When I was walking around the garden yesterday looking for inspiration for today's talk, all I could see was my wilted and dying bleeding heart. The poor thing. It looked so gorgeous in June. Strong stalks gently holding the flowers that dangle above the hummingbird's wings. The pink and white beauties are among the first to bloom in my garden. Now, It's a pile of dying stalks that need to be composted. Since the plant is on the north side of my garage, and receives watering with the rest of my lawn, it's constantly moist. Consequently, around this time of year the stems rot. Since the plant is about 4 feet in diameter, the ferns and hostas keep clear of the space. But now, it's a void. Too ugly to photograph.
Don't get me wrong, I love fall. The mosquitos and flies are past, the crisp air is great and the harvest from my vegetable garden - delicious.
Maybe the Bleeding Heart is reflecting my feeling about summer. How quickly it passed. What happened to August... what? It's almost OCTOBER.
Who was it that said life is like a garden? Emerson? Hemingway? I'm not good at quotes nor names, but the older I get, the more I realize that family and friends -- like a garden -- must be cherished for the moment, remembered fondly with images, and anticipated like tulip.
