Caryatids, Blenheim Palace

As an escape from the worries and cares of the moment, I've been looking through images, reminding myself of beautiful places and pleasanter times. Behind Blenheim Palace is a Water Terrace. A row of caryatids are positioned as if they are holding up the formal garden on the level above. They look uncomfortable. In times when the world weighs me down, I think of the caryatids who cannot move, cannot complain. They simply carry the weight and, perhaps, hope that some day their burdens will be lifted.

Modern Day Bird's Nest

The chicks have flown and the birds' nest has been abandoned. The family built it on a low branch that hangs over a well-traveled sidewalk. You could call it a mixed media assemblage. I have very mixed feelings about this nest: admiration for the way they repurposed the paper, plastic wrappers and bits of fibers that we so often find abandoned along the edges of yards and streets, but also frustration that thoughtless littering is still a way of life.

Here Comes The Sunfower

Earlier this year the Coronavirus pandemic led to a quick sellout of seeds when people realized they were going to be spending more time at home. Sunflowers are easy to grow. Have you noticed more of them standing tall in yards around your neighborhood? This gigantic beauty towered above my head. The tightly packed center florets form spirals, an example of a Fibonacci series. Enjoy these mathematical marvels while you can. Soon the florets will become seeds, the sunflower heads will droop and they will become feasts for the birds.

Zucchini House

It's not uncommon to see vegetables growing in front yards, especially if that's the sunny side of the house. But I have never seen a yard devoted only to zucchini, edge to edge, from front sidewalk all the way up to the house. What plans the owner must have, from fiori di zucca to ratatouille, baked, grilled, fried, transformed into boats, cut into zoodles, hidden in zucchini bread. The plants look so healthy. How will this optimistic gardener keep up? If, later in the summer, neighbors find zucchini left on their porches, there will be no doubt where it came from.

Gate And Arbor

An arbor is an old-fashioned structure, something you'd expect to find leading to a cozy cottage. This one, with its shady vines and bright stand of black-eyed susans, looks suitably homey and inviting. It makes me want to open the gate and step into the yard. An arbor has always been on my Wish List, along with climbing roses. Roses to drape themselves across that arbor, some day.