Hi all! Today’s post is all about chapter 13 from the Tao te Ching. So, if you are just here for the gardening, no worries, feel free to scroll past. Of course, I would love it if you stick with me and read through. My “study page” for the Tao is here if you are interested. In a nutshell, this chapter says to me: Nothing is stable. The highs and the lows happen and they are equally impactful to us. It…
thoughtful thursday: autumn leaves are peeking out
August 15, 2019I am starting to see signs of autumn. Leaves are just starting to turn around here, just a few. It has seemed to me that in recent years many people consider fall to be here when school starts, which seems earlier and earlier each year. Personally, I like to hold on to summer for as long as absolutely possible. After all, it doesn’t officially end until late into September. And if the weather is still warm, it is still summer…
thoughtful thursday: too much is too much
August 8, 2019So…it has been a while since I’ve done much meaningful reading. Summer is for the garden. That said, I’d like to get back to thoughtful thursdays and the tao te ching. I’m up to chapter 12. In a nutshell, this chapter says to me: stop overloading! Too much is too much. When we stuff ourselves (in any way), we are hindered from moving forward. When there is too much to see, do, eat, listen to, it takes away from the…
thoughtful thursday: the farmer’s plight
June 27, 2019While we are starting to see the sun here in southwestern Ohio, the farmers in the northwestern part of the state are still facing hardships due to all the rain we have had this season. Forty-five percent of all of Ohio’s corn is grown in this part of the state. A lot of the farmland is under water and unable to be planted, well into June. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer: “It’s already the wettest yearlong period in Ohio since…
thoughtful thursday: “nothing ever goes away…
May 30, 2019…until it has taught us what we need to know.” Pema Chodron, Buddhist nun. I read this quote recently and it struck a chord with me. Have you found this to be true in your own life? I will spare you the details, but there have definitely been some running themes in my life that seemed as if they were placed there to drive me bonkers. The more I go through life, the better able I am to recognize the…
thoughtful thursday: the sum of the parts
May 23, 2019Happy Thursday! It’s been a good week around here. We got the two newest raised beds set into the ground and I got some of my tomato seedlings planted. I hope the late planting doesn’t stunt their growth. Sometimes it comes down to the best you can do is the best you can do, right? I’m ever so thankful to have such a helpful, handy partner in life. Alone, it would be too much, for sure. That seems to be…
thoughtful thursday: obstacles
May 9, 2019“Obstacles are nothing but in the way.” A line from one of my new favorite songs, Blind-Sided, by The Sid Hillman Quartet. I’ve enjoyed their music for a while now, and their fourth album (Round About Way) was just released. The guitar in this song is exquisite, and what speaks to me just as much are the lyrics. “Roll around the curves, down straightaways. Obstacles are nothing but in the way. Both of us standing blind-sided. Knowing what’s wrong and…
thoughtful thursday: love what you have
April 11, 2019Today’s post was prompted by a new-to-me book I am reading called “Love the Home You Have” by Melissa Michaels. You can check out her blog, The Inspired Room. One of her key tenets is that we can be very happy in our current home, all the while making it our dream home, even if it may be too small, in a bad location, is a rented place, etc. This message resonates with me. I’ve been on a remodeling stint…
thoughtful thursday: caring for land and people
March 28, 2019When we set about creating a new garden, what are the first considerations we have? For me, it usually goes like this: how is this going to look (landscaping) and/or function (vegetable garden)? One of the takeaways from a book I am reading right now, “Creating Sanctuary” by Jessi Bloom, is the idea of ethical guidelines when it comes to the garden or other outdoor spaces we are developing. She relates it to the guidelines found in the permaculture approach.…
thoughtful thursday: land spirits
March 21, 2019I just began reading Creating Sanctuary by Jessi Bloom. According to Ms. Bloom, in order to begin creating our own sanctuary, we must start by “listening to the spirit already present in your own space.” She provides some steps to make it easy to do this. I love this and I’m going to give it a try here at my own place. Do you believe that places have a spirit? Maybe it is more that spaces evoke a specific feeling in…
