ROSAS

 

 



 

 

 

 

 



The return

I’m back home... like birds flock to their nest, my soul yearns for my home whenever I’m away from it... it’s nice to be back, but I’d have to say I miss those with whom I’ve shared my heart these few couple of days—walking hand in hand; listening to the marshlands sing their evening songs...

I’m always in awe at how my garden seems to free it self from within it self and grow rampant during those few days I’m away from it... it looks thick and overgrown, with the shabby appearance of an abandoned secret garden; yet I find my heart’s content here. I wouldn’t change a thing.

I can’t complain. I like it just the way it is—if not disheveled, lush and somewhat unkempt; and if I could choose a place to live I would no doubt choose the exuberance and liveliness contain in every shade of green and every leaf...

Like flowers, memories are collected here....

Thoughts and feelings grow here as free and as natural as branches and twigs grow under the mellow September sun…

Nature is climbing, crawling; it's competing for the sky…

Nature is swallowing up my treasures; it carries them in its bosom and lull them to sleep...

It really is a mingling of new life and old life, death, rebirth, and a persisting last drop of sunshine all together in a same blossom…

And so, I’ve been tidying up this place a bit while mostly enjoying my surroundings. Enjoying each sound and scent the garden bestows... It’s past 8:00pm already and a rose-tinted sky beckons for the warmth of home; but I linger on my steps, not wanting to leave yet.

It’s so delicious—these last few hours of day. Each sound encompasses its own special intonation; an especial and magical feeling to bestow, each light is different, each moment precious. Thank you for listening; thank you for just being there, even if you prefer to remain silent—nonetheless still listening to my mumbles... I’m sure my life would lack purpose if I wasn’t able to express my feelings in words; in many words, I should say! Sometimes, when I come here and press the keys of my computer as I write my posts I like to think that I’m alone; throwing my words to the air; to the emptiness of a vast lonesome planet, where I’m the only inhabitant and nobody is listening... but I know that’s not the case... I’m not alone. Thank You for coming by!

Of what's brewing in a witch's cauldron!

I’ve been living in the garden these past few days; parting from it only to do the necessary. As summer slowly fades away, my heart years to be here, to love, if I could love any more, this small plot of land I call "my Paradise."

Gently swathed in the stillness of this September afternoon, I treasure everything I see and hear: The slow movement of afternoon light across the porch floor, the measured flight of geese against the blue sky, the sway of sunflower making shadows along the garden wall. Summer won’t last forever, but for this moment it feels like it could. Just a little while ago a silent flight of geese in their journey south flew by. Out of the blue they came, and disappeared almost instantly in the horizon... fortunately, I was lucky to captured a glimpse of their fleeting shadow on the garden’s floor, and above my head the strong, swift sound of their wings as they flew by... swish swish—the rhythmical sound made by their powerful wings mesmerized me. A bright September sun shines high in the sky, it is warm and lovely and yet, unseen changes are taking place... there is this magical feeling in the air that captivates my soul; it speaks of changes unseen yet so powerful; so real... it speaks of cozy evenings by the fire and apple cider and pumpkin breads and a landscape mysteriously being transformed before my very eyes... The firsts autumn leaves from the young maple tree confirm the unseen changes taking place all around me; in the sky, in the air and in the atmosphere of the garden... it looks lonesome and somewhat peculiar this little autumn leave among the petals of my last roses...

So I’ve been collecting memories... memories in the form of petals and departed roses...

I love my roses so much that it’s hard to even discard lifeless petals... fresh, or dried they’re so precious to me... I collect them; I fill baskets with them and dry spent roses that later I'd place everywhere around my house... I have to admit I have more dried roses in my house than I should, but it’s so hard to part from them... I found this chair on someone’s trash the other day on my way to work... It was in perfect condition, so I brought it home and it's been living in my garden ever since... It was sitting here for a while... ...but then I decided it would looked pretty here too... if you are like me, you know what that means: contemplating your garden as yet another room in your house is the norm. So, just as I do inside my house I do in the garden... I arrange and rearrange things around, move things around, bring things in take things out and just enjoy what I have. Sunflowers make me happy; they’re the sun’s smiles upon me—extra sweetness in the garden. I have decided I will have sunflowers in my garden from now on. Can their seeds be saved for planting next year, or would I need to buy new sunflower seeds next spring? Do you know? I have discovered a new candle fragrance from Bath & Body Works and now my house smells of cranberry woods. This is by far the prettiest of fragrance I’ve come across lately. Cedar-wood, cranberry and currant berries... just lovely and perfect for the mellow seasons ahead. I have an overly developed sense of smell (and hearing too)… have I told you that before? For better or worse, I can smell people; perceived their presence just by their scent even before their presence make presence... does that make sense? I love my new glass votive holders... so vintage, so romantic; in lovely emerald green! They have this feeling of antiquity to them that I just love! I got them on sale at Michael’s at .50 cents each. So this is how my big square table looks now... I love to create new arrangements for my table. They usually go with the seasons, or what I have on hand or how I feel... these votive holders are perfect for fall, I think... they go in accordance to the season’s muted greens... Our church moved to another location early this spring, and in the process many of our church mobiliary were sold or given away… I brought home an old church bench blessed with plenty of character and history... I painted it white and set it out in the back porch. It had been there all summer, until recently, when I, aware of the changes brewing up in the horizon, have started thinking of cozying up my nest... ...and thus I have brought it inside, and it is now sitting in our bedroom filled with pillows, and books and things I love… it immediately have added our room the cozy feeling I was trying to achieve… I love it! I know me too, this post makes me think of a hotchpotch in a witch's brew of ingredients ranging from bay leaves to bat wings, but it was intentionally done this way! ;) You see, I am going to be away for awhile and thought I’d give you an excuse to come back and read what you cannot, or wish not to ready today... ;) So I hope you don’t get bored waiting for me… ;) See you then!

