On Sunday Mr. B and I took a drive to an iris farm up north. On the way I spotted a herd of Texas Longhorns and boy were their horns long. This guy in the photo above must of had horns about 6 feet across from tip to tip.
When he walked, he seemed to have trouble lifting his head up and balancing them. So, with head down, he wobbled those mighty horns to a different side of the pasture.
Arriving at the Iris Farm, we were met with fields of beautiful color.
It turned out to be a beautiful day at the iris farm.
So many to choose from. Mr. B teased me that we should open our gardens for visitors who are looking to buy iris plants.
I mean, can you ever have too many iris? Really???
As I was checking off my list of which plants to purchase, I noticed several families of Hmong people enjoying the beauty of these gardens. They kept taking photos of each other in front of the flowers. One elderly couple were having their photo taken but the man kept tickling the woman's cheek with his tongue and she would erupt in a fit of giggles. She was missing several teeth but had a grin from ear to ear and boy did her eyes sparkle!
The women's outfits had silver coins all over them and when they walked, they jingled.
The above photo reminds me of Vincent van Gogh's painting "Irises"1889, with the one white one in the bunch.
Hmong Proverb -
Hlais nqaij ntshaw zoo riam,
Ua neej nyob ntshaw zoo pojniam.
To slice meat, you need a good knife;
To have a good life, you need a good wife.
Beautiful! This is where the two cultures come together. If you ever want to read a great book, reach for "The Spirit Catches you and you Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman, about a Hmong child and the collision of two cultures. truly amazing and eye opening.
ReplyDeleteTaya - I read it many years ago. I may see if I still have a copy and re-read it. As I recall it was about a young Hmong girl who has epilepsy and there was miscommunication between Western doctors and the Hmong culture as well as language issues.
DeleteYes that's the one. I'm happy and surprised that you read it too! I kept my copy and found it yesterday when I saw your blog. You remember it well, it must have made an impression on you too. It's tempting to read again, but I have so many other books to read...
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