Yes, indeed. And take that walk with the phone silenced and with no "ear buds". Listen.... there is a lot to hear, smell and feel. All of which is a perfect background for my brain to review its priorities.
I find my "nature based meditation" in a vegetable garden that abuts conservation forest and field. The milkweeds are welcoming Mona…
Yes, indeed. And take that walk with the phone silenced and with no "ear buds". Listen.... there is a lot to hear, smell and feel. All of which is a perfect background for my brain to review its priorities.
I find my "nature based meditation" in a vegetable garden that abuts conservation forest and field. The milkweeds are welcoming Monarchs and the birds are a symphony. Plenty of time to fight the good fight later. As we farmers say: "Gardening is Therapy. And you get Tomatoes."
Lovely as well Bill. Gardening is such great therapy. I've had to learn to share my cherry tomatoes with the deer these last couple of weeks, a regular thing most years.. I usd to get annoyed; now I have slipped into acceptance and always am delighted to see the exquisitely besutiful mom and young ones. I am grateful they don't like the peppers!
Our community garden has a tall deer fence. Otherwise, it would be a 50 station buffet! And I have had to use hardware cloth fencing within that - bunnies...so many bunnies. And voles...yikes. And then I just caved into the idea that everything must eat. Eventually the coyotes and fox will balance out the little critter population. And 80% of what I grow I give away to family, friends and neighbors. If my sharing is extended to other mammals...so be it. I'll just plant more!
"Metrowest" - west of Boston, east of Worcester, MA. A small town that has secured large tracts of land and put them into conservation or agricultural protection. Also, lots of history. A lovely place not without its problems - like over development and not nearly enough affordable housing. And wicked high taxes to fund one of the best school systems in the nation.
Moved here from Maine to be near and help with grandkids.
You're doing more than making memories (as the current saying goes); you're helping to raise grounded kids who will grow into grounded adults who will know how to live well on this planet. My own teaching background equipped me to tutor/teach my 3rd grade grandchild during Covid when the schools were closed. I also drive them to their sports practices and games when called on. The 5-year old calls me the grandma with all the puzzles so she likes to come over to do that and build Lincoln Log barns for the horses. She likes the pony rides too at the local state parks.
I always enjoyed Patriots Day, April 19th, celebrating the shot heard round the world. The Sudbury Minutemen would start about 6 a.m. at the town center and march to Concord for the reenactment. We'd hear the muskets and fife and drum corps, hurriedly get dressed and get to the corner of our street to watch them march by. There was a British family around the corner on the line of march who would fly the Union Jack. In the summer I would enjoy the Concord Band playing concerts at the Buttrick Mansion in Minuteman Park which looked down on the Old North Bridge. It always gave me goosebumps standing while the band played the Star Spangled Banner overlooking where it had all started and a jet leaving a vapor trial overhead. I'm sure the tradition continues! We, the People, all of us this time!
Wonderful Bill!. At my home in Massachusetts which abutted conservation land, I grew milkweed along my driveway to attract monarchs, the caterpillars food plant. I photographed the full lifecycle of the monarchs. Even took the chrysalis inside to my dining table to photogragh the new butterflies emerging from the chrysalis and watching the fluid in their fat bodies pump into its expanding wings. In those couple of hours before the adult monarch could fly I would sometime photograph my Papillon dogs with a butterfly sitting on its head. Loved the life cycle of the butterflies with it stages. Eating as a caterpillar, transformation in the chrysalis and drinking, sex, and travel in the adult butterfly stage.
I venture to say, fab Bill, that the nature based meditation, the walk without earbuds, IS fighting the good fight. Connection is the key in all things human.
Yes, indeed. And take that walk with the phone silenced and with no "ear buds". Listen.... there is a lot to hear, smell and feel. All of which is a perfect background for my brain to review its priorities.
I find my "nature based meditation" in a vegetable garden that abuts conservation forest and field. The milkweeds are welcoming Monarchs and the birds are a symphony. Plenty of time to fight the good fight later. As we farmers say: "Gardening is Therapy. And you get Tomatoes."
Lovely as well Bill. Gardening is such great therapy. I've had to learn to share my cherry tomatoes with the deer these last couple of weeks, a regular thing most years.. I usd to get annoyed; now I have slipped into acceptance and always am delighted to see the exquisitely besutiful mom and young ones. I am grateful they don't like the peppers!
Our community garden has a tall deer fence. Otherwise, it would be a 50 station buffet! And I have had to use hardware cloth fencing within that - bunnies...so many bunnies. And voles...yikes. And then I just caved into the idea that everything must eat. Eventually the coyotes and fox will balance out the little critter population. And 80% of what I grow I give away to family, friends and neighbors. If my sharing is extended to other mammals...so be it. I'll just plant more!
Cool, Bill. Where do you live, if I may ask and you can say.
"Metrowest" - west of Boston, east of Worcester, MA. A small town that has secured large tracts of land and put them into conservation or agricultural protection. Also, lots of history. A lovely place not without its problems - like over development and not nearly enough affordable housing. And wicked high taxes to fund one of the best school systems in the nation.
Moved here from Maine to be near and help with grandkids.
Thanks, Bill. I'm in admiration of those who preserve the land and make it healthy and productive -- maybe that stems from my Iowa roots. : )
Blessings on you too for helping with your grandkids. I know what that's like. But they sure bring joy, don't they!
My wife teaches them about birds and critters. I teach them where food comes from. Yesterday, little Sam helped me pull the garlic crop.
You're doing more than making memories (as the current saying goes); you're helping to raise grounded kids who will grow into grounded adults who will know how to live well on this planet. My own teaching background equipped me to tutor/teach my 3rd grade grandchild during Covid when the schools were closed. I also drive them to their sports practices and games when called on. The 5-year old calls me the grandma with all the puzzles so she likes to come over to do that and build Lincoln Log barns for the horses. She likes the pony rides too at the local state parks.
My home in MA was in Sudbury with the zipcode 01776 next to Concord.
Acton. 01720 on the Concord line. Wife raised her kids in Concord. The "Line of March". We are still marching, eh?
Our best friends live in "Sudsbury" :)
I always enjoyed Patriots Day, April 19th, celebrating the shot heard round the world. The Sudbury Minutemen would start about 6 a.m. at the town center and march to Concord for the reenactment. We'd hear the muskets and fife and drum corps, hurriedly get dressed and get to the corner of our street to watch them march by. There was a British family around the corner on the line of march who would fly the Union Jack. In the summer I would enjoy the Concord Band playing concerts at the Buttrick Mansion in Minuteman Park which looked down on the Old North Bridge. It always gave me goosebumps standing while the band played the Star Spangled Banner overlooking where it had all started and a jet leaving a vapor trial overhead. I'm sure the tradition continues! We, the People, all of us this time!
Wonderful Bill!. At my home in Massachusetts which abutted conservation land, I grew milkweed along my driveway to attract monarchs, the caterpillars food plant. I photographed the full lifecycle of the monarchs. Even took the chrysalis inside to my dining table to photogragh the new butterflies emerging from the chrysalis and watching the fluid in their fat bodies pump into its expanding wings. In those couple of hours before the adult monarch could fly I would sometime photograph my Papillon dogs with a butterfly sitting on its head. Loved the life cycle of the butterflies with it stages. Eating as a caterpillar, transformation in the chrysalis and drinking, sex, and travel in the adult butterfly stage.
I venture to say, fab Bill, that the nature based meditation, the walk without earbuds, IS fighting the good fight. Connection is the key in all things human.
Unita! 🗽
Amen to tomatoes. Envy anyone growing them. May they continue.