gardening + spirituality + homesteading + creation care
I shared this sermon at our contemplative service a handful of years ago during Mental Health Awareness Month in the UMC (May). In honor of World Mental Health Day (October 10), I’m reposting. ~cameron This week, I’ve been struck by the intermingling of mental… Continue Reading “sermon: Farmer Boy and resting in the spirit”
I’ve put the gardens to bed and shored up the chicken coop. I’ve stored the tools and stacked the pots behind the shed. I’ve left the last of the coneflower dead heads reaching toward the sky, in case finch and chickadee grow tired of… Continue Reading “wintering”
You are my shelter, O eternal One–my soul’s sanctuary! Psalm 31: 1 (The Voice) This week, I have been on vacation. Having closed out my former job last Friday, I decided to take a week off prior to beginning my new position. I’ve never… Continue Reading “sanctuary”
w The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw, The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God, 1932 For the last couple of weeks, I have meditated on Anne Lamott’s reference… Continue Reading “dirty knees? yes, please”
February 2017 Dear Cameron, I know you are busily approaching Spring 2017 with much excitement and anticipation of a full summer garden. You are dreaming of expanding your homestead even bigger, maximizing sun space and growing plants vertically. You are imagining arms full of… Continue Reading “feb 2017, dear cameron. . .”
After I arrived home from work tonight, I journeyed my away around the gardens. It is amazing how an early afternoon shower then warm sun can perk up the plants and stimulate new growth. As I made my away around each bed, I reflected… Continue Reading “a story to tell”
This morning, I trudged out in the dark to the chicken coop. I was up earlier than usual so I could get my daughter to school, and I was not yet coherent. (Believe me, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t… Continue Reading “lessons learned: country girls and laying hens”
The sun hears the fields talking about effort and the sun smiles, and whispers to me, “Why don’t the fields just rest, for I am willing to do everything to help them grow?” Rest my dears, in prayer.
The past couple of months, I have experienced the unconditional care and support of friends. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you find people who take you as you are. I consider it “grace” when they experience it all, love on you, and accept you… Continue Reading “lessons learned: tomato cages and friendship”
It has been dry here the past couple of weeks, and my gardens have begun to suffer a bit. New seed starts wither and sunflowers stalks bow their heads. It is not a pretty sight. In an attempt to rescue my veggie starts, I… Continue Reading “lessons learned: the benefits of a good soaking”
I wrote this one several years ago, and as I sit here this morning engaged in some time of self care, I thought I would re-read it. The one piece I would lift up from this post is the commitment to being proactive rather… Continue Reading “lessons learned: take rest”
i thank You God for most this amazing day:for leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes — e.e. cummings, North America As I have been meditating on… Continue Reading “prayer and preparation for Earth Day”
This year, I planted my sugar snaps along a privacy fence with some homemade tomato cages I unhooked to create long latices for them to climb. A teen girl and I sowed the seed a few weeks ago, and they’re already several inches high. … Continue Reading “sugar snap peas: Nature’s candy”
As Earth Day approaches, I have been revisiting some of my blog posts on creation care. I wrote this one a couple of years ago and thought I’d press it again today. take care~cameron For much of the last century, religious institutions have missed–or… Continue Reading “gentle gardeners and creation care~a meditation for Earth Day”
If you read this blog occasionally, you know that one of my mantras is “just be.” I find in life there are many lessons I learn around this simple but profound phrase, and typically, it is Nature that serves as my best educator. Last… Continue Reading “lessons learned: seed starts and waiting”
I wrote this one a few years ago and return to it often. ~Cameron Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there. ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732 Every year, I pick a new vegetable or fruit and attempt to grow it from… Continue Reading “lessons learned: prayer peas and thoughts on love”
Last year, I wrote this post on this date and reread it this morning as a reminder for my soul. Five years post surgery in the world of cancer or illness is something to be celebrated with much joy. I am also embracing this… Continue Reading “a milestone to celebrate”
You know Mother Nature, she is bountiful one season then rests the next. Last year, we had not a one apple on any of the trees on our family property. This year, however, we were able to gather three cloth grocery bags full in… Continue Reading “growing grace farm’s cinnamon honey applesauce”
Yesterday, my daughter and I updated our kitchen calendar with events for the next couple of months. In the corner, I noted some projects I have planned for us to complete over Labor Day weekend–paint the bathrooms, steam clean the upstairs, and put the… Continue Reading “lessons learned: putting the gardens to bed”
