Thursday, January 24, 2008

seeds arrive!!

seeds
The days are getting a little longer (abut 2 minutes a day!) - the sun is getting a little brighter - and my seeds are here!!! Spring seems just around the corner. (57 days, I think.)

Slave to a springtime passion for the earth.
How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed
On through the watching for that early birth
When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,
The sturdy seedling with arched body comes
Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.
- Robert Frost

7 comments:

Gardening for Fun said...

Great pictures and nice selection of seeds. I love getting seeds in the mail. I, like you, begin counting down til spring too. I have 50 odd days too!

Doctor Mom said...

I see that your order includes "smooth bean"--maybe "wrinkled pea," too?

kathy said...

What is smooth bean? The favas? Soy?

About wrinkled peas, I didn't order this type because I had some of these left over from last fall. Tall Telephone peas are a wrinkled pea. I don't know if you know about the difference between round and wrinkled peas? The wrinkled ones are sweeter.

(Some famous genetics experiments were done with crossing these two types of peas back in the 1800's.)

Doctor Mom said...

I didn't know the difference between round and wrinkled peas, but I guess that New Englander, Robert Frost, did--I was quoting from his poem, "Putting in Seed," too. You keep good company!

kathy said...

Well, I never saw the full poem. Thanks for pointing it out. I think I may put this poem on my wall. Very beautiful.


PUTTING IN THE SEED

You come to fetch me from my work to-night
When supper's on the table, and we'll see
If I can leave off burying the white
Soft petals fallen from the apple tree.
(Soft petals, yes, but not so barren quite,
Mingled with these, smooth bean and wrinkled pea;)
And go along with you ere you lose sight
Of what you came for and become like me,
Slave to a springtime passion for the earth.
How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed
On through the watching for that early birth
When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,

The sturdy seedling with arched body comes
Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.

Arobin said...

I found this site interesting, about Mendel the monk, that spent decades on some of the first genetic research, and found it very interesting.
Hope it helps you.

http://anthro.palomar.edu/mendel/mendel_1.htm

P.S. (Pun not intended) -- I LOVE The wrinkled Peas as having the best and sweetest flavor.

kathy said...

Yes yes yes! I also love to read about Mendel. He was a pioneer. Wrinkled and smooth peas led him to many discoveries that have been very important to medicine and agriculture.

(PS. I have a doctorate in molecular biology and many classes in genetics ....)