Life as I know It

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San Luis Obispo, California, and South Bristol, Maine, United States
Author ~ Illustrator ~ Lecturer

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Heavenly Blue Morning Glories in Maine Fog



Two of the (zillion) things that make my heart sing are sunflowers and Heavenly Blue morning glories. They're the plants that form the walls and roof of the sunflower house I first wrote about in 1991. I can't grow a sunflower house on the thick stone ledges that surround our cottage, but I CAN grow them in pots on our porch and have done so for the past 14 summers.

Usually the chipmunks or squirrels feast on the sunflowers JUST as they're forming, but this year they've escaped their normal fate of total destruction and have helped feed a family of goldfinches. My morning glories bloom in September, but this year, as though they know I won't be here in September (yes ,I realize that morning glories can't KNOW this) they've already started to bloom.

Azure, the color of "Sailor's jacket's," the brilliant patch of blue sky between clouds, greeted me this foggy morning as I glanced out my studio window. Memories flooded in, like the tide flowing into John's Bay from the wide Atlantic. I remembered my dear adopted Gram, Gladys Marie McKinstry in Kokomo, Indiana. Gram grew a trellis of Heavenly Blues outside her kitchen door every summer. I can still see the luminous blue with a red bird perched inside the thick tangle of vines.

Blessings from a foggy green island,

Sharon

8 comments:

My Farmhouse Kitchen said...

Sigh...how wonderful. Love seeing your morning glorys and sunflowers. And the fact that the seeds fed a family of finches. I love that....

SENDING August Greetings From San Luis Obispo....
xxx
k. bird

Kay's flowers said...

I have your book that you wrote about the sunflower house in and last year I grew one. It was so much fun and my grandchildren loved playing in it. I so love reading your blog. Am so looking forward to your new book. Have a grreat day!
K.

Anonymous said...

This year our heavenly blue morning glories are off to a very slow start. I've encountered this before. After a year of early, spectacular bloom comes a year of very late bloom.

Your pictures are lovely.

June said...

No morning glories here yet. But the sunflowers are alive with finches. Enjoy!

turningwheelfarm said...

I love blue flowers! Something about them makes me smile.

tamlovesran said...

It's always so heart breaking to watch the squirrels feast on the sunflowers that we've watched growing and anticipated seeing bloom! I've never thought of planting them in pots.
I love morning glories too! Walking outdoors and seeing them starts the day off on a happy note!

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

I wonder if their early bloom is due to the cool summer in the Northeast and where I live (the Midwest)?

Somewhere in my childhood, there were morning glories growing up the side of a trellis. I try to remember who and where but was never able to... so I just enjoy the memory. :)

Marcie said...

My heavenly blues did not germinate this year, so it is nice to find them here on your blog. I just changed my banner to one that includes a field of sunflowers a neighbor grew last year. It is always nice to pop by and see how you are. I'm eager for the post saying "the new book is available!) :)