End of season

I harvested the last of my lettuce and spinach yesterday and had a salad last night with a few cherry tomatoes and homemade dressing. Now to get the beds ready for winter. I'm already planning for next year (more sugar snap peas) and have received one seed catalog so far. Now I need to work on making Christmas presents. I'm already starting to get stressed out by the holidays so doing some embroidery will help slow me down. And I'll do some cooking, which will make the house smell good, which will also calm me down. I always seem to get depressed around Thanksgiving, not sure why. Maybe it's the long dark evenings, or the gray and overcast days that seem to be more prevalent this time of year. Such a contrast to the greenery of summer or even the brightness of October. Will post some pictures soon as I get some new batteries for my camera.

Forever Autumn

Sorry I haven't posted on here in so long--I tore the cartilage in my knee back in August and have been off work since then--had surgery on Sept. 7th. but for some reason, the insurance hasn't approved my physical therapy--so my knee is still sore but I can walk OK, just can't walk very fast or too far. Such is life.
Today is the first day of Autumn and a full moon as well. This has always been my favorite time of year. When the first frost comes and the leaves are falling from the trees, there is a feeling of sadness yet expectancy in the air. I'm still getting cherry tomatoes from my garden and I'm waiting for the peppers to turn red. I planted some fall lettuce and spinach; hopefully it'll do better than it did last spring.
As I've become more eco-conscious I find myself doing things differently than I used to. I've been using baking soda, followed by an apple cider vinegar rinse, on my hair and it leaves my hair soft and shiny. I've been buying more clothes from resale shops and eating less meat (especially since I'm not eating at work). I wash all my clothes and linens in cold water--would hang them out to dry but I have so many trees in my yard that the birds would probably mess them up. I've been trying to shop at the farmer's market on Saturdays but there are still times when I get tired of eating at home so I eat out. It gets kind of boring cooking for one (not counting the cooking I do for Boxer).
I hope I can return to work soon. It's been nice to be off, but enough is enough. I hope you have a wonderful autumn, full of pumpkins and apples and hikes through the woods. 'Tis truly the golden season.

One Heliva Sight

I saw something today that I've never seen before--a truck pulling a flatbed trailer upon which rested a helicopter. And not just any helicopter--this one was painted aqua blue and was a fairly good size. Who was hauling it? Where were they taking it? I don't know but I wish I'd had a camera with me so I could have taken a picture.
In other news, this summer has been very HOT so far. I'm not a hot weather person, in fact, hot weather brings me down. It's been great for my garden though--I'm now starting to find ripe cherry tomatoes when I get home from work. The Brandywine, an heirloom variety, will make its appearance later on. (Hopefully, that is). My tomatoes are late because I started them from seed in the ground. But they're doing great. Even my pepper and kohlrabi plants have recovered and I may get something from them (keeping my fingers crossed). I was going to plant winter squash but decided not to, not sure if I'd have enough room for them. I'm going to plant more lettuce and spinach when it gets cooler since these veggies like the cool weather. I'm thinking of putting a raised bed in the front yard where the maple once stood, using ornamental edibles. Anyone for Bright Lights swiss chard?

Little green things

No, I'm not talking about Martians--I'm referring to the little green things popping up all over my garden. The sugar snap peas are delicious; next year I'll know to plant more. My tomatoes seem to be doing well. The cabbage--well, we tried. Same with the lettuce and the spinach. I might be able to get one or two salads out of my garden, but we'll have to wait and see. the kohlrabi, fennel, and carrots are still too early to tell. The peppers---don't ask. But it sure has been interesting watching things grow and what didn't grow so well. I wanted to start off small and I think I chose a decent location; next year I'm already planning where to put another bed.
I suffered a minor set back recently when I went to the ER and was admitted with a case of pneumonia. I spent a couple days in the hospital hooked up to an IV. I lost some weight but now have been eating like I'm famished; I guess in a way I was. My potassium levels were low so I've been trying to eat foods high in potassium to make up for it.
So that's what's been happening in my world. I hope the month of June is good to you.

Ponderings

This is a difficult time of year for me. It's been almost one year since my friend Lorenzo died. I know he's in a better place but why did he have to be taken so suddenly and violently? Why do things that start out good often end in heartbreak? It's never easy to lose a friend but why does God give us good friends, only to take them away? Or is God even to blame? Sometimes the Universe puzzles me; sometimes it seems like the sadness out-weighs the good in life. Sometimes we lose a friend, not physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Sometimes the people we thought were our friends turn out to be untrustworthy and back-stabbing. Lorenzo saw value in suffering; he believed that our suffering had a healing effect on all the suffering in the world. I wonder. Sometimes, when I can't see fit to thank God for what life has given me, I instead thank God for the good things still to come. I think Lorenzo would approve of my view. Hindsight isn't always 20/20. Sometimes when you look back, all you see is a big mess. So don't spend so much time looking back--forward is where your life is.

Last Child in the grass

Can you tell I've been reading the book "Last Child in the Woods"? It's an eye-opening account of how children today are being deprived of contact with the natural world, due to lack of wild areas, parental fears, technology overload, etc. I was walking Boxer this evening and came across three girls who wanted to pet him. Later, I walked past a house in foreclosure, where the yard hasn't been mowed in quite a while, and the three girls were laying in the tall grass, "hiding" and giggling. It felt good to see kids enjoying this small piece of nature. Kids have a natural affinity for the wild places, wherever they may be found. Sometimes it's an unmowed yard.

