Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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friday 5 at the farm: things I heard this week

It’s been quite a week here at the dirt-and-hooves W. Handsome has been nursing an injury and doing his Commish work from home. I have been trying to stay caught up on things while not neglecting him. The gardens are changing seasons. And the animals are really enjoying the glorious weather. For Friday 5 at the Farm, how about a handful of things I have heard this week?

potting bench

  1. Llama Sneeze: On Tuesday while distributing protein pellets to the buff (on top of his free-choice hay) I leaned in for some face snuggles with Meh and caught, instead, a tiny, squeaky little sneeze. Right in the general direction of my forehead. Have you ever heard a baby llama sneeze? It’s not awful. Plus, he has lately been instigating spitting fights with his far beefier pasture mate. More on that soon.
  2. Parrot Playing Babysitter: Klaus is an enthusiastic romper of all farm-ily members, including Bobby Pacino the macaw, and sometimes our feathered boy has had just about enough, even from the safety of his outdoor cage. I was working in the nearby flower bed one morning and heard Pacino say firmly, definitely mimicking my own Mama voice, “No No! That’s a No No, okay?” The best part of this story is that the puppy obeyed the parrot. He sat demurely on the sidewalk and twisted his head and waited for further instruction. I went back to my garden tasks and left the parenting to the bird.
  3. V-8 with Glass-packs: We are selling the Jeep (aka Shakira) and have bought a little mid-century beauty for me to drive. She has a nice, strong, smooth engine that growls a little. Also not awful.
  4. Running Team W Expands: Around the time of my recent half marathon in Lawton, Handsome secretly ordered himself a pair of running shoes. This week they arrived in the mail. Then he got the green light from his doctor and told me he is ready to start running!! So hearing that fun news is just cool. Cool cool cool. So exciting! Now I am researching what races might offer discounts to married couples or people who practice anthropomorphism to a scary degree. Ideas?
  5. Sirens but no Alarm: Oklahoma is hot and dry this week, unseasonably so for October, and we have been seeing lots of grass fires. So we hear lots of fire truck sirens. Not good. Thankfully, none of them have been driving to our farm. This is a big deal emotionally because it was during this season seven years ago that we had that really scary house fire. In years since our area has been scourged with wildfires, too. So stuff like this triggers me. I’m sorry for those folks dealing with damage and simultaneously very grateful it’s not us this time.
He is getting so big. All the animals are cautious of him now. He still romps like a baby though...xoxo
He is getting so big. All the animals are cautious of him now. He still romps like a baby though…xoxo
louise buffing
Handsome showed me the ropes of car sanding and buffing before he laid a clear coat on my cute little treasure.

Okay, there you have it. Five things I have heard that made this week special. What have you heard?

Carpe Diem!
XOXOXOXO

 

karen filley’s verdant zen retreat

Did you think maybe I forgot about finishing the garden tour? Not by a long shot, friends. It’s just that life has been wonderfully full this past month, and I did not want to rush through any of the remaining five featured gardens. Each of them deserves our full attention.

Today I want to share with you the fourth stop, the home of Karen Filley, which is also where we enjoyed a nice boxed lunch in the shade. But before I invite you into Karen’s garden, I have to pause to offer this embarrassing disclaimer: By midday on September 9th, my cell phone was dead. Totally dead. I had taken so many photos already and was on social media so much, sharing the excitement, that it just wore out, haha. Karen was nice enough to let me charge it indoors while we nibbled lunch and sipped iced tea, but by the very tail end of our stay it was only halfway charged again. So I had to literally sprint around her gorgeous property snapping photos here and there, desperately scribbling down corresponding phrases in my notebook. Rumor has it she is an open-hearted hostess who would welcome me back for a more lingering tour some day, and if that happens I will be sure to include you, fair reader, in the fun.

Okay. Let’s talk about lovely things.

KF label

Before we even stepped off the tour bus onto her property, Karen had grabbed a microphone and prepped us with some information about the gardens here. She explained how her husband sees “impossible” and “difficult for this climate” as challenges, not boundaries. How they propagate much of their planting material right here in their own greenhouse. And how, yes, they would be happy to share starts and seedlings. Just let her know what you want. You will have to dig it yourself, but you can have stuff. She welcomed us to eat anywhere in the expansive back yard, saving the one table bearing potted orchids, which was reserved for our beloved organizer Pat Chivers (my mentor!). Our hostess made us feel so welcome. I was really excited to get outside, and I was also anxious to charge my phone. Thank you for this favor, Karen!

