Tuesday, November 4, 2008

P is for Poppies

P is the letter of the week on Denise Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday Round 3 (with Mr. Linky and commentability, if there is such a word) and ABC Wednesday Anthology.

P is for Poppies.



California
Poppies to be exact.


Click on photos to enlarge.

They will be appearing about January, the month that I photographed these. In my childhood and right through the 1930s whole hillsides and all the vacant lots were covered with
poppies in their first exuberant burst of bloom. Then they became few and far between, at least until the time of the great Oakland fire in 1991. In the season after the fire they covered the burnt area, the place where thousands of homes had stood, in blankets of orange. But then they almost disappeared once more, except where poppy seeds had been deliberately sown.

When I was in elementary school, back in the 1920s, we had regular music classes, and one of the songs we sang (which I may not have a completely accurate memory of) went like this:
Poppies, golden poppies, gleaming in the sun,
Closing up at evening when the day is done.
Flower of California, children of our state
Rolling from the mountains to the Golden Gate.
My son-in-law, Clinton Shock, phoned a little while ago and reminded me that P is also for President. I'm posting this on Tuesday, election day. It's surprising that I can even use my keyboard, since all of my fingers are crossed in an effort to ensure that our next President is Barack Obama!

30 comments:

ArneA said...

Nothing seams to prevent B.O. being President Elected during the night

Gerald (Ackworth born) said...

not seen real poppies for an awful long time. Here in the UK we all sport poppies on our coats from now until armistice day (11th) as mark of respect for old soldiers.

Rune Eide said...

Let us hope that you will see the poppies and President Obama in January 2009

ellen b. said...

The poppies are beautiful.

Petrus said...

Poppy is a good choice being so near to Remembrance Sunday ..

Michele said...

Ah... I love poppies and with Remembrance day on November 11, this is very appropriate!
A very nice post indeed!
~Michele~
Mountain Retreat- Canada

Rinkly Rimes said...

When I was growing up in the UK these were always called California Poppies. Our poppies were of the Flanders Field variety.I wrote a poem called 'Crimson Nostalgia' about them some time ago.

Vylat said...

Just adore your Poppies! I want to do a post on the flower for Rememberance Day coming up next Tues. Will link to you so folks can see your lovely photos.

Leslie: said...

I have that kind of poppy in my garden and they come back every year in great profusion! :D They make a beautiful display.

Anonymous said...

I miss poppies. They aren't around here and I think modern farming methods have eliminated them from wheat fields.

Dragonstar said...

I love California poppies! I used to grow them in my garden when I was a girl. So they flower in January in California? Wonderful!

Jane Hards Photography said...

In the Uk yes we wear our oppies with to remember those old soldiers. Beautiful soliders.

Bear Naked said...

We have one Poppie plant in our garden and next spring I want to get a few more.
Lovely photos you have posted of a beautiful flower.

Bear((( )))

photowannabe said...

Perfect post for P. I love poppies and they grow so well here in Rocklin too.

anno said...

I love these! My husband and I moved to California from Michigan during February, and I'll never forget coming through the Sierra Nevadas in a terrible snowstorm and then seeing the Sacramento Valley all green and covered with these beautiful orange poppies... it felt like entering the Emerald City. We sure knew we weren't in Kansas any more! Beautiful pictures!

Richard Lawry said...

what beautiful poppies. thanks for the lovely photos

An Arkie's Musings

D Herrod said...

Very pretty. I always love wild flowers.

Maggie May said...

You got your wish with the President Obama then! So your finger crossing worked!
Love the poppies, very appropriate right now.

Jay said...

Our native poppies are scarlet, and do make a wonderful blaze of colour in recently disturbed soil - a fact that made them the emblem of Armistice Day. The battlefields of Europe were full of them when the dust settled after WW1, and they came to symbolise the loss of far too many souls.

Driftwood and Pumpkin said...

How could I have not thought about President for a "p" word today?!? Great post!

http://nineacresphotoclasses.blogspot.com

daria said...

P is for Perfectly wonderful new President!!

Hooray Gigi!!

xoxo

p.s. I finally joined facebook!!
I sent you a friend invite, so be on the lookout for it.

AphotoAday said...

Yeah, poppies do seem to come and go... I've never understood why they seem to love the rough side of the road the best...

Reader Wil said...

I love poppies, and have some wild ones in my garden. They are yellow and they happen to grow there one day. Good post.

abb said...

Hurray for President-elect Obama! All my fingers were crossed as well. The beginning of a new day is finally here for us.
(California) poppies are one of my very favorite flowers and you captured them beautifully! A perfect ABC Wed. P!

DeniseinVA said...

A new day is dawning. I loved your poppy photographs, I loved your post.

Rose said...

Poppies are such a bright flower; how wonderful that they bloom in January! Here (in Illinois) we wouldn't see them until May or June.
Glad you kept your fingers crossed, but I don't think it was necessary:) I read your post-election post, too, and I agree this is a day to be proud of in America.

naturglede/Randi Lind said...

Poppies are one of my favorites. Love your worlds too. I hope you show new photoes in january, because then we have stong winter.Have a happy week!

Unknown said...

Those poppies are very beautiful! I am excited your wish for President came to fruition! I pray God will be able to use Barack Obama in powerful ways. God bless America!

antigoni said...

Congratulations for your new President. He seems so nice. I hope the others let him do his job.
He reminds me of J.F.K, although i never met him. Excellent post and i liked the song.

Reader Wil said...

Hi just to say hello! Your crossing your fingers helped! Congratulations with your new president. I have also a post about poppies this past week, for Today's Flowers and at the same time I have commemorated Poppies Day. It's an important flower.