See Mount Rainier and The Beauty Below Her on my photo blog, Phall Photos http://wp.me/p3J4Ab-cV
Phall Photo Friday is a weekly feature here. Phall= P(atti) Hall.
3 views of a bouquet that my friend, Greg, picked in his yard at the beach and a few of the secret garden…
Patti
Hiya friends and family. I’m taking the last few days of April off. Not actually off, just off the internet. I have X,Y & Z posts lined up to automatically publish over the next three days. I will be back to catch up on any comments that I miss on social media on CORRECTION!!!!! MAY 1st. I’ll leave you with this slide show. Photos taken with my phone yesterday. Peace Out, Patti
Phall Photos 2014
Glass wall in new secret garden.
PHALL PHOTO 2014
I could have waited for tomorrow and placed this glass wall photo in “W” for Wall, but I can be a bit impatient at times…that last part would fit in “U” for understatement! The camera continues to be an issue. I’m learning to use the camera on my phone, until I can find a teeny tiny screwdriver to repair my camera—no, the ones made for eyeglass repairs are too big. My neighbor even made me one, but it only lasted for 4 screws.
My secret garden is coming along. Neighbor/friend, Greg, brought more beach stones in today. I finished lining the bicycle basket with moss, then filled it with potting soil, an azalea, pansies and alyssum. I wired a basket to the front and planted seeds in it, and there is the mossy clay pot on the seat, filled with flowers. When I decide the bike’s permanent spot, I’ll plant ivy below each tire.
The glass block wall climbs up along the fence. Soon the annuals will spill green leaves and multi-colored flowers over the sides and down the front of the glass blocks.
This garden is growing into more than a memorial to people I have lost. It’s also a celebration of wishes fulfilled; I have hauled those blocks along with me (with a lot of help from family and friends) for three home moves over 15 years. I have collected special pots and garden trinkets all of my adult life. The glass wall incorporates two wishes into one: to use the blocks in a garden, and to fill all of my special pots with flowers.
Many of the plants and paraphernalia came from gardens past, and friend/family gardens. This garden will be filled to overflowing with memories of people, places, hopes and dreams.
If you see a plant you would like a piece of, just let me know, as they are pretty easy to mail. If you see a spot in my garden, for something you are growing in your garden, I would be happy to add more friends to the secret garden. Mom is sending me some starts from her garden, as soon as the snow melts!
1writeplacewordpress at gmail dot com or you can private message me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/patti.hall.3950
Happy Gardening,
Patti
Garden Bicycle
PHALL PHOTO 2014
Hey, I hope you find time to check out some of the other A-Z April Challenge blogs here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2014.html
Oh, this and that. Crafting and reading to my little grands, taking over daughter Sara’s kitchen to make Chinese Chicken Salad, visiting gr’son in Tacoma, having a quiet week with my fishing & gardening son in Westport, building secret garden with pond, and taking a lot of photos. Will post more on phallphotos.com later this week….including a variety of bees on a variety of flowers and a tattooed seal!
Saturday (later today) I play leader of our writing group and Jon is going to be my assistant! Trying to convince him to read a poem he wrote. We are taking both laptops to show everyone some of the cool writing sites and our group’s new blog site that we set up. Also, get to announce date for our first mini writer’s conference this winter. Should be fun…especially if I don’t get any sleep:>)
I’m reading a little bit and will have some reviews up soon.
Grieving is an interesting journey. At times, I can hold grief in my arms and rock until it drifts off. Sometimes grief walks beside me like a shadow. Sometimes I have to carry its heavy weight on my back everywhere I go. Other times it slams me to the mat like a wrestler does his opponent.
