Dear Reader:

These days…the only plants I plant by seed are my moon flower vines. I must admit that there is an extra thrill when you press a seed into the ground….knowing that magic…will one day come spewing forth in the form of giant white blooms that take one’s breath away and smell deliciously.

Past years’ moon flowers….photos: From a little seed such beauty (with a star inside) takes one’s breath away…I squeal every evening in the fall when one opens to my delight! I never tire of watching this miracle take place and sharing it with my readers!

The seed is probably the most used metaphor in the English language…there are dozens of ways to use it. I loved the examples of metaphors and possibilities in this article. (Excerpts: Magical Properties of Seeds– Colby Ward) * Excerpts

The Seed as a Metaphor

Metaphorically seeds have been used to describe abstract ideas and influences that grow in our minds and souls. The seeds of desire are planted to inspire love while seeds of doubt cause us to question our own motives and self worth. Seeds as ideas and inspiration are planted by teachers and mentors cultivating them in their students to grow into their full potential. Other individuals prefer to sow seeds of discord to create chaos in the world for their own enjoyment.

…Seeds are the messengers of the plant world.  They carry their message of botanical blue prints through many creative means.  Some seeds take flight, riding on wind and storm; while others travel by attaching themselves to animals and humans taking advantage of their mobility.  Birds transport seeds in their bellies and those that aren’t digested grow from the excrement left over from the alchemical processes of digestion.  Squirrels are the cultivars of the woodlands.  They inter their found treasures in the fertile Underworld to survive the winter, and are unknowingly responsible for planting entire forests.

(*I will try to remind myself of this the next time Skippy devours all the bird seed!)

As a teacher I used the metaphor of planting the seeds of  knowledge in my classroom continuously….one stanza in a poem I wrote for the Post & Courier on why I teach said something like:

…”It feels right to hold the future, and mold it in my hand…Knowing this clay will make the next leaders of our land. It feels right to let them go and take life’s journey on their own…knowing I have planted the seeds that will be sown.”

I love this stage of the seed growth…because it is all about possibilities and dreams of a beautiful tomorrow.

The hottest May on record for the lowcountry ended yesterday with rain. I should sound more excited ( or at least  have put an exclamation point after that first sentence) but sadly it didn’t last long…When I heard the pitter patter of rain a little after four o’clock yesterday afternoon I literally ran outside and threw my arms open to the skies…it was pouring-I was elated!… and then it wasn’t. I was sad.

I think the weather news should have read...”It’s Raining, It’s Pouring…It’s Stopped!” We got about two five minute rain bursts and then the sun came back out…I felt like crying. I wanted it to rain and rain and rain and rain. At least we discovered that our clouds haven’t forgotten how…but they sure were stingy.

So until tomorrow…Let’s remember to be seeds of happiness for others and not sow seeds of discord and discontent…we see too much of that in this old world…we need to plant more seeds for inspiration and creativity!

Good-bye May and hardy flower survivors..June…please be kinder…and cooler than May…if not Charleston might drop from being the number one vacation destination to number 100…a desert drought ghost town.

Don’t forget to say rabbit- we need all the luck we can get as June 1 rolls in...Perhaps also (depending on where you live)…either “rain” or “sunshine“… the crazy weather pattern this summer appears to be either feast or famine in our country.

*Anne…do you remember this rabbit you adopted and made a home for at your house…how proud he was by a moon flower bloom?