what a long time it has been

The winds are howling from the northeast. Taking with it whatever is not held down and hopefully also this strange restless energy, this lost feeling of damage and cold and discomfort.
This has been a challenging time between my car accident and the “whiteout/ blackout” taking with it the roof of the building on the deck and a week of catching up time. We are almost still in a directionless stupor.
This fresh March air feels good, the rushing stream is clear, and the soft earth is greening.

But these winds are scary, loudly crashing into trees, the house, and anything in its path. Louder than trucks rumbling up the road, it is a force both ferocious and unending. Rain was sideways today and trees were swaying like running giants.
Buckets of water driving across the land - but at least it is not snow. And though there are parts of the garden still snow-covered, daffodils are popping out and before long we will be raking.
The trees are budding; we have walked in the garden, and started fixed fences.

Bryan is ready to plant peas, though the lettuce planted in the cold frame is now under water. We are secretly thinking summer and ready to balance on the precipice of longer days than nights, of hard work and harvest, tee shirts and eating outside.
Glad to be home now with the family, hope the power holds out.

Harvest Home

Many posts written but never posted. The busyness of the harvest season, summer turning to winter, processing many vegetables, raking many leaves, new jobs new schedules, ever encroaching darkness.

Our harvest was unbelievable this year- mounds of tomatoes still cover the table, concord grapes filling our bellies and the fridge, there might still be some raspberries on the vines, pumpkins big and small, beans beans and more beans! Flowers everywhere. And of course mints and morning glories gone wild- taking over everthing in thier charming way.

Apples and elderberries.

Equinox with full balance, shining summer-like as we shared our garden’s bounty. Now All Hallows Eve – having made costumes and carved pumpkins- everything's a blaze of orange. Full dark mornings and eating dinner in the post twilight blue. Hard frost has now emptied the garden (except for the ever present kale), crazy winds knocked down braches (kindling for the woodstove), and we've had our first dustings of snow.

Frost in the dawn air
Crystalline grass shining white
Lone crow surveys all.

Quickly the frost kills
All the tender herbs, flowers;
But not the strong Kale.

Bright autumn sunlight
Warms through our sweater layers.
We’re grateful for it.

Orange as far as
The eye can see: pumpkins, leaves,
Carrots, fire, sun.

The root harvest in-
Nothing left in the garden
Except you and me.

bowls

I will feed my family from my bowls.

fungii

These Catskill Mountains'
cool August thunderstorms make
mushrooms abundant.

Yoga in the Rain

We have a great yoga class here most Saturday mornings and today dawned nice and cool and with perhaps a hint of rain. But we had coffee and cleared the deck and with the humidity the bugs came and as the class progressed the sweat started down my face in Warrior 1 pose in which I am reminded the strength of the warrior and that I am strong and can hold this pose and as we rested finally on the mat the rain starts very lightly, almost indistinguishable from the sweat but nicer and cooler and fresh and we each get inside what can’t get wet while we also struggle with bow pose (”lift yourself a little higher”) and then realize that we can move to under the tree and not get wet at all. And of course during Savasana the low rumble of thunder let us know that the storm would come, which it did soon after our closing om. What an amazing class.

More Art- Bigger Kids

Working at High Meadow Arts Camp with 10-13 year olds- a whole nother ballgame.
The first week, though I had set to make art cards (which we did) the boyz had other plans (which we discussed a/k/a argued about at great length.) They wanted to make props for their Zombie film although it wasn't really about zombies (who are- as we all know -the brain sucking living dead) but really nuclear blast- mutated humans just trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world. It was all about the props though, specifically the flame thrower which was not a gun but more of a chemical blaster used for protection by the only non-mutated human left. And also some other props – the story line however kept changing as did the need for supplies and though I am the Queen of Materials it was hard to keep up with these guys.
My second week was more on schedule making masks from cardboard, paper plates, leather and whatever else I could get my hands on. Much thanks to the resourcefulness of Roberta! – she is really the Queen of Materials, I am just in awe of her bins of goodies. I had two lovely girls to balance out the boys and the conversation and music were of a decidedly different tone. But we made some really cool stuff and I hope found an appreciation for materials, adhesives and the right tools – like the perfect scissors or a good xacto knife. And as always duct tape. If anyone comes out of an art class with an appreciation of the variety of uses for duct tape, they have learned a lot.
Can’t wait to see the zombie dvd-

Garden Part One

The garden is a song of color

The flower garden is now mostly yellow with all sizes of sunflower and black eyed Susans and calendulas in bloom. Some pink roses are budding again and there is still much bee balm- pink purple and red.

Did a heavy weeding in there today - pulled up the cilantro and the arugula , long past flower, spent daisys and clover, wayward grasses, overzealous morning glories and mallow gone to seed.