Light/Breezes

Light/Breezes
SUNRISE AT DEATH VALLEY-Photo by Tom Cochrun

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Her Special Thumb....What Direction is This?

junction of forces
 Leffingwell Landing North, Cambria
8:30 am

     That's where we are, at a junction of forces. There is a lot at play. 
      
       An atmospheric front moves through the scene above and it changes things; how people feel, the light diffusion, humidity, wind and more. The Pacific is a grand energy and power of its own. It tunes the temperature, winds, and carries storms and is the world to marine life. The land stands by uplifts and movement and rises from the beach to the mountains and rock, pastures, wild life, forests and climates.
        This nation, at this time, is in a similar frame and depth of complexity-a junction of political forces and history.

what direction is this?


        
        Founder Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. 
     He was asked after the Constitutional Convention what sort of government had the delegates created.
      "A Republic, if you can keep it."
       Franklin said when you bring an assembly of people for the benefit of their joint wisdom, you also assemble all of their "prejudices, passions, errors of opinion, local interest and their selfish views."

     History is stitching into the weave that binds this democratic republic. We are at a rare place and power now collides.
     The Legislative and the Executive branches have launched legal/constitutional disputes. The Parties are wrestling for their own souls and they are at a bitter war with each other. Citizen dialogue is dysfunctional and mean. Legal scholars debate who has power and who can do what to whom. Some of the corporate media are hysterical and act as cheerleaders. Social media is manipulation, assault, and role playing. Federal agencies are under a dismantlement or allowed to atrophy and crumble. The US is under cyber and thought attack.
      The Mueller Report did not end the loudest drama. For better or worse, it is a beginning of a new round of contest, vibrating through our Republic, if we can keep it.

her special thumb
     I'm fortunate to love an artist, who is also a gardener.  Lana's mother could grow anything and was forever puttering in ornamental beds and vegetable gardens. Daughter is like Mother. She continues to transform our place on the ridge to a sanctuary for mind and soul. Peace grows here.

into lana's garden
      Here's our annual visit to Lana's spring Garden.
      I hope you can take a few moments with these images to savor and enjoy the detail of how she composes with color, light, shape and texture.   







   It was a hope-to have bearing citrus trees, at our home. The ability to pick fruit on the back hill is a kick for a midwestern kid. 

















    Lana is amazed at the robust growth of the artichoke plants. I relish consumption. 

    For someone who grumbles and grouses about weeds, she certainly has a winsome way with photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom Plantae. She is a plantae painter.

     See you down the trail. 

    
     


     

18 comments:

  1. What a treat to see that absolutely amazing garden. And I love that magenta (if that's what that color is) door!

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    1. Thanks. The door is a shade of pink. I'll consult the artiste for the actual "flavor."

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  2. Dwarfs our puny efforts. Motkvztinv, maybe.

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    1. Well, your sweet heart is still a working woman. And Canyon life presents other challenges, eh?

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  3. Your garden is overwhelming. Lana has a fantastic touch -- LOVE that door color. Pass along "Bronze Fennel" (although can be somewhat invasive, one of my favorites). Wow.

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    1. I have passed along your tip and will now relay her thanks for your kind words.

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  4. I stared at the fine photo's for a couple minutes, trying to ignore the snow out the window.

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    1. I hope it may helped, but after seeing how much snow you have at 6,000 feet you might need to enter teleport.

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  5. What a fabulous garden, what a treat!

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    1. Thanks Sami. I consider myself very fortunate. That is the view from my study.

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  6. What a beautiful garden that I would love to visit and sit in for a spell.

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    1. It is a wonderful place to sit. Our cats also love it.

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  7. What a beautifully lush garden. I wish I had that green thumb and the talent to shape it like this. Wonderful!

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    1. It is particularly lush now, because we've had a good rain season. However the succulents remain vibrant all year. Thank you.

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  8. A blogger friend sent me here. I'm so glad she did. I garden in Puget Sound country, in the suburbs just south of Seattle. I also comment occasionally on the political landscape. I appreciate your words, and certainly your photos.

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  9. Thank you for your kind words.
    An assignment took me to the Naval Ship Yards in Bremerton. It was my first experience around the Puget Sound. I loved it. There is a green lushness that almost seems to fill the air. The light and the atmosphere were magical.

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  10. Dear Tom, Your quotes from Ben Franklin certainly served as effective introduction to the current toxicity of public discourse. Lana's horticultural effects were duly admired by Norma and me. A thoughtful and wonderful post.

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    1. Geo., Thanks. Do we have people today with the depth of wisdom and facility of mind possessed by Franklin?
      And given your own wonderful horticultural experience and expertise, your admiration is deeply appreciated by Lana.

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