Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

 The first seven notes and lyrics of this song popped into my head this morning followed by the next five notes minus the words. I didn't know the words. For the most part this song is before my time and I was never too into "folk music" of the 50s and 60s. I'm probably aware of this tune from 60s television. Along with not knowing the words, of course, came not knowing what the song was about. 

The reason the song popped into my head was because I've spent the last four days outside with a line trimmer and a rake cleaning up what was left of my suburban wildflower meadow. There comes a point when the balance between flowers dying back and weeds filling in prompts me to start cutting it all down.

For anyone who hasn't participated in reading this blog, I will illustrate. This is how things looked on February 18th. This was the last effort I made at taking pictures because I saw the weeds were soon to take charge. I think some of the weeds are pretty. I think they add to the charm. For awhile.

There is also a great deal of weeding along the way. I would pull armfuls of weeds daily but there is a point when there are this many flowers that getting to the weeds causes too much collateral damage and I have to opt out. 

See... I think the foxtail weeds (Hordeum murinum?) in this image are rather attractive.

Beginning the last few days of February I began collecting seeds for next year. The orange and yellow flowers are Dimorphotheca sinuata, an African daisy. I bought 1/4 lb of those for this crop. I'm opposed to buying seeds when I can cultivate them myself. I'm also opposed to buying plants when they can be resourced from cuttings. Aside from my finding seeds and plants expensive, I simply think this is the way it should be. I think the plants want to give back. The process is also kinda Zen-like. I'm hoping to get my 1/4 lb back. There are several of these in various stages of production.

After three days of line trimming. Most of the blondish color you see on the ground are cuttings. Ultimately, I want to get it cleaned up mostly down to dirt level. This was raked yesterday and tossed today. I try to shake out the wildflower seed and hang onto the weed seed as I scoop up piles with a snow shovel for the trash... for what its worth.

Yes, those are wildflowers running up to the back gate. I still need to get to that and also in front of the house on the driveway side. Some care needs to be taken on the driveway side since I recently transplanted 13 Osteospermum plants which were started in a closet under a light from seeds I picked up during an early morning walk several months ago. These little guys...

The two odd plants in the picture, three from the left, front and rear, are Fuji apple trees from seed. The larger one is in a one gallon container now and is about to go outside.

Meanwhile, pushing the issue of cleaning up outside, is the prospect of a round two with some summer flowers. Right now I have about 75 Jiffy peat pellets either outside or under a light breeding some seedlings. The plants you can see are Zinnia elegans and the pellets which aren't showing any plant life contain Tithonia rotundifolia seeds. I'm not sure what's up with that, last year they were slow to germinate but they were also all started in soil out on the patio table. Last night I started 24 more on the patio and I'm probably going to start some more in a few to several days in red party cups with potting soil. Last year the Tithonia were only planted in the backyard and the butterfly show was fantastic.

Papilio cresphontes, the  giant swallowtail on Tithonia rotundifolia.

Both Tithonia and Zinnia seeds will also be scattered on the ground, somewhat strategically. I don't care to water large areas in the summer.

Now, back to that Pete Seeger song. Where Have All the Flowers Gone? was written in 1955. I only existed for part of 1955. I hadn't come out to play yet in 1955. Today, during my morning constitutional I was on the phone with Docken and I mentioned thinking of that song, only knowing the first line and the basic melody. I remembered it was a Pete Seeger song. Pete Seeger, aside from being an American folk song writer and singer, was also a social activist. Docken read me the next few lines of the song and right there, in the street, walking in front of people's homes, I started to cry.

The girls have picked them every one.
Oh, When will you ever learn?
Oh, When will you ever learn?
Young girls
They've taken husbands every one.
Young men
They're all in uniform.
Soldiers
They've gone to graveyards every one.
Graveyards
They're covered with flowers every one.

Tuesday, March 8th, was International Women's Day and watching news I saw people in Ukraine buying flowers despite a war raging around them. In an instant I thought of those same women, the flowers were being bought for, bringing flowers to the graves of their loved ones, now soldiers, all because of the senseless horror caused by a desperate and delusional despot. 

United Help Ukraine – Helping People. Saving Lives.