Almost in the short rows…..

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It’s May,   the reason I haven’t posted or come around to visit for awhile,
the marathon month for Rivergreen,  our small family business.
May,  the tiny window during which I dig a gazillion holes
and muster up soil from red clay and tuck in flowers and herbs and veggies and trees,
painting the earth with living art
in this small slice of time
before she turns up the oven quick and begins to bake the clay of my designs
into the gardens they’ll be for the long growing season.

It’s May,  the reason that I grin tired thanks for the wildflowers
winking from the roadways as I drive along dirty and sweat-soaked
and going in a hurry to the next somewheres that I’ve also gotta be.
It slows the too-fast of my heart to watch their effortless dance.
I love how simple.  How easy.

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I’m a little too pooped to write;
just want to share their smiles with you
because really they have their own way of saying
and it’s all too sweet and sacred to bungle with words.

I think of you while I’m down there on my knees,
you know,  humming your name to heaven
and smiling thanks for the gift that you are.

I’ll be back with more soon.
I’m almost in the short rows.

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“The art of deep seeing makes gratitude possible.”
-Ann Voscamp

 

24 Comments

  1. Elephant's Child on May 12, 2015 at 8:51 pm

    Love the beauty, the vibrancy, the growth and the love you share.
    We will be waiting when you are ready to let your weary bones sink to a chair to write to us.

    • Jennifer Richardson on May 17, 2015 at 6:43 am

      Thank you so much for your encouraging balm:)
      Much joy to your beautiful heart,
      Jennifer

  2. Lady Fi on May 12, 2015 at 10:16 pm

    Gorgeous shots! May sounds like a hard month – but a good one too.

    • Jennifer Richardson on May 17, 2015 at 6:44 am

      Hard but good indeed…..and a beautiful challenge.
      Kind of like childbirth:)
      thanks for coming by and encouraging the way that you do,
      Jennifer

  3. Donna on May 13, 2015 at 3:08 am

    A month of toil that pays dividends…this is my month to celebrate in the garden as i also toil before the heat and humidity reign altho that has happened early this year…thankful for the recent rain and the cool down. Good to take a few breaks.

    • Jennifer Richardson on May 17, 2015 at 6:45 am

      Pays dividends….so good to remember and celebrate.
      And grateful for our strong bodies that keep us out there
      and in the soil:)
      Thanks for coming by…..so much joy to you,
      Jennifer

  4. Julia on May 13, 2015 at 6:55 am

    Good morning dear Jennifer. I totally understand about being too busy.
    Helping Mother Nature to bring forth her best displays in a timely fashion for impatient customers is a lot of hard work and planning. I hope that you take time to just keep those snippets of marvels in the back of your mind so you can share them with us when the time is ripe, all wrapped up in hearts thoughts wrappers.
    I’ve missed you.
    Hugs,
    JB

    • Jennifer Richardson on May 17, 2015 at 6:46 am

      I love it when time is ripe:) What an awesome expression:)
      Thanks for your kindness;
      big joy to beautiful you,
      Jennifer

  5. gotham girl on May 13, 2015 at 7:56 am

    I can just smell the earth in this post! Looking forward to your return soon!

    • Jennifer Richardson on May 17, 2015 at 6:46 am

      Thanks for coming by and taking a breath of it
      with me
      for awhile;
      I so appreciate your encouragement:)
      -Jennifer

  6. jeanie on May 13, 2015 at 8:42 am

    Ah, the short rows! Now THAT will be victory! I think every business has its cycle of crazy, the time where all we do is do the work. The rest operates on must-do only, no frills, minimum fun, taking the joy from the work and the rest when we can. This is your time. I have a feeling we’ll all reap the benefits when we see your wonderful flower photos soon!

    • Jennifer Richardson on May 17, 2015 at 6:48 am

      One of the things I love
      about this crazy season
      is the frequent eating out:)
      There is always something yummy
      about the hard places:)
      Thanks so much for coming by and encouraging,
      friend:)
      -Jennifer

  7. susan troccolo on May 13, 2015 at 3:38 pm

    I’d love to know more about your business! do you have greenhouses…or sell to farmer’s markets? I’m just interested. Do you know that when the picture scrolled by with the deep blue cornflowers are they?….they I gasped. Out Loud. That’s how much I understood your love of that scene. Humming our names to Heaven. I can’t imagine being luckier.

    • Jennifer Richardson on May 17, 2015 at 6:50 am

      We design and build gardens in our area and then maintain them
      for almost 50 regular weekly clients, so this is our slamming busy
      season (well, the Fall is actually just as busy). During the Summer
      there is somewhat of a gentling and then we get a good lull in the
      wintertime. It’s stretchy to my creative muscles as well as my
      physical ones, for sure:) Lots of artmaking in the soil:)
      Thanks so much for your encouragement, friend,
      Jennifer

  8. CherryPie on May 13, 2015 at 6:42 pm

    I love your beautiful smiles as as your work your beauty in the earth 🙂

  9. Kathryn on May 15, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    I haven’t been around either Jennifer!! Nice to be back! Just amazingly beautiful wildflowers!!!!

    • Jennifer Richardson on May 17, 2015 at 6:51 am

      So good to see you, friend!
      Looking forward to reconnecting when the craziness slows
      into a more do-able pace. A very large joy to you,
      Jennifer

  10. Susan on May 16, 2015 at 11:19 am

    and the beautiful, hard working gift that you are … xo

    • Jennifer Richardson on May 17, 2015 at 6:52 am

      Thanks for your balmy kindness, Susan;
      I so appreciate you and your gentle way:)
      -Jennifer

  11. Relyn on May 20, 2015 at 10:16 am

    I wanted to thank you for entering my giveaway. You did not win, and I am sorry. I know (from you) how wonderful it is to win something from a bloggy friend. You are a bright spot in my corner of the blog world and I just wanted to thank you.

    • jennifer on May 24, 2015 at 2:00 pm

      Thanks for coming by to check in, Relyn:)
      -Jennifer

  12. leslie on May 22, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    ah yes, the growing things sing something magical this time of year. i think it’s a paean of joy for what’s coming…

    wishing you strength for the sowing. ❤

    • jennifer on May 24, 2015 at 2:01 pm

      Thanks for the perspective, Leslie; what is coming is going to be
      stunning, I will believe:)
      -Jennifer

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