Welcome to my Garden Blog

Nature: wild & untouched. Photographing it, preserving it, taking walks and drinking in the landscapes as they unfold.

Gardens: touched by loving hands. Cultivated, nurtured. Drinking in those landscapes is wonderful, as well.

In my garden one enjoys some of both. Generally unpruned & wild, my plants reshape the garden as they grow.

Beyond the garden borders, natives from the Santa Monica Mtns await. Oak trees with their shady canopies. Cactus & Sage in the sun.

Always there are animal creatures to join in the fun.

I look forward to sharing some of my experiences with you as they unfold.

Friday, February 18, 2011

NowhereVille


I woke up this morning remembering the blue flowers of the prairie from my days as a young girl in the Midwest. I was just a free spirit with my hair hanging long.  How I hated to see the bulldozers come and uproot the meadow!  It made me cry.  They'd stop work and leave their gold-colored bulldozers sitting there in the middle of a field of devastation.  Trees, bushes, grasses in front of it.. dirt and more dirt behind.

They are busy making something where there is nothing.. from their point of view.  Making houses and sidewalks where there is nothing.. nothing but prairie that is.. prairies teaming with life! I looked on.. story continues..story continues ..

Observation in the Wildlife Garden

       Quail Crossing, Topanga, California, Photo by Kathy Vilim

It is morning in Topanga, California.  I go out to my garden, coffee mug in hand.  As I push the wooden screen door open, I am welcomed by the sound of dozens of wings flapping all at once!  A flock of California Quail has taken flight, startled by my arrival.  Wonderful!

I sit and reflect on when I first moved here, when my garden was new.  I had watched the Quail families travel along a path in the back of the garden.. story continues

Wildflowers, Santa Monica Mtns

Wildflowers, Santa Monica Mtns