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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Wednesday Vignette: Enjoying the Passing of Time

Wednesday Vignette is hosted each week by the amazing Anna at Flutter and Hum.  Click here to see her vignette and links to those of other participants.

On a recent stroll around  the gardens at Joy Creek Nursery, I was struck by the gorgeous iris.  Seed pods from the previous year remained among this season's flowers.  Fresh green foliage sprung up from a nest of brown foliage.  Gardens teach us so many lessons about the fleeting nature of time, the changing of seasons, life, death, renewal.  Our  time to play upon the world's stage becomes shorter with each passing hour.  As James Taylor says, "Since we're on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride."





The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
 Any fool can do it, there ain't nothing to it.
 Nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill.
 But since we're on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride. 

 The secret of love is in opening up your heart.
 It's okay to feel afraid, but don't let that stand in your way.
 Cause anyone knows that love is the only road.
 And since we're only here for a while, might as well show some style.Give us a smile.

  Isn't it a lovely ride?Sliding down, gliding down,
 try not to try too hard,it's just a lovely ride.

  Now the thing about time is that time isn't really real.
 It's just your point of view, how does it feel for you?
 Einstein said he could never understand it all.
 Planets spinning through space, the smile upon your face, welcome to the human race. 

 Some kind of lovely ride. I'll be sliding down, I'll be gliding down.
 Try not to try too hard, it's just a lovely ride.
 Isn't it a lovely ride? Sliding down, gliding down,
 try not to try too hard, it's just a lovely ride.
 The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.


18 comments:

  1. It's so heartening to know that not only do Joy Creek's gardeners leave last year's seed pods and foliage out (like me), but you also found a lesson in it. In fact, there are places in my garden where you can probably find seedpods from three years ago...It's a time traveler's paradise.

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    1. Thanks for the laugh - "A time traveler's paradise."

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  2. I love the contrast of the flowers and seedpods. Rare that we see them at the same time in a garden. We used that James Taylor song at our wedding, but I never thought about it in this context. Works equally well.

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    1. I was surprised and delighted to see these left this way.

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  3. During a recent visit to the garden on Old Germantown Road I was pleased to see they'd left some of the prior seasons seed pods from the Cardiocrinum in place with the (yet to open) buds of this years flowers. Perfection!

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    1. Cardiocrinum seed pods are like trophies of the previous year's triumph. Leaving them seems to be a fun trend of late. You visit the best places!

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  4. Sometimes it's worth leaving old growth and seed pods behind, as they can be beautiful in their own right :)

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    1. And it allows me to be lazy which fits my style perfectly.

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  5. A photographic vignette with a musical accompaniment - perfect! I think the seedpods add interest to what would otherwise be just another pretty face.

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    1. It was surprising how nice they looked growing this way instead of being all tidied up.

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  6. Not much of a James Taylor fan, but I do love that song. It's perfect coupled with your photo.

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    1. It's a sweet song. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed visiting Joy Creek!

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  7. That's one of my favorite JT songs. Yes, we might as well enjoy the ride. :) I like the way they kept the seedheads and seasoned foliage with the new flowers and green, new foliage. The contrast is beautiful. Great vignette!

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    1. We're always urged to clean things up in our gardens but this shows that a more relaxed approach can also be lovely.

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  8. Love the contrast, and the reminder of the passing of time, and the different stages of beauty in a life - the photo says it perfectly. The song was great too; let's enjoy all parts of the ride - they complement each other!

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    1. Well said, Anna! Although there are some parts of the ride that seem much more fun than others. All part of that yin yang, good evil, joy sorrow roller coaster ride of life.

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  9. We can always count on you, Peter, to give us poetic, profound, and pretty!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.