Exits and Entrances Reprised from 2011 (Tuesday's Truths WK 124)

A copy of the Mutts comic strip that's posted atop this entry was in my In Box this morning causing me to recall a joke that I heard a few years ago:

Q: If an April shower brought a May flower; what did the May Flower bring? 
A: Pilgrims!

But if truth be told, imho, April showers take away May flowers and I've mentioned my observation re this occurrence in prior posts here on Blogger. Welcome to the 124th segment of my Tuesday's Truths series...

NYC has been receiving heavy rains for several days now and many of the tulips in my garden that I wrote about in this past Tuesday's blog post (where I included photographs of them) have lost their petals.

It's beginning to look a lot like Spring in my garden. (Tuesday's Truths WK 118)

For Snoopy, it is Woodstock returning from the other side of the doghouse that causes him to think Spring must be near, for me its the fact that my crocuses are poking their heads out from under their mulch that makes me think the season is truly upon us.

For my Ajuga & Her "unacknowledged" Friends

The other day, these two mourning doves, sitting atop the container that "houses" my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines), were having a heart to heart convo. They were discussing how they felt about the fact that unlike "some birds" that visit my garden, they do not have a baseball team named for them!

Let the Spring Season Begin

This past Wednesday, March 20th 2013), was the day of the Vernal Equinox and the first day of spring. A music loving visitor (who came to my indoor succulent garden) helped ring in the season by repurposing a leaf and turning it into an instrument! This can be seen in the image posted above today's blog entry (variations of this image were featured in postings on TLLG's Facebook Page and tumblr blog).

Anyone who follows TLLG knows that throughout the year, an array of eclectic visitors frequent my indoor succulent garden, providing some entertainment and ambience which helps my succulents thrive. "Stories" about this can be found in a number of posts here on Blogger as well as on tumblr. 

Moreover, I have guest blogged about this topic in the past. Additionally, there are images of most of the "folks" and "creatures" who visit my indoor garden on one of my Pinterest Boards.

In terms of Wednesday's arrival of spring in my urban (NYC) terrace (roof extension) garden, Juan V and I "celebrated" the onset of the season by working in my garden. You may recall from a number of posts here on Blogger that he comes to work in my garden approximately every ten days during "open season." 

And even though last Wednesday was only the first day of spring, my garden was already coming back from a dreary winter, as yesterday was also the second "round" of my working with Juan V for the 2013 "gardening season." Our first day of working together after "the winter break" had been on Saturday March 9th 2013. Every year when we "re-open" my garden, the first task is to de-winterize, which involves quite a few hours of work as my winterizing methods are quite extensive.

What a DIFFERENCE a week makes!

The image atop this entry is from the Facebook Page for Gowanus Nursery in Brooklyn. It is one of the places where I have gotten some of the flora that grows in my rooftop garden, which is something I mentioned in a post that I published here on Blogger on March 22nd, 2017.

My visiting American robin is honored to learn that his bird type is the one whose been chosen to be part of their announcement. And, I'm honored that an American robin still visits me,

and even did so during snowy times,

as evidenced in a number of my entries here on Blogger.

In any event in the aforementioned entry re Gowanus Nursery, I discuss the fact that they had to delay their opening on two occasions because of wintery conditions; and I also stated that I had to postpone my garden de-winterizing two times for  the same reason.

April's Last Day Tuesday's Truths WK 124

CLICK FOR IMAGE CREDIT AND POEM INFO

It's the last day of April, the month T.S. Eliot deemed (in The Wasteland) as "the cruelest" and the month Mary Oliver described (in her poem Blossom which is posted atop this entry) as one where "...the ponds open like black blossoms..."

As for me, I've often referred to April as the month where April Showers take away May flowers as they have been doing this month; evidenced in the following pictures(respectively) of the Spring Green, Red Riding Hood and Day Dream tulip varieties).

