdoor plant in the new zen-y garden. :))
ReplyDeleteHi, Amy!
ReplyDeleteI agree! It's a nice quiet way to work the cranial appendage! A friend of mine, also named Amy, gave me a year of Sudoku for Christmas and I'm really enjoying it.
Thanks, Sweet Bay;
ReplyDeleteI've been cooking up homemade dog food for my boy. It's hard work but if it helps it's worth it..
Hey, KC;
ReplyDeleteI'm in for FAC! We could do the Cottonwoods if you like. BD has to stay home. So this could be a good day to do a no mutts allowed trail. :)
Hi, Will;
ReplyDeleteI forgot all about Wordless Wednesday! I'll stop over to see what you're up to... And, that's a bud, by the way, so behave yourself! :)
Grace;
ReplyDeleteYours is one of the gardens I was drooling over yesterday. Love what you've done with the place! :)
All the flowers in your under-the-weather posts are beautiful. I'm sorry you're not feeling well and hope the sunshine comes back soon. Inside and outside.
ReplyDeleteHaha- I am a Sudoku addict as well! Haven't gotten into video games because I could foresee far too hours spent. My computer guilty pleasure is Free Cell Solitaire.
ReplyDeleteAs for your Zen Garden- The sand is representative of the sea (hence the raking of "waves" into it). I don't see why you can't have mounds of moss representative of cool green mountains or fields, since it seems you have plenty of "sea" in your parts. Maybe you could go ahead and also isolate a small "pond" of sand for zen raking!
Hi Kate. Hope you are well soon. Cannot have you sick.
ReplyDeleteYour Jasmine is so pretty. Wish we could smell the aroma on these blogs.;-)
Your Zen get away sounds so good. Moss would be good in it. I know what you mean about so many beautiful gardens and outdoor rooms out there. I have drooled over so many of them LOL!
Lona
Sometimes you just need a break, you shouldn't feel bad for that. Your readers will wait for you!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a secret garden. I started one two years ago for my neighbor and realized pretty quickly that it would be for me as well. I can't wait to continue tricking it out! Not today though, because it's ridiculously cold!
Thx, Snowcatcher;
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to be getting my energy back. Bad Dog is becoming quite ornery since he's not allowed to take a walk. :)
Fab idea, Forest Girl!
ReplyDeleteI'll make a little sandy spot to play with...
PS: I tried Free Cell but I lost all the time and that started messing with my self-esteem. :)
Hi, Lona;
ReplyDeleteIt would be fun to have a fragrance widget on some of our blogs... but then I spend tons of time on cooking blogs - that might inspire all sorts of over eating! :))
Amazing that you aren't feeling well and still manage to be funny. Nobody would accuse me of being amusing while I'm sick.
ReplyDeleteThe Jasmine blooms are absolutely perfect looking.
Get well, stay well my blogger friend.
donna
Thanks, my dear. You could probably grow Jasmine indoors. I did in Minnesota. :)
ReplyDeleteSo pretty!!!! I bet they smell great! Happy WW!
ReplyDeleteThx, Liza; Very sweet of you to say. I'm getting more and more excited about creating a Zen garden hideaway. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Spice!
ReplyDeleteI completely forgot about WW. Will scoot over very shortly to see what yer up to... :D
Kate, happy to hear you are on the mend and hope you're taking some iron. (that's motherly advice)
ReplyDeleteThe way you describe the idea of your Zen garden sounds perfect to me. There is one section of our garden that has mostly evergreens, a few maples, rocks, a statue, ground covers - several kinds of creeping thyme, scotch moss, phlox... and it is like our Zen garden where we stroll quietly and enjoy the silence and simplicity.
Stay well.
Love your Zen garden sign. Moss would look so much better than sand (well, to me it would). Mostly, I just dream about creating all sorts of gardens and am thankful that I don`t have the room to do so. That would be far too much work. I, too, am impressed with these gardeners who seem to have it together & have time to blog and spend time on twitter. The jasmine climbing vines must be a joy. Their blossoms are beautiful and I can imagine what a wonderful scent they have. I hope the anemia is leaving (I`ve struggled with it for years & end up getting iron shots when things get dire. It`s amazing, though, how our bodies adapt to it though.)
