Labyrinth Walk at 1:00 on May 7

The Veriditas folks have informed me that May7 is World Wide Labyrinth Day. According to them, everyone should try to walk a labyrinth at 1:00 PM to send a wave of peaceful energy around the planet.

I'm all for peaceful energy in whatever form it appears. I plan to walk the little garden labyrinth on the river yard. It is now covered in wild flowers. Chester, the new wonder cat, loves to jump up in the air and land in the gallardias ( aka beach daisies). While this does not create peace during my labyrinth walk, it makes me giggle. As far as I can tell the planet needs both peace and giggles.

Springs Hope Eternal ?

My hope-fantasy is that I will be able to reproduce the giant field of sunflowers I had three years ago. Reality is that I have actually replanted one set of sunflowers that had been yanked out of their bed by the light pole on St. Johns. Yes,I have put seeds of Helianthus Annuus in the concrete blocks surrounding the Urbfarm, but so far nothing has shown up. Perhaps one of the reasons is that I have uncovered the seeds each time I hosed down the blocks. I have also fallen in love with the blurb on the Moulin Rouge seed packet.It pictures a rich velvety, deep red, pollenless sunflower--excellent for cutting.The mass in the picture is so thick you can't see the ground in which they are planted. Reality is that I have managed to grow one spindly flower out of all the seeds. That orphan may not make it to adulthood given the stomping canines that amble through the flower garden. Oh well, hope springs eternal.

Thirty Folks on Bikes

I agreed to do the River Friendly lawn tour. The night before I was told three people had signed up. I bakes a dozen blueberry loquat muffins and made two quarts of lemonade. At 10:00 Jimmy O. called and said, " A few more folks are coming." I said, " Five?" He said," Thirty."

It was too late for more muffins. I did have more lemonade. The pulled up, boiled in and listened to my three minute lecture. Then they roamed around the yard, frowning. A few came by and asked me questions," What do you do with the dollar weed?" My answer was live with it. They frowned.

I think it is hard for folks to get away from ego gardening. I love the bumpersticker I saw recently, " If your lawn is green, you're NOT." That says it all.

Miz Scarlett

She came quietly into the corner of the lily garden right in front of the organic garden sign. I noticed her first out of the corner of my eye but somehow thought someone from the park had thrown a candy wrapper into the garden. Nothing in the natural world good be that red? Could it?

Yes, a scarlet amaryllis had unfolded, slowly like a geisha before a client. She was unnaturally gorgeous. I did not plant her. I wonder which bird did?

Haiku Amaryllis

Basho, the poet, wrote a haiku that said, " The temple bells go quiet but the sound comes out of the flowers." The amaryllis this year have a temple bell quality. They are so huge they seem almost vocal. Some of them are striped and at least one is house -of- ill- repute red. I call her Miz Scarlett. She is in the back of the more conventional fleurs and is opening slowly, teasingly slowly.

Since I never planted any of these belles, I am just a spectator to their show.