OTHER TULIPS ARE FEATURED IN VOL 1

OTHER TULIPS ARE FEATURED IN VOL 1

OTHER TULIPS ARE FEATURED IN VOL 1

Many tulip types (other than the ones featured in this entry) are featured in volume one of my book series, Words In Our Beak, where the stories are set in my rooftop garden and told from the perspective of Cam; a female cardinal.

"another year over AND a new one just begun . . . " PART TWO-A (January — March 2012)

Happy first full week (ALMOST) of the 2013 year and with that salutation I welcome you to part two (portion A) of my post titled "another year over AND a new one just begun . . . "  

Since tomorrow is January the eighth, which means  the first week of the calendar new year will already be passing, it's high time I complete my garden's year-end review for 2012-2013, as promised in part one of this posting!

And, as I stated in part one, part two will be a quick look back pictorially over the "breaking news" of a given month in my garden from January 5, 2012 through January 5, 2013. However, part two will take place over thirten days, which will include today, where I will cover the events for the months of January-March of 2012; tomorrow, the eighth, where I will cover the events for the month of April 2012; Wednesday, the ninth when I'll cover the events of May 2012; Thursday the tenth when I will cover the events of June of 2012; Friday the eleventh, when I'll cover the events of July 2012; and, Saturday, the twelfth when I will cover the events of August 2012. 

Because the year 2012 brought with it a number of major garden upheavals, including a so-called renovation in September, Hurricane Sandy as well as a nor'easter in October, I will divide the review for those months and cover them over two — three days per month.

On Sunday, January the thirteenth, I will cover the events of September 2012 which occurred between September 1st and September 11th of 2012; then on Monday, January 14th, I'll cover the events from September 12th to September 19th of 2012; and I'll conclude September 2012' s coverage on Tuesday, January the sixteenth.

Then on Wednesday, January the sixteenth, I will cover October 1st 2012 through October 10th 2012; on Thursday the seventeenth, I'll cover October 11th through October 24th; and I'll conclude October of 2012 on Friday the eighteenth of January, when I will cover October 25th through October 31st.

I will cover the month of November 2012, on Saturday the nineteenth; and on Sunday the twentieth, I'll cover the month of December 2012 through January 5th of 2013. 

The numbers of photo-ops (in my Aperture Library) for this particular year in my garden are: 62 for January of 2012; 8 for February of 2012; 1,085 for March of 2012; 983 for April of 2012; 595 for May of 2012; 1,276 for June of 2012; 1,015 for July of 2012; 980 for August of 2012; 7,016 for September of 2012; 5,170 for October of 2012; 1,853 for November of 2012; 220 for December of 2012; and as of January 5th, 2013, there are already thirty-one images. Generally, when a given month has a larger amount of images  it is due to what has bloomed, which is still the case; however because an array of visiting birds came to my garden this year, my image-count for the particular months they spent time here is higher. 

Moreover a number of upheavals occurred in my garden during certain months, and this accounts for varying image quantities per month. And now — if you are not totally confused by my detailed schedule, without further ado, the highly anticipated year in pictures for The Last Leaf Gardener's garden!

Remembering Tiny Tim Again

The performer known as Tiny Tim was born eighty-five years ago on this day of April 12, and ultimately died on November 30th in 1996. This is a fact that I've referenced in prior posts here on Blogger (including one I published last year) where I've featured a copy of the mini video (from the collection in my Vimeo Library) which is featured a top this entry.

Now, in honor of his birth anniversary, I've posted it again and am accompanying the mini movie with an update on how the tulip bulbs Juan V (JV) and I planted this past December are doing. My last reference to them was nine days ago (April 2) and they have made a lot of progress since them, as evidenced by the aerial photo of my garden which I took the other day.

"WIOB'S" STORIES ARE SET IN MY GARDEN

Many thanks to Martha B for opening the hatch leading to the rooftop of the building where I live. It is much too heavy for yours truly to manage and I wanted to take an aerial shot of how my garden is looking in these early days of spring 2019. As you can see, the tulip bulbs that were planted this past December, as well as in bygone years, are "waking up" from their winter's nap and nearly ready to show their flowers.

