Just before the flurries fell yesterday, the spring bulbs were planted in the ground –  finally. Winter is here and a stubborn sense of optimism compels me to pack the cold soil with these precious little nuggets. This defies “common sense”.

And the same could be said about writing a letter: putting pen to paper, sealing it in an envelope, attaching appropriate postage, taking it to a mailbox. And hope, hoping that it will reach its intended destination sometime in the near future.

Waiting for the winter to get done with, waiting for spring bulbs to surface, waiting for news from a friend on the other side of the world, waiting for the improbable and mysterious transactions that take place for a small parcel to successfully move through space until it reaches my hands…

Waiting is the hardest part.

Testing one possible word…

Getting my digits “limber” for a winter season of making embroidery, I’ll usually start with stitching in cursive script before tackling more challenging landscapes.

And if there ever was a sure-fire way to cement a friendship, it is a shared meal, breaking bread together.

My community garden plot is nestled in the west end of the city. This is a space I use to test ornamental plant hardiness. Gardens surrounding my small plot boast a mind-bending assortment of food, cucumbers, corn, herbs, garlic and of course, tomatoes. The size of the garden plots vary but in general, they are roughly the same size as a single parking spot. Needless to say, the landscape in the neighbourhood has changed dramatically, c’est la vie. 

In the background, the iconic CN Tower dominates the Toronto skyline.

In the foreground, the monarch butterfly quietly goes about its business.

Her name is Truffle and her snout is wet.

She saw yew and gasped out loud*.

Yew are really not much of a showstopper. Yew go unnoticed and fade into the backdrop. Yew are a dark green shrub and work in silence. Yew make the bones of the exterior space. Yew are the foundation, a foil to contain the seasonal sparklers. Your low-key profile and upright stature elevates the Garden space.

I used yew. Yew made an ugly chainlink fence disappear behind a wall of soft green needles.

*Wink to DS in Toronto on August 5, 2017

The datura when in bloom, is remarkable as a trumpet flower and it possesses an incredible night fragrance.  The seeds have been used for shamanistic rituals from ancient times to today as a path to…yes…Enlightenment!  But be forewarned.  It does indeed offer hallucinogenic effects as well as dark visions, disorientation, amnesia, blurred vision, dry mouth, and incontinence…not so very sexy.

Another pastoral scene from Heart Lake Road that compelled me to slow down and make a digital record of the distinctive silhouette of a silo off in the distance, a farm and a vintage barbed wire fence sequestering wild grasses.