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Welcome to my cottage every one!! Are you ready for some cottage love? Me too! Remember, our cottage love celebration extends to our cottage gardens, to our life, our creative soul and each and every aspect of who we are! So Welcome! Let's celebrate life and the things we love, and meet others who might share some of your same interests. So please do come in... I hope you'll feel happy here!

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DID I ever take you down the enchanted ivy path to my garden last year? I didn't think so...

I love ivies; dark green ivies put my imagination in gear. Ivies make me think of gloomy English gardens and foggy mornings under the shadowy wings of ancient castles... ivies underneath dark stone bridges and into the most sumptuous of forest...

The entrance to a garden is so important. It sets the tone and says so much about the personality of the gardener... thus, I wanted the little pathway which constitutes the entrance to my garden all covered in ivy. I've always wanted a house covered in ivy. Unfortunately for me, my lovely ivy was literally destroying my walls, so they had to be removed... Early at the beginning of this spring I removed all the ivy growing in masses in borders along the wall to the entrance of my garden... I added a pergola on the other end and planted a New Dawn rose by it--this is the door to my garden now... The ivy was replaced by several Shasta Daisies and Black-eye Susan’s to entice the butterflies... To cover the wall where the ivy was already climbing I planted another grape vine along with a lovely dark red rose climber... I’ve been waiting all summer for they to grow... dreaming with the lovely mingling of large green leaves of the grape vine and the scarlet red of the roses... not a stunning sight yet, but eventually it will be... I don’t like bare walls. They’re like dolls without hair to me, or a cat without a tail, so every wall in my garden must be covered in lush greens, or glamorous oranges or bright yellows and peaceful whites... If this is your first time here, take your time and follow the winding path to our enchanted little garden... and world ;) Or you can sit here and take to unwind, refresh, and stay still for more than just a moment. Whether it’s a cottage, a cabin, a beach house, or a shady spot in your own backyard, find comfort in that well-loved place that reflects your personal style. Show me what you are celebrating! Link! And please don't forget to link back to The house in the roses! Gracias!

Welcome, September

I’m sure there must be some mysterious connection between the arrival of September and cooler weather… it must be! Have you noticed anything unusual in your part of the world? Here, in our valley, the arrival of September was acknowledged by temperature falling from the triple digits to a sudden 71 degrees… just like that, from one day to the other. It amazes me—this hasty change, and makes me think that September really marks the arrival of fall…

Ah yes, can you hear it too? Autumn’s mellow voice speaks softly… yet, it’s so clear. Autumn creeps with concealed force; it sneaks into your garden without you even noticing it… it spreads and swirls ripening to an overall gold as it heals a world that has grown dusty and dry under the austerity of August.

Before we know it, every petal from the roses, every flower will be just but memoirs from the past dancing in the folds of our memory… I don’t know what it is, but the arrival of fall, for lovely as it may be, it always puts a touch of sadness in me… as if something very dear was drawing to a close. It’s a death, really. The rampant energy of spring and summer has passed… like a man walking towards his inevitable end.

I’m I already passing the end of summer blues to you? Oh I hope not! And don’t you mind me… you see, I’m just too much of a melancholy soul, but I’m volatile too, so that means that although today I may be feeling blue, tomorrow you’ll see me dancing in wind-blown leaves as happy as I can be... so watch me laugh, jumping across puddles of leaves! For now, I think I will go through my scarves and think of apples and cider, and pumpkins and nuts on the ground and crimsoned leaves and the smell of them burning... that should help, right?

Welcome, September!