Sunday Stroll - Once More With Feeling

Maude and I headed out into the brisk afternoon for one last stroll of the year. The cold wind tugged at our hair, and a bittersweet ache tugged at my heart because I know that Maude doesn't have many more strolls to take through these gardens with me.

Here, at the trail head of the butterfly garden, is a quiet place to sit and think... But Maude and I kept moving down the snow-covered trail, between the bent and broken stalks and the flower heads clinging to a few last seeds.

We walked past the quiet pond, where cattails with their brown velvet crowns rise above a thin layer of snow-dusted ice. My heart lifted with the tiny bit of "frisk" in Maude's gait.

We trudged through the deep rectangular impression left by 13 years of tending a vegetable garden in the same place. The herb gardens are caught in drifts, with stalks rising above the snow here and there. Most of the plants look like this white and withered Bell of Ireland...
but we found one tiny yellow lettuce blossom blooming amid surprisingly fresh, green leaves.

Maude crossed the road and wandered through the barren hay field, nibbling snow and sniffing the December wind.

The wind pushed us toward home. The front garden, a mass of untrimmed stalks, frames the hills, fields, and the lake where Maude has run and played for most of her years.

Looking back over my shoulder at those familiar hills, I walk back to the house with Maude at my heels and together we move into the warmth and comfort of our home.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you good company.

To share the strolls of other bloggers, please scroll down to my previous post where links are provided.

all photos by Aisling, December 27, 2009

Dreaming by the window....

My friend Nan asked to see more of Maude on my blog. I have a fantastic picture of her on top of a hill, with a blue sky above her, but can I find it? Nope. Not yet anyway. In the meantime, I snapped this one of her on Thursday. She was dreaming by the window until I called her name. Despite the old saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, at the advanced age of 12, Maude has learned a new one: country line-dancing in my new front garden. Maybe that is what she was dreaming about, when I woke her to take this photo!

photo of Maude dreaming by the window by Aisling, May 17, 2007

Miss Maudie

Maude

May 15, 1995 to January 8, 2010

I would like to tell you all about this sweet, nutty girl who romped through our days for nearly 15 years, but how do you put so much vitality and verve into a written narrative? It has been clear for months now that Maude was slowing down... She kept her amazing spirit despite a growing list of aches and pains, but the last few weeks were difficult. Her little stubby tail had not wagged since before Christmas. We made the very difficult decision to ease our faithful companion's pain, and yesterday we had the veterinarian visit the house. Her lumpy plaid bed is empty now.

The brilliant sunshine glittering off the snow outside the windows makes my heart ache. What a beautiful day for a long walk. Maude would have loved to be outside on a day like this, but perhaps she is running in more beautiful fields now. I hope so.

"To sit with a dog on a hillside

on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,

where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace."

~Milan Kundera

The Birthday Girl

Today is our Maude's fourteenth birthday. This photo was taken last weekend as she ran with Haiku down to a little lake near our home. If anyone is interested, here is a link to a query on my blog for "Maude" with a lot more photos of our cute old girl: Maude

photo by Haiku, May 2009

Lingering...

I read this on my box of green tea this morning, "The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboo, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things." ~ Kakuzo Okakura.

This post offers glimpses of some of the beautiful foolishness that we have been lingering in over the past few days. Evanescence is everywhere in spring... In the bouyancy of a kite rising to the blue sky, catkins bursting on willow trees, sunlight sparkling on the water. Even Maude forgets her years and frisks about, bouyant and joyful on a ramble to the lake with Tanka and Haiku.

The afternoon glow brightens everything on a sunny April day, until the beautiful moment when the sun's warmth melts across the western sky.

Kite, Sparkling Lake, Maude - by Haiku
PussyWilllows, Crocus, Sunset - by Aisling
All photos, April 7 - 10, 2009


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Miss Maudie...

Today is our German Wirehair Pointer's twelfth birthday. When Maude is running across the back hill - ears flying, jowls flapping - there is no hint of her age. When she runs, she is a puppy again: chasing anything that hops, flies or scurries. Though she is a purebred, she doesn't "put on airs." She is plain-folk: mutt-like in her simplicity and humble need for a good scratching behind the ear, or maybe if she's lucky, on her mud-splattered belly. She is sweet, silly and naughty with equal verve. We are, by turns, amused, amazed, or exasperated by her antics. Through it all, we love her.

Happy Birthday, Naughty Maudie!

photo by Haiku, April 12, 2005... Maude in a sleepy, mellow mood

Poetry Thursday: A Little Tennyson

I did not find any time to write a poem this week, though I loved the "totally optional writing prompt" suggested by Poetry Thursday for the week. The prompt was simply the word "rivers." Maybe over the weekend, I will find a few moments to scribble some lines about rivers. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this tiny snippet, just the first stanza really, of a long lovely poem by Tennyson called "Maud." And above, there is a photo of my Maude, joining me in the garden (well, actually leaving me cheerfully behind as she races to the pond.)

