Fire in the Garden!

  "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I see beauty in a lot of things that some folks find rather unsightly. I can usually find some bit of beauty in everything whether it is the symmetry of a fish's scales or the gossamer of a spider's web strung between marsh grasses. Not a day goes by that something does not strike me as quite lovely!  Some folks say that I see things through those proverbial "rose-colored glasses". Maybe so but I prefer it this way.  I have found that sometimes the difference in seeing something as mundane and something as beautiful can all be in the timing.  A shadow playing across a windowpane or a sunlight dancing on the rippling water can make all the difference in the world.  

  Take for instance, today.  In the small garden on the west side of the Little Bayou House, a red-leaf canna lily caught my eye.  I knew the plant was there, of course, since I was the one that planted it but for some reason I have walked past it hundreds of times without even "seeing" it.  Today was different.  I saw the plant.  I saw the leaves.  I saw the beauty of the leaves.  Why?  That, my friends, was because of timing.  The sun was just starting to slide down the western sky when I happened to pass by the garden.  The setting sun caused the leaves of the canna to look like large flames.  I had a "fire" in my garden!  Ok, so that was enough to make me hesitate long enough to examine those leaves a bit further.  There I stood for a good twenty minutes admiring something that is within reach at all times.  One leaf stood erect like a giant flame while the others flare out beside it.  That single leaf was dark red with mostly yellow markings.  The others were red with interesting green veins. All had the appearance of some fantastic painting!  I suppose the Master Artist had taken special care in creating this piece of artwork just for me. This was my thing of beauty for the day! 

  This particular red-leaf canna was given to me by Aunt Marie.  She always had them growing near the driveway.  I can remember as a child being fascinated by the fiery red leaves.  She and Uncle Alfred always had such lovely gardens and I am fortunate that they shared many plants with me.  I thought of them as I sat admiring the beauty of the leaves of my canna.  The memories of them was another thing of beauty that brightened my day....ahhh...so many things of beauty in one day! How blessed am I!