Backlit Glory

One of the few literary arguments my husband and I have is about the poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins. I love Hopkins' "sprung rhythm" and the powerful language that recalls Anglo-Saxon poetry. My husband jokes that teaching Hopkins (which I do often) should be grounds for dismissal, such is his dislike.

As I drove in the driveway this morning, some tulips in my garden were wonderfully backlit. I just had to take these photos. When I put them up on the computer, lines from Hopkins came to me unbidden from his poem "God's Grandeur":


The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like the shining from shook foil...

For me, any poet's words that come to mind in the face of such natural spectacle must not be so bad.

Sunshine, Artists, and Gardens

Cloudless sky, sunshine, pleasant temperature (25 C; 77F) - the weather could not have been more perfect for our local art gallery's (Two Rivers Art Gallery) "Artists in the Garden" fundraiser.

the riverside

The weather, the gardens, the refreshments were perfect, each yard offering something quite different - an organic farm, a riverside lot cascading down the steep bank, a fairyland backyard retreat, a small city lot with wonderful perennial (the hostas were abundant and beautiful) and vegetable gardens, and a hilltop paradise several miles out of town with its own artisanal bakery.

the farm

Each host provided some light refreshments - lots of cool lemonade, lavender cookies, rosemary cookies, sandwiches with that artisanal bread. One of the venues had a harpist. There really is something otherworldly about the sound of the harp, and set outdoors in the cool of the trees, it is magical.

the city

the country paradise

Everyone was mellow and friendly. I hope the gallery made pots of money. I'm already looking forward to next year.

the fairyland

Help for the GNOME-ically Challenged

Garden gnomes have become enormously popular in recent years. In yards, gardens, and on decks, gnomes of bewildering array are everywhere. In one fun blog - Along Life's Highway-The Yard Art Game -  Gnomes hold a place of importance and receive bonus points in the game.

But what of the gnome-ically challenged, those who have neither the outdoor space nor the means to get to yards where these colourful creatures reside?

Not to worry! There are gnomes for the indoor afficionado - they may never win points in a game, but will ease the pain of deprivation for urban dwellers and shut-ins alike.

There are those who shudder at the very thought of going outdoors, at least in any environment where concrete is not somehow involved. For these folks, there is the urban gnome, figures resembling the familiar gnome in general outlines but without any garish reference to the outdoors of suburbia.

Embellished with edgy, upscale zippers, these figures allow the urbanite to  participate ironically in the gnome craze without the kitsch.

But not everyone wants to avoid kitsch, even without the outdoor space to indulge it. For these folks, there are various gnome lights, both plug-in-lamp gnomes and glo-gnomes.

 For apartment dwellers with children, or for the young at heart, there are other playful and educational solutions to being gnome-ically challenged.

Children, especially, would enjoy having a small indoor patch of lawn and a miniature gnome to adorn it. Parents, even educators in urban classrooms, can buy kits that will teach children about tending a lawn and about gnomes - a steal at twenty dollars.

Children of all ages might enjoy indoor gnome bowling (there is an outdoor version as well). Lightweight gnome figures and balls that won't harm pets and expensive furnishings are available for a reasonable price.

There are many other products for those destined to a life without real outdoor gnomes - gnomes dressed in the uniform of one's favourite sports team, indoor water fountains with gnome ornaments and themes, gnome tables and footstools.

There are even gnomes for the fetishists among us - the adult, gnome dress-up costume and gnome soap-on-a rope!

So if you are gnome-ically challenged, with no outdoor space and no desire for colourful gnome kitsch in your life, there is always a way for you to indulge in gnome mania.

Where there's a will, there's a way!