Abundance

How can it be that after the hottest week of the year - drenching, dry, empty rain barrel heat - there is a crispness in the air and something awakens in me? The yearning for autumn and brisk walks, preparing food and wood for a winter rest? Full moon and cooler air and I am transported to a place inside. This huge land where stories run free, where dreams and daydreams all happen under a sky with a full moon and billions of stars brighter than any daytime sun. A land of abundance and no want or need.

For a few minutes I slowed down today and sat still - what a great, vast power there is in just being...

So much of this process of learning about myself, about Permaculture, about the people and land around me, and about the Earth herself, is just observing. I know that I get caught up in the day to day things and stop seeing truth and acknowledging what is most important to me. This class on Permaculture is opening my eyes to situations and solutions and to the reality that nothing can ever change unless I stop long enough to see that every action, every interaction, every person, animal, plant that I come into contact with has value and something to teach me. It's my responsibility to live in a way that reflects and preserves this value.

Wonder. This world, this heart, this land is full of wonder...and it is just the beginning of discovery.

The sunflower has two flowers!

Summer Dreaming

So we have this beautiful kitchen stove for heating and cooking and love it! It's like having a campfire in the kitchen, it's the feeling of vacation every time we use it. It is VERY warm and heats the whole house without any problem and not a lot of fuel.

This works wonderfully for 3 seasons of the year - but now it is summer. I would like to eventually replace the gas stove in the basement with this stove.   Something smaller that we can easily use to have a quick fire to cook a meal, bake bread or pizza,  brew a pot of coffee (this comes to mind as another plug in coffee maker is about to die and need replacing)  Most importantly - it will not heat the whole house.

We do a little at a time and I find this blog useful for me to keep track of ideas and dreams, so I can go back and review how we did things, remember what worked and what didn't and the direction we are always moving in.  There is still a dream of a vacation place in Vermont where the small cabin I have in mind would easily be heated by this smaller stove or something similar.  It's a good reminder of why I work as hard as I do and why everything of value is worth saving for and waiting for. The 8-5 isn't forever and when it's done there will be a perfect retreat to enjoy and a mature garden to rest in.

Every day I stand in the garden and look around to see what is growing and what is new in the garden. I stop to observe the different insects, birds and animals that are around me. But what really matters is that I see the garden - at least the foundation of it - at maturity. With all of the fruit trees at 10-15 feet - the Paw Paw at 20 ft. The bushes grown in at 4-12 feet depending on the fruit or nut. I see the perimeter of the garden surrounded by a wall of grapes.

This is what keeps me going every day. This is the dream and vision - to have this place work into a state of abundance to share with people. 

Dragonflies and Fireflies

Our little lot doesn’t seem so small when I think of all that will grow here and I realize that I must be in good company with all other gardeners that work hard during the year and wait patiently through Winter for the next season.  So much of gardening is just thinking and planning.

Standing in this yard for hours, I envision the future…

 As if they were already grown, I can see the apple, pear, and paw paw trees – grown and green and full of fruit. I see the ancient posts of the clothesline as the support it will be for Concord Grapes and Hardy Kiwi vines just over the dry riverbed.

Planters will hold mints and other plants that may need some control or special care, and I can smell and taste the fresh mint in a tall, cold Mojito with Indian Rum, and the jelly and jam that will be made.

The current raised garden beds will be full of lettuce, tomatoes and peppers, and more. The herb spiral will be built on the side of the house and the front yard will bloom with 200 bulbs yet waiting underground for warmer weather. A few have shown a little green with this mild Winter, but they are waiting, as I am, in anticipation for the coming Spring.

There are Jerusalem Artichokes in a bed where they cannot spread and take over – will they really be small sunflower-like flowers that smell like chocolate? We’ll see. It’s all an experiment.  A neighbor has a fig cutting for us, from his gigantic fig tree. The tree doesn’t know it isn’t supposed to grow here.

A good lesson to learn: With a little care, impossible things are possible…

What I have observed is that I am a different person in a garden than I am in an office. There are no pretenses and no airs…just hands in the dirt and plants that want to grow.  With dirt as the only makeup on my face and hands that grow stronger every day, I am closer to the girl who made mud pies, chased dragonflies by day and fireflies by night. The one who believes in the good in the world and that magic still exists.

I prefer to be her.

If I could find a way to keep this understanding throughout the whole of my day, I would consider it all a success.

Simple. Beautiful. Purposeful. Fun. Giving. Abundance.