The Irony of the Definition

The Thistle

My presence

in the

garden

for most

invokes

a smile.

 

My color’s

so

bright,

it glows,

but

falsehood

flows.

For

the

gardener,

whose hand

nurtured

me

to

grow,

did not

know

my

meaning.

 

It

is not

joy

in the

morning,

but

a bold

resistance,

sorrow,

and

mourning.

 

Hatred,

disregard,

and

retaliation

are my

obligation,

but only

by

definition.

 

The

root

of my

being,

no harm

could

ensue,

for

despite

my

spiky

appearance,

I

am

soft

and

fragile

and

grow

tall,

to

above

all,

assist

in

cooking

and

beauty,

and

keeping

you

healthy.

Thistle Budd

Color Glows

Thistle Standing Tall

For Cooking, Beauty, and Health

In the language of flowers the Thistle, also known as safflower, has meanings that do not at all reflect the  beauty and intrigue of the bud or flower.  The meanings of the thistle were featured in the poem above and include: misanthrope, defiance, vengeance, and grief.

I find it somewhat ironic that these words are associated with a flower that is so pretty and is thought to have useful medicinal properties such as: preventing heart disease and stroke, lowering fevers, treating coughs and breathing problems, tumors, pain, and clotting conditions, in addition to other medical uses.  The oil from safflower seed is used as a cooking oil.  The flower is used to color cosmetics and to dye fabrics.  Ref: WebMd

Please note that I am in now way recommending the use of the flower for any of the above referenced purposes.  However, I thought it of interest and wanted to provide a background for the poem above.

2013 Lily Series – 08

“All our progress is an unfolding, like the vegetable bud, you have first an instinct, then an opinion, then a knowledge, as the plant has root, bud and fruit. Trust the instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Unfolding

2013 Lily Series – 02

“A day spent without the sight or sound of beauty, the contemplation of mystery, or the search of truth or perfection is a poverty-stricken day; and a succession of such days is fatal to human life.” – Lewis Mumford

Mystery

2013 Lily Series – 01

Tonight begins a journey with the Lily.  Historically, the Lily has represented majesty.  In some parts of history it can be found that Lilies of various colors represent something other than, or in addition to, majesty.  For example, the white Lily, as I posted last week, represents purity and virtue.  Throughout the 2013 Lily series you will see Lilies of varying color as well as black and white images of Lilies.  The Lily itself is a magnificent flower.  It can be a challenge to photograph, but if you have wonderful natural light, those challenges seem to fade to artistic creation.  I hope you enjoy the series and look forward to your comments and feedback.

The Opening Act – Sensuality

 

2013 Sunflower Series – 01

“Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep-burning, unquenchable.” – Henry Ward Beecher

Love is a Flame

I chose today’s image for a few reasons:  One, sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers, thus the sunflower series.  Two, yesterday was my birthday and the quote certainly speaks to me about love and the depth of love.  As I age, my love for others grows deeper and deeper.  Three, a dear friend gave me a bouquet with sunflowers in it to warm my day. And four, my wonderful husband gave me a new lens, the AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm 1:2.8 ED.  I love macro photography so this was such a thoughtful and special gift for me.  It is a joy to use and as you can see, it helps capture life quite eloquently.

 

A Bit of Cheer

After several dreary days I felt the need to post some cheer this evening.  The images below were taken in August (no chance of seeing this quality of light here this week).

Different plants, different lighting, all hibiscus. May they brighten your week.

Forsaken Friday

The past two days have been extremely busy and I, unfortunately, have not been able to focus on my blog.  The good news is I’ve been shooting and adding to my ever growing collection of images.  The images I am posting today are of an anemone in my garden.  Only one has bloomed so far.  Once the others open, I’ll photograph them as a bouquet, but this individual flower was too pretty not to share.  The title of the blog was chosen because, a bit of flower trivia here, in the Victorian Era the definition of anemones was “forsaken”.  The irony of this is that due to the location of this plant in my garden, I had forgotten about it until I rounded the corner this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to see it smiling at me.  I suppose you could say it was temporarily forgotten, but no forsaken.

A Favorite Flower for a Favorite Friend

A dear friend once sent a hydrangea plant to me.  On the note was the statement ” A favorite flower for a favorite friend.”

A Favorite Flower for a Favorite Friend

Yellow Roses

A dear friend of mine gave me a yellow rose plant early in the summer.  The plant has flourished despite the heat and lack of rain and has produced many beautiful roses.  Yesterday evening I took advantage of the soft, diffused light to capture the splendid roses. What you see below is a series of images capturing the various stages of a rose in bloom.

The bud and the bloom.

The rose and the opening bud.

The grand opening.

Delicate beauty.

My personal favorite of this series.

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, Happy Sunday

Another super Sunday worth writing about.  Sam’s lacrosse team played their final two games for the summer season today.  Let’s just say that it would have been better to end the season yesterday with the three wins that put us in the number 1 seed versus ending on the two game loss record of today.  But, overall it was a decent season and Sam had fun.  He played well and is improving on his footwork so we can’t complain – just have to figure out ways to motivate him to keep working hard and improving his speed.

The weather couldn’t have been better, not too hot, and absolutely perfect when the sun hid behind the clouds.  After spending the day at the fields, we came home to relax by the pool and enjoy dinner on the porch.  With all of that said, I am posting images from a couple of Sam’s games, an image of one of our purple petunias  noticed at dinner, and an image of Gracie after she accidentally picked a petunia when we were deadheading the plant.

Please note that I don’t love Josh any less than Grace and Sam.  He simply isn’t home from camp yet.  He’s off having a fabulous time with friends and playing the game he loves best.

Enjoy and have a terrific week!

Going for the shot.

The pass.

My little man.

Catching a pass. Notice the ball in the air.

A petunia in the evening sun.

Dancing in the sunset.