The curving concrete walk from the bus to the garden gate was stunning enough. Ruffles and ruffles of color. Shade trees as thick and luxurious as the ones you see in the deep south but maybe more casual. And then you walk beneath a magnificent Magnolia around the corner bend, the biggest one I have ever seen outside of New Orleans. Breathtaking.

KF white shady edge
Regarding the ruffles of color, Karen and her husband have clearly learned that lesson of repetition like I had just noticed at Will Rogers a few minutes earlier.
KF sunny edge
Isn’t this fun? It’s like growing confetti and streamers all summer. You should see it in person!

KF magnolia welcome

How best to describe the mood of Karen’s back yard? It emits this very Zen-like vibration, but it also has a lot of artistic energy. The predominant color is jungle green, loaded with texture, but with a spectrum of pinks and purples and other pops of bright, juicy color, more than what you might imagine with just the word Zen in mind. Tropical. Lots of tropical vibes, evidence of her husband’s penchant for a good growing challenge. She has arranged several comfortable places to sit and linger and has added lots of artwork, both expensive looking and quirky, happy, interesting. I found myself thinking she and I could be good friends based solely on her taste in garden accessories.

The back yard is a curving, meandering, kinetic space that begs you to move deeper, deeper, deeper still. It has a flow that leads you calmly and is not the kind of place that wants to be rushed, so I felt so weird running through to snap photos before the bus left me.

The experience here is the most wonderful mix of Louisiana and Oklahoma, but forced into submission, disciplined and held to quite a high standard of performance. It’s like if Oklahoma and Louisiana gardens had a baby and sent it to boarding school in England but it dropped out to pursue an art career in Japan, but then the parents love it so much they can’t stop sending money. Really exciting. I grooved the atmosphere so much.

kf planter head

KF artwork

KF lime green

KF banana tree

KF ajuga hydrangea path
I lingered here too long, fully expecting to see a mythical creature cross my path. Maybe a faun?

The meandering paths are so seductive. Then right when your eye needs it you are washed in sunshine with these expansive lawns, all dotted by more seating areas and graceful little tree vistas.

KF sunny lawn

KF bench

Something I really grooved about Karen’s space was her use of foal points and inviting passageways and landing spots.

KF rose arbor

KF cozy patio

KF group w stick babies

Lessons and Takeaways

  • The tropical leanings of Karen’s garden oasis is really an encouragement to those of us who only grow, for example, a couple of sweet potato vines or a patch of begonias here and there. The takeaway? Max it out! Grow more of those things. Grow it with other unexpected stuff. Find some banana trees, pair hydrangeas with ajuga, dive right in and grow a tropical party.
  • Do not shy away from a challenge. Think about micro climates. Build up your soil. Focus on the plants’ needs and find ways to meet them.
  • Plan pathways and design landing spots and focal points throughout. Let your garden become its own tour guide.
  • Think about structure and bones and how the gardens will look outside of peak bloom time. (I have a secret wish to tour this property during a snowstorm! The trees, shrubs, pathways, hills, ironwork and pathways are so interesting.)
  • One more comment about soil: Karen’s garden is perfumed with peat. The raised beds are built up and thick and almost black. She has grown a crepe myrtle as massive an an oak tree, and the featured banana tree is just stunning. Mammoth. The lesson is feed your soil and go big or go home! This also applies to your container gardens.
  • In addition to micro climates, consider micro themes within your garden. Plant Japanese Maples and add Japanese artwork and a bamboo fountain, for example. Grow roses and add English style rose arbors. Use the power of collections to create visual impact and that cohesive feeling that well designed rooms give you.
  • Especially challenging plants can be grown in pots that are sunken halfway underground in good weather, then brought indoors to overwinter. Karen did this with a palm tree and I will definitely be stealing the idea.
  • Shun emptiness. Where you are not growing plants or flowers or mammoth trees, cultivate an emerald green golf course lawn. The luxurious feeling will make it worth the effort and expense.
  • Think about mood and what affect your garden has on people. Karen’s spell is tranquil and seductive. There is a strong feminine energy here that pulses out of every bed, every curve and color. It seems orchestrated and then let loose, an aesthetic well worth pursuing.
  • Garden joyfully! Be generous and embracing.

