Ommmm

"If it is the greatest and highest that you seek, the plant can direct you. Strive to become through your will what, without will, it is."
- Goethe

Reporting on Mom Nature

March came in like a lamb this year. Every day since March 1 has been lovely.
It especially seems like Spring is awakening because of the "simultaneous contrast" of the extreme winter of February!
(I just had to use that expression I picked up on Wednesday at the Flint Institute of Arts "movies at noon". This week talked about the later Impressionists and their struggle to eliminate line, and an exploration of color mapping, but that's another blog.)

Finally, saw a robin on Thursday. I've been outdoors every day since March 1st looking, waiting. Ever since that sighting, which is not really rare seeing as how there are "rogue robins" now who overwinter in Michigan, but for me it was my first robin of the spring - ever since that sighting, the bird chorus is singing whenever I open the door.

In the backyard Snowdrops are blooming. The honey bees are interested - amazing that there is enough to life in the world to bring the bees out, before the crocuses have even broken the surface of the soil. The pussy willows have broken bud - but barely, there is no pollen going on yet.

Yesterday I found honey bees entering a hole at the bottom of my compost bucket.

There was an (unusual for us) east wind blowing yesterday - and was it warm! Besides the honey bees, it brought life to the streets: teenagers- walking, hangin' out, skateboarding, pumping the bass and driving with the windows down - signs of spring.

alternative view

"If you cannot work with love, but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy."
- Kahlil Gibran

I always wonder what this photo would have looked like with a good camera?

Time wasted

"It is the time you have wasted for your roses that makes your rose so important."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery, from The Little Prince

quote

"It would never occur to most gardeners to write a poem or paint a picture. Most gardens are the only artistic efforts their owners ever make."

- Hugh Johnson

program quotes

"A little garden,
all one's own,
is a real Eden.
Earth posesses no greater charm."

quote

"If, going to someplace, we had first to settle how to put the front foot down, we should never get there. If the painter had to plan out every brushmark before he made his first, he would not paint at all. Follow your principles and keep straight on; you will come to the right place, that is the way."

- Meister Eckhart

link to GCHS blog

For those interested in the Genesee County Herb Society, I posted some memorabilia over at the GCHS blog (link) yesterday.

quote

"We sleep, but the loom of life never stops; and the pattern which was weaving when the sun went down is weaving when it comes up tomorrow."

- Henry Ward Beecher

Flowers

This from the program from our 1996 Herb Symposium:

Lessons in Flowers

Flowers are one of the few non-controversial things in life.
But they are certainly great teachers. They nourish our sensibilities, quicken our wonder over Nature's magnificence and variety.
They prove to us, above all, that there is a power that defies mortal impatience, rebuffs willfulness, induces serenity in a world that is largely aimless bedlam.
The best way to realize this, of course, is to grow them as well as buy them.
Even the posture required is healthily humbling, for most of a gardener's work is done upon his knees; hoping with love and reverence that what he does will be approved by the Master who rules the sun, the earth and air.
If he has faithfully followed His law, the result will be something human lives should resemble: a transitory and fragile existence under the compulsion of time, but leaving an unforgettable perfume, color and form to its successors.

What is an herb?

"For generations the herb garden has provided rich and poor alike with food, medicine, fragrance, and flowers and foliage to make life even more beautiful.

"With all their diversity, herbs are not easy to define. If you look up the definition of herb in 'Webster's Dictionary, herbs are defined as herbaceous plants with soft stems, and do not develop woody stems. Herb gardeners do not take this definition literally, or they would not be growing woody plants like rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme, even roses, or trees like black birch or ginkgo.

"A more encompassing and widely accepted definition of an herb is a plant whose roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, or seed pods are valued for their medicinal, savory, and aromatic quality. But there is ambiguity here as well. What about vegetables? They are used for their flavor and healthful benefits. What about plants without a practical use, but are valued for their historical or sentimental significance? Does this not include most of the plants that are grown? We find that we could spend a large amount of our time enjoying this wide, wide variety of herbs. One can find a new plant and new use for that plant nearly every day."

- From Grand Oak Herb Farm flyer

Written by one of the Hargroves (Beulah?)

quote

"A great number of people get depressed during the winter time. Everything looks barren, fresh herbs and produce are scarce, and it seems the sun just doesn't shine very much. However, if we look closely you can see the beauty, the simplicity of what is left in the garden. The tree branches and plant structure create intricate forms that we do not see at any other time of year.

"Just because the trees lose their leaves doesn't mean we can't enjoy watching the birds that alight there. Seeds from the herb plants, now dormant, provide food for the birds. We can now truly reflect on, "for everything there is a season."

"Winter also gives us the luxury of time to use the bounty of our gardens in a creative way. The holidays provide a perfect opportunity to share our passion for herbs and gardening with friends and family. Dried harvests provide us material for many special projects. Twigs from thyme and lavender make a sturdy frame for a basket or wreath. One can package or bottle a special blend of herbs guaranteed to delight the gourmet cook in your crowd. Winter holds a special charm, we just need to look for it."

- From Grand Oak Herb Farm flyer

quote

"I play for Seasons; not Eternities!"
said Nature, laughing on her way. "So must
All those whose stake is nothing more than dust!"
And lo, she wins...
- George Meredith

Freeing up some time

Let's just call it that. No, I won't be at the Michigan Herb Associates annual spring conference at MSU next week, nor at my favorite herbalist's herb walks, nor at the Master Gardener conference, nor participating in the organic CSA we supported for three years, nor taking that painting class. My budget is squeaking.

Getting rid of the junk, responsibly

We recently had an old, heavy, big computer monitor die. Those are the ones with all that lead shielding, as well as the other poisonous heavy metals and plastics that were used in those gi-normous monitors. I read somewhere years ago that a monitor like that would have approximately eight pounds of lead in it. Instead of putting out to the trash collection where it could end up in the landfill, we took it to CBC recycling in Flint on Saginaw Street. They charge $5.00 but if you can wait until the spring county-wide recycling day it would be free. I understand Goodwill will also recycle these things, responsibly.

Speaking of recycling heavy old appliances, if you are a Consumers Energy customer in Michigan, and you have an old refrigerator or freezer to dispose of, call Consumers (or go online) and they will pick up the said appliance for responsible recycling ... and they will give you a $30.00 incentive! It's a program from the EPA called RAD (Responsible Appliance Disposal).
Cool!

quote

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy
is in the eyes of others only a green thing
that stands in the way.
As a man is, so he sees."
- William Blake

my artist, K, 4 years old

Can you see me in this portrait? Head, hair, ears, eyes, mouth, body (with shirt), legs, feet and at the last moment, arms.
And the script at the left reads: "Grama, I love you."
Sweet.
My heart melts.

seeds

(... shared by a FBF) Wealthy is a venue in Grand Rapids, MI, that's been getting some good "folk" press recently.

UPDATE: Coincidence? I just got the spring calendar from The Ark (in Ann Arbor @ www.theark.org)and see that May Erlewine and Samuel Seth Bernard will be playing there on Thursday, May 20 at 8 p.m. Good to get your tickets early.

quote

'The snow lies on the ground, patchily, not with a good warm covering, but like a tattered shawl that lets in the cold. I know just where to look for the newcomers in the borders when spring calls them out."
- Helen Ashe Hayes

quote March storms

"The stormy March is come at last
With wind, and cloud and changing skies;
I hear the rushing of the blast
That through the snowy valley flies."
- William Cullen Bryant