Nobody sees a flower, really–it is so small we haven’t time, and to see takes time. – Georgia O’Keefe
Have you ever noticed the beautiful flower that appears before it transforms into the long, green, rough vegetable we call okra? Did you realize that watermelons begin as a tiny yellow flower?
June has enveloped me with fresh food, with the summer blackberries and blueberries, and the maintenance of my garden on Allee de Lune. It is the flowers that have surprised me, with this, my first really serious garden. The first ones were the squash flowers, those bright big yellow blossoms signaling forthcoming fruit. I suppose I had not thought about the idea that flowers that would come first. Then came the yellow flowers of cucumber, and crowder pea, and watermelon.
The garden is 16ft x 36ft (once expanded for the watermelons who think they own the place). I wrapped the perimeter with 8 ft tall flexible mesh fabric, ordered online, to keep the deer from having dinner before me. And they have been perfectly respectable too, even on those evenings when I forgot to close the flap gate. We live together in a peaceable kingdom, out here on the island. At this time of year, there are lots of deer babies running around. Fawns leaping into shubbery everywhere.
The blooming vegetables have reminded me that beauty comes first. How healing it is to our spirits, to be reminded of the ethereal. Eckhart Tolle writes that feelings of love and joy are intrinsically connected to the recognition of beauty. John O’Dononhue, the deeply spiritual Celtic priest and poet, writes in his book titled Beauty, the Invisible Embrace, “When we awaken to the call of beauty, we become aware of new ways of being in the world. We were created to be creators. At its deepest heart, creativity is meant to serve and evoke beauty.”
If we are lucky, beauty also stuns us for a moment, allowing a sense of awe to visit us. And if we can suspend our thoughts for even a small moment and allow a sense of the sacred inherent in beauty to still us, we have indeed, I think, been visited by a brush with the Creator.
I was called to be an artist. And as an old old midwife said to me "If the Lord wants you to do something, you won't have no good luck' til you do." So, here I am, sharing what I love, longing to illuminate the work of art, which is everywhere.
Okra flowers are very lovely and short lived. Good luck with that peaceful kingdom, cute deer thing. Remember, this is the year you do for your winter meat supply.
I am laughing out loud, dear Pinkney.
Your last paragraph eloquently expresses my feelings about the beauty of nature. I will read more of your blog posts later. You have a wonderful way with words and your photographs are exquisite! I’m so glad that Jim introduced us.
Carla, what a delight to hear from you. Thank you so much for the support of your visit and the kind words. We have lots in common I think! Cheers, Charlotte