Whew! Friends, looking back through these desperately snapped photos made my mouth water all over again. And reading back through my notes made me want to call Karen and beg for a little Q & A with her and her husband. I feel like they have a lot of knowledge to offer us, with advice ranging from design to science and everything in between. I bet their art pieces each has a cool story, too. I would be very happy to massage my own gardens here at the farm into some semblance of her Zen-like retreat. It’s all just so gorgeous.

Thank you Karen! Thank you so much for the garden tour, for hosting lunch, for offering us baby Redbuds and more, and for letting me charge my phone. You are a generous soul and a talented designer and garden artist.

“A garden without its statue
is like a sentence without its verb.”
~Joseph W. Beach
XOXOXOXO

 

what a wonderful world, senses inventory

A little Senses Inventory to tiptoe into this spectacular, leisurely Sunday. Lots of texture to experience. And let’s add cravings to the mix, okay? As always you are warmly invited to add your own inventory in comments… xoxo

See: Feathery, scrappy hula-hoop dream catcher accepting all the sun and maybe some dreams too. Wedding chandelier, also made from scraps and a hula hoop, like a cotton jelly fish in the breeze. It’s hanging from a red bud tree which is on her last leg and covered in blue-green scales. Still beautiful. A grove of Oak trees making willing trades of their waxy green for crispy browns and orange. Yellow wildflowers growing in the shade, where the sand is being slowly overtaken by grass. Thank goodness. Garden gate dressed in skimpy, sexy morning glory vines. Nature’s lingerie. Rusted milk cans bursting with bouquets of garden tools. So many rakes, spades, and poles. Where did they all come from? Sun streaming in with vibrating energy from behind us, pink and gold and fierce this morning. Floods of it washing over the pasture to our right, setting that miniature prairie on fire. Cold fire pit below the deck where we’re sitting. Cedar benches circling it like a little Stonehenge. Unlit strings of lights above us. Fruit trees to our left, thinner now and bronzing. Feathery willow tree downhill, keeping watch over the pond. Almost yellow.

"I hope that all your dreams come true; just remember that nightmares are dreams too."
“I hope that all your dreams come true; just remember that nightmares are dreams too.”

Hear: Chorus of angry crows above the forest. Blue jay squawking, other birds warbling gently, a single woodpecker. Interstate noise in the distance, once again easy to imagine it’s the ocean. Klaus scampering loud and clumsy across the wooden deck, giving chase to Natasha. Twigs cracking. Acorns pinging on the smokehouse’s tin roof.

Smell: Coffee, less sweet today, finally.  Faintest bit of chlorine. My own lotion and deodorant. Not much else. There’s an unusual cleanness to the air today, crisp but empty of even wood smoke. Weird. Nice though.

Taste: Only my coffee. The chewiness of the cream reminds me of New Orleans.

Touch: Cool breeze, gentle like breath on my skin. Especially nice on my neck and bare shoulders. Warm coffee mug in my left hand, skinny ink pen in my right. Mesh lawn chair beneath me, paper thin rubber flip flops riddled with craters and sticker scars. Now a wash of warmth on the back of my neck.

Think: If instead of living here I were to just visit this place, maybe stay for the weekend with a stack of books and empty spirals, a pair of running shoes and yoga mat, I would see it as a perfect retreat. I would wonder how this place exists and never want to leave, would want to absorb every detail at every time of day and never step inside. If I were a visitor my eyes might not see work undone or projects to schedule, manure to scoop, gardens to clean. My eyes might see it as beautifully and lovingly as I do at this moment. How much time am I wasting in life? Since autumn is historically when our life tends to change in big ways, October is more of a New Year marker than January. So I sit here thinking how different life is now compared to last October. And how will things have changed by October 2016? What dreams will have been pursued, what miracles will we have in the bank? What burdens will be lifted, or traded for new ones, because we will be stronger then?

Feel: Settled. Feeling settled and energized both physically and emotionally. Optimistic way beyond the outer affirmations kind of optimism. Feeling truly excited for the challenges and opportunities right around the corner. Trembling with happiness for my people.

Crave: I crave a fragrant, slow burning bonfire, deep laughter, and meaningful conversation. Lingering affection. Easy, soaking-into-your-bones kind of stuff. Craving blocks of time to write. More than blogging. Really writing. Craving soup and watermelon too.

Okay friends, thank you so much for joining me today.

Have yourself a really wonderful Sunday.

