Friday, September 2, 2011

Monarch Tower, Sunflower of Doom, and Other Blooms

Along with the pics I'm interspersing quotes from my grandmother's grade school autograph book, about the time she was 13 or 14 in 1935-ish (it's been part of my memoir research to go through the two books I have of hers). I think some kids made up the rhymes since they are sort of nonsensical--all in the spirit of remembrances and best wishes--while others just use standard rhymes of the day. Some were quite dirty, especially for my conservative, Mennonite German grandmother. So let's get to it--lots of insects and blooms to see over this Labor Day weekend, lots of things to remember as the garden moves into autumn and the ghosts echo louder.

During a 10+ release day



















Male on the left, female on the right--folks always ask













This little book is a garden spout
in which your friends may sow;
so here I plant a “forget-me-not”
and hope that it will grow.

Bee on Caryopteris



















Remember me you can you must
as long as you can bite a crust,
and if the crust you cannot bite
forget me then if you think it right.

When you sit on a sofa 
with your feet on the rug 
never kiss your sweetheart 
with an everlasting hug.

Be careful where you nectar, esp while mating













I love you mighty
I love you little
I love your pajamas
close to my nighty.
But don’t get excited
and don’t get red
I mean on the clothes
line and not in the bed.

Painted Lady = painted end



















Mantis bathing like a cat




















Ocean is wide
sea is level
if I had you in the dark
I’d squeeze you like the devil.

(Perfect for the mantis pic--I've hard 6 confirmed monarch kills by mantis predation, based on the number of wings littering the ground.)

Salvia 'Nekan'--found here in Lincoln



















Love the fuzzy seed stage of Wild Senna



















Senna seeds in sultry sunlight



















When a cat runs up a tree
pull its tail and think of me.

Black swallowtail about to emerge













A female among larvae



















It’s sweet to love
it’s sweet to have a boy,
but oh how sad
when he don’t suit dad.

Love this shot of a female



















I thought and thought
but the thought I thought
was not the thought I
thought. So when
again I think a think
I’ll write it down in
pen and ink.

Indian Grass blooming



















When rocks and hills divide us
and you no more I see,
just look into the looking glass
and kiss yourself for me.


















And if someone out there can make sense of this one, let me know please? I know it's along the lines of GURAQT and "Say 'lettuce' then spell 'cup.'"

y y u r
y y u b
I c u r y y 4 me

10 comments:

Jackie said...

Too wise you are
Too wise you be
I see you are too wise for me :)

Gaia Gardener: said...

Gorgeous photos. My favorites are the senna seed pods with light shining through, the mantis cleaning itself, and the backlit sunflower. The poems are interesting, too. So much more creative than I would have expected.

Diana Studer said...

I remember that last poem ...

Jess said...

What lovely photos!

Gail said...

Lovely, lovely, lovely! I just ordered those senna seeds for my garden! The mating soldier beetle is visiting my blog today! gail

Esther Montgomery said...

Hope you like the review of your book - http://esthersboringgardenblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/sleep-creep-leap-by-benjamin-vogt.html

Esther

Wendy said...

Lovely words and photos - especially of the senna! As for the last part, I feel like a total dummyhead b/c I have no clue what you're talking about!

Wendy said...

ok, never mind. i sort of get it now. :)

Wendy said...

ok, duh. now I really get it. Thank you Jackie!

Benjamin Vogt said...

Gaia--If only I was that creative when I was 13....
D--Now how old are you?
Jess--Oh, you DID stop by! :)
Gail--That senna is just a great plant to have!
Esther--So wonderful! Thank you!! I LOVE it!!!! :) TY TY TY TY.
Wendy--Ah, see? Made a think!