"The world is too much with us," wrote William Wordsworth in a sonnet that conveyed how disappointed he was in humanity's failure to appreciate nature's beauty. Instead, people are too caught up in the rat race of existence. I could be tarred with that same brush most of the time, but whenever I step into Grandmom's backyard, I am immediately awed. Here are some photos of the garden this year:
The garden in its infancy. Note the large bush of lavender that dominates.
We put St. Francis in the garden in honor of Grandpa, a man of God and lover of nature.
The bumble bees favor the lavender over any other plant in the garden. They buzz around as if drunk on it.
The honeybees prefer the cucumber blossoms.
St. Francis, now almost hidden by the flowers.
Zinnias, lavender, and dill. Who knew dill was so lovely?
Mom's poppies are a gorgeous addition, but they only last a couple of days after they bloom.
Attack of the cucumbers!
Grandmom and I have started composting again.
The garden from the rear. I unfortunately couldn't get all of it in one shot. The side with the cukes is missing.
Pretty pink zinnias. I can't wait to cut some and take them to the office.
Matisse said that there are always flowers for those who want to see them. There are certainly flowers enough in our garden!
The animals adore our backyard. Birds, squirrels, deer, you name it. It is quite nice to wake up to birdsong every morning.
The yard isn't as manicured as it used to be when Gmom and Grandpa were youngsters in their 70s and 80s. This used to be a neat little flower bed with lillies of the valley. Now it is a wilderness of berry brambles. I think the birds prefer it the way it is now.
The squirrels, deer, and wasps (!) love the apple trees and the fruit they bear. 
