Just for the Beauty of it All by Barbara Carvallo

In a world that grows uglier every day, remember the Bard and that some lifeforms will never cease to be beautiful. They live in our memories long after they fade from view. Blessed Be.

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18

Blessings by Peno Hardesty

there is struggle in Louisiana---there is now struggle in Indiana---there is sorrow in Italy and wars around the globe----por favor---take just a moment---remember what it feels like to love---then give that feeling to the universe---it is so needed-----blessings

Colorado Shakespeare Gardens 8/20/26 by Barbara Carvallo

Colorado Shakespeare Gardens

DEEP===GO DEEP---- BREATHE by Peno Hardesty

and so it was that i walked----further than i have walked for a long time----setting sun cast shadows and i remembered the warning----do not walk out there alone----you are still too weak----was it really only this past march that the fever and illness consumed me----i stand in the tall grasses----the rains have stopped but the ground is still soggy----the cypress stand----i can do this-----darkness falls quick under the canopy----heart pounding i reached out and the mother cypress welcomed me----leaning against her i let my failing eyes adjust to the darkness----ankle deep in mud--chest heaving with each breath---sweat covers me-----the sudden call of the owl--on my knees now in the mud i hear it---the drum the drum----come we close our eyes and feel the drum---our own heartbeat---our heaving chest in perfect rhythm---breathe----home---the mud covers my legs---feel the healing == feel the love----listen === the night creations beckon----come tap our hands against the cypress create the sound---join life----feel again the sensual longing of womanhood--of life---thats it---stand and dance barefoot in the mud---the sweat drips across the heaving chest and the drumbeat of life lives---dance --- sweat----heave---be................................................blessings

Smoke Rings a Miniature Rose from Weeks by Barbara Carvallo

Smoke Rings, a miniature rose by Weeks.
Color: Warm Orange with smoky purple edging
Fragrance: Light
Buds: Pointed, ovoid
Flower Form: Double decorative
Parentage: Santa Clause x Easy Going

Survive and Surrender by Barbara Carvallo

Summer is moving away slowly, one degree at a time.  She is taking her dryness and her dusty winds as she goes. In the early mornings it is sweater weather, and you can taste Autumn in the dawn. The ravages of the season are visible everywhere - sunburn, scorch, death and the dreary complexion of plants living with drought stress.

Now and then on the soil, so very tired of trying to support life to spite the elements, you will see a waxy yellow or orange leaf amid the debris of Summer's excess. The rose and other blooming perennials gather their courage, push growth, set bloom and seed in preparation for their last lovely show when the air is crisp and chilled once again.

Regardless of what imbecile is on the national stage, what foolish drama is played out in the theater of our arrogance, Goddess' green world suffers, survives and surrenders the beauty that is its mandate. Anyone who thinks that we will destroy this planet need only study the flower as it flourishes, endures and flourishes again. Earth will live, lush and magnificent, long after we have devoured ourselves with greed, materialism and ego. Blessed Be.

Colorado Shakespeare Gardens 8/6/16 by Barbara Carvallo

Colorado Shakespeare Gardens

Colorado Master Gardener's Exhibit at the Adams County Fair by Barbara Carvallo

A Garden for My Dear Sister Peno by Barbara Carvallo