in the Greenhouse

In seed-time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy. ~William Blake


seeds!   on Sunday (Imbolc), i started seeds for herbs that will be planted in the Healing Garden.  this is a rather hopeful move on my part - since that garden has yet to be created.  but the H has assured me that it is going to happen, so i have plenty of faith.

yesterday (first day of the Full Snow Moon) i started seeds for the veg and culinary herb gardens.  of course, i managed quite a merry mix-up with the 2 types of tomato seeds.  i'm sure this will turn into a very valuable lesson in plant identification, not to mention a lesson in staying a good bit more focused!

i do love this time of the year.  having seed trays that will require a close vigil does mean i will be spending more time in the greenhouse.  it is my Winter Refuge, and a welcome respite from the daily household chores.  not only that, it does give me a very positive focus, during the gloomy last 6 weeks of Winter.

i do have plenty of things to get caught up on in there right now - so it isn't just all about the seeds.  but i do love the seeds - they have a mystery and magick all of their own.

blessings to you and all that you grow.  Namaste.

compartmentalizing some more

this is going to be quite interesting.  i typed out and posted a blog with a HUGE update - only to delete it, because i am still trying to figure out things over here.    i will need to create a private page for family updates and such.  one of these days, LOL.  i suppose this page will remain set to public and i will use it for gardening related postings, only.  that does make more sense, even to me.  so.......please bear with me.  and i hope my friends who post over here more frequently will help guide me through this process.  Imbolc is just about upon us once more, and so is the full moon.  i will be spending loads of time in the greenhouse this weekend - and doing a bit of  housekeeping and starting seeds.  the greenhouse is full of perennials and the surviving tropicals.  i'll need to move things around. the H has become very clever, in figuring out how to keep things warm in there, without spending an arm and a leg.  so far, so good!  in the veg garden, i've planted 3 types of potatos.  they did very well for us last year, and i found myself wishing that i'd planted more - so we'll see how this goes. we finally realized that the best way to go for good veggies is raised beds.  we finally got tired of fighting with the sandy soil.  we still need to make some more of those.  we are quite happy with them, and we've managed to grow some very respectable carrots and there is one bed filled with collard greens.   i did plant some pansies in the GG's little garden.  they're doing very well.  i am a bit disappointed that the larkspur seeds didn't germinate as well as i had hoped.  oh well, that's just life in the garden.  it should be quite an interesting year!

blessings to you and all that you grow.   Namaste

In every gardener there is a child who believes in The Seed Fairy. ~Robert Brault,rbrault.blogspot.com

a Southern Gardener's limbo

"The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze."-   John Updike, September

last night's moon.  Venus was not nearly as bright as the night before, but still quite lovely. 

too bad! the kale seeds i planted a few weeks ago all sprouted - and promptly withered away in the heat!  *sighs*....i'll try again with it next month. 

as you can see in this pic, the broccoli has become lunch for some leafhoppers or something. but if i had waited any longer to plant them, then they would not get established well enough before the weather starts cooling down enough to have a frost. yeah....i know.  it's a bit of a way off for us, but we do need to consider those things. tonight i'll get out there just at dusk and spray everything with some Neem.  with fingers crossed, i'll hope for the best. 

here's a bit of Autumn decor in the GrandGoddess's garden. you can see our very sandy native soil, here along the North Carolina coast - which is why i compost like a mad woman.  Youngest Son gifted me with that garden cart a few Christmases ago. oh, in the distance you can see Chicken Central, which will be a topic for another blog on another day. 

a bit of Autumn decor here in the den. i say "here", because it is the same room which houses the computer.  i hesitate to call this area an 'altar'....i don't *do* things so formally.  but it is where i store my essential oils, incenses and oracle cards.

in the herb garden, the Feverfew which i grew from seed is blooming for the first time.  next year i'll start harvesting the flowers. alas, the Hyssop's lovely blossoms have all gone by now.

truth be told, i don't like the weather at this time of the year very much.  i've grown weary of the heat and humidity.  sinus and allergy problems abound. i take antihistamines when B is not here and i eat local honey.  i take heart, watching the leaves of the Dogwood and RiverBirch trees change - and i know that cooler and drier weather is indeed on the way.  the Autumn is  my very favorite season.  and in the meantime, Cosmo, KrystEl and Homey all  just keep on being their sweet selves.  days go by and time does indeed change all. 