Seeds of Love

I was finally able to start planting some crops in my garden today. I planted sugar snap peas, lettuce, and spinach. I put my cabbage seedlings outside to acclimate them to the outdoors and it got so hot they nearly wilted. I brought them back inside, gave them lots of water, and hope they'll recover. If not, I have more seeds. I also plan to plant peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil, fennel, kohlrabi, carrots and winter squash. I started working on the frame for the other raised bed and I tilled the soil in that bed. I should have enough compost left to add to the other bed. I also cleaned up some of the pile of dead branches in Boxer's pen. I bought a bag of dirt to help fill in the hole left by the honey locust tree that was cut down years ago. The stump has rotted and left a hole where the tree once stood. I used all of a forty pound bag but I'm going to need more. Oh well, dirt is cheap. I took Boxer for a walk at the park and saw a bluebird and a pileated woodpecker. It was just a beautiful day. And it smells like blossoms everywhere. I hope you're enjoying your spring, wherever you are. "One is closer to God in a garden than anywhere else on Earth".

The hosta is starting to emerge from its winter sleep and I have cabbage and pepper seedlings in my living room. I've dug out four weed-type bushes from the soft soil. The ground in my garden beds is still too wet to work with. I saw my first dandelion of the season the other day (in my yard!) and the first bee. My compost is looking rich. Yes, spring is here and I'm glad! I've almost forgotten how profuse the trees are in June--but I'm starting to remember. Starting to recall the scent of apple blossoms, the blue sky scattered with puffy white clouds, the feel of the warm sun on my back--now, if it would just stop raining every few days, it would be perfect.
I spent two hours Sunday picking up trash along the River Road and now my knee is paying the price. I must be getting old--I have arthritis in my right knee along with softening of the cartilage. The physical therapy I've been receiving has helped. Just should have known better than to scramble down a rock-strewn bank along Piasa Creek.
Can't wait till it's warm enough to go camping. I want to take Boxer with me and do some hiking.
I hope you're enjoying your spring so far.

A little "bit" of horseplay

This is a little something I made from a bit I found at an antique store. I embroidered a stallion and a foal, glued the muslin to some round plastic discs (the kind used in some cross-stitching projects), then took some leather lacing and fastened the discs to the bit.
I also went up to my attic and rescued my hand-made (by a man in Iowa) Amish buggy and harness for model horses and displayed it on my Amish-made console table. I guess I've never really gotten over my love for horses that I had when I was young. Oh well, who would want to?

February Blahs

February is not my favorite month. By this time, I'm ready for spring. But no---it warms up for a day or two and then the temps. drop down into the teens. I wish this month would make up its mind. The ground was frozen, then thawed, then it rained, then it froze again---it was hazardous just walking through my backyard. I pruned my butterfly bush yesterday and made some soap (actually, I took castile soap and added lavender water and ground oats to it) and I made some hand lotion that smells heavenly (it turned out a little waxy but it was my first attempt--plenty of time to get it right). I've given up meat for Lent and I already feel better. I just wish that spring would get here. Oh, and I heard a mourning dove cooing on Saturday so I know that spring is just around the corner. Hope you're having a nice February.

No Batman, but a Robin

Yes, I saw a robin as I was taking Boxer for a walk. He looked mighty cold, as he was all fluffed up, but he was definitely a robin. Can spring be far behind? I have my seeds for my garden, can't wait to get started. I've never had a vegetable garden before, so it should be interesting. Also found a pile of--excuse me--droppings in my backyard and I couldn't figure out what kind of animal they were from, then my neighbor told me she had twice seen four deer walking down our street. Another neighbor told me a coyote had been seen in the neighborhood. Yes, there is wildlife everywhere, if you just look for it. I've been hearing more birdsong lately as well. Spring will be here before you know it. Tomorrow is Groundhog Day--I think I know what his prediction will be. Hope you had a great January, and happy Valentine's Day in advance. Oh, and I know the picture of Boxer has nothing to do with spring, but he looks so contented.

Radically Amazing

If you've never read the book, Radical Amazement, by Judy Cannato, you're missing out on something that is radically amazing. She combines spirituality with "lessons from black holes, supernovas, and other wonders of the universe". I first read this book several years ago and recently picked it up again. Of particular interest to me is the subject of wholes and holons. A holon is something that is part of a whole--every human being is a holon, each cell in our bodies is a holon, the Earth is a holon, our solar system is a holon--you get the picture. The theory of holons argues that everything in the universe--from each atom to each human to each star--is connected, and that to change one holon changes every holon above it. Likewise, to destroy one holon destroys every holon above it. For this reason, and this is what truly amazes me--how can humans continue to destroy other humans and not expect to be destroyed themselves in the process? Call it karma or whatever, but what you do to others, you do to yourself. Perhaps this is why Jesus exhorts us to "Love your neighbor as you love yourself".
There is much more covered in this book than I can talk about here. Only that I find in nature, and the whole cosmos, the mind and workings of God just as surely as I do reading the Bible. Reading this book does require an open mind--a mind that is open to the nuances of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit can't fill a mind that is closed. Or a heart that is closed. I encourage you to read this book and contemplate it for a while, and see if it doesn't color your mind and fill your spirit with wonder.