Friday, April 13, 2012

Signs of the Times

 "April Charms"
William Henry Davies, 1916


When April scatters charms of primrose gold
Among the copper leaves in thickets old
And singing skylarks from the meadows rise
To twinkle like black stars in sunny skies.


When I can hear the small woodpecker ring
Time on a tree for all the birds that sing
And hear the pleasant cuckoo, loud and long-
The simple bird that thinks two notes a song.


When I can hear the woodland brook, that could
Not drown a babe, with all his threatening mood.
Upon these banks the violets make their home
And let a few small strawberry blossoms come.


When I go forth on such a pleasant day,
One breath outdoors takes all my cares away
It goes like heavy smoke, when flames take hold
Of wood that's green and fill a grate with gold.

TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

  • JUST BLOOMED TODAY
  • GARDEN UPDATE
  • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
  • FAUNA
  • GARDEN GIGGLE
  • GARDEN GAMES
  • FEEDBACK
JUST BLOOMED TODAY
Stock

Pansy
GARDEN UPDATE
Rainy and coooolld! Here comes the snow again, first it was supposed to be down to the 5000 ft level and now they are lowering it to the 3500 ft level, so we should get it.

God gave us a day off from watering, so a free day! The plants are all covered up with their winter wraps, so go ahead, let it snow!
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
I am a big believer in garden art and decoration and as far as we are concerned, pretty much anything goes...just exercise a little restraint. There is a house in town here with about 100 whirlygigs in the front yard. You simply cannot enjoy or appreciate each one when there are so many crowding out your garden.

BUT! signs and garden art are a wonderful way of expressing your garden theme. Today I am challenging you to think out-of-the-box and use non-traditional items for signs and garden art. Here's a few ideas to get you started:
Used Shutters found at a yard sale make a cute windowbox

A darling planting bench made from an old door and an old table. The sunflower is made from  a recycled hog feeder pan, a metal garden stake and some old hose.

A recycled chicken feeder makes a great planter.
  
A glass lampshade with pre-drilled holes flipped  upside-down  makes  a great  birdbath/feeder

You can find items to make your own special art/decorations at yard sales, thrift stores or Grampa's garage (or your own garage for that matter). Another place if you happen to have one near you is the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. Here people and construction/building companies donate used household items such as doors, shutters, knobs, etc and they sell them for pennies on the dollar...for example, an interior door would be $5. Check with your local Habitat for Humanity organization for locations.

If thinking about different items is a little out of your comfort zone, don't despair! Recycled art isn't for everybody (although it does happen to be a passion of mine).Tomorrow we will explore making your own simple sign, perfect for the creatively challenged and I will provide you with some great sign sayings to get you started on giving your garden a unique look! 




GARDEN GIGGLE



GARDEN GAMES
Yesterday's answer: I just participated in active learning

FAUNA

FEEDBACK
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2 comments:

Virginia said...

pretty window box...love the tickly photo...made me smile!

Tricia Hart Kauffman said...

Now THIS really makes me smile!