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| Pond Friends B Upton |
I began this little stone project in August quite spontaneously. I was lifting sod off rocks my husband laid down years ago. After all that tugging and pulling I had just a little space cleared and thought -now I'll reward myself by creating a little spiral, and it all flowed from there! It took forever to create and it may have some resemblance to Tibetan sand art, as I didn't prepare the ground as I should have. The whole thing may eventually wash into the pond. A lesson in non-attachment!
It was a pleasurable and grounding experience during a challenging time in my life. I lost my best friend a few months ago, both of my sons were facing difficulties, I had surgery in May (a new hip- I recommend it!) and I did this project while waiting for results from another medical issue that came up. Thankfully, those results came in OK. Just sitting and digging into the earth and arranging rocks and stones felt very healing.
I was also surprised to have a regular visitor while I worked. In the beginning, he just watched me for long periods, then he ventured very close and at one point even hopped into my lap! I didn't get that shot, but you can just make him out below, between my legs. Froggy also hung out with his cousin Lizard (below). I wanted to create a frog in stone (they are so ubiquitous in this pond) but instead, the minnow, lizard, turtle, snake and dragonfly showed up. This little fellow seemed to say it was OK - the frogs approved.
There was also a dragonfly that often landed on the stone dragonfly! Here it is - ready for take-off. I've interspersed photos of the rock project with wild flowers growing near the pond. I hope you enjoy!
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| Dragon or Damselfly? |
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| Clover |
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| Queen Anne's Lace Ready to Bloom |
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| The Turtle |
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| Blooming Wild Flower |
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| The Overseer |
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| Vertical Shot- the pond is to the right |
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| Butterfly on White Butterfly Bush (not planted- a volunteer) |
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The Lizard
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Lastly, here is the frog hanging out with me and a little fun I had with shadows. May the blessings of our divine, natural world also soothe and strengthen you on your life journey!
