G is for Gardens: The Long Winter is Over! (I Think)

It was such a pleasure to sink one's hands into the warm earth,
to feel at one's fingertips the possibilities of the new season.

~ Kate Morton, The Forgotten Garden

Back in January, I began the One Page a Day Challenge and immediately threw away my quill.  Now in April, I’m participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge and prepping for a Wilderness Writers’ Retreat.  I need ink, a stiff drink and therapy.

I

f gardening is art, then my canvas is in desperate need of new paints and brushstrokes. 

Contrary to what you may think, I don’t resent the long winter we've had, I really don’t!  

First of all, I look forward to the coming humidity and high temperatures as much as I looked forward to having my wisdom teeth yanked out of my jaws.

But now my farmer/gardener fingers are getting itchy.  

To play in the dirt.  To plant some seeds.  To enjoy the peace and tranquility that comes from the caress of delicious black soil over bare feet and work-stained hands.  To feel a light, warm spring breeze.  To listen and coo to the birds that dance and sing around the bird bath.

To grow my own herbs, vegetables, and fruit and eat with the seasons.

G is for Gardens

The only other activity that gives me greater joy than playing in the dirt of my garden is writing.  So I garden and then write about it.  I write in my garden, beside it, looking down from my home office at it.

Best of both worlds.

Sunday, I planted the first seeds: the Calendula flower.  Which to my surprise, is also known as the common marigold, or pot marigold. Wiki says 

Image credit: Wikipedia

Pot marigold florets are considered edible. They are often used to add color to salads, or added to dishes as a garnish and in lieu of saffron. The leaves are edible but are often not palatable. They have a history of use as a potherb and in salads.

Flowers were used in ancient Greek, Roman, Middle Eastern and Indian cultures as a medicinal herb as well as a dye for fabrics, foods and cosmetics.^[3] Many of these uses persist today. They are also used to make oil that protects the skin.

So I did some more digging. (See what I did there?) And found out that the marigolds I planted last year and that saved copious seeds from are known as French marigolds:

Image credit: Wikipedia

Used mainly as an edging plant on herbaceous borders, it is a low-growing plant with flowers of blended red and yellow in most varieties. French marigolds are commonly planted in butterfly gardens as a nectar source.

Medicinally, many cultures use infusions from dried leaves or florets

Note the difference: Calendula is edible; the French marigold apparently is not.  Maybe I should make a sign for my garden that says that.

How Green Does Your Garden Grow?

I do blame Old Man Winter for preventing me from planting my precious Sugar Snaps.  I may still try to plant some anyway for the sweet pea shoots ~ they make a delicious salad.

Speaking of salad, I have already planned out my greens for the year.  They don’t all start with G…actually, none of them do, but they are all greens:

Argula ~ last year, this took off like a doped up runner.  The package says to resow throughout the season, but I never had to.  I would cut some leaves for dinner, and almost the next day, a new batch would spring up.

Collards ~ no self-respecting Southern garden would go without growing collards.  Granted, we almost make it nutritionally neutral by cooking them in bacon fat.  Still awesome.  And still counts as a green.  That is all.

Endive ~ have never planted this, so we’ll see what comes up. Literally.

Kale ~ I love kale.  That is all.  I planted some last year and it never sprouted.  So will try again this year.

Spinach ~ Dad loved Popeye and would always remind us kids that we needed to eat our spinach to grow strong like Popeye.  And then he would flex his bicep (which actually was impressive) and we would roll our eyes and say we didn’t want muscles like that.  Today, I love spinach ~ it’s full of calcium and protein.  Especially good for those of us who are dairy intolerant.

Watercress ~ I’m still searching for seeds for this.  It used to grow wild in the cow pasture out back, but I haven’t seen it lately.  Makes great tea sandwiches.

The great thing about most greens, they like cooler weather.  So when that last frost shows up in May (you think I’m kidding ~ this is Virginia, people!), I won’t have to worry too much.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

What greens are you planting?  What are you favorite greens to eat?  If you would like some French marigold seeds (organic and non-GMO), comment below and then email me your mailing address.

A is for Atwood: Spring into Poetry!

Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.

~ Leonardo da Vinci

Back in January, I began the One Page a Day Challenge and immediately threw away my quill.  Now in April, I’m participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge.  I need ink, a stiff drink and therapy.

T

his has definitely been the winter of my discontent.

Although I love winter and reveled in the extended snow fall ~ much to many of my friends’ dismay and loathing ~ the lack of a daily dose of sunlight and Vitamin D turned my Muse blue, navy blue.

But now it’s time to shake the snow and ice, and yes, a little dust, from my quill, and start writing in earnest again.  And what better way to thaw out the ink than with a blog challenge.

This is the first year I’ve joined the A to Z Challenge and it should be interesting.  It’s my kind of challenge: there is a guide (the alphabet) but it’s flexible (choose your own topic).

A is for Atwood

I could have been a smart acre and just said A is for April – National Poetry Month.  But that would have made for either a very short post or a very long one.  And that would have led to tomorrow’s letter: B is for Boring.

So instead, I decided to pick a poet that I like whose name begins with A.  Could have been their last name or first name, but first name would have made for another long list and, yeah, we’ve already been there.  Boring.

Poetry is far from dead.  A song is just poetry set to music.  And poetry is music without instruments.  Save that of the human voice.  And one of my favorite modern writers of musical words is Margaret Atwood.  And one of my favorite poems, Variation on the  Word Sleep, which I’ve shared below.

It’s a beautiful day. The snow is gone. The sun is shining.  Take some poetry outside, and read it out loud.  Spring can’t be far away.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

Who is your favorite “A” poet?

Variation on the Word Sleep

I would like to watch you sleeping,

which may not happen.

I would like to watch you,

sleeping. I would like to sleep

with you, to enter

your sleep as its smooth dark wave

slides over my head

and walk with you through that lucent

wavering forest of bluegreen leaves

with its watery sun & three moons

towards the cave where you must descend,

towards your worst fear

I would like to give you the silver

branch, the small white flower, the one

word that will protect you

from the grief at the center

of your dream, from the grief

at the center. I would like to follow

you up the long stairway

again & become

the boat that would row you back

carefully, a flame

in two cupped hands

to where your body lies

beside me, and you enter

it as easily as breathing in

I would like to be the air

that inhabits you for a moment

only. I would like to be that unnoticed

& that necessary.

Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa, Ontario. She earned a B.A. from Victoria College, University of Toronto, and an M.A. from Harvard.

She is the author of over fifteen books of poetry, including Eating Fire: Selected Poems, 1965-1995 (Virago Press Limited, 1998); Morning in the Burned House (1995), which was a co-winner of the Trillium Award; Selected Poems II: Poems Selected and New 1976-1986 (1987); Two-Headed Poems (1978); You Are Happy (1975); and The Animals in That Country (1968).

Read more about Margaret Atwood here.

Head Over to the Photo Party!

Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear
that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer. 
~ Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

S

aturday some seeds finally went in to the ground, thanks to my friend Megers ~ with a little help from the feet of her daughters!  And then, today it snows!

Thank goodness the seeds are lettuce and kale ~ they should be fine.

And yet, even with the snow, spring is definitely on the way: peepers are out in full force, singing their little hearts out for a mate, the bulbs are crawling all over the place, some with blooms already, and Abbey of the Arts is hosting another Photo Party! Details from Christine V. Paintner below.

Welcome to the Abbey Photo Party!

Christine selects a theme and invites you to respond with images.

"Springtime begins in the northern hemisphere on Wednesday, the time of great flowering on the earth offering hope of new possibilities emerging.

This week, go on a photo pilgrimage, holding the start of springtime in your heart, and notice what images are shimmering in the world around you.

(For my southern hemisphere friends, you are welcome to also share images of the arrival of autumn, or the ways you see signs of spring even in the midst of the season of letting go)

You can share images you already have which illuminate the theme, but I encourage you also to go for a walk with the theme in mind and see what you discover.



New stray who is the spitting image of Flops (d. 12/12)

© 2013 Mikaela D’Eigh

 You are also welcome to post photos of any other art you create inspired by the theme.  See what stirs your imagination!"