I have a wide variety of them and the ones in this PARTIAL VIEW of my place are members of these families: Spring Green, Day Dream, Red Riding Hood and Elegant Lady; these four types are late spring bloomers.

SPRUNG? Pistachio Buds?

Today marks one week and a day since the "official" onset of spring, and on the eve of this year's Vernal Equinox, which was also the eve of the first day of spring, my crocuses and my tulips among other things were aready providing some entertainment and ambiance. 

This is the first year, that I have had crocuses in my rooftop garden I find them to be a sweet looking flower and that their brilliant green foliage (which is enhanced with white "pin stripes") is also awesome.

A few of my crocuses can be seen in the images posted below, and these varieties were planted this past November within the large containers where my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida AKA Kiwi Vines as well as my Continus Coggygria AKA Smoke Bush live respectively. 

Some of my Crocuses Sharing Digs with my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida 

Going Solo (View of One of my Crocuses Sharing Digs with my Continus Coggygria)

To me, the crocuses exude joy and their playful nature makes me wonder why I waited until this past November to include them in my garden. These little flowers with their pin striped foliage (although I've never heard anyone else refer to heir leaves with this particular description) have caused folks from all walks of life to be inspired to include them in their prose.

In his poem, The Year's Awakening, Thomas Hardy wrote:

How do you know, deep underground,

Hid in your bed from sight and sound,

Without a turn in temperature,

With weather life can scarce endure,

That light has won a fraction's strength,

And day put on some moments' length,

Whereof in merest rote will come,

Weeks hence, mild airs that do not numb;

O crocus root, how do you know, 

How do you know?

And, like Hardy, I marvel at the presence, as well as the resilience of my sweet crocuses, and I take pictures of them as one does with a new born child; ever conscious that each moment is unique, short-lived and precious. Perhaps, dear reader, you might have surmised this from your own experience with these flowers or from images which I am including  below:

My Crocuses Sharing Digs With My Actinida kolomikta and Actimida  

When I see my crocuses closing their petals to take a nap or to protect their insides from colder temperatures, wind and heavy rain (such as they are doing in the image posted above), I sometimes think of the meaning of my surname which is Youngquist, a Swedish name, that comes from a plant that can survive under any condition.

As for me, I am a bit weary of seeing that indeed I can survive under adverse conditions, and, in my whimsical moments, I wonder if my crocuses feel the same way about being survivors. 

Sometimes it seems it would be nice to have a name that translated into one who survives best under cushy conditions. In any event, my crocuses seem to take life as it comes, and they appear to enjoy their moments in the sun as seen in the image below of to of them mugging for the camera. 

My Crocuses Sharing Digs with my Continus Coggygria 

The feelings, reactions and inspiration that crocuses can cause seem to be as varied as the crocuses themselves. 

For example, Raymond Carver, has quite a different "take" on the sweet flower than Thomas Hardy seemed to have. In his poem, Two Worlds, Carver "weighs in" on on crocuses with the following:

In air heavy,

with odor of crocuses,

sensual smell of crocuses,

I watch a lemon sun disappear,

a sea change blue

to olive black.

I watch lighting leap from Asia as

sleeping.

my love stirs and breathes and

sleeps again,

part of this world and yet 

part that.

Two of my Crocuses Sharing Digs With My Actinida kolomikta and Actimida

Mother's Day 2012

I have done volunteer work nearly every Sunday since 2003 (or has it been since 2002) at an assisted living center, a fact I've mentioned a few times here on TLLG (including a post which you may refer to by clicking here), and since today is Mother's Day, all the residents of The Home wished me a Happy Mother's Day today, knowing I am not a mother of any children, although sometimes growing up I felt like a mother to my own mother, as you may recall in one of my past  blog entries here on TLLG — which you may refer to by clicking here. 

On my way home, I ran into a young woman who asked me, "Are you a mother?"