Friday, April 15, 2011




I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.


This poem was featured on the Writer's Almanac today; one of my daily reads.
The image of the daffodils "fluttering and dancing in the breeze" is perfect for today.
Years ago, my work commute was a long drive in heavy traffic;
the last leg of the journey was along a street lined with giant suburban houses,
most built a long time ago with good architectural bones;
one of the property owners on this street planted daffodils along the roadside; masses of them.
The first year that I drove down that street in April
and saw all the daffodils in bloom
I gasped aloud at the sheer volume and beauty of the sight.
I was inspired to give my own burst of happiness to travelers
each spring
so I planted clumps of daffodils down on the roadside of my property.
Today, they still look beautiful;
the sand and salt from the winters killed off many clumps,
but for the most part
it is a sunny, happy display of spring.

Happiness can be yours just by looking at nature.

I smile and have a spring in my step each year when the flowers are in full display.

People have stopped and told me how much they like the flowers too.

weekend planting...

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