This is not the kind of affair between Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr-- the movie favored by so many women, does and will always remain classic, romantic but unreal. My affair may never be classic, but it's both romantic and real.
Last spring, I fell in love. My lover is my backyard. My affair is how an intimate and emotional bond was formed between her and me. It's a wonderful time, a rewarding experience that I felt urged to tell and to share, not just to women, but to all the people who love gardening and love nature.
It's not a love at first sight. I had known my backyard for more than 3 years by then. She was just simply a plain "Jane", a girl next to my backdoor. I did little to please her. She had little to attract me.
It was early spring breeze that brought Jane and me together. Spring is nature's call to us to love, and also is nature's way to guide us to love. Like many relationships at beginning however, it's shaky, bittersweet and even frustrated sometimes. Soon after a good start, we were hit very hard with a rare snowstorm in the middle of spring. With freezing lows some plants newly transplanted were killed and some were in dangerous situation. My pear trees were just to begin to blossom, but had no chance for pollination as a result of this disaster. The only plant refusing to fade is rhododendron. She seemed to give last slice of hope to a rookie gardener like me. I"ve never seen any plants as resilient as my rhodie. Her fresh red blossom in snow is really encouraging.
After a month of absence, I resume my garden activities. Jane and I dated everyday. Sometimes after coming back home, instead of going to front door to say hello to my family members, I went straightly to see her and take care of her. There was always plenty to do in the garden. Weeds need to be yanked up between the flowerbeds; Holes need to be dug for summer bulbs. Tomatoes need be fertilized. Gardening made me enterprising and addictive. I always like working on or playing soil things. I don't know why. Maybe there is a connection between earth and me, as said from a biblical phrase as well as an old Chinese proverb in similar meaning: from earth we come, to earth we go. Gardening surely made Jane and me closer to each other. My sweat nourished her, her accent seduced me; I cultivated her body, she cultivated my soul. It is not just that I make something grow. It is also the experiences of interaction with nature and search of its sanctuary. It is more pleasure to make a garden than to think over and over about a paradise. It is more meaningful to work hard to build love than to dream over and over about love. Yes, this is common sense. But only when I was in tune with nature, could I truly sense this truth.
Honeybees came, bumblebees returned; Hummingbirds arrived, butterflies shown up. They saw a colorful Jane. They smelt a fresh scent Jane. They found our affair and cheered it up. The affair unfolded slowly but surely from one project to another one. I built a small shed which is big enough to store all of garden tools, fertilizers and other gardening stuff. I rebuilt fence to protect my garden from others and keep my affair private. I also built mini gardens of tomato, vegetables, rose, berry and a wild flower corner. Jane and I were blessed by support and encouragement from many people. My wife has more knowledge than me about plants. She always reminded me that yard work is not just about gardening, but also about landscaping. My smart friend lent me the tool, which is used to lift automobile engines, to pull out the old fence posts. Without this tool and his idea I could never build a new fence. My elder neighbor gave me her old shed for free. So all I needed to do is dissemble it in her yard and re-assemble it in my yard. That is just unnailing and nailing, no design, no measurement, no sawing, just like playing legos when I was a child.
Before------------------------------------------------During---------------------------------------------After
They say an affair is a short-term romance, I say my affair is a full four-season love, starting anew from spring. She bloomed in spring, tuned to lush and abundance in summer, became fruitful in fall and finally she was transformed by snow to be a white sculpture garden in winter. Now my Jane is still tiny, but not plain at all. She has annuals, perennials, shrubs, bushes, trees, vegetables and herbs, offering a diversity of size, shape, color, scent, resembling all fine personalities and qualities of women in the world. Some women are gracious, much like my cymbidium orchid, scentless but presentable. You may not love her, but you just can not stop admiring even flattering her elegance. Some women are strong in character, but not forceful, hardy but not harsh, enduring but not stubborn. My daylily is one of them. There is another type of good women, who are like my weeping willow. She may be looked too traditional, monotone, reserved and restrained, not as that sensual and luxurious kind of modern looking. But her beauty is in her motion, in her body language. You will find out what a graceful ballerina she is when she waves in breeze, dances in wind. Sure, there are always some tender-hearted belles. So are my plants, such as clematis. She is physically fragile, but she is sweet, kind and pure. Her highly sensitive and subtle personality confused me sometimes. Eventually I understood that her self-esteem is as high as her sensitivity. All she needs is extra protection, not excessive babysitting. In addition to naturally beautiful, some women are maturely intelligent. They possess not only self-esteem in their personalities and self-expression in their appearances, but also self-protection in their savvy abilities. My pretty and smart rose symbolizes them. Her silk-like flower petals charm me, her rich fragrances perfume the air and intoxicate me, her sharp thorns defend her beauty. I can always appreciate her beauty, but I never dare to steal her blossom.