“They’re really saying I love you…”
XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

 

spirit of survival half recap, handsome wants to run, and let’s be positive ok?

Hey friends! Happy Monday Tuesday to you! Sorry, I am a whole day late with this. For a little motivation this week, I just want to share a cool experience I had this past weekend. It provided me tons of inspiration, and I hope it does you too.

Over the weekend Handsome and I spent about 15 hours in Lawton, Oklahoma, mostly so I could run the Spirit of Survival half marathon. It was such fun! Just as a running event, it was wonderful. Incredible scenery and perfect weather, a decent workout, felt happy about my overall performance, and came home healthy and injury-free. All great stuff. But much more importantly I was, once again, deeply inspired by other people. That’s what I want to share with you.

I love it when this happens, especially when I am a little unprepared for the spiritual jackpot. When life gives me the chance to meet either strangers, average but amazing citizens, or people I have been watching from a distance and then they blow me away with their generosity of spirit and genuine niceness. This happens pretty frequently. I’m very lucky.

This time the headline connection was with Bart Yasso, world renowned runner and coach, actually dubbed the “World Mayor of Running” and also the “Chief Running Officer” for Runners World magazine. My first exposure to his writings was months ago when I started researching how to gain speed. He has developed a method of interval training called Yasso 800s that is supposed to almost guarantee you a certain marathon time. Exciting!

Okay. I met Bart (Mr. Yassow?) briefly Saturday night, just before his hilarious and deeply moving presentation, and he autographed his book for me. “Marie- Never limit where running can take you. ~Bart” Very cool. Then the presentation was a solid hour of belly laughter and teary eyed listening to the most incredible stories from his life and running career. My biggest takeaways: NO SELF PITY. And, You don’t know when you will be crossing your last finish line, so always be grateful and happy.

SOS book

That alone would have been enough to inspire me. Then early Sunday morning, totally by fluke, Handsome and I were walking in the dark down the sidewalk, making our way to the start line about half a mile from the hotel, and Bart walked right up to us! Good morning and all that, so friendly. We all three walked the entire way together, just chatting, and I tried hard not to skip and do cartwheels because I had gobs of extra energy. Bart shared even more encouragement, lots more positive vibes, and agreed that here in Oklahoma we have some of the loveliest sunrises and sunsets as anywhere in the world. He resides in Pennsylvania but has travelled the globe for running events. This compliment to my home state made my heart swell. As we walked and chatted, the purple sky to our right was just beginning to crack open, all pink and glowy as it so often does.

SOS w bart yasso

So, certainly, meeting this gentleman and gleaning a personal slice of his wisdom made the weekend extra special. I cannot wait to finish reading his book and share more with you guys.

Okay.

Handsome and I arrived at the starting corral early and enjoyed the view of the American flag, the happy people everywhere, just all the love that was there. Really, truly a lot of love. Why am I always surprised when a running event is about more than just running? We said goodbye to each other and kissed, and soon everyone sang the anthem along with Miss America 2009. Somewhere in the half marathoners’ corral, my new friend Corey found me and we had fun giggling and scoping everyone’s shoes, because we share a love for Brooks.

SOS start line w flag
I never know what to do with my hands. Or legs. Or face. But dang my shoes are awesome! And I like that buffalo on my shirt.

I forgot to tell you about Corey!

Much earlier Sunday morning, about two hours before start time, Handsome and I were eating a delicious breakfast in the hotel lobby when I saw a girl I wanted to meet. She was dressed in sweats and eating a bagel and banana like me, so… I sort of blurted out a weird greeting in her general direction, no matter that she was four tables away. The subtext was, “Hi! You’re a runner, I’m a runner, obviously we are gonna be friends, right?” It started like that, basically. Then she mentioned she’s from Austin, Texas, and I was like, “Oh my gosh we have friends who live there, do you know Jon and Margi?” That is why I shouldn’t eat breakfast in public. I could literally hear Handsome’s eyes rolling.

Fortunately this running girl from Austin was endlessly friendly and also seemed chill for some early morning random conversation with strangers, so we spent about half an hour getting acquainted while downing last minute carbs for the run. Now? It’s possible we really are going to be friends. She is both a Half Fanatic and a Marathon Maniac. If you think those are arbitrary, purely descriptive phrases for people who just really like to run, let me assure you that it actually means you have to do a lot of work and run some seriously challenging consecutive races to qualify for membership in either of these very real clubs. Corey has earned both stripes. AND she is a brain cancer survivor. AND she and her husband are thinking of starting a family soon. I mean, you guys, she is the real deal; but somehow she put me at ease instead of making me feel like an imposter runner all over again. She was so nice. We saw each other later that morning at a turn-around near mile 8, and I almost hugged her but was tangled up in earbud cords.

