With snow-filled sidewalks, I’m forced to walk home on the street. Snow plows were only clearing main arteries and our bus skidded a few times across le Pont Champlain. Challenging snow drifts made me only appreciate more, the crunch crunch underfoot upon virgin snow.
What an opportunity I am often faced with at Carpe Diem to learn more about nature. I am interested in herbal medicine and when I see such pretty flowers that have these qualities, my curiosity gets the better of me. Searching a bit further I wanted to find places closer to home or at least in North America. I was pleased to discover that many have named this Boneset Eupatorium japonicum flower after an American from New England, Joe-Pye who used the plant medicinally for helping people with typhus fever. In addition to its medicinal properties, both the flowers and seeds have been used in producing pink or red dye for textiles.
It is a lovely addition to any garden especially if you want to attract butterflies who love the sweet nectar of these flowers. They grow from 3 to 10 feet tall! If you want to read more click here. I found that remark about butterflies fascinating and found many photos of that exquisite meeting of butterflies and these flowers. Imagine butterflies gathering together to savour this gourmet gala!
blue clusters flora stretching tall high heavens ~ gourmet gala monarch butterflies drunk, nature’s nectar
Georgia always has such amazing early morning verses you can see at Bastet and Sekhmet blog with colourful tales and beautiful poetry and her exclusive Waka blog. Our host at Carpe Diem has chosen one of her haiku for this week`s tan renga challenge.
early morning silence before the rising sun raindrops on a branch(Georgia)
Here is our host`s completion:
early morning silence before the rising sun raindrops on a branch(Georgia)
on the deserted beach I greet the sun with joy (Chèvrefeuille)
I can’t seem to do this one justice with beautiful completions I have read this morning from others and can`t help think of Georgia’s fondness for humour. This is my humble attempt:
early morning silence before the rising sun raindrops on a branch(Georgia)
night owl lurks cunningly mouse, his bedtime snack (Tournesol)
When I first read this haiku by JazzyTower from Thoughts and Entanglements I had an idea of what I wanted to write to complete it but then I read Jen’s Winding/Woven at Blog it or Lose it and it inspired a different slant to my renga and haiku to complete this hokko.
Here is Jen’s completion:
winding through past life foreign tongues absorbed in dreams sense of home prevails (c) Jazzytower
woven into a poem fading quickly at sunrise (c) Jen R
Here is our host, Chèvrefeuille’s completion:
winding through past life foreign tongues absorbed in dreams sense of home prevails (c) Jazzytower
hear! monks chant Om Mani Padme Hum spreading peace all around the globe (c) Chèvrefeuille
It was that second line “foregn tongues absorbed in dreams” that formed my original stirring and Jen’s post completed the potion. For the past twenty odd years, I often dream lucid dreams. I can change some things and it’s like I am co-editor of my film now and then EXCEPT for nightmares. I am aware where I am, I am fully concious I want to get the heck out of Dodge but that editor in chief just will not let me. Man, that is a terrible feeling and when I wake up I do NOT want to go back to sleep…all lights are on and time to stay awake for a while reading or writing.
Tournesol dans un Jardin 
