The Joy of Flowers

Mother's Day will mark 7 years since I started to work in my local floral shop.   In that time I have learned there is power in flowers.

Flower Power

Everyone knows that April showers bring May flowers,

But do they realize the joy the flowers bring?

When the landscape blooms, it’s a beautiful thing,

Don’t diminish the power of flowers, oh dear!

It’s flower power that spreads abundant good cheer,

From the youngster clutching dandelions to give to his mother,

To the dozen red roses bought for a significant other,

From the thoughtful husband to his very surprised wife,

Flowers are a part of everyday life,

To the Birthday girl receiving flowers on “her” special day,

To the bride’s perfectly stunning bridal bouquet,

From a get-well, I’m sorry, or congratulations on your new baby,

To Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy Mother’s Day, or for no reason, maybe,

Flowers are sent and received everywhere,

Occasionally with chocolates and a teddy bear,

Balloons also accompany them, you know,

So, don’t take for granted the flowers that grow,

Don’t diminish the power of flowers, oh dear!

It’s flower power that spreads abundant good cheer,

Ask me how I know this profound piece of news,

I work in a floral shop, and we cure the blues!

Tammy Harvey

Written: 01/16/2017

I enjoy a garden-look flower arrangement, and the many different containers available.

Let's get dirty

Most of the time I choose my own topics for my poetry. I was honored to be asked to write a poem for "The Dirt Lady", It is one of only two poems which have been requested of me. The other one is a blog post called "Shiny Pearl".

 
The Dirt Lady

If you are travelling down Hwy 169,
Turn at the sign and meet a new friend of mine,
The Dirt Lady is waiting to greet you and smile,
Sit back, relax, and stay for a while,
There’s an abundance of black gold covering the ground,
There are lovely gardens and antique treasures to be found,
Family- owned and operated, this picturesque store,
Unique gifts from local artists, need I say more,
In the greenhouse gift shop, it’s whimsical, you’ll see,
Come along and take this adventure with me,
The “black gold” they harvest comes from nearby Fawn Lake,
It is rich, organic soil, nothing artificial or fake,
“Let’s get dirty” is the motto they highly esteem,
They wear their dirt proudly; it’s a plant-grower’s dream,
Lush, green and rich-colored flowers emerge from their “dirt”,
And they dig it themselves, as evidenced by Vic’s dirty shirt,
Let’s not forget their remarkable antique shop,
Named in memory of Emil Abramson, Michelle’s Grandpop,
It is housed in a Finnish log barn, built in 1904,
Gyppo Antiques is the name of the store,
Go there and visit, it is a delight,
And don’t say “maybe” or “someday I might”,
If you are travelling down Hwy 169,
Turn at the sign and meet a new friend of mine,

Tammy Harvey
Written: January 29, 2017 for
“The Dirt Lady Gardens, Greenhouse & Treasures” &
“Organic Gold Black Dirt” located at 7299 Hill Rd, Virginia, MN 55792

Absolutely

You Can Count on It

Two plus two is always four,

It’s absolute; need I say more?

Mathematics can be counted on,

Please forgive the intended pun,

Add, subtract, multiply, divide,

Love them all; I can’t decide,

Two times ten is always twenty,

It’s been that way every century,

Calculate it, formulate it, if you will,

The area of a circle is two pi r still,

The square root of nine is always three,

Now isn’t that fun?  Are you agreeing with me?

Mathematics is consistent; it’s tried and true,

This is what I’m telling you,

Like it or not, mathematics won’t lie,

You may as well give it a try.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  July 2016

My favorite subject in school was always math.  Now I have a whole collection of old math books, and when I flip through the pages, it amazes me that calculations remain the same. The way math is taught may change, but otherwise math is absolute. 

A Favorite Quote

The Earth Laughs

When the soil is prepared, the earth gives a grin,
When the seed is planted, the earth grins again,
When the new sprout emerges, the earth starts to giggle,
As that happens, the earthworms wiggle,
The flower grows and then starts to bloom,
The earth burst into laughter, embarrassing the mushroom,
“Earth laughs in flowers”, Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
A favorite quote of mine, tucked neatly in my head.

Tammy Harvey
Written: 1/08/2017

Taken out of context this quote is light, playful and cheery. The full meaning expressed by Emerson is quite different. The caretakers of the earth are proud, yet fleeting, and the earth laughs at their arrogance. Either way, I consider it a profound realization of the power of nature. Not for us to fear death, but to return to the earth from which we came and thrived.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Earth laughs in flowers to see her boastful boys Earth-proud, proud of the earth, which is not theirs, who steer the plough but cannot steer their feet Clear of the grave."

Petal by petal

Happy Valentine's Day!!  

When we were children, of course, we would grab a daisy and pluck each petal to determine if our "imaginary" boyfriend loved us or not.  

The Daisy

Does he love me, yes or no?

I need the daisy to tell me so,

Pluck…drop, he loves me,

Pluck…drop, he loves me not,

Soft white petals will determine my fate,

Does he love me?  I can’t wait,

As they flutter to the ground,

Delicate petals make no sound,

But when the last ones soon draw near,

Excitement quickly turns to fear,

Pluck…drop, he loves me,

Pluck…drop, he loves me not,

Only now can I see,

He really truly does love me!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  5/24/2016

Elaine's poem

Twinkle

Have you ever met people with a twinkle in their eye?

They exude warmth like a delicious apple pie,

The light is piercing, it fills us with joy,

Like receiving for Christmas your favorite toy,

A bright glimmer of hope resonates from that light,

And soars over our spirit like a bird in full flight,

Their glasses are always half full, and their faces are beaming,

The smiles on their faces are genuine and gleaming,

There are people we know who have this great gift,

Who make us feel good and give us a lift,

A bright candle burns deep in their heart,

And the flame makes a twinkle to us they impart.

Tammy Harvey

 Written:  1/22/2017 

This poem is for Elaine who has that special "twinkle" gift, and we all will miss her when she moves to Charlotte.

Red on White

A Cardinal

In the snowy landscape where white dominates,

A brilliant red speck of color illuminates,

It is a bright and crisp, majestic pop of red,

It is a male cardinal, on a branch, bobbing his head,

He is quiet and peaceful; the scene is serene,

In just a few weeks, the scene will be green,

But for now, the red color catches my eye,

Like a single star in a dark night sky,

A dazzling example of nature’s display,

And I bid him farewell as he flies away.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  1/19/2017

The Taming of the Shrew

I wrote about the puzzle solving of my youth: jigsaw puzzles.  The three dimensional puzzle is out of my league.

Rubik Cube

Multi-colored squares all mixed up; it’s a mess,

I can’t solve it; I’ll confess,

With six sides to conquer; this cube is a shrew,

It’s very confusing; what should I do?

Turn, rotate, twist it and then,

I make no progress; I begin again,

The algorithm is easy according to some,

If that’s true, why do I feel so dumb?

Challenge, frustration right from the start,

My son can solve it; he is so smart,

If in minutes, he can tame the shrew,

Why can't I learn to do it too?

Tammy Harvey

Written:  5/24/2016