Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Poppies


"What inspires you?" she asked the question everyone wants to know. "Where on earth do you get your ideas?"

I laugh like always. The problem isn't finding an idea but finding time to work on them all. The ideas pop up faster than the weeds in my garden and trust me, that's fast.

My daily exercise walks have been my best inspiration lately. I usually tuck a bit of paper and a pencil in my pocket alongside the digital camera which is my almost-constant companion on these forays. Today I thought I'd share with you the inspiration and a peek at the results.

The poppies thrive at the corner of the garden maintained by an elderly couple alongside the river. Their garden is a tiny one with just enough room for a cherry tree and these poppies and bachelor buttons beneath it. A postage stamp size plot on the other side of the grass near the kitchen door holds a few chives, a parsley plant and a lush basil plant. A small flag snaps neatly in the breeze and a pair of white metal chairs wait nearby on the porch. On occasion when I pass, we chat a bit and I admire their blooms while they pat my beagle on the head and share the weather report or news of their grandchildren. Ours is a neighborly country town and we still enjoy the simple pleasures of a summer afternoon.

Yesterday I snapped a handful of photos, sketched a wee bit, and rushed home for my scissors. Snip, snip, snip! And the poppies bloom from paper...