A Backyard Observed

By Carol Woolum Roberts

In our Weekend Watering newsletter over the weekend, I said I would write about Weekly Awareness today in my blog post.

I took a little different approach to this creativity tool we talk about.  Instead of going out on a walk, I sat in a chair in my backyard and wrote down what I was experiencing, using the five senses.

You can look at the video to see my view from the chair in my backyard.

What do I see?

I see a big, green carpet of grass making a swipe between the gardens.  The Tri-Color Beech Tree has leaves with a reddish hue today.  The dappled willow bushes have light green leaves that are topped off by pale pink and white dappling.  The yellow day lily shows off at the base.  My gray tabby cat Clark lounges on the table next to me as I write, looking safe and relaxed.  The sky is full of clouds.  Not dark, angry clouds, but puffy, white clouds against a vivid blue sky.  My eye catches the huge orange blossoms of the Oriental Poppies in the Wizard of Oz garden.

What do I hear?

I hear the wind blow through the trees.  Interstate 90 is close by, so I hear the vehicles traveling east and west along this road.  I hear one of the neighbor dogs barking.  It is muffled so I think the dog may be inside our neighbor’s house.  I hear Clark giving himself a bath.  My neighbor's young sons, as well as children she watches in her Day Care, cry out happily as they play in their backyard. It sounds like a neighbor somewhere down the street is weed-eating the lawn.

What do I touch?

My right foot is resting on a wood bench in front of the table and chairs where I sit.  My left foot is perched on the metal rung on the chair.  I get up and feel a thread against my face, and realize I just broke a thread of a spider web that was hanging from the arbor overhead.  I feel the wind on my face as I walk through the yard to the house.  I touch the soft head of my Keeshond Cleo as she comes to say hello.

What do I taste?

I taste the many kinds of berries that are part of my fruit smoothie I made for lunch.  I taste the peppermint leaves growing in a pot by the patio.  I also taste the peppery basil and the orange mint.

What do I smell?

I smell freshness.  No particular smell is coming my way.  But I go over and breathe in the sweet perfume of the yellow iris in our Shakespeare Garden.  The petunias in front of my on the bench also have a sweet smell.  Both of these smells transport me back to my childhood backyard where my mom grew both of these kinds of flowers.

I close my eyes and try and take it all in.  The wind, the sounds of the Interstate, the neighbor children playing, the warmth of the sun on my skin, the breeze blowing on my face.  I hear different birds chirping in the distance.  Some black birds are soaring overhead, their bodies silhouetted against the blue and puffy white sky.  A bee also buzzes by, looking for a flower on which to land.

The Linden tree casts a shadow across the lawn, helping our furry dog Cleo to enjoy the coolness as she lays beneath the tree.

If the Tri-Color Beech tree is the queen of the backyard, the two Linden trees are the duchesses.  Not quite as royal and majestic, but still a bit of aristocracy surrounding them.

I hear the fountain in The Chronicles of Narnia garden slowly drip, drip, drip.

The swallows are dipping and diving in the sky above the front yard.  Are the new babies learning to fly today?

Some pieces of cotton from a Cottonwood tree float through the yard.  It must have come from one of the trees along the river, which is close by.

I am glad I took time today to observe.  To quiet my soul and look around and be aware of what is happening around me.  Observing God’s Creation not only helps me be aware, but it is also a way to connect with The Creator.

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I encourage you to sit outside or look out the window to the outside for around 20 minutes and write about what your senses were observing, and share it with me here.

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