Talking about Emily Dickinson’s love of flower gardens led me down the garden path to remember another story about a famous artist who’s known for his paintings, but not especially for the passion that drove him: his gardens.
I’m talking about Monet.
Claude Monet (1840-1926) is one of the great French Impressionists. In 1883, he moved to a property along the Seine in the French countryside called Giverny. While he was already an established artist, painting both landscapes and portraits …
Le déjeuner sur l’herbe, (right section), with Gustave Courbet, Frédéric Bazille and Camille Doncieux, first wife of the artist
Woman in a Garden, 1867, Hermitage, St. Petersburg
the property at Giverny inspired him to undertake a huge landscaping project, including lily ponds that would become the subjects of his most famous paintings.
“With the help of his family and six gardeners,” reports NPR, “Monet planted, nurtured and composed his garden—a world of flowers made up of yellow, pink and red roses arrayed on the ground and draping over metal arches; patches of bright red geraniums; pale purple lavender; deep purple pansies; irises; impatiens; peonies and more.” He composed his paintings by first planting exactly what he wanted to capture on canvas.
Claude Monet, Irises In Monet’s Garden, 1900
For the next 20 years, Monet painted his gardens. He focused mainly on the water lilies, painting 250 canvases of them, some of which were multiple panels, each as wide as 14 feet.
Claude Monet, Water Lilies, c. 1915
Claude Monet, The Water Lilies – Setting Sun, 1920–1926
Today, Monet’s property at Giverny operates as a living museum, where you can experience the beauty of both Monet’s passions yearly from the end of March until November 1st. Find out more at Giverny-Impression.com.
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Sara Knight!!!
Sara Knight (YellowRose, #6034) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Aprons Merit Badge!
“I chose the clothespin apron pattern that was posted on The Farmgirl Connection for the Jubilee. I used two fabrics from MaryJane’s Milk Cow collection.
I hadn’t sewed on a machine for 30 years, but it all came back to me. The pattern was easy. I am pleased with how the apron turned out.”
Need a little inspiration to get moving today, chase your dreams, touch the sun?
Photo by Sander van der Wel via Wikimedia Commons
Well, I’m always here to tell you that anything is possible. This backcountry maiden turned MaryJanesFarm maven knows what she’s talkin’ about, sister.
But, if you won’t take my word for it, take the tweet of a simple songbird instead …
Photo by William H. Majoros via Wikimedia Commons
Meet the blackpoll warbler.
This unassuming pipsqueak, small enough to perch on your hand, is an unsung marvel.
Photo by PJTurgeon via Wikimedia
On wings measuring no more than 9″ from tip to tip, the blackpoll warbler flies over 1,500 miles in about three days. Fifteen HUNDRED miles. Three DAYS. You do the math. And, did I mention that most of those miles are flown over OPEN OCEAN???
Photo by Yinan Chen via Wikimedia Commons
Yeah.
Makes getting out of bed on a tough day seem an itsy bit easier, dontcha know?
The widely wandering warbler’s mind-boggling migration was something of a myth among scientists until recently. They knew that these birds made a l-o-n-g trip from northeastern Canada, across the Atlantic, to wintering grounds in South America. But they couldn’t quite believe that the epic voyage occurred in fast forward, nonstop, until a study by researcher Dr. Bill DeLuca from the University of Massachusetts Amherst said it was so.
“For small songbirds, we are only just now beginning to understand the migratory routes that connect temperate breeding grounds to tropical wintering areas,” DeLuca explained. “We’re really excited to report that this is one of the longest nonstop overwater flights ever recorded for a songbird and finally confirms what has long been believed to be one of the most extraordinary migratory feats on the planet.”
The moral of this story?
If the blackpoll warbler can span the sea with a flutter of feathers, you can do anything you set your mind to.
ANYTHING.
Keep your chin up, spread those wings, and make it happen.
Nike Victory statue, Tony Smith via Flickr.com
Ooooh, here’s a word for April …
oology
Sounds more like “Oh!” … not “Ooooh.”
[oh-ol-uh-jee]
Why April?
Because April is a month filled with …
spring,
new beginnings,
and Easter eggs.
Still stumped?
Maybe the shape of the word will give you a clue …
ooooooooooooooooooo
Okay, maybe a visual is better …
Eggs. It’s all about eggs.
Oology is the branch of ornithology that studies birds’ eggs.
Here’s one for the record book: A giant “elephant bird” intact fossilized egg was sold at auction in 2013 for $101,813! Elephant birds were a kind of predecessor to the ostrich, living in Madagascar between the 13th and 17th centuries. The elephant bird egg was 120 times bigger than an average chicken egg … breakfast for a crowd.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
