Ellwood Passages

Little One and I decided that we had best get ahead of the bitter dock, which was spreading, in our Lemurian Garden. So with crow -bars and the force of our backs we probed, deep down, into the soil around the bitter dock’s roots, trying to find the ends of the long white taproots. I have not heard of, nor read of any good use for this plant. If anybody has knowledge of any will you please let me know? It is a mighty strong plant, very healthy, I don't understand why a tea of it would not be good for strength. But perhaps it is a plant that likes to jest with us humans and it only increases our strength by making us work so hard getting rid of it.

Finally Lemuria’s face was almost free of the troublesome weeds and our backs were complaining from too much bending. Even our hearts could not stand another moment of digging bitter dock and thistle, so we drug our compost to the brush pile to burn later. I left one big bitter dock still standing. It has its strong arms wrapped around a blooming daffodil. I will have to lift the daffy to release the burdock, so I will come back after Daffy is done blooming.



We raised our plastic water bottle bottoms up to gurgle in the sun where they offered some wet relief for our tongues. Now it was time to have some fun and instead of playing like, Kali the Destroyer, we would become, The Kali of New Life. Little One is fond of Pansies so I helped her plant a flat of them while I worked on the Celosia and Elderberry transplants in the greenhouse. She watered the newly moved plants, and then we went about discovering where she was going to put her garden. She had some lilies, irises and a rose that she wanted to put in a special place .So we found a spot that suited her, not too sunny or too shady and she planned it all out while I stirred us up a little lunch of rice, celery and left over chicken.

She was content to work on her paths while I pulled the euonymus weeds from the daylily patch. That wild climbing euonymus escapes from Farmer Shaw’s woods, where it covers the ground and climbs up the trees, to our yard. It carouses the neighborhood because of one exotic start that his wife mail- ordered, and planted a long time ago, from a magazine. It is a prolific invader!
I don’t even dare throw it on the compost. I put it in the trash to be taken to the landfill. Just get it out of here! The sun felt so warm on my head all day. Pershia Kitty would softly rub up against my leg then scamper up a tree in mischief as I moved my Garden Phlox about.

This is one plant that self sows here quite abundantly. I would say that its blue~ pink~ purple sprays are the backbone of my summer gardens. I love it! Garden phlox is a rather independent sort and sometimes argues with me about where the paths will stay.
Because you see Phlox doesn’t really believe in paths at all and just likes to plop down any ole place, in the middle of the path or wherever! But that is ok, because I like to transplant this phlox to places that I think need cheered up. Rowdy independent sorts like them always liven up parties, have you noticed? This old garden heirloom that I love can get up to waist high and seems to dance in the summer. Pink, blue and purple, sashaying in the breeze of June, that is Garden Phlox.


I took my second cutting of Nettle today and laid it on screens to dry in the shade with the puffs of wind. Before night I will bring in the screens and place them by the fire where the heat will continue working where the wind took off.
Little One is looking up the magical purposes of the quince, which is blooming such a charming peach-red. The red flower buds of the rhubarb we searched for today beneath its large dark green elephant shaped leaves. We popped off these flower buds so that the rhubarbs energy will stay in its stalks so we can take nice looking long spears to market in a couple of weeks.

We took a pause from our work to gather at the apple and peach trees, Hubby, Little One and I. They are so beautiful! The peach dresses up in such jaunty happy pink attire. The apple buds appear shy with blushing ruby red lips just barely peeking out of their white finery.

The larder in the kitchen is empty of honey and apple-sause, so it is reassuring to know that already the bees are storing nectar within the supers in the apiaries. Soon they will be busy pollinating the apple trees.

The chickens are reaching a peak in their egg production and a broody hen now sits on her eggs. The time of the in-gathering has begun, for already the morning looks to afternoon! When I look out our back door I see the deep purple toned buds of the shrub magnolia highlighted against the white clustered sprays of the cheery blooms behind it. And then those white blossoms are silhouetted against the dark green of the pine. I don’t know how nature can be so naturally beautiful.


The yellow Dandelions are blooming bright and we plan to gather them to make Dandelion Aide, which is so refreshing with ice after a good work out under the sun.

Little One reads me a poem that she wrote about flying horses as Hubby props his feet up and so do I. The sun goes lower into the western sky; it skirts across our northern porch and highlights the primroses, which I left laying in a basket.

There is a woodpecker that is trilling his springtime mating call, in the pines down the hill. The red winged blackbirds make waves together in their swishes through the sky, like bars of musical notes, between the green green meadow and the azure blue sky. And I think as I rest, my body weary, my soul renewed, that I may have never known happier moments then those ones spent right here, at home with my darlings on our homestead in the spring. Today.



Dandelion Aide

Send out the children to gather as many clean bright cheerful new Dandelion faces, (blooms), that they can gather in their skirts or baskets.

Meanwhile get a large big pot of water to boiling.

Have a large ceramic bowl ready.

After gathering Dandelion faces, pick through them for grass, straw or any stray bugs.

Then have the children put the Dandelion faces into a ceramic bowl and have them stand back as you pour the boiling water over them.

Cover, let sit 15 minutes.

Remove cover and let dandelion faces remain infused while you let mixture cool.

Then remove Dandy faces, and pour Dandy Face brew into pitcher.

Add honey or sugar and Lemon to taste.

Add Ice, Enjoy.



Copyright©2004,Text and Photos by Trendle Ellwood. All Rights Reserved.

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