Dill, Morning Glories and Bindweed

 At this lush point in the summer, tomatoes and zucchini are ripening and new flower buds open every morning. In a yard devoted to rows of sunflowers and vegetables, there is an entanglement of dill, morning glories and bindweed. Morning glories and bindweed are cousins, one with heart shaped leaves, the other with leaves like green arrows. They curl and twirl themselves around the stems of dill. One is considered a welcome garden flower, the other is labeled a weed Neither seems to care. They continue sending out fine tendrils, growing and twining.

Colorful Front Yard

 Ten years ago, the only time you saw signs in yards was shortly before an election or when a house was for sale. Signs proliferated like dandelions in untended lawns once the pandemic stopped people from going out. Most of the semi-permanent yard signs are meant as declarations of support. When spring arrives, families mark upcoming high school graduations. This family has coordinated their summer flowers with the sign for a delightfully colorful display.

Garden Angel's View

 The angel sits along the edge of the garden, arms perennially upraised. In summer, he is half-hidden by the plants. He sees it all, in every season: the first tender leaf buds, daffodils pushing up through the soil, hydrangeas hanging heavy with flowers, autumn leaves changing from green to gold. What season is his favorite? The angel will not say.

Boardwalk Graffiti

Plants that like to keep their feet wet grow tall in July. Rushes, cattails and feathery grasses form a tangle that whispers in the breeze. At the turn in the boardwalk, initials remain, carved years before in wood that has grown silvery with age. It's a magical spot, suspended just over the water.

 

Bertha, I'd Like to Know Where You Got the Notion

That's the title given by Donna Castellanos to the portrait of her grandmother. It is currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery, juried into the Outwin American Portraiture Today exhibition. Look closely and you will see a potpourri of sewing tools and notions: buttons, zippers, measuring tapes, needles, snaps, hooks and eyes. Yes, those are two well-used tomato pin cushions. It's an appropriate homage to a woman who worked in a factory, sewing in zippers. As my friends and I delighted in discovering each detail, one of the guards stepped closer, listening to our enthusiastic commentary. "It’s my favorite too." he shared. High praise from a person who has had day after day to carefully study each artwork.