Google+ What I Made Today: August 2011

Monday, August 29, 2011

Passion & Equilibrium


The day blossomed in full sunshine, the air crisp and clear after the cleansing of yesterday's hurricane. Passion flower blooms guided me to one of my own passions, the plants. I invested several hours in my dispensary, reorganizing my many tinctures. It felt good to go through all the jars, reacquainting myself with old friends, many of them near forgotten. Other tinctures in process were strained, filtered, bottled. labeled and shelved. It felt good and right.


I moved outdoors in the afternoon, after the earth had a chance to dry a bit in the bright rays of the sun. Most of my sunflowers were leaning or uprooted from yesterday's winds, so I cut them down, a bittersweet gesture, and one the birds regret, I'm sure. I repaired a few tomato plants whose stakes had liberated themselves. I harvested tomatoes, lemon basil, more broad and string beans, and collard greens too. I trimmed the flowering tops of my tomatillos, much to the dismay of the bees, so the maturing fruit can ripen in the remaining days of summer. Garden paths were mulched with fresh grass clippings too. I enjoyed a cucumber and tomato salad with lemon basil and delicious collard greens for supper. All good Medicine for me and the gardens.

That's what I made today. Peace.


Thursday, August 25, 2011

Reflections


The seasons are changing. Of this I am certain. Not only is summer stepping onto the stage of her final act, but something more … something that has, most distinctly, caused me to begin my season of reflection earlier than ever before. Today's rain magnifies this for me, for I see reflections in every drop, in every puddle, and in them I witness all that separates and joins.

Even as my gardens begin fading, they are producing like crazy. The annual blight is taking over the lower leaves of my tomato plants, even as they continue to produce fruit and seed for another season, with abundance.

I have been busy, thus my lack of blog updates, and in my time away from this facet of cyberspace I have found myself gathering all that I do, like drops of rain into a puddle, a lake … an ocean, and I am swimming in it. As I swim I open my senses to feel what resonates, comforts and nurtures, and I perceive the cold spots that refresh and the others that shock … the warm spots that console and those that encourage questioning. As I swim in this season of reflection, one that will last longer than I am accustomed, I will be creating a new pool, blending the cool and warm waters of my life. When I am done swimming, I will emerge and witness what I have created … in the reflections of the pool of my own making.

That's what I made today. Peace.



Thursday, August 11, 2011

Victorian Afternoon Tea


Today, among other things, I made 34 little sample packets of my "Victorian Afternoon Tea" blend to include in this week's CSA share for Dinebergs Farm. I'll be dropping them off at the farm early this evening for tomorrow's delivery. Then I'm off to Passiflora Tea Room where I'll be offering a lecture and discussion centered around the ways in which we can preserve our herbs for health, wellness and enjoyment in every season.

Peace.


Saturday, August 6, 2011

Time for Flora


Today I made time for flora. The morning started with a weed walk with Connecticut Herb Association friends at the lovely Holcomb Farm in Granby, Connecticut.  We met poison ivy, jewelweed, wild grapes, raspberries, joe pie weed, garlic mustard, plantain, yarrow, sumac, clover, wild carrot and more. It was a good time with good people.


On the way home I made stops along the way to pick up this and that. When I returned to my little acre I harvested some collards, cucumbers, lettuce and flowers. Flowers cultivated and flowers wild.

That's what I made today. Peace.

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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Half Sours


I've been on the road this past week. Got home yesterday afternoon. Today, I reflected a bit,  didn't over-focus and I grounded myself. Well, I did my best. I lounged long in the morning, sipping coffee while cleaning up and catching up on a lot of stuff that landed on this computer. I went out to a late breakfast with The Boy. We browsed a pawn shop and antique store. When we returned home we tied up tomato plants, trimmed suckers, removed some fallen sunflowers, harvested cucumbers, beans, horseradish, lettuce and trimmed some low branches from a wild cherry tree. Some of those trimmed branches may make a nice walking stick or two.

One cucumber was added to dinner's salad. The others made their way into jars along with some garlic and a 3.6% brine … and over the coming days these will become delicious half sours. I will add a grape leaf to each jar tomorrow, the tannin in them helps to make for a nice crispy pickle, especially for keeping, though these little batches will no doubt be eaten quickly. The upcoming gallon batches will have grape leaves a-plenty at the bottom and top of those jars. Horseradish leaves too.

That's what I made today. It felt fitting. Peace.

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