"Calm" is a word rarely applicable to my walks at Iten's Acres. It is always windy, or so it seems. That's not a negative. On the hottest days of summer, breeze is good! Wind always makes the wild area shimmer regardless of the colors on display. What would fall be like without the leaves dancing in the wind? (Or being blown away by the wind so that I don't have to rake them!) And even in winter the wind enhances the beauty of the snowfall--whirling flakes, drifting snow banks, and even the "roar" it makes in the tops of the trees. The wind is always welcome at Iten's Acres.
Even the "winds of change." Some of the change this year has been man-made--chubby old bald guy made. Two of the old flower beds have been expanded--one by the pond and one in an old horseshoe pit up by the house. Bigger beds. More flowers. Sounds good to me! Six new small iris beds have been scattered about on the property as well. Small beds mean less weeding. And you can never have enough iris. Of course, several flowering shrubs and trees have been "sprinkled" here and there on the Acres as well. And new bulbs have been added to each of the old beds. I, also, believe it or not, removed a lot of iris from one bed and replanted them elsewhere. They just weren't doing well where they were, so I moved them to sunnier locations. These changes were all planned and executed for the purpose of the beautification of Iten Acres.
Some of the change was done by God's gardening angels assigned to my place. Bluish purple seemed to be one of the colors in play for 2011. The "angels" planted a glorious smooth ruella in the flower bed up by the house, the one Mom can see from her "windows." I didn't know what it was when it first started coming up and was tempted to pull it up as a weed. But I have learned to let "unknown" things grow and mature before taking any drastic action. Acting out of ignorance is not exactly a wise choice. And indeed, the wisdom of waiting was wise in this case. The ruella is a stunning bluish purple trumpet-like flower growing three feet tall or so. I pray that it has found a home in the bed and feels so welcome that it spreads everywhere. In a bed adorned with fifty or so blue balloon flowers that bloom throughout the summer, it fits right in. Good color coordination job "angels." Wild flowers are always welcome even in "tame" flower beds. Oh, and for good measure, they added some bluish spiderwort in a couple of places in the wild area. Lovely flowers. The "angel" in charge of the blues was active this summer at Iten's Acres!
The yellow gardening angels were even busier this year in the change department. Yellow poppies came up by the dozens in the wild area on the hillside. Some dark yellow primrose came up for the first time in the middle of the wild area. There was a new yellow flower in the bog--kind of a dreary mustard yellow. (I'm not complaining "angels." Name tags would be nice though.) And the yellow highlight of the year was a patch of prairie coneflowers near the back of the wildness. I was delighted to read: "Large colonies of prairie coneflowers often turn fields into a sea of yellow." "Large," "colonies," "often," and "sea of yellow" are lovely expressions, don't you think?
The last change by the "angels" was in the bog area. The "winds of change" are particularly welcome here since man-made attempts to beautify this area have been a struggle. Here the "angels" planted a "sea of monkey grass." It doesn't, in my opinion, look anything at all like a monkey in shape or color. But you can call it anything you wish as long as it keeps spreading and making the bog area more beautiful. Sometimes change is completely out of our control. That doesn't mean that it's a bad thing. How can bluish purples and "seas of yellows" and "seas of monkey grass" possibly be a bad thing? Yep, you can keep the change.
The third winds of change are a mystery; in fact, they have resulted in a change back to the days of yore. Well, okay, back to 2010. If you've been reading this blog, you know that the outlaw gang of Bonnie and Gus was somewhat separated by the arrival of a third party to the doggie scene--Stella the black lab wonder dog. I enjoyed my walks with Stella but missed my treks with the old gang. Old habits are comfortable. Curiously, though, Stella vanished. I have no idea what happened to her, and I haven't been able to talk to Aaron and see what happened. (Perhaps I'm afraid that the answer to the mystery will be too sad.) The aftermath, though, of her disappearance has been the beginning of a revival of the outlaw gang of Bonnie and Gus. We're not entirely back to the "good old days," but we're getting there. The path between Bonnie's house and Gus's that runs through my property is getting worn again--well-traveled. I encounter Bonnie and Gus together much more often when I take my walks and work in my yard. (Can you call five-and-a-half acres a yard?) Soon I hope to re-institute my daily meanderings with the gang.
Sometimes we bring about change in our lives by our own choices. Sometimes it's a complete surprise--catches us off guard. Sometimes "friends and acquaintances" enter our life or leave it. Adjustments must be made. We miss those who are gone--and that's a good thing. Dare I say great thing. We cherish those who are still here perhaps with a deeper appreciation and heart of gratitude. The winds of change are always blowing. There are not many moments of calm. But embracing the beauty and the positives of change can bring serenity--even in the strongest winds.
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