Advent meditation: Love
After retiring to its new underground home, the seed adjusts to life in the Darkness. It takes some time, but after a while, it resigns …
gardening
Advent meditation: Hope
A self-sowing seed begins in the light. It holds on for as long as it can, but then weather changes, time passes, and nutrients fade. …
recipes: grits ‘n greens
My oh my, how do I love grits. My dad got us started early on this Southern staple by making us cheese grits on cold …
lessons learned: root bound
When the world seems to bind us in ways that restrict, impede or obstruct our freedom and growth, I return to these words from six …
lessons learned: be love
On Friday, we promised the younger gardener-in-residence that we would take a trip up to Graveyard Fields on the Blue Ridge Parkway and pick blueberries. …
the columbine
This spring, the pandemic has slowed our go-go-go family down tremendously. Rather than running to various activities every afternoon, we’ve found ourselves focused on our …
dirty knees? yes, please!
I posted this one last Easter and pulled it out today as a reminder of why it is necessary to my spirit and wellbeing to …
lessons learned: hydrangeas and healing
We human beings are like plants. We need to be cared for in order to grow and thrive. It’s not always a perfect formula. In …
growing grace
Several years ago, someone asked me the meaning of “growing grace.” They assumed that my daughter’s name was Grace and that I had created the …
my therapy garden
With May being Mental Health Awareness month, I thought I would write a series of blog posts focusing the spirit, mental health, and creation care. …
lessons learned: thinning
Spring has been dragging her feet this year, but she has finally made it to our little farm. Seeds that were started in the cold …
lessons learned: the apricot tree
The season of my separation from my ex-husband, the movie Under the Tuscan Sun had just been released on DVD. I acquired a copy and probably …
lessons learned: paperwhites and epiphany
Today is Epiphany in the Christian church calendar. It marks the journey of the Magi to the Christ child and celebrates God being revealed to …
wintering
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 …
well, it’s about time
Several weeks ago, I was sharing a story with a friend, and she noted, “Well, it’s about time!” And in one way, she was right–our …
sanctuary
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 …
lessons learned: hydrangeas and healing
Last night as I transplanted a hydrangea my mom gave me for Easter, this meditation came back to my heart. Thought I would repost it this …
dirty knees? yes, please
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 …
feb 2017, dear cameron. . .
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 …
lessons learned: crabgrass and intolerance
Upon arriving home from my residency, I marveled at the wonders the gardens had produced–tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, squash, flowers, and on and on. It was …
pruning
You can sit with her the child of your innermost being You can hold her hand and assure her that life is a journey that …
a story to tell
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 …
just be, creation care, and Earth Day
It has been awhile since I’ve written, and I have been wondering why that is so. I love to write, as it has always steadied …
sitting with the crocuses
You expect Her to come quickly when you feel the first warm light bask on your skin, or when the first choir of purple crocuses …
wintering
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 …
homesteading: freezing herbs for the taste of summer all year round
Every autumn, I make a lot of pesto with my sweet basil and put it up to freeze. This year, I’ll be freezing fresh basils, …
rainy days got you down? ideas for gardeners on a rainy day
God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done. ~Author Unknown It’s a cool, rainy day here–the kind of weather that makes me …
St. Catherine of Siena’s Rest in Prayer
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 …
tomatoes: dehydrating or drying for summer year ’round
There is nothing I like more than throwing a handful of sundried tomatoes into a dish to add a bit of tangy punch and a …
lessons learned: tomato cages and friendship
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 …
prayer of the heart
The prayer of the heart is the source of all good, refreshing the soul as if it were a garden. ~St. Gregory of Sinai (d.1360), …
lessons learned: the benefits of a good soaking
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 …
recipes: spring green salad
With all the new extra sunlight on the farm, my spring gardens have produced more than enough greens to feed our family, our chickens, and …
lessons learned: preparing the space
Yesterday at the grocery store, I was having a bit of trouble trying to talk with the person checking me out. “Oh,” she noted, “as …
the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out–cultivating compost
Now that we’re revamping the gardens around here, I have been working on some new composting holding areas. Sundays are usually compost turning day so …
lessons learned: take rest
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 …
rainy days and rain barrels
While I’m not so happy about starting my weekend in rain after a beautifully sunny week, I’m grateful for the water to nurture our Spring …
prayer and preparation for Earth Day
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 …
sugar snap peas: Nature’s candy
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 …
gentle gardeners and creation care~a meditation for Earth Day
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 …