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 …
plants
Lenten meditation: when the light falls on the creeping jenny
Yesterday, my daughter, her boyfriend, and his sister helped me clean out the chicken run and coop in preparation for our chicken-raising adventure this Spring. …
lessons learned: caring for the root bound
“You are root bound,” she said. “Your prayer needs to be, ‘God, give me a bigger pot.’” That’s what my counselor said to me Tuesday, …
lessons learned: the willow
Last night, I stopped by the store to pick up a couple of things, and after a week filled with cracked windshields, missing legal documents …
Lenten meditation: when light falls on the creeping
With an unexpected warm day yesterday, I spent some time puttering around my front flower beds after dinner. In the garden directly in front of …
so you’ve started your seeds–now what?
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 …
lessons learned: transplanting the seedlings
The fall seedlings have begun to sprout, and soon it will be time for thinning and replanting. I will admit, it pains me to thin …
update on mason jar seed starts–3 months out
So back in late January, I got a wild hair to start seeds in all the extra mason jars I have filling up shelves. If …
lessons learned: taking down the walls
Those of you who follow this blog know how deeply I connect my time on the farm with time spent with God. I believe as …
indoor mason jar seed starts-6 weeks
So this week, someone found the blog as she was searching for ideas on starting seeds in mason jars. Well, she found the right place …
update to “seed starting Saturday”
Wow! It’s amazing the difference a couple of weeks can make in the life of a small seed. My table full of life continues to …
looking
I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that …
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 …
meditation card: welcome to my farm
When I was in my “farm dreaming” stage, I sat at my kitchen table one day trying to determine why it was I felt so …
autumn homecoming
When I was a preteen/teen, we visited Charleston, SC every spring. My parents invited (to be read “forced”) my sister and me to tour homes, …
thrifty Thursdays: glass bottles
After a recent event, I watched the hosts toss various colored glass bottles into blue recycling bags. The “collector” in me wanted to cry, “Wait! …
here a chick, there a chick–chickens and gardens
As the chickens and I spent several hours out on the farm yesterday, I realized that the sisters are really learning their way around the …
end-of-summer rainbow salad
As luck would have it, my folks invited me to a party at their house to celebrate the end of summer with all of their …
thrifty thursday: plastic jugs
I will admit, I am a fool for containers–size and shape don’t matter. For a long time it was just about organization andstorage, but once …
drying hydrangeas
One of my favorite ways to “wrap” a gift is to place it in an understated colored gift bag then use dried hydrangeas (and other …
looking for answers
Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. . . Don’t search for the answers, they could not …
Anne Lamott’s praise-and-amazement prayer
A few years ago, I added the praise-and-amazement prayer, Wow. It’s the prayer of remembering to step outside when we are in monkey mind, or …
beans and greens: recipes from the garden
So in spite of the bugs, rabbits, and mold spores, our greens and beans have fared well this year. Suddenly, we are filling our refrigerator …
grace
I do not understand the mystery of grace — only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found …
mourning
I stepped outside last night to find the Japanese beetles demolishing the grape leaves, rose bushes and apricot trees. I grew angry then became sorrowful …
there’s nothin’ better than. . .
Today, as I was working out in the gardens, I picked a few fresh green beans, and uttered, “There’s nothing better than eating green beans …
lessons learned: tomato cages and friendship
Last night, a handful of us headed over to the community garden at our church. You see, our woman’s group decided to become the seed …
lessons learned: hope came to the garden in the form of pumpkin seeds
new year pledges in my hand pumpkin seeds ~Elizabeth St. Jacques, Poetry in the Light Over the weekend, I found a small treasure–a 4 oz. …
tomatoes: dehydrating for a little summer all 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 …
farmers’ markets: tips for the trip
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. …
lessons learned: what berries can teach us about bad habits
Last night, I headed out to the gardens. It has been a least a week since I could actually spend time there– sometimes, a homesteader …
farmers’ markets: from farm to table–it’s what’s for dinner
This past weekend, I had the opportunity for a girls’ night out with a dear friend. We picked a restaurant that we knew would be …
prayer for rain
Give life to the grass by sending us rain. Give life to our earth by sending us rain. Give life to our crops by sending …
gratitude for this 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 is natural which is infinite which is yes
— e.e. cummings, North America
farmers’ markets
Seeing as it is midsummer and most farmers’ markets are in full swing with fruits, veggies, and flowers, I thought I might do a series …
lessons learned: bloomin’ where you’re planted
Bloom where you are planted. ~Mother Jones It has been a busy couple of weeks–busier than I’d like to imagine. And in all of God’s …