The weekend was full of different people, each offering a unique dose of inspiration.

There was the lady who sling-shotted ahead of me then fell behind then sling-shotted, again and again throughout the race. She was running alone and dressed from head to toe in survivor decorations and affirming words. Toward the end of the race, maybe mile 12, I heard her cheering to the open air. “You can do it! You got this! Keep going!” She was aiming the wonderful messages at any and all passersby, but also I think at herself, and it was the sweetest thing. Her singular energy drummed up spontaneous applause and cheering from everyone.

Local running celeb and world record keeper Camille Herron was there. Wow. Just a class act in every way. After breezing past the crowd and winning the women’s half, she returned back down the course to encourage runners. With zeal! I though I had extra energy. This lady blew my mind. I couldn’t stop giggling with happiness, and I cried a tiny bit when I saw her running and clapping low and strong for people. I might have introduced myself and begged for a photo but literally could never catch up to her. “Speedy” does not cover it.

And there was the married couple from Saturday night who welcomed me to sit at their dinner table during Bart Yassow’s amazing presentation. Their names were Robert and Laura. They were completely forthcoming with their own running and life stories, and they even posed with Tiny T for me like it was no biggie. Didn’t even flinch. On Sunday, Laura found me on the course once and we cheered for each other, then I found her at the finish line, all smiles! We hope to see each other at the OKC Memorial next April.

SOS robert laura T

 

 

This event is all about breast cancer awareness and survival, and the proceeds fun local efforts. How cool, then, that the first leg of the race was toward one of our classic pink Oklahoma sunrises!
This event is all about breast cancer awareness and survival, and the proceeds fund local early detection efforts. How cool, then, that the first leg of the race was toward one of our classic pink Oklahoma sunrises! Just beautiful.

One more big, juicy, heartfelt thank you to husband, also basically my running sponsor, haha! He is the one who texted me that day early this summer, “Check your email woman.” And in my inbox sat registration confirmation to this race. Then he insisted I get new shoes. Then he downloaded all this amazing music, per my request. Then he drove me to an event in which he personally would have had zero interest without mine. He endured not-homemade Italian food so I could be fueled up. He did everything, even took pictures and tried hard to pay attention when I relayed my excitement and did a poor job repeating other people’s stories. He is a truly wonderful spectator-spouse. But you know what’s even better?

The best thing my husband has done is to say that I inspired him to run!! This is huge. He actually ordered a pair of running shoes and intendeds to try the treadmill. Bam. Tiny T and I think things are just now getting good.

SOS t shoudler

Once again… Surround yourself with positive people, okay? Simmer in passion of all kinds. It matters. Whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re pursuing, seek out the leaders and trail blazers in that field and learn from them. Dive in. Try stuff. Try harder, do better, stop worrying about being embarrassed or looking fluffy in yoga pants. Just smile at the thought and get started.

Positive vibes are powerful. Accept them, internalize them, emit them.

Over and out.

“Never limit where running can take you.”
~Bart Yassow
XOXOXO

 

 

lovelier than perfection

To me, this is maybe the only time a morning glory vine looks prettier than in early summer.

old vines

Remember June? When these leaves were perfectly shaped, deep green, and smooth? Velvety in their youth? Remember when the blooms were fresh and jewel toned, so vibrant they shimmered? Those were the exiting first days of summer. The first weeks of heat and freedom, sex and new life in the garden.

But these days, the beginning of our calm descent into autumn, they bear a different kind of beauty. I love how these same vines are washed out now, tattered by the wind but still smiling at every sunrise. Theses blooms are fading now and soft like very old, very comforting cotton bed sheets.

It’s a quieter loveliness. Something more confident than the brazenness of early June. And speaking of sex in the garden, just look at all those seed pods nodding demurely at the ground. Next summer’s arena.

“He is outside of everything, and alien everywhere.
He is an aesthetic solitary.
His beautiful, light imagination is the wing
that on the autumn evening
just brushes the dusky window.”
-Henry James  
XOXOXOXO