I am harvesting walnuts for the very first time and am reminded of a great quote: “All you can do is admit to yourself that yes, this is an adventure, and to accept it as such, surprises and all.” -Hugh MacLeod (Ignore Everybody: And 39 Other Keys to Creativity) We are privy to several black walnut trees and for the past few years, I have intended to learn how to process the nuts that fall to the ground in…
like water
October 22, 2017Some more goodness from the Tao te Ching, excerpt from chapter 8 (Stephen Mitchell translation): The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to. It is content with the low places that people disdain. Thus it is like the Tao. In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely…
mashup
October 18, 2017I love this quote by Austin Kleon (Steal Like an Artist) – “You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life.” If you have not read this book, give it a try. It is a great resource; full of wisdom, humor and common sense. Also, a quick, easy read. One of those that you can read a page or two at a time as you find the time, and get something out of in…
signs of autumn
October 7, 2017While I am a summer type of girl (love the heat!), I do enjoy seeing fall come on. The messiness of the garden, those gorgeous color changes, and odd wildlife behaviors enthrall me. It’s a season that is bursting with life and activity. After returning from our recent vacation and getting back into the rhythm of life, I took a few moments today to capture some of the beauty happening outside. It is unseasonably warm right now, but fall is upon…
foliage in coastal georgia
October 1, 2017We just got back from a trip to St. Simons Island, GA. Of course, I took a ton of photos and will try to get the best ones posted. For now, here are some of the ones I took of the local foliage during a walk in the neighborhood where we stayed. I don’t know the names of these plants, so if any of you do, please do post in the comments!…
summer in the garden
July 5, 2017garden update
June 12, 2017With the garden really ramping up, there is not a lot of time these days to be writing thoughtful blog posts; heck, I can’t even remember the last time I read something inspirational to fuel a nice post. It’s been a few weeks. What I do have, however, are some nice garden photos for you. Enjoy! Happy Gardening to You!…
perfection
May 15, 2017In today’s Simple Abundance entry, Sarah describes a situation in her life during which she created a container garden that she wanted to be as perfect as the one she was attempting to model from one of those glossy, lifestyle magazines. Try as she might, it just never seemed to be as good. Finally, she said enough is enough, it is beautiful the way it is (paraphrased). I can so relate to Sarah, especially at this time of the year, when…
soul color
May 9, 2017Back to reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Book 5 contains this lovely paragraph: “The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts. Color it with a run of thoughts like these: i. Anywhere you can lead your life, you can lead a good one. ii. Things gravitate toward what they were intended for.” For some reason this makes me think of the expression “bloom where you are planted.” Think…
up & running
May 2, 2017The vegetable garden is moving along! Just waiting for the weather to be nice enough to get the seedlings into the ground. It’s still just a bit cool at night for the tomatoes and bell peppers. While we are building another raised bed this year, I’m short on available planting beds, so I am trying something new. I am using food-grade 5-gallon buckets to grow carrots and sweet potatoes in this year. I’ve seen some good YouTube videos on growing…
