Sacred Work

Prepare for class . . . 

Have some fun . . . 

Clean up after class . . . 

Then relax a bit . . . 

Prepare sacred space for sacred work.

That's what life is.

All of it.

Every moment.

My Way into the Garden

Seems this time of year incites behavior obsessed with the gardens. I feel confident in saying that I'm not an obsessive person, yet this season of spring's waning brings up the finest of green obsessions from somewhere deep within my core. I rather enjoy it and I do honor the benefits realized from this obsessive behavior, for from them I am sustained throughout the year.

I did not get the rest of the tomatoes planted, nor the squashes. Not to mention the rest of the little plants waiting less-than-patiently in their flats. Even so, I tended to those in their garden places and harvested a bit . . .

I cooked the perfectly fermented white beans with bay leaf and carrots and created a salad, purely on trust in intuition . . .

The remaining beans are jarred up in waiting, garlic vinegar from the last of last year's harvest is canted, and another salsa is made as well . . .

Life is good.

A Second Third

I invested a good portion of today playing in the garden. I got more seeds and seedlings into the earth - eggplant, Italian broccoli, leeks, celery, celeriac and radish, carrot, cabbage. Others I'm surely forgetting. I still have another dozen or so tomatoes to set into the earth, but today I got the plums into their garden spaces, next to the cherry golds, making the second third of the tomato garden. Crazy stakes and all.

Then, a tomato salsa with garden herbs - oregano, green onion, garlic tops and chive flowers. Quite good I must say. Especially good with a fine corn chip and a nice ale.

A Game, A Blog Game: Win a Whimsy

Yep. Between yesterday's post and today, I made a game. And I will be repeating this game in the coming weeks during June (maybe longer). The game is an idea adapted from other choice bloggers. The game is for you, kind reader, a chance for you to play a bit and possibly win something. We all need to play more. And who doesn't like the chance to win something? I feel the game must be on Wednesdays. I feel the game's name is: Win a Whimsy. Whatcha think?

So, we've had our trial balloon with yesterdays' post. Five folks responded, though not all as comments here (tsk tsk tsk), but I let them play anyway. THIS time. It's good to be Queen.

So now, to select a winner . . . I fire up my . . . what did I call it? Oh yes--my state of the art, randomizing winner selection device. May I have a drum roll please . . . 

No - wait! The herbs! They are:

• Motherwort
• Bee Balm
• Marshmallow
  
• Russian Comfrey
• Elderberry
• Sweet Cicely

See? Some of you came verrrrry close! Nicely done!

So now, the first ever winner of the first ever Walk in the Woods' Wednesday's Win a Whimsey is: Tammie Lee! Yay and hooray! Your spirit cord will soon be on its way to you.  And thanks to all for playing! 

A Green Gift

Today I made a green gift of herbs. Herbs that will become part of a community garden in Windsor, CT. Herbs to be planted by Doctor Stacey Munro.

Six herbs. Five perennials and and one annual. Can you name them?

Take a stab! You've got nothing to loose and something to gain, for a random guesser will win a free spirit cord!

Tea, Garden & Blessings.

Sun Tea . . . 

Earl Grey, cold.

Garden.

Sweet garden.

 

Blessings.

Time to Kick Back

I enjoyed a fine class today. I don't know about anyone else, but I enjoyed it. I was here, I was there, and I seemed to land where I was meant to be--in any given moment. Imagine that.

After class I cleaned up and thought I would tend to a few garden tasks, but then I remembered the hankering I've been having for red beans-n-rice. I fermented the beans two/three days ago and cooked them yesterday, so they were ready. I had sweet pepper and hot, celery and onion and fresh thyme and oregano from the garden, among other green delicacies, but none of the "traditional" meats.

What I did have was hot Italian sausage, and with the kitchen spirits dressed in black shaking their understanding heads at me, I forged ahead. Then . . . I made time to put my feet up . . . 

The boy drummed . . . 

And then, came time for dinner. Hot and spicy under a blanket, the sky of day fading to dusk and twilight, as the music of birds in air and tree serenaded  our shared evening together. 

That's what I made today.

Chamomile Ale

Bottled and ready for the brew-cellar.

Chamomile Ale

Bottles ready for the brew-basement.

Time to Smell the Flowers - pt 1 of 6

Class notes edited, finalized and printed, along with other such practical things. Then, time to make.

Time made to . . . breathe . . .

  

Little creeping lawn phlox 

The first of the chive flowers

The fading faces of the violets

The first of the false indigo . . . 

Time to Smell the Flowers - pt 2

Holy flowers

Primrose blossoms

Daffies . . . 

The last of the daffodil flowers

Lovely Vinca, periwinkles 

Time to Smell the Flowers - pt 3

Catnip buddin' up

A moth

A feather

Dandy dandelion flower

Blessed buttercup 

Time to Smell the Flowers - pt 4

Rhubarb in full flower

Red currant fruit

Motherwort, the Lion Heart

Marshmallow

Last year's kale in budding flower

Time to Smell the Flowers - pt 5

Canadian May flowers

Blossoming Valarian

The first strawberry fruit!

Choke cherry buds

Black currant blossom & fruit

Time to Smell the Flowers - pt 6

Budding Onion

Strawberry blossoms

Fading Lilacs

Blueberry blossoms

Sweet Cicely flowers

Do

Today, I made do. It seems my motivation to create is resting, and that is as it should be. So I won't force myself or feel any angst or guilt for not expressing myself with art or craft or whatever.

In fact, the energy of today has been more about doing. I got caught up on some eDoings, did the shopping for Saturday's workshop and the household groceries. Used my new shopping bag too! The "greenhouse" plants were put outdoors to breath and start hardening off. I cleaned and seasoned my little smudging cauldron that saw a bit too much moisture over Forest Folk weekend (which was fabulous, by the way). A sweet tea of Ceylon - fair trade and organic - is cooling for the fresh batch of kombucha. And while I really want to play in the gardens, it just feels too cool to me. Even so, I managed to harvest a healthy handful of vernal sweet grass.

I made a picture too. Well - a photo really . . . of the spouse working.

Someone's gotta add some value around here!