An Early Afternoon Walk

May 10, 2011 Christie Jones Ray

The Little Land

A Child's Garden of Verses

Robert Louis Stevenson
Florence Edith Storer illustrator

When at home alone I sit

And am very tired of it,

I have just to shut my eyes

To go sailing through the skies-

To go sailing far away to the pleasant Land of Play;

To the fairy land afar

Where the Little People are;

Where the clover-tops are trees,

And the rain-pools are the seas,

And the leaves like little ships

Sail about on tiny trips;

And above the daisy tree

Through the grasses,

High o'erhead the Bumble Bee

Hums and passes.

In that forest to and fro

I can wander, I can go;

See the spider and the fly,

And the ants go marching by

Carrying parcels with their feet

Down the green and grassy street.

I can in the sorrel sit

Where the ladybird alit.

I can climb the jointed grass;

And on high

See the greater swallows pass

In the sky,

And the round sun rolling by

Heeding no such things as I.

Through that forest I can pass

Till, as in a looking-glass,

Humming fly and daisy tree

And my tiny self I see,

Painted very clear and neat

On the rain-pool at my feet.

Should a leaflet come to land

Drifting near to where I stand,

Straight I'll board that tiny boat,

Round the rain-pool sea to float.

Little thoughtful creatures sit

On the grassy coasts of it;

Little things with lovely eyes

See me sailing with surprise.

Some are clad in armour green-

(These have sure to battle been:)-

Some are pied with ev'ry hue,

Black and crimson, gold and blue;

Some have wings and swift are gone;-

But they all look kindly on.

When my eyes I once again

Open, and see all things plain:

High bare walls, great bare floor;

Great big knobs on drawer and door;

Great big people perched on chairs,

Stitching tucks and mending tears,

Each a hill that I could climb,

And talking nonsense all the time--

O dear me,

That I could be

A sailor on the rain-pool sea,

A climber in the clover tree,

And just come back, a sleepy-head,

Late at night to go to bed.

It is not quite the middle of May, but it feels very much like Summer, already. A quick-paced walk to the mailbox will give me a good dose of sunshine and jumpstart an afternoon of laundry. I simply cannot miss an opportunity to document the progression of Spring...first sightings of favorite things...

The first glimpse of Crimson Clover....(as pictured in the story book illustration above)

Being raised in Florida...our nicely manicured lawns contained St. Augustine grass....so thick it could be quite uncomfortable to walk barefoot. In the early years...our lawns, which I suppose should be referred to as "yards," since not much manicuring was attempted in those days, contained sand spurs...that would stick in your feet if you dared to venture outside shoeless. Moving to Tennessee twenty some years ago...I found the grass is like walking on soft carpet.
I am still in much wonderment over the pretty things growing wild in the field next to our property, as they are all native to this state, but still somewhat foreign (and delightful) to me.

The sight of May Daisies....we could call this month "Daisy May"...I always look forward to its arrival... and its daisies...(can't you just spy the little people under the Daisy Tree)

A wild little rose? I have never noticed this before....(these remind me of Tasha Tudor's illustrations)

Checking in at the grape arbor...I am fascinated by the stages...this one I did not know about....seems quite peculiar. Do the tiny prickles protect the tiny grapes?

I love the little tendrils ...curling their way around...

The mother branch is massive in comparison to the fresh new spring-y green vines...

My brother in Florida, just harvested his beautiful pumpkin last month! Pumpkins in April? I thank him,
each time we speak on the phone, for encouraging me as a gardener...a grower of things. I promise him that one day I will venture into establishing a vegetable garden. One growing thing at a time, my dears!

I hurry back inside, wishing I could linger awhile longer....Springtime allergies have won the battle! I will suffer through...

Enjoy your Spring, whatever part of the country you live in. Each stage is beautiful, even when your daffodils are peeking out from fresh fallen snow...somewhere else, they have already come and gone.

Happy May!