Gardening is more than just a physical activity. When I dig dirt, I discover the truth. When I water flowers, I soothe my mind. When I sow seeds, I plant my hopes. When I harvest fruits, I harvest my hopes. There are few things in life that can touch me the way nature does. It seems so true, as someone suggested: the nature holds the key to our physical, aesthetic, intellectual and spiritual satisfaction**. I call this fulfilled satisfaction love. This is an affair to remember. This is an affair to continue. Now I am rolling up sleeves, tuning up lawn mower, picking up gardening tools, and ready to touch soil, to embrace this wonderful season we call spring. I know Jane can not wait for my coming either. Because I already heard her voice, a herald of spring***:
Walk to me
like a river
toward the sea
Smile to me
like a flower
to the bee
Talk to me
like breeze
through the tree
Love onto me
like sunlight
amid warm esprit
* Every now and then I can find some interesting and informative posts in café about gardening and nature. There are quite a few people here, probably up to 7 or 8 if I name them, who love nature and gardening. I would like to pay tribute to them. Their passions on garden and nature are inspiring
** From biology Prof. Edward Wilson of Harvard University
***This is the first time I've ever written a "poem". Actually I don't know what it really is, a poem? a lyrics? or a verse? It is also pretty odd that the first poem was written in English or accurately say in Chinglish.
- Re: An affair to remember-- my late welcome message to spring*posted on 05/08/2009
nice. - Re: An affair to remember-- my late welcome message to spring*posted on 05/08/2009
I miss St dude desperately, I wonder where he is now and to whom he is in love? In fact, this garden was in my mind for moments, but I finally convince myself that he is a new father, too busy to come to café :-) - Re: Another Affair to Rememberposted on 05/08/2009
A very nice piece! Very well written. I definitely enjoyed reading it and look forward to more.
Here's another affair to remember and to enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBDPkZakPU4&feature=player_embedded
st dude wrote: - Re: Another Affair to Rememberposted on 05/08/2009
St.Dude, happy spring! - Re: Another Affair to Rememberposted on 05/08/2009
Way to go, dude!! Imagine everyone of us has a garden like yours for time-killing, nobody would ever need to come to cafe anymore:)) - Re: Another Affair to Rememberposted on 05/09/2009
What a wonderful writing about nature and tending the earth. Thank you very much.
去年这时我曾写过:“tending to the earth, a pure and peaceful happiness from the core..人最本真的需求, 用手触摸生命的过程。。。“ - Re: Another Affair to Rememberposted on 05/09/2009
"Every spring is the only spring--a perpetual astonishment. "
~Ellis Peters - Re: Another Affair to Rememberposted on 05/09/2009
”Those who labour in the earth are the chosen people of God。。“
---Thomas Jefferson - Re: An affair to remember-- my late welcome message to spring*posted on 05/09/2009
Sweet. Nice writing. Thanks, dude :) - Re: An affair to remember-- my late welcome message to spring*posted on 05/09/2009
sweet stuff. dude, please come to cafe more often. - posted on 05/10/2009
老圣好作!最喜欢这一节抒议:
Gardening surely made Jane and me closer to each other. My sweat nourished her, her accent seduced me; I cultivated her body, she cultivated my soul. It is not just that I make something grow. It is also the experiences of interaction with nature and search of its sanctuary. It is more pleasure to make a garden than to think over and over about a paradise. It is more meaningful to work hard to build love than to dream over and over about love. Yes, this is common sense. But only when I was in tune with nature, could I truly sense this truth.
那四节英文小诗,如果最后一节变乱些句式,将会起到意想不到的效
果,诗意一下就更回味无穷。
淡而可爱的小诗,有如,丁香花,香,蜂鸟,心叶栅风。
- Re: An affair to remember-- my late welcome message to spring*posted on 05/13/2009
非常感谢各位. 我不大擅长原创, 所以也把各位的表扬看成真诚的鼓励.
瓦兄要知道, 我们都很"博爱". 我不仅remember 我的affair, 我也remember 从前café的人文精神和人文气氛(有的人称之为黄金时期, 有的人称之为清静时期, 术语不同, 所指相同). 我想, 我的affair不仅continue, café的那种人文精神传统也要continue. 我对瓦兄的期望更高. 可以看出,老板娘和xw有这番文艺复兴的愿望. 你和七月努努力, 我和其他人也会尽微薄之力,不会袖手旁观的.
- posted on 05/13/2009
让你说中了, xw. 我自己读的时候就感觉到了. 不过,我没有想到换整个一节. 只是最后一句的句式倒是想换个样. 本来是不想用介词amid(为了和toward, to, through工整一致),这样我受的拘束少一些(用了介词amid, 又要为了押韵,选择很小,只得用法语词esprit). 本来想写成grow me to more than I can be. 看来还是胆子还是小了一点.
xw wrote:
那四节英文小诗,如果最后一节变乱些句式,将会起到意想不到的效
果,诗意一下就更回味无穷。
淡而可爱的小诗,有如,丁香花,香,蜂鸟,心叶栅风。
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