Namaste. 

random garden pics

Crape Myrtle "Black Diamond - Crimson Red"

yes - i most definitely have a penchant for plants that are a bit more unusual and unexpected.  in the background to the right is the veg garden.  just beyond, is a garden of sub-tropical Cannas and Red Hot Pokers. greenhouse is just beyond

Crinum Lily "Milk and Wine"....maybe?

this is an old heirloom that was on the property already, when we bought our house.  i divided it and moved it 3 years ago.  finally, this clump has bloomed! 

ivy growing up the oak - and a bit of whimsy.  you can see the Zen Bridge the H made, just in the background. 

a place my dear husband has named "The Meditation Station".  it is made entirely of scrap wood and stuff he had in his shed. he made the bench from a dead branch he removed from the Cedar Tree.  i painted it and added all the landscaping/plantings/decor/statuary.

i just like this pic, LOL

the statue of our old pooch Tarheel needs painting again.  gosh, i still miss him sometimes. 

the ice cream truck blogthing

“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy the ice cream while it’s on your plate.” -Thornton Wilder *********************************************** well......other than the bit about being indecisive, this blogthing is spot-on! weekends are incredibly busy as always. hopefully i'll have time for a proper blog catch-up by Wednesday. i might even have a gardening blog, LOL. in the meantime, take care........remember to be grateful - and exhale! namaste *******************************************

You Are Flexible

You are open to whatever the world has to offer, and you are always open to changing your mind - even if you have strong opinions. You are very fair-minded, and you are willing to hear almost anyone out. You aren't dissuaded by strong personalities. You listen to your intuition and give yourself what you need. You may be a bit self-indulgent, but at least you are happy! You tend to be a bit of an idealist, but your ideals are always changing. You don't cling to one vision for too long. You are indecisive, and you think it is one of your strengths. The longer you delay a decision, the sounder it will end up being. You are passionate, but it doesn't stop you from being a clear thinker. You are very unbiased.

The Ice Cream Truck Test

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

still figuring out how to do things here.....

on shooting the moon and making adjustments

There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.  ~George Carlin, Brain Droppings, 1997

i figured today would be a good day to learn to do a few more things on this new-to-me site.  i must say, i am enjoying the fact that i don't have to resize pics!  

it is pretty cool to have a kitten.  of course, having an old  cockatiel as well means that we do have to make some adjustments - though so far Krystel Moon (the kitty) has not caused us a moment's worry, as far as Homey the cockatiel goes. 

since my days consist of being in and out of the house to tend to the chickens once in a while, Homey now gets to come with me when i do that.  he loves to hang out with the gang in Chicken Central, and seems to have convinced himself that he is a member of the Silkie family.  it is very sweet to watch him socialize with them, and the Silkies don't seem to mind him being there. 

i managed to take a few pics of last night's Blue Moon.  it was a rather unfortunate time to realize that the camera tripod is no longer serviceable, though.  oh well........i guess we aren't the only ones who are old and tired!  still, i managed to take a couple of really nice pics with my Sony CyberShot.

i am happy to have my Chocolate Zen Garden back again.  funny, when we all moved over to Blogster, i somehow knew that name was not right for that place. it does feel right to have it here, though. 

last night was a bit restless for all of us. but then, the first night of the full moon usually is. 

i'm still trying to figure out how to add videos......but all in good time.

wishing everyone a wonderful Wednesday.  Namaste.

This Week in Astrology - Cafe Astrology