Grief has this thing about mixing things up too. I cry over anything/everything, yet I get immense joy at the smallest things. I’m exhausted, yet I can’t sleep., or I sleep for 12 hours. I want to be close to my peeps, yet I have to have my solitude; I pull you close, then push you away. I can’t think straight, misplace everything, forget everything, yet I can upload photos and (hopefully) lead a writing group. I crave food, yet I’m too unmotivated to make or eat it, and when I do, it doesn’t taste right anyway. I have a very difficult time making any decision and am allergic to commitment. I mean even tiny ones; “Mom, you want to come out to the docks while I fish?” “I’m not sure, I’ll let you know when we get there.” If I can force myself to get out of my truck, I go, if not, I sit and read or head back home. You just never know with me. And I never know with me. That’s grief for ya.
Don’t fret though, I AM pulling myself off the mat and watching for a brighter day.
Take it easy and thank you for hanging in there while I regroup.
Patti
This gallery contains 21 photos
Sunset fire with pelicans heading home on Half-Moon Bay, Westport, WA
PHALL PHOTO 2013
We have water! The little waterfall is flowing and Greg (neighbor friend) also put in a head that sprays a bell-shape of water in the pond. He has been placing beautiful chunks of petrified wood to camouflage the edge of the pond. I hope to do the plantings tomorrow. The sound of flowing water is so wonderful! Greg will work on lighting soon, although I have some pretty little metal tea light holders that I’m going to add tomorrow. We have a long way to go, but getting the water flowing was a great motivator :>)
I’ve done some book reviews on Goodreads here and Amazon here. I posted a lengthy response on Georgia’s blog about JK Rowling using a male name for her latest book here. I’ve also been active on Facebook here. I did a word cloud challenge from Zoe’s site here. The result, below, was written with ONLY the words from a specific “cloud” of words:
Stolen Breath
I swear, at present, I know fifteen ladies,
been living on the run, on the road, for years.
Not trying for truth or gods,
but breath.
Maybe you believe there was a stolen car,
a robbed bank,
but you would be at fault; wrong!
Truth is, maybe fifteen ladies
had a chap that robbed that breath…
Patti
What haven’t I done? You would ask! I haven’t worked on the memoir, or the postcards book. I haven’t posted my new features for writers and caregivers. I’ve written the first couple of them and they sit and wait for me in the drafts folder. I just seem a little emotionally hungover from August and, well, stalled.
So there you have it. Hope you stop in and say hi, maybe tell me what you’ve been up to. Tamed any lions lately?
Patti
Pirate Ship Kite Sailing In The Blue Sky!
PHALL PHOTO 2013
Butterfly Kite
PHALL PHOTO 2013
Labor day weekend cruise down the beach. A lot of happy beach visitors building sand castles, flying kites, playing in the water and picnicking. We stayed long enough to look for a few agates, and it was hard not to smile at all the folks enjoying the sun and surf and each other! Sorry about the spots on these photos. My camera has issues that I need to deal with, but keep putting off.
The fence is lined with garden plants and treasures, waiting to be placed in the secret garden.
PHALL PHOTO 2013
I wish I had the real before photo…dead truck, huge pile of bark, old boat. Westport is built on a sand spit, so sand is the base of this new garden. We will plant tall greenery along fences and on each side of arch, to make it more private.
The arch will be moved to the right, once we get a load of soil. Those are my old metal mop buckets that I painted purple.
PHALL PHOTO 2013
This is not my property, but I have not had a garden in over 4 years and I got tired of waiting. I still have no idea where I will land permanently, and maybe I won’t. Maybe I will be a beach gypsy who wanders forever. But, damn, I needed a garden, needed to see my pond and plants and garden treasures.
This is taken from the end of my porch…so just imagine when it is filled with plants and flowers and the pond fountain is going…ahhh.
PHALL PHOTO 2013
When I say goodbye to this little secret garden, it won’t be because of a life crisis, (like my last 2 gardens) it will be because I’m off traveling and exploring, or maybe I find a permanent landing spot. For now, I will love love love stepping off my porch into this little piece of heaven.
The little wall goes up. Pouring form for 4′ waterfall in next few days.
PHALL PHOTO 2013
And not a drop of this has anything to do with writing. I had to take a detour before delving back into the memoir series.
Thanks for stopping by, it is always nice to hear from you!
