10:45 a.m.
45 ℉ (feels like 36 ℉)
Today is the first day that I have sat in my backyard by myself. Not just in January, but ever. Normally, my husband, Andre, accompanies me out here to show me the work he's done or just to chat with me while we drink coffee in the morning or eat ice cream in the evening. Even when it's nice outside, this sitting in the backyard happens rarely. Over the next few months, I'm going to change that. This blog is going to document my getting know my own backyard. I want to move from formal handshake (Yes, hello, backyard. So nice to see you again.) to a comforting hug (Ah, yes, this is where I want to be!). I decided to name my blog "Beyond the Rosebush" for two main reasons. The first being that the rosebush is one of the only plants in my backyard (or anywhere, really) that I can identify throughout the year. The second is that the rosebush marks the place in my yard that I rarely venture past. My backyard is narrow and steep. I plan to start at the bottom and work my way up well past the rosebush.
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| The rosebush |
In my mind's eye, my backyard in winter is a series of drab browns and grays. In reality, the pachysandra (one of the few plants back here that I can name) is deep green. The evergreen trees and bushes are staying true to their name. There is even a patch of bright green moss on a stone slab, bright green despite being sprinkled with snow the texture of a snow cone. Even though it has leaves like a deciduous plant, the hedge that lines the bottom right-hand part of the yard is sporting a healthy coat of green leaves.
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| View from my chair |
When the wind picks up I'm reminded it is January. The leaves on the ground and the few still attached to branches tickle each other. A large bunch of decorative grass on the far left of the first terrace reminds me of the fields of winter wheat that grew near my childhood home in Ohio. The bushy tails on the end of the long stalks wave and bob in the breeze. A squirrel pauses to dig at something in the ground at the top of our steps, but quickly darts off up a tree.
I don't see any birds but I hear a chirp every once in a while. The only steady sound is the hum of the parkway not far from my home. Someone's fuzzy bass gets louder then softer as they drive past on the busy road in front of my house. My neighbor's two sets of wind chimes occasionally make noise: the wooden ones knock, the metal ones tinkle. Even with the occasional breeze, there isn't much scent to the air. It's crisp and smells cold like winter.
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| Backyard long view |
Amy Lee,
ReplyDeleteThis was a lovely introduction to your backyard, and I look forward to getting to know it as you do, too. Your description of colors and scenery, textures, sounds, all were very distinct and brought me right on your back porch with you. I also like your additions of the time and temperature and I might borrow that for my own entires! It really helped me place the scene mentally with my relationship to what 10:45 and 45/36 degrees feels like. Thanks for the picture references, too!
You've done a nice job creating your blog, Amy Lee. The photos are a great addition, to help us readers see what you see and to break up the text--something I'll need to do. You have an inviting and conversational voice, making me want to get to know your garden with you. I can completely understand how the thought of a backyard in winter conjures images of drab browns and grays. But as you describe, and as the photos show, there is a lot of green, a lot of life. And the sun I like how you show us the sun shining through your neighbor's hedges and in between the shadows of your patio furniture. It's so cool that your yard has the different levels. Finally, what a great idea to have the date and temperature at the top!
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ReplyDeleteAmy Lee,
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely and inviting blog.
There is an honesty here and a vulnerability to get to know a place so close to you, but at the same time so far away. I agree with Lori that your converational tone invites the reader in to your intimate space and thoughts. Reading your first blog post (especially with the inclusion of the pictures) gives me a real sense of place, which I believe is what we are all trying to achieve.
Thank you also for explaining up front what your blog will be striving for and what your readers should expect in the future.
Thank you for the wonderful read!
Marguerite
This is such a welcoming first post and I appreciate the visual impression of your yard to go along with your strong descriptions. I think it will be really interesting to see how this relationship you have with this place - a place that perhaps was more considered less yours than your husbands - develops as the winter and spring unfold.
ReplyDelete"This blog is going to document my getting know my own backyard. I want to move from formal handshake (Yes, hello, backyard. So nice to see you again.) to a comforting hug (Ah, yes, this is where I want to be!). I decided to name my blog "Beyond the Rosebush" for two main reasons. The first being that the rosebush is one of the only plants in my backyard (or anywhere, really) that I can identify throughout the year. The second is that the rosebush marks the place in my yard that I rarely venture past. My backyard is narrow and steep. I plan to start at the bottom and work my way up well past the rosebush."
ReplyDeleteI love this idea!