Friday, May 29, 2009

The Last Pansies, May 2009 - Mostly Gone First Half of June

Each year the pansies have to be pulled out, after they get all leggy from the heat, so they can be replaced with summer annuals. Oldest cuts as many blossoms as he can on the last day, arranging vases all over the house. One year I think there were about fifty separate little arrangements. This one struck me as I passed it on the stairwell, so I carried it upstairs for this photo, and to capture one of the pansies in a drawing.

The large one in the center is a pansy, the others are actually violas, the violet cousins from which the larger hybrid pansies were bred. Dearest loves all of these, and plants dozens of kinds every fall, all over the yard. She has to visit several different nurseries over several months to get the variety she wants.

The drawing was for a Mothers Day card for my Mom. Round card stock, about 5 inches in diameter.

Between the job, a long set of meetings out of town, and a family vacation I may not be online at all until June 15th or later... We'll see. It's all good stuff, but the first half of June will FLY by.

See you in a few weeks... Maybe with a few little paintings from the trips...

10 comments:

Linda S. Socha said...

This is absolutely beautiful...both the photo and the drawing.

A friend of mine who is a missionary says that pansies are the eyes of God. I only know I love them
Linda

lisahgolden said...

That pansy drawing is so touching. You've really captured it and what a beautiful thing to give your mother.

I've been crazy about pansies since we moved to Georgia because they are so long-lived. It was like magic that first winter when I realized that the pansies I'd planted in October or November had survived and popped with color in the late winter. That never happened in Chicago.

Enjoy your trip with the family. And thank you for the encouraging words on my blog. I know it's going to be a long, arduous process so the encouragement is much appreciated.

susan said...

Pansies were my grandfather's favorite flower and he had them all over his garden in northern England - along with the roses, sweet peas, hollyhocks etc. I still remember the combined scents.

Here in Portland people plant pansies in the fall a a winter flower. That was one of the things that amazed me when we arrived - those and decorative cabbage :-)

I hope you enjoy a wonderful June.

giggles said...

Lovely!

Enjoy June.........

L'Adelaide said...

how sweet of your oldest to do this for the family, most definitely for mom! I plant them and they are always coming along, although the extreme heat of summer, if it lasts long, knocks them back, at which time, I cut them back, as my grandmother taught me(they were HER favs too) and up they pop in the fall...I pulled them out of some pots and noticed they are up and blooming in there again ... violas are my favorite and I didn't know the history of them and pansies...this is a lovely card for your mom.

have a wonderful june and we will see you when we do... thank you for your kind words on my little bird collage btw, they are always so much appreciated!

June Saville said...

Happy trip Steve. Pansies are among my favourites. I think of them as having little faces ...
June in Oz

Genie Sea said...

Have a great trip Steve! :)

Anonymous said...

Just a short note to let you know I passed on an Award to you - have a look (http://fadwas-inspirational.blogspot.com/2009/06/passing-on-award-part-two.html)

Unknown said...

You rendered the pansy so nicely in your mother's day card.

Busy here, too but I have a few days' breather until Monday. There is a family event of sorts on Saturday and the endless rain just really drains the life out of everything.

Unknown said...

Oh, PS: I put up a post of the work of Emile Bernard, if you'd like to come by. There is also a wacky art post I'd love your comments on. No rush or obligation, though.