"COME into the garden, Maud,
For the black bat, Night, has flown,
Come into the garden, Maud,
I am here at the gate alone;
And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad,
And the musk of the roses blown."

~ Alfred Tennyson, Lord Tennyson. 1809 – 1892

The scents that "waft abroad" in my own garden right now are those of lilac, and iris, and the thorny, invasive Russian and Autumn Olives that abound on this property. These non-native species thrive here, except where we have pulled them up by the root. Despite all those negative attributes, the tiny white and yellow blooms are delicate and pretty, and the scent, strong and sweet, is a fragrant invitation to linger outdoors.

photo 1 by Aisling, May 29, 2007 , Maude in the field

photo 2 by Haiku, May 30, 2007, Heuchera (coral bells) dripping over the garden trail

poem from A Selection of Poetry in the public domain

Nocturnal Visitors...

These two rascals visited our yard last night. I had to lure Maude into the house with a bit of meat (courtesy of the omnivores in residence!) or she would have terrorized these little twins. I snapped a few quick photos while the dog was ignoring me, but then left them alone to calm down, once I got Maude in the house. I watched them from the window until the sun went down, as they clung to the top of the slender birch. They must have slipped away quietly during night.

photo by Aisling, June 28, 2007

Missing the Moon...

On the second, the Hunger Moon lit the night sky. Somewhere up there, it was full and round and bright, but I did not catch a glimpse. On the drive home from town earlier that afternoon, the sun was shining weakly through banks of heavy cloud. As I went further north, it suddenly appeared as if the road dead-ended at a solid white wall. The only way home was forward, so on I went into a world of white - white road, white sky, white air - seeing nothing beyond a few feet in front of my vehicle.

Fortunately, we made it up the steep hill and down the winding narrow road that takes us home. From that moment until now, the snow has not stopped. Yesterday, we braved the roads to take Haiku to a friend's birthday party and, as a consequence of that choice, today Limerick had to brave worse roads to bring her home. He had to leap at the chance early this morning when a neighbor plowed the road and the end of our driveway. There was a good possibility that he wouldn't make it out later, as the snow is falling and the wind persisting.

The dark towering maple trees on the back hill look like pale white birches. Snow is clinging to the entire length of each branch, pressed into place by the force of the wind. My candle is already burning on the kitchen window-sill. I am definitely not going out in this weather... Even Maude our intredip German Wire-Hair Pointer, does not want to linger outdoors. Today, I'll get my daily dose of fresh air from the cold wind whistling through the edges of the front door!

photo of Maude, by Aisling, February 3, 2007

Sunday Stroll - Hanging in There

All the leaves have fallen from the pear trees, except the russet beauty in the photo above. Though it is November, the milkweed pods are just now opening to release their seeds to the wild northern wind.

Though the "time of yellow and purple flowers" that I wrote about weeks ago has passed, a few tenacious goldenrods and starthistle are still blooming.

Some wild berries still cling to bare branches, and color still graces the skies of a month we often perceive as the grey month of the year.

Best of all, our 14 and a half year old Maude is still hanging in there. She pranced in the sunshine today and it was very good to share another golden afternoon.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you joy.

all photos by Aisling, November 8, 2009

Sunday Stroll - November Color

Once the leaves fall, we tend to think of November as the gray month in our region. We see gray skies, gray weather, graying fields. But on this cold Sunday afternoon, Maudie and I found plenty of lingering color.

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue

Indigo

Violet

These Canada Geese flew energetically toward the south as Maude and I moved briskly back into the cozy house, were a woodfire warmed the air. I like the second goose, who seems to fly to the beat of her own wings.

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An Unexpected Visitor

This neighborhood resident came to visit me today. I wonder if he was planning to nibble on my butterfly bush? He arrived on the country lane, walking at a leisurely pace, however when our dog Maude told him in no uncertain terms to "take off Buddy!" the llama high-tailed it cross country, heading through the field behind the play house. I saw him back on the lane a couple of minutes later, heading up the long steep hill for his home on a nearby farm. What about you? Do you like unexpected visitors, or do you prefer that they call first? I'm fine with either as long as they don't eat all of my autumn blossoms!

photos by Aisling, 10/27/2009

Sunday Stroll - Spring Snow Storm

Tiggy has the right idea today; curl up in a ball and sleep, because it is surely not a good day for a leisurely stroll in the garden. Nevertheless, I suited up and headed out and snapped a few photos.

To the west, clouds:

To the east, more clouds:

Where the strong gusts of wind have blown the snow away, birds gather seaching the cold ground for food.

The butterfly garden, so bright with promise last week, is buried beneath a heavy white blanket. No sign of bud nor new green leaf in the garden today. It is a relief to see the evergreens in the garden on a day like this.
Trudging through drifts that rose past my knees, I worked my way down to the herb garden.




With a spring snow storm all outdoor work comes to a halt.



Maude agrees with Tiggy. It is a good day to curl up and sleep.

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pet photos by Haiku

outdoor photos by Aisling

all photos March 29, 2009