Getting some annuals planted. This year I’d like to keep the brights to a minimum and go for some softer “off” colors or whites and neutrals. Maybe that reflects my frame of mind more than anything else. Striving to cultivate an ever peaceful state of being, these colors work well. This planter is one of the last things I see when I leave home and one of the first when I get back. Will that influence my mental state? I’d…
vibrant morsels
April 25, 2016Today in Simple Abundance, Sarah reminds us to look at the blue sky, hear the grass growing beneath our feet and inhale the scent of spring. She quotes naturalist Diane Ackerman, who says “The senses don’t just make sense of life in bold or subtle acts of clarity, they tear reality apart into vibrant morsels and reassemble them into a meaningful pattern.” I love the phrase “vibrant morsels.” Don’t you think these plants might be considered vibrant morsels, assembled to the…
st. francis of assisi
April 18, 2016St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and ecology, was born in Italy around 1181 or 1182. After a wild youth and a brief career as a soldier, Francis had a conversion experience that inspired him to renounce his family’s wealth and devote his life to God. He is well known for his love of animals, the environment, and his desire for peace. According to www.humanesociety.org, in 1979, Pope John Paul II paid tribute to Francis’ love for creation by declaring…
unfazed
April 14, 2016The tulips have survived all the temperature dips, frosts and freezes, that we’ve had over the past week. They are one of only a handful of flowers to otherwise survive at our place without human intervention, in the way of fences or deer repellent. I am glad the weather didn’t take them. It is nice to have some color.…
shiny new mailbox
April 8, 2016We are doing some home improvements this week, one of which is installing a new mailbox. The previous one had been here since long before we moved in and was a sorry sight. It was taped together and had seen better days. So, ta da! A shiny new one. The daily trek to retrieve the mail is ‘an event’ in our household. The announcement from the man that we are going to get the mail is received with ecstatic whole…
book review: the garden room by timothy mawson
April 6, 2016If you love books about gardening, you might like “The Garden Room: Bringing Nature Indoors” by Timothy Mawson. I recently ordered a secondhand copy and it arrived this week. Published in 1994, it is truly eye candy for us gardeners. The idea behind the book is that we can combine the natural beauty from the outdoors with our living spaces, or make living spaces right in the outdoors. Mr. Mawson has selected several noteworthy gardeners and provided some background on each…
a little further south
April 4, 2016While spring is just arriving here, we enjoyed the greenery and blooming trees this weekend during a visit with my family, who are a bit south of us. Ah, nothing like spring flowers! I believe that this particular tree is called a Redbud; however, if anyone knows differently, please do share in the comments. We were so fortunate to see such a beautiful day.…