Patti
Mom, Rae Hall, has her photo page on my photo blog here. Updated pages don’t get published, like main page posts…gggrrr.
The local newspaper often chooses mom’s garden as Yard of the Week during the summer months. This is the sign they place there.
Dead Phone Booth, Westport, WA
Phall Photo 2013
Do you have any phone booth memories? I took this photo in Westport, WA a few days ago and it actually made me sad to see this moldy decrepit phone booth. It is one more ending of things that we have grown used to in our lives. Remember the fad in the 70’s; college kids stuffing themselves into a phone booth? How about all the books and movies with phone booths as props, or even as main characters? RIP phone booths everywhere, I’ll miss you.
Speaking of missing…I have barely been online for the last few days and I miss you all! You have become part of my routine since late March and it was tough being away. I’ve spent the time well, saying goodbye to another loved place. I’ve been doing hard labor, with the help of two friends. We’ve been moving what was left of my garden from the home that my late husband and I shared.
As most of you know, I ran away from home over 3 years ago. We had a beautiful yard and garden when Paul was diagnosed with leukemia in July 2009. We had a load of fresh topsoil and were beginning to remove the grass and fill the yard with trails and flowers. We had healed in some of the perennials. There is now a huge tree in their place. Grass and thistles 3-4 feet high. Three saplings grow in my raised bed garden. Much of our yard art was stolen. Over 4 years of abandonment.
The first day was mainly clearing paths and discovering what was left to salvage. Elephant bamboo, blackberries, and ivy were taking over and the grape arbor was completely hidden. It took a chain saw to get to the pond and my shade garden in the back corner, where I had been making a memorial garden for my husband’s late wife. She was a wonderful person who died of cancer in the mid-80’s; I wanted Paul and his adult children to have a special place to “visit” her. I almost cried when I found a tiny yellow plant that smells delicious. It survived! My wild ginger still struggled on, my mondo grass and a hosta. It was like finding treasure in a sunken ship, while mourning the loss of the ship and some of the passengers.
Everything we salvaged went to a friend’s house, where I am building a new garden. I live in my little Maggie home on the property, so it isn’t my land, but I will be outside creating a magical space, and I will enjoy it until I settle into a home of my own. So much was lost, yet I can take what’s left and make a spot of beauty near my beach.
August is a difficult month and I hope this garden project will make it easier; hard work usually does. Paul was born in August and he died in August, 11 days before his birthday. We celebrated our anniversary of meeting again in August. His memorial was also in August. The bright side shines too. Ever since I ran away to the beach and met Mermaid Carol, she hovers over me in August, taking tender care of me. One of my best friend’s, Gwen, was born in August, and last, but in no way least, I gave birth to a wonderful red-headed boy 24 years ago in August.
Here’s hoping that the sun shines on the best side of your life this month:>)
Patti
Harv & Ester slip quietly through the garden gate.
No human ever guesses just what happens there,
while the harvest they await.
The Keepers of the Gardens begin to sweat and toil,
Harv whispers to the tomatoes,
while Ester begs worms to turn the soil.
Their glove-less hands gently touch the roots;
they so love to feel the warmth of the earth,
they’ve even kicked off their little boots!
Their nostrils fill with the sweet scent of earth,
the folded vegetation sings “thank you!”,
as they slowly begin their birth.
Oh, Harv & Ester love the vegetables, each and every one,
they love the carrots and lettuce and juicy watermelon.
They even love the pesky ones we know as weeds;
they encourage them to grow;
it makes the humans visit the garden daily—
and the veggies love these visits, as Harv & Ester know.
They encourage and enchant,
all things to surface through the earth,
for these humans must be shown,
just what Mother Nature’s bounty can be worth.
So, up come weeds and rocks and bugs,
that make the humans grumble;
they must learn to love everything of earth…
be it ever so pesky or humble.
Many rewards are granted the humans,
with help from the loving pair;
food in abundance and tranquility,
from the garden in their care.
copyright 2013 Patti Hall
This is one of the Keeper stories from a work-in-progress book.
THE WRITE PLACE... 