ReplyDeleteHey, Kate-I have been thinking of you, but been too immersed in my own pity party with my souvenir cold, along with thinking 'wth? it's March...why is it still so much like winter?!?'
ReplyDeleteGlad Bad Dog is doing better, and hope you are up to snuff soon as well.
PS Both of my 'holiday' cacti are blooming. Now they think they are Lent cacti???
ReplyDeleteThx for your kind thoughts, Di;
ReplyDeleteCreeping thyme! Good idea. That will be squeezed into my grand plan, as well. :D
Oh, Kate; I'm sad to hear that you are suffering from the iron thing, too. I've not experienced this before and it's a hard mental adjustment to not have enough energy to do the things I love to do. I am missing the horses big time...
ReplyDeleteSending healing thoughts your way, Iron. I can do that much. I wish I could melt your snow, too. And, mine! I KNOW there are more crocus bulbs blooming under these deep drifts. And, more snow in my forecast... Thank goodness for indoor blossoms.
ReplyDeleteThe flowers are lovely and I bet their smell is out of this world. Lolly gagging is good for the soul and the body. I was diagnosed with anemia a year ago. now after a 4 month course of iron pills, I feel lots better.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE anything Zen...go for it with gusto!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you continue to feel better. It's so frustrating to be derailed!!
Sounds like you're living the zen:
ReplyDeleteA bird in a secluded grove sings like a flute.
Willows sway gracefully with their golden threads.
The mountain valley grows the quieter as the clouds return.
A breeze brings along the fragrance of the apricot flowers.
For a whole day I have sat here encompassed by peace,
Till my mind is cleansed in and out of all cares and idle thoughts.
I wish to tell you how I feel, but words fail me.
If you come to this grove, we can compare notes.
~Ch'an master Fa-yen
I came via 'Next Blog'.
ReplyDeleteyour pictures are breathtaking.
I am also a gardener but I garden in the relatively easy climate of the Welsh border in the UK.
Nothing doing yet, it is still too cold.
happy gardening!
Hi, Melanie!
ReplyDeleteI've discovered a number of bloggers with this 'condition.' I need a quick recovery but I guess that's not the norm.. :(
Thx, Jeannie!
Appreciate your good wishes.
You've got the beat, Cynthia! When I get my Zen-y garden all decked out a poetry reading is in order!
Hi, Friko;
So, nice to meet a UK garden blogger! Heading over to your place to a pay a visit right now...
Glad Bad Dog is on the mend. I hope your illness did not ruin your March horse plans. I brought back way too many bulbs from the Philadelphia flower show, but I haven't got them going, yet. Two more amarylis, three hyacinth and a dozen or so paper whites. Even though the trees are blooming here, I can't get enough spring bulbs!
ReplyDeleteI think a Zen garden would be perfect, and it's your "Zen," so put in Irish moss or whatever you want! I love to visit Japanese gardens; last summer I saw the largest one in the U.S. in Portland, Oregon. Just walking through it made me feel more peaceful and less stressed out. I keep thinking I'd like to find a little corner for one here, even if my daughter thinks I'd botch it up. Anyway, go for it! And put in whatever makes you feel good.
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better--you must be a Sudoku master by now:)
Hi, Jan!
ReplyDeleteI have exactly 7 days to get healthy... I'm going on that horse vacation even though I'm not in the best of shape. Can't turn down a dream trip!
Thx, Rose;
This new Zen garden will be a very fun little hideaway...
Hope you are feeling better. I just spent 3 hours catching up on 5 days worth of others' posts... and haven't even done any posting myself. I could easily spend all day online, but... what about real life, LOL! I love that little ceramic Buddah!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful beautiful photos... they are so simple and so fascinating
ReplyDelete