Work and Art

I mentioned a few posts ago (now I can’t find the reference; maybe I dreamt it!) that in the fall after planting the tulip bulbs, I covered each area with a heavy stone to dissuade the squirrels from digging them up.  I promised that I’d let you know how successful that idea was.  I was a little worried about the poor tulips hitting their heads on the stones as they tried to come up but when I took the stones off I found the damage was minimal.  The ones that were well on their way managed to go around the stones and are happily about four inches (10 cm.) high now, while some are just poking their heads through the soil now. Now if only the squirrels don’t eat the buds just before they bloom all will be well.

I’m amazed by the hardiness of some plants.  I planted snowdrops  in the front yard and every year they bloom even before the snow has melted.  Here’s a picture I took a couple of days ago. I love plants that bloom this early in the spring when you’re starved for beauty!  It’s definitely worth planning for!

The next subject has nothing to do with gardening. I was listening to a doctor with MSF (Médicins sans Frontieres) on CBC this morning and was humbled by her courage and attitude.  When asked why she kept going back to places like Syria (where she was recently) she said, “I was born in a time and a country where I was free to pursue an education and become a doctor. With that privilege comes responsibility.  I have to try to make the world a little better.” (I’m paraphrasing). I often feel guilty for that very privilege and wonder if I could/should be doing more to help the less fortunate in the world.  Instead, all I do is donate so people like this doctor (whose name I didn’t catch) can make a difference. I know it’s not much, but I’m not sure I have the courage to do more.

With this website I’m glad to be able to point people towards beauty, which makes living in this very flawed world a little easier.  I hope!  Anyway, here’s something sublime for your listening pleasure. Sarah Connolly with the London Symphony singing the first movement of Kindertotenlieder by Mahler.

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