Fireweed

So its been quite a while since I last posted...fingers crossed , this will change. I am currently travelling through Scotland with the help of a grant from the Ontario Arts Council. I am grateful.

So this post has been rolling around in my head for a while , Fireweed. I am not sure that is really the plants name but thats what I know it as. It is one of my favourite wild flowers.  The flowers on the plant start  blooming from the bottom and finish at the top...it takes almost a month to finish blooming as it boldly announces the end of summer and takes us toward fall.

This year it was an especially tough time for me to watch it bloom. This plant  counted down the time until my youngest left for university.  The flower scattered on the sides of  the road, in my yard, and outside my studio...always visible always counting and reminding.  Everyday brought new tears and challenges as this beautiful flower marked the passing of time for me.

   As I walk around the Necropolis in Glasgow with a girlfriend I haven't seen in a while, I found it,  the fireweed.... still blooming here in the city and still with time remaining on its blooms!   As I am reacquainted in a fantastic visit with friends, I realized we can go back, we can restart, we may just need to shift our perspective :)