In the past two weeks my 15-year-old has made me so proud as a homesteading mama. On a weekend afternoon, she decided she was going to put together our unfinished wood chairs. From there, she sanded them down then picked out the stain she… Continue Reading “let’s hear it for the girls: raising girls who know how to homestead”
So you’ve found your local market, and you’re ready to head out–what’s next? Give yourself plenty of time! There’s so much to see and explore. The market is not like the grocery store–it’s not about getting in and out with the necessities. Take the… Continue Reading “tips for your next trip to the farmer’s market”
I like to read and repost this one annually to honor one more year’s travel on the journey~ This is for all you girls about 42 Tossin’ pennies into the fountain of youth Every laugh, laugh line on your face Made you who you… Continue Reading “every laugh line on your face, made you who you are today”
The past couple of months, I have experienced the unconditional care and support of friends. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you find people who take you as you are. I consider it “grace” when they experience it all, love on you, and accept you… Continue Reading “lessons learned: tomato cages and friendship”
Several years ago, I decided I wanted to try my hand at grapes. As you may have read in previous posts, every year, I pick out a new vegetable or fruit and see if it will thrive in our part sun/part shade gardening space. … Continue Reading “lessons learned: grapes and intentionality”
As I squatted by the trellis yesterday to plant more sugar snap peas, I looked down at the boots I was wearing. I’ve had them for a couple of years now, so they are not so colorful anymore, but I fondly remembered that I’d… Continue Reading “lessons learned: on growth, gardening boots, and grace”
I love to hear my child exclaim “Yay!” when I announce I am making kale chips. As thin and crispy as regular chips, we love to make these in the summer time. Different kale will offer you different texture–needless to say, the thinner the… Continue Reading “recipe: growing grace farm’s kale chips”
Two years ago, my out-of-control wineberry bushes began bullying my blueberry plants. In an effort to call them off, I trimmed and tugged until the unruly characters ended up on their side of the garden patch. A couple of months later, the birds and… Continue Reading “babying the berries–tips for springtime care”
With the advent of Spring, I thought this one might be appropriate to repost. Happy Saturday~cameron So last night, our Just Be women’s group met at the community garden at church for a night of prayer, fellowship, and laughter. We started this garden a… Continue Reading “10 ways to turn off the technology and turn on nature”
A few years ago, I started a batch of sugar snap peas on our deck and in front on the triangular trellis. By late May, we had fat sugar snaps dangling from the vine. I was so excited that I came running in and… Continue Reading “sugar snap peas: spring’s candy”
After I pressed two posts on starting seeds, I noticed the trend in lots of posts and pinterest pics focusing on seed starting. Yep, we get excited about planting the seeds, knowing that one day they’ll become vegetables and fruit in our gardens, but… Continue Reading “so you’ve started your seeds–now what?”
It seems that we no longer have snow in winter where I live–Winter brings with her cold rain now, and for us natives, it is depressing. I am taking measures to “work through” the impact of global warming on my home town, and some… Continue Reading “rainy days got you down? ideas for gardeners on a rainy day”
Just put together my Christmas gift to myself–a basic indoor greenhouse kit. It’s small, but it’s one more step towards year round sustainability. And so, I’m digging my hands into my seed packet organization box tonight and starting to plan what gets planted tomorrow… Continue Reading “couldn’t get enough? starting seeds part 2”
I just received my seeds for Spring and Summer 2014! Hooray, what an evening of celebration! I’ll be starting the seeds here in the next couple of weekends for some early vegetables. I post this one every year as the beginning of a series… Continue Reading “it’s never too early to start dreaming about seed starts”
Although this meditation is two years old, I find that it still rings true on many levels. May you engage in “peaceful heart” activities this holiday season. My hands are small, I know But they’re not yours, they are my own ~Jewel, “Hands” Raising… Continue Reading “dirty hands, peaceful heart”
I love to hear my child exclaim “Yay!” when I announce I am making kale chips. As thin and crispy as regular chips, we love to make these in the summer time. Different kale will offer you different texture–needless to say, the thinner the… Continue Reading “recipes: growing grace farm’s kale chips”
This week, I spent time with my spiritual director. She talks with me about my journey with the Creator and cultivates the relationship we have through sacred listening. Her guidance has nurtured me in a way that supports my daily practices to integrate mind,… Continue Reading “lessons learned: God’s thoughts on compost”