How to participate:
1. Go to the Flickr Group Christine has created. You need a free Flickr account first (go to the Flickr home page and click "Sign up now.")  When you go to the link it will ask you to join the group first before posting.  Share up to five of your images in response to the theme.

2. Leave a comment below her blog post to let us know you have joined the party and what your Flickr profile name is (you must include this to be entered into the prize drawing).

3. Please post the invitation on your blog or Facebook page and encourage others to come join the party!

On Friday, March 22nd – Christine will draw a name at random from those who participate and the winner will receive a space in one of her upcoming online class Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Contemplative Practice (April 28-June 15, 2013) and a copy of her new book which the class accompanies.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

If you participate, share links to your blog here and on Christine’s page!

La Belle's Hobby Farm: Spring is Just Around the Corner

The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the American landscape in 1946. That is not very long ago. Until then, where was all the food? Dear folks, the food was in homes, gardens, local fields, and forests. It was near kitchens, near tables, near bedsides. It was in the pantry, the cellar, the backyard.
 ~ Joel Salatin, Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World

F

ebruary is practically a memory and that means that Spring will be here before you know it.  And you know what that means.

Gardening.

Last year I planted more angst in my garden then vegetables.  This year, I promise myself (and my garden) to prep the ground and get seeds and plants in at the appropriate times.  No more waiting until June!

I already have a rough list of the veggies and herbs I want to plant, but so far, I’ve put off building a plan.  But at least for now, I have a schedule for March: what needs to be sown indoors, and what can be sown directly into the soil. This is just a draft list; I’ll be adding more to it.



Yes, I am an Excel nerd.

Since crop rotation is good for sustainability and conservation, and since I still need to get the field plowed where my new veggie garden is going, the direct sow items on the above schedule are going in last year’s tomato/herb garden, except for the potatoes and parsnips.  They need a little more room. 

Now to find a man with a tractor. . . . 

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

Want to know what to plant in your region?  Check out Mother Earth News’ What to Plant Now guide!

Playing Dress Up: Spring is Bustin' Out All Over!

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep. 

~ Scott Adams

P

astels are traditional seen as the official shades of Spring, but the flowers and shrubs now blooming in my yard are all eye-popping, bada-bing colours.   Colour, no matter what the shade, always captivates me.  But there is something about the this time of year, when the earthy browns and sleepy greys of winter surrender the stage to the candy apple reds, watermelon pinks, lemon yellows, blood oranges, robins’ egg blues, and fresh-mown grass greens of spring. 

It brings out the ADD decorator in me.

The grey plaid flannel sheets come off the four-poster and the yellow and blue cotton sheets go on.  The blankets get washed and packed away in the cedar chest [yes, some of us still have those!] and the light weight cotton blankets are taken to the orchard to air out.  The cranberry red and gold damask curtains in the office come down and the white and red floral cotton prints go up.

But the cleaning and decorating brushes are in full force outside my castle walls as well.

Here in blogdom, gone is the pumpkin orange background and chocolate brown font.  I love those colours, but I was bored with them.  Time for something springy and fresh, yet bold and still my signature.  And red is definitely my signature.

The background photo was taken by Canadian photographer, Zadenka Darula.  I found it on the 123rf.com website ~ my go to place for reasonably priced stock photos.  And some are real works of art, like Darula’s flower.

I revel in the redness and aliveness of it!

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Don’t give a rats bottom?  Comment and let me know!

An Abbey Poetry Party

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought,

this in turn makes us think more deeply about life,

which helps us regain our equilibrium. 

~ Norbet Platt

It's a poetry party and you're inivited!  Christine Valters Painter at Abbey of the Arts is hosting a poetry party and you're invited!  I just discovered Christine's beautiful and peaceful blog.  It is like a virtual meditation garden!  Thank you for hosting, Christine!

My contribution to the party:

Green blades, tiny

Strong from the struggle,

the primal desire

to catch the caress of the sun

if only for a few hours,

finally push their way through earth’s jealous heart.

© March 2011 Mikaela D’Eigh

Happy [almost] spring writing!

Oremus pro invicem,
~ Mikaela