"A Year In My Garden" book available

Click here for a preview!

Click here to learn more and order A Year In My Garden

To see additional books by Don Sessions click here

"The Art Of The Comfort Room" book

Click here for a preview

Click here to order now!

"Going To Greenland " book

Click here for a preview!

Click here to learn more and order Going To Greenland

To see additional books by Don Sessions click here

"Exploring The Northwest Passage" book

Click here to learn more and order Exploring The Northwest Passage

To see additional books by Don Sessions click here

CURRENT BLOG BELOW:

Flower for the Day Rose of Sharon 7-20-26

> > Our Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) was a gift from a friend who is a master gardener. Since it can grow 14 feet tall and ten feet wide we prune it in the late fall after the first freeze. It is resilient to draught but as you can plainly see not to deer. They have pruned the base symmetrically. >  > > Ours is a mixture of three multi-stemmed woody stems each producing subtly different color flowers. >  >  > > The tree is right outside the living room window. We really enjoyed watching the robins as the built > a nest well inside the base. > > There is no modern poem about the Rose of Sharon. Here is some information about the Poet SR Griffin that I > found interesting. Griffin founded his imprint, Rose of Sharon press in1989. He published and edited underground poetry journals. In his attempts to bring poetry to a wider audience, outside of publishing broadsides, chapbooks, and periodicals, Griffin has placed poems on billboards and beer bottles. In 2010 Griffin adapted a 1970 240-MK Vietnam War -era practice bomb to house poetry instead of explosives, gathering over 900 poems from around the world. American pinstripe artist and fabricator Skratch pinstriped the bomb, which Griffin named Elsie in honor of his paternal grandmother. Between April and June 2010, Griffin toured with Elsie the Poetry Bomb across the c <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States>ountry, appearing at 30 different venues, and inviting people to put their poems inside. Of the inspiration behind the project, he said: > "War, the art, artifact and artifice of war were created to invent and enforce agreements. Hopefully by transforming this piece I have created something that will inspire disagreements. The democratic process depends upon disagreement in order to function.... The Poetry Bomb is a weapon of mass discussion." > > > > > >

Flower for the Day Rose of Sharon 7-20-26

Our Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) was a gift from a friend who is a master gardener. Since it can grow 14 feet tall and ten feet wide we prune it in the late fall after the first freeze. It is resilient to draught but as you can plainly see not to deer. They have pruned the base symmetrically.  Ours is a mixture of three multi-stemmed woody stems each producing subtly different color flowers.   The tree is right outside the living room window. We really enjoyed watching the robins as the built a nest well inside the base. There is no modern poem about the Rose of Sharon. Here is some information about the Poet SR Griffin that I found interesting. Griffin founded his imprint, Rose of Sharon press in1989. He published and edited underground poetry journals. In his attempts to bring poetry to a wider audience, outside of publishing broadsides, chapbooks, and periodicals, Griffin has placed poems on billboards and beer bottles. In 2010 Griffin adapted a 1970 240-MK Vietnam War -era practice bomb to house poetry instead of explosives, gathering over 900 poems from around the world. American pinstripe artist and fabricator Skratch pinstriped the bomb, which Griffin named Elsie in honor of his paternal grandmother. Between April and June 2010, Griffin toured with Elsie the Poetry Bomb across the c <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States>ountry, appearing at 30 different venues, and inviting people to put their poems inside. Of the inspiration behind the project, he said: "War, the art, artifact and artifice of war were created to invent and enforce agreements. Hopefully by transforming this piece I have created something that will inspire disagreements. The democratic process depends upon disagreement in order to function.... The Poetry Bomb is a weapon of mass discussion."

Flower for the Day Garden in a Heat Alert 7-19-26

> > We are in the second day of a 4 day heat alert. Temps in the 90’s and feels like in the low hundreds. > I have been able to water some and until the last few days it has rained a little each day. Here is how > some of the grow'ies are doing. > > The verbena (Verbena officianalis) is thriving. It is in multiple places. >

> > > > The beebalm (Monad fistula) is just beginning by the meadow. >

> > > The heat has been hard on the Concord grapes and they are sour. >

> > > And you may remember the Cuckoo Pint (Arum maculatum). It is now > maturing into a colorful fruit. >

> > > Even so I do not expect us to beat the heat. We shall see. > > Here is how I will feel if they go. >

> > Yes that is Miley singing one of my Bob Dylan favorites.

Flower for the Day Garden in a Heat Alert 7-19-26

We are in the second day of a 4 day heat alert. Temps in the 90’s and feels like in the low hundreds. I have been able to water some and until the last few days it has rained a little each day. Here is how some of the grow'ies are doing. The verbena (Verbena officianalis) is thriving. It is in multiple places.

The beebalm (Monad fistula) is just beginning by the meadow.

The heat has been hard on the Concord grapes and they are sour.

And you may remember the Cuckoo Pint (Arum maculatum). It is now maturing into a colorful fruit.

Even so I do not expect us to beat the heat. We shall see. Here is how I will feel if they go.

Yes that is Miley singing one of my Bob Dylan favorites.

Flower for the Day What's growing now? 7-13-26

> > Here are some flowers that are surviving if not flourishing in our ongoing heat. The frequent rain is helping. > > Here’s a surprise oriental lily. Another final lily. >  > > Multiple black-eyed susan >  > > Coreopsis >  > > Cleome >  > > Cone flower >  > > and abundant elegant zinnias in many colors. >  > > We are blessed. > > And here is a classic poem which asks what is beyond the bounds of what you can see. > > The Infinite > > This solitary hill has always been dear to me > And this hedge, which prevents me from seeing most of > The endless horizon. > But when I sit and gaze, I imagine, in my thoughts > Endless spaces beyond the hedge, > An all encompassing silence and a deeply profound quiet, > To the point that my heart is almost overwhelmed. > And when I hear the wind rustling through the trees > I compare its voice to the infinite silence. > And eternity occurs to me, and all the ages past, > And the present time, and its sound. > Amidst this immensity my thought drowns: > And to flounder in this sea is sweet to me. > > Giacomo Leopardi > > >