Small changes

I've had fun writing this blog.  It takes a lot of time to write a blog every week.  Unfortunately more time than I have right now.  I'm going to change to posting every other week.  I've also noticed that the poetry gets more views than my little opinion pieces so poetry is all that will be in this blog from now on.  Thanks for reading.

Pied Beauty

Pied Beauty

By Gerard Manley Hopkins

Glory to be God for dappled things—

          For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
                   For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
          Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
                   And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

          Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
                   With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
                                      Praise him.

From:  Americans’ Favorite Poems by Robert Pinsky and Maggie Dietz; © 2000 by Robert Pinsky; W.W. Norton and Company, New York

 

 

 

Botanical Gardens

Many cities have a botanical garden.  Search for the one in your town.  They are so beautiful.  My thumb isn’t very green.  I admire the work and planning it takes to make these gardens a showcase.

Know that botanical gardens are different than nature centers.  A botanical garden is meticulously planned, every flower, every shrub, every blade of grass is put into its proper place.  As I said it’s a showcase.  A nature center is more concerned with keeping the land the way it was kept before we started building stuff.  It’s more natural.

Both spaces have their purpose.  Both have some kind of foundation to help financially keep the place going.  They may charge a small admission fee but that barely keeps the lights on.  That supporting group may sell plants in the spring or have special tours and classes during the summer.  Take advantage of those things.  Even if you don’t have the money to donate ask about volunteer opportunities and donate your time.  If you are enjoying the gardens make an effort to pay it forward, so your kids can enjoy them also.

Pack out what you pack in.