Seasons return, but not to me returns

[pameladean]

Well, that's a rather grim subject line, but on its own it feels like what I'm doing with the book. After a long hiatus and a lot of hair-tearing, I opened up one of the files and revised Chapter 2 to have more tension in it. I have not yet attempted to gaze into the abyss that is the fallen middle of the narrative, but I hope to do that tomorrow.

In other news, Raphael and I have been thwarted two weeks in a row in our plans to go to Itasca, because the weather has been impossible. We will try again after Fourth Street. In the jungle of the yard and garden, the dame's rocket is almost done, the spiderwort and daisy fleabane and Shasta daisies are blooming, the rudbeckia is thinking things over, and the phlox is growing very tall but not budding yet. The volunteer milkweed is in bud, as are the true and the day- lilies. The peonies were slain quickly by heat followed by rain, but there were certainly a lot of them while they did bloom.

The snow peas are blooming, and the sugar snap peas are thinking about it. The snow peas are supposed to be bush peas and to need no support, but they are climbing the dame's rocket at the edge of the raised bed just the same. I have lots of lettuce. The spinach bolted while I was at Wiscon (see aforementioned heat), but remaining leaves are not bitter. My mother and I are going to Mother Earth Gardens tomorrow to get some tomato plants.

Pamela

Comments

[inlaterdays.livejournal.com]

I love hearing about your garden. The snow peas climbing the dame's rocket sound like they look pretty and unusual.

Maintenance uprooted my moonflowers, thinking they were weeds, apparently, because they left the zinnias. Alas.

[pameladean]

I think once they really flower it will be quite nice. At the moment they look a bit grim, as if they were worried about falling over (bush peas, ha!), and the dame's rocket is in that frowsty state where it has three flowers at the top and a lot of those spindly seed heads so it seems to be clutching at its invisible temples all the time.

P.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I love it when plants bolt. I don't know why. I just imagine the spinach getting a panicky look around the whites of its eyes and then gathering itself up and making a run for it, possibly to steal a car at the place on the corner that repairs little British sports cars.

[pameladean]

I know! It is the best word! I like to envision the cilantro running down the alley, casting wild glances over its shoulder.

P.

[guppiecat]

For what it's worth O2 Rainwear makes hiking in full rain kinda fun. (I am working on supplementing this with raingear for my camera too.)

[pameladean]

That looks spiffy. We do have rain gear; the problem is that our hiking, while it has many pleasant benefits, is usually timed for certain dragonflies. If there is too much rain, or if the temperature is too low, they don't fly. We went to Itasca in sub-optimal circumstances last year, and while we had a nice enough time, there were No Dragonflies, and we don't want to repeat the experience.

P.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

i am totally song-virused by your post title, but i cannot place it -- source plz?

my daylilies are just now starting to flower (the first one is in its first flower i mean :) the freaky thing is that i'm already collecting raspberries, which is way early. and that my white alpine strawberries have spread from the garden to my postage-stamp front yard, where they are doing SPECTACULARLY.

(hope you don't mind strangers around here...i guess if you do this won't post :)

Whoops, quote's not quite right

[pameladean]

I typoed it. It's Milton, from Paradise Lost. Here's the context:

Thus with the year
Seasons return; but not to me returns
Day, or the sweet approach of even or morn,
Or sight of vernal bloom or summer’s rose,
Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine;
But cloud instead, and ever-during dark
Surrounds me; from the cheerful ways of men
Cut off, and for the book of knowledge fair
Presented with a universal blank
Of Nature’s works, to me expung’d and raz’d,
And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone had put something like it in a song, but I'm afraid I don't know what it would be.

And yes, strangers are welcome, or I'd lock the post.

P.
And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out.

Re: Whoops, quote's not quite right

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

thank you for the original context, and if i want it in a song i suppose i can always put it there myself :)

best regards from a stranger, known herewithin as a universal blank.