Friday, April 19, 2024

WORD OF THE DAY AND DANDELION POEMS

"Dismiss me as a weed," it laughs, 

For it knows resilience is its craft. 

Roots delve deep, seeking hidden streams, 

Drawing sustenance from heaven's sunbeams."

Which leads me to the word of the day "resilience", which means to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.  At different times we have all had to show our resilience.

"Simple and fresh and fair from winter's close emerging,

As if no artifice of fashion, business, or politics, had ever been,

Forth from its sunny nook or shelter'd grass - 

innocent, golden, calm as the dawn,

The spring's first dandelion shows its trustful face."

~Walt Whitman~

We took a trip up to Skyline Drive the other day. A lot of people had the same idea as it was busier than we expected. This was on a weekday and not the weekend. Being retired we usually go when we think it is going to be relatively quiet, but the warmth and sunshine beckoned many, including us. 

My first poem is with a little help from AI, with prompts by me, changing words to suit my own ideas. Walt Whitman needs no introduction here in the States, but for those of you elsewhere you can click on his name and it will take you to more information.

My photos are from the first overlook. After looking at the gorgeous view, I was drawn to a few dandelions. Seeing the splash of yellow several yards away was enough for me to go check them out.

I thought how pretty! And then when I got home I saw a dandelion in the garden about to shed its seeds everywhere and I went, "Oh no!", aghast at the thought. Why do we do that? Poor old dandelion! And yet when we see a beautiful sculpture of one, we go "Oh that's beautiful!" and admire it.


The sculpture was part of an exhibit at The Norfolk Botanical Garden in 2013, a place we used to go regularly at one time, but it's been a long time since our last visit. 

Poor, maligned dandelion! A field of them looks gorgeous, but one in the garden is enough to make me run to get the weeding tool. There are a few other weeds, but I want to make sure they are not seedlings from the flowers we planted last year. A great gardener I am not by any stretch of the imagination, but I live in hope that we will be seeing a few pretties blooming soon. The hellebore is thriving beautifully.


ADDED NOTE: Saturday, April 20th, 2024.

A link that takes you to Instagram and tells you interesting information about the dandelion  Go here to see it. 


Thanks for visiting and enjoy your day!





43 comments:

  1. I love Dandelions and will take any the yard has to offer. Your close-up in the first photo is wonderful! I notice things about it I never have before. That sculpture is gorgeous, and really shows the intricate details of the plant even as it is going to seed. And it is still useful for children to blow and make a wish. Surprisingly, I like the A.I. poem a lot better than Whitman!!!

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    1. Thank you Ginny, when writing this post, I saw aspects of the dandelion I had never noticed before :)

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  2. Your photos are wonderful of the Dandelions Denise.
    Will visit the page and read about Walt.

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  3. I love bright dandelions and they make a fine wine, too. They are very helpful for early bees, too.

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    1. I remember my father making dandelion wine way back in my childhood :) I am beginning to understand how they help our bees too. Thank you Janice.

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  4. I really like your AI assisted poem and am fond of dandelions too. I have a dandelion head cast in perspex which I adore (and still wonder how it was created).

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  5. There are dandelions everywhere especially on banks and grass verges in our corner of the world. They haven't gone to seed yet and look golden in the sunshine. The sculpture of a dandelion is impressive.

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    1. Thank you Linda :) they make a lovely sight. The sculpture I found stunning, especially as it glistened in the sunlight.

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  6. I guess not everything is a weed...your photos are beautiful!
    hugs
    Donna

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    1. Very true Donna :) and thank you. Sending hugs!

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  7. I love dandelion :-) They are totally edible and good for you.

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  8. I am seeing lots of dandelions here too, I was told to leave so the bees could enjoy them. Love the sculpture. Take care, have a wonderful day and a happy weekend.

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    1. Interesting about those bees Eileen, good to leave them alone then, especially as our bees need them so much :)

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  9. I much prefer the AI by you and Bing over Whitman. it says it all in a few words. I am with Ginny on the first photo. wow, it shows us all the tiny details we can't see just walking by... I love weeds and we just mow them down and let them grow.

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    1. Thanks Sandra :) weeds definitely have a part to play in our world.

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  10. Haha, oh yes, the poor maligned dandelion. We have quite the host of them. Speaking of resilience, I hope my peonies are resilient after two nights of drops into freezing temps this week. Have a beautiful day, Denise.

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    1. I hope your peonies survived Ellen :) Thank you and you have a beautiful day also.

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  11. The dandelion has a long history of being harassed. REsilience? Why haven't plant scientists gone after the resilience characteristic of the dandelion to make other plants more resilient?

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  12. No matter what we do to them, they keep coming back. Still, the dandelion is the first flower a child gives its mother -- so that's a plus!

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    1. Resilient :) A lovely reminder about them being the first flower we give to our mothers as children. Thank you Jeanie!

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  13. Love the first photo of the dandelion, such a lovely yellow. A dandelion is called a weed, a weed is a plant growing where you don't want it to.

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  14. I always like seeing dandelions. I'm not much of a gardener so I just let them go when I see them in my yard. There is only one neighbor who has his yard sprayed to keep them away and everyone else around him has a yard full of them.

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    1. You are helping our bees Ann :) and insecticides are so bad for them.

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  15. I think there should be a worldwide campaign to rehabilitate dandelions and everyone should learn to love them. Bees will be very grateful.

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    1. I am beginning to realize that, thank you Jenn :)

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  17. Dear Denise :=)
    Strangely enough I was only looking at a field of dandelions on the farm today and admiring their beauty, and it did cross my mind that whilst they are considered a weed they are just as beautiful as a sunflower but in miniature, If I had had my camera with me I would have been inspired to take photos. Just lately I have been thinking along those lines about all weeds with pretty flowers, and have taken a few photos to share on my blog I like your A I assisted poem, and the sculpture is a work of art, and I love how the Dandelion is revered as it goes to seed and still remains beautiful. I have never heard of Walt Whitman but will check out the link.right now.
    Enjoy your weekend Denise
    All the best
    Sonjia.

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    1. That must have been stunning Sonjia, and I like your analogy, a sunflower in miniature :) Thank you so much. I hope you had a lovely weekend also and that your week is going well.

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  18. I don't like seeing all the empty seed heads of dandelions, but otherwise, I think they are beautiful. But I guess there can be too much of a good thing.

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  19. Dandelions are not native and they are super-spreaders.

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    1. Definitely super-spreaders and I didn’t know they weren’t native. Thanks Linda :)

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  20. What beautiful pictures! I absolutely loved the dandelion sculpture lovely! Yes, if the garden is full, it's difficult! Have a nice day Denise☕🫖🍰!

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    1. So glad you enjoyed it Katerina, thank you. You have a nice day also :)

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  21. I love this time of year with the yellow all over. And then in the mornings when their little yellow heads are still asleep and closed. Love your shots. Fixing to take some this weekend.

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    1. Hello Ivy :) you paint a lovely scene. Thank you so much, I shall enjoy seeing your photos.

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  22. Despite the problems they can cause in the garden, they are a very bright and cheerful colour.

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