Wednesday, May 8, 2013

a spring country weekend











The sun shone through the trees and it was just warm enough that I didn't need a sweater in the afternoon. Wading in shallow water, ferns unfurling, wildflowers popping up...

All the greens:
spring green, apple green, moss green, forest green...

Checking the frog pond for tadpoles or frogspawn. Frogspawn reminding me of a favorite poem, Death of a Naturalist, by the great Irish poet Seamus Heaney. (Read the entire poem here.) Remembering as a child in Virginia collecting frogspawn in jars and tadpoles in buckets...

...There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies,
But best of all was the warm thick slobber
Of frogspawn that grew like clotted water
In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring
I would fill jampots full of the jellied
Specks to range on the window-sills at home,..

-Seamus Heaney from Death of  a Naturalist


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15 comments:

  1. AnneMay 8, 2013 at 11:44 AM

    Its looking beautiful Jen. So glad spring is here!

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  2. haricotMay 8, 2013 at 12:57 PM

    It's so long time ago when I saw many frogspawn that surprised me a lot...
    Thank you, Jen, for sharing your precious time and this beautiful poem.

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  3. ParnassusMay 8, 2013 at 2:20 PM

    Hello Jen, I certainly cannot pick a favorite among these; I love them all. Your mention of frog spawn reminded me of the Chinese drink Shan Fen-Yuan that I wrote about before. I just got some fresh lemons, so I think I'll mix up some.
    --Road to Parnassus

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    1. JenMay 8, 2013 at 11:18 PM

      I remember your post about that drink--will have to look it up and try it!

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  4. helen tilstonMay 8, 2013 at 9:01 PM

    Hello Jen

    I love the images and the poem by Seamus Heaney speaks loudly

    Helen xx

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  5. Susan ~ Southern FascinationsMay 8, 2013 at 9:57 PM

    Jen...Pretty, pretty photos. Enjoyed the link for the poetry.. A treat to hear him read! Not sure why but it brought to mind the children's picture book, Tuesday, by David Wiesner, where the frogs fly through the air on their lily pads. Lovely water colored art throughout.... Funny how one thing leads to other random thoughts! It must be Spring Fever! Susan

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    1. JenMay 8, 2013 at 11:18 PM

      I don't know that book--it sounds lovely!

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  6. In My Wild EdenMay 9, 2013 at 3:41 PM

    Beautiful. I love the fiddle heads. We did the tadpole thing with the boys when they were young. It was so fun. One thing I would do different now is that I wouldn't keep them in the kitchen. I had to chase a few to get them into a more appropriate environment. I don't know though, maybe that was the funnest part!

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  7. AnonymousMay 10, 2013 at 4:20 AM

    Lovely. Spring has to be the best season :) xxxx

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  8. AnonymousMay 11, 2013 at 2:03 PM

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  9. Gardener in the DistanceMay 12, 2013 at 3:45 AM

    Jen, your photos are very tranquil. I'm a fan of Seamus Heaney; the poem here is wonderful. Thankyou for reminding me of it.

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  10. AnonymousMay 12, 2013 at 5:58 PM

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  11. AnonymousMay 13, 2013 at 12:48 AM

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  12. erleichdaMay 13, 2013 at 4:17 PM

    wonderful poem Jen
    hugs xoxox

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  13. AmeliaMay 15, 2013 at 5:08 PM

    What a lovely poem, and so vivid for this time. I love that picture of the unfurling ferns. I have them growing on one entire side of my garage and I get childishly giddy when I see those little fuzzy twirls coming up, not to mention the fact that they'll take over the world if you let them. Enjoy being back in the Catskills!

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