Winter Rebels

November 25, 2016May 2, 2017 ~ Brianne Turczynski ~ 2 Comments

It is amusing, and also useful as a record of what to plant now, looking forward to twelve months hence, to make a compact little bunch of what may be found flowering out of doors in this drear empty month. Prowling round through the drizzle with knife and secateurs, I collected quite a presentable tuzzy-muzzy.

-Vita Sackville-West
More For Your Garden
Nov. 15th, 1953

If you’ve read my post What Is A Tussie-Mussie? you’ll know Vita is referring to a small bouquet of mixed flowers – a sampling of one’s garden. Now, since the frost has come and gone and come again, it is almost impossible to find any flowers now. However, there are plenty of spent flowers remaining. Flowers which stand, brown and suspended on their stiff spikes will make striking displays for drying. I implore you to take up this challenge and see what you can find out of doors. It is a wonderful reminder as one hunkers down for the winter to gaze upon the little dried beauties with hope – it is but only three months away.

My mother is quite funny, sometimes she’ll come up with ideas that have us rolling with laughter. As we sat in the last blaze of summer sun at her cottage we contemplated the coming winter and she vowed, in jest, she would, “defy the seasons”. She came up with many hysterical instances on how she would do this and we had a good laugh. However, now it’s getting serious. It will snow soon! My mother’s ironic humor resonates and I think she was right; there is no better way to “defy the seasons” than by going out to pick a bouquet of flowers as the blistering icy wind blows.

As you take up this idea and venture out keep your eyes open and use your imagination. For instance, my uncle once made a sculpture out of our dried sunflowers and their incredibly sturdy stalks. As for me, for weeks I have passed by a grouping of dried garlic chives on my run. I soon got it in my head that I must have them. They were beautiful spikes with balls of delicate seeds that seemed to glisten in the sun. One morning I asked the owner of the property if I could have some. He said I could take what I needed.
With the holidays coming or rather in America, we have already begun, sometimes it’s fun to find spent blooms on the more woody stems or perhaps pine cones and spray paint them gold or silver. They look very good stuffed in a Christmas tree or placed in a table setting.
Don’t be shy. If you happen to walk by and see, for several weeks, spent blooms which are failing to be clipped, ask the owner if you can take some. It’s the holiday season after all; a season of giving. I’m sure they would love to share the wealth.

Garden For The Eyes-Write For The Ears

November 15, 2016May 2, 2017 ~ Brianne Turczynski ~ 6 Comments

The watchers out on the grass could see the interior of the rooms illuminated by the savage glow. The paneling of the hall had caught, and even as they looked they saw the canvas of a portrait give an extra little spurt of a yellower flame and flutter without its frame to the floor. This was the odd thing to observe: the mingling of such small detail and Wagnerian holocaust.

Vita Sackville-West
The Easter Party; 1953

Since we are approaching winter it seems appropriate for one to think about hunkering down with some good books-or perhaps finishing that novel or collection of poems you’ve been working on. Can I please then, for a moment talk about writing? I just finished the most glorious little forgotten book. As most old books are forgotten let us not forget Logan Pearsall Smith and his little book of reminisces, The Unforgotten Years. Beautiful little piece of history. I was excited to sit and read each weathered page of my old copy.

There seems to be a lack of appreciation of good writing today. It seems the style that has come into fashion is a very dry prose with an over use of BIG words. In reality, by doing so and too often, they are only extracting the richness out of their descriptions. When reading some of the modern works today. It feels as though the heart is taken out of the prose. The humanity, or the human condition is no longer a factor to be examined.

Ironically Smith complains about this same thing occurring in his old age with youthful writers over one hundred years ago. He says:

“The truth is that almost all that makes the reading of old books delightful is neglected by those who wield their steel nibs in the age of steel. There were arts, there were blandishments, there were even tricks, which were intended to beguile the older generations, and which have succeeded in beguiling subsequent generations as well. In the first place good prose used to be written, not, as it is written to-day, for the eye alone, but also for the ear.”

When read aloud your writing should sound as elegant as intended. If the reader must stumble over ostentatious verbiage most of the time- your point will be lost. You see what I did there? At least in my humble opinion this is the case with writing today.

Now, back to the garden for it too must hunker down and get to work. Like the roses which must turn their fine petals of silk into rose hips for the birds, you too must do this with your writing. Give the world something to feed upon that will enrich as well as caress the broken hearts and the lonely souls of this world.