Heritage Gorgeous

That gorgeous Peony brings my heart delight!
For several years now, it has lived in it's pot, carefully tended by me and my nostalgia. Never blooming, but I've remained ever hopeful. You see, that peony is from the ranch my Grandparents lived on for over 50 years. The place were my Dad grew up and I learned how to ride horseback. The endless miles of field and hours on end spent with Grandpa saying little more than a few words the whole time, but building volumes of understanding of and with each other. My first memories of an impressive, massive garden that you could actually eat out of were formed there. I adore the Ranch House (even though it is but a memory and another lucky family lives there now) to this day with it's basement filled with Grandma's canned goods and the ping pong table Dad made in his youth, and spiders or course. I learned the wonders of a barn, bales of hay and secret forts on that ranch. Days of library books checked out in droves for summer reading and Cinnamon Rolls baked by Grandma. For me, there was a sense of wonder and earthy freedom that came with that Ranch and my summer visits. Someday having a similar ranch is my dream. This year, finally, that lovely, gorgeous peony decided it was time to bloom. And with it, as always, bloom or no, comes a flood of precious childhood memories.

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All I can say is he's a charmer, a Snake Charmer.

If you are new to Malachi's story, you can read more here and here. Today, the pictures are worth a million words.

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Reflections on Gratitude, Perspective and Living in the Moment.

Since hearing the NPR story about the crossing of Martha Mason, I've been doing some serious thinking about gratitude, perspective and how to better live in my moment.


Martha crossed on May 4, 2009 a month before her 72nd birthday. She spent nearly 61 years of her life in an iron lung, the result of contracting polio at the age of 11. She told her doctors that she would do more than live her life with polio and the Iron Lung, she would live above it. She graduated from High School and College with High Honors. 

In 1994, voice-recognition software allowed Martha to write her autobiography and have a small measure of privacy despite being paralyzed from the neck down,  living full time in an iron lung dependent on the care received from others. Her memoirs, "Breath: Life in the Rhythm of an Iron Lung", was published in 2003 and was the focus of a documentary film in 2005.


On occasion, I slip into the very human and not so pretty habit of judging and comparing my life to others. Hearing Martha's story sent me to that less than lovely place first. "Thank Goodness I don't have to live life in an Iron Lung".

Martha's story is strong enough to survive that humaness. Her story is a clarion call - reminding me that it is what I make of life that matters, not the perceived hardships that come along the way. There is no need for comparisons, we all get the chance to experience the blessing of accepting and overcoming challenge. They look different on each person, but they are there, those opportunities, those lessons, those perceptions. It seems Martha made her Iron Lung a blessing, welcoming it into her life. I image, because it gave her life. As she says in the clip, "I never really give it a lot of thought." hmm Perspective. Acceptance and moving forward to embrace life. Wow. Thank you Martha!

Gratitude is a dynamic process. Giving and taking. Something our tradition spends a lot of time, teaching and energy on. Each ceremony includes a giveaway - the act of expressing gratitude. We are regularly reminded about all there is to be grateful for, and are given many opportunities to express ourselves in gratitude. Giving and taking. While I am often grateful, I am also forever a student of Gratitude. Of how to live more in the moment of giving and taking with a grateful heart. I like that it takes practice.

Thank you Martha, for reminding me to be grateful for my life - just as it is - and to see the blessing in anything that comes my way. Thank you for holding the mirror up for me to take a good look. I am grateful to have touched paths with you, through a radio new progam, the internet and your story. What a beautiful life.One person can make a difference and often never realizes the impact they have had on others. Breathe!

Have a day filled with gratitude, beauty and perspective everyone!
~Thea

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Snake Season Has Officially Begun

We go through the same thing every year. This sweet, fluffy, handsome creature....

Somehow manages to charm these into our house to keep him company. By somehow, I mean we have no idea how he does it. By charm, I mean he has a way with slimy, slithery things like slugs, snakes and earthworms.

Wherein I am forced to deal with them. Which means I take them away from Malachi (and return them to the great outdoors where they belong) which makes sweet, goofy Malachi something of a FROWNachi.

p.s. I think this snake will actually live to resist the charming call of Mr. M another day. You would think by now the snakes in the neighborhood would tell their young the story of the floofy creature with a charming and irresistible call that leads to snake certain death only after a long period of nauseating tossing-about-in-the-air and being pounced-upon. Certainly Malachi is a thing of myth and legend in this snake neighborhood!

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A bit on Malachi, our Goofy, Giant Buddha.

From the floor, Malachi can stand up on his hind legs and tap me on the shoulder with his paw as I sit at the computer. It's slightly disconcerting when he does that from behind while I am focused on my work. He can also stand on his hind legs and reach up on the kitchen counter to fish around for food or whatever he is after, which is most often unseen to the human eye.

From tip of his nose to tip of his tail he measures 3 feet that's not even stretching him out. His normal standing height depending on where you measure is 14 inches. He was so big when we got him that N. thought he had been neutered already. Turned out - they hadn't yet dropped. However, they quickly appeared after being exposed to our Alpha Cat Cecil for a few days.

Malachi is the most recent addition (2005) to the cast of cats in our family having appeared first at my parents house. After watching him traipse about looking pitiful and hungry for sometime, my parents had a conversation the details of which are still a little fuzzy to me that resulted in a call:

Dad: It's floofy, black and white and you are going to love it.
Mom: Your father and I talked and think he really is a better fit for your family than for ours.
Thea: Well, ummm ok bring him down and we will see.
Mom: He's already in the van and I am on my way.

Seems Mr. Taking Care of Business - Malachi had jumped into my Mom's van the night before and was just waiting to be carted away to my house.

Of late, we often find him sitting like this - just pondering. Or at least I call it pondering 'cause ... well I am not really ready to consider what it might be otherwise. So, Malachi ponders. He stays like that for a long time... apparently, he has a lot to consider.

His favorite treats are: freeze dried salmon chunks, sweet things, bread and paper (we don't feed him the paper, he dives into that all on his own). Though, he is always the last cat to show up for a treat. We are not sure if he is so occupied in otherworldly events that he just doesn't realize the mundane reality of treat time - or if something is actually wrong with his sniffer. We are not prepared to consider other options.

Oddly, for his size, he makes lots of small, squeaky, high pitched noises and at the strangest times. Like, the middle of the night when you are fast asleep. He appears on your chest with a squeak and then licks your nose, or eyelid, or finger. Once you are awake and paying attention, he disappears. His appearance anywhere is actually quite a production. It's as if he is suddenly there, presenting himself for you to adore him. He stands tall and swooshes his tail and then squeaks, accepts a pat or two and then disappears. Malachi wants to be cuddly - he just hasn't quite figured out how that works yet.

Malachi has a penchant for slimy, slithery things like snakes, slugs and earthworms. He likes them. They are his companions. He calls out to them and they come to him. Early on in Malachi's life with us, we let the cats outside during the day. When Malachi came in at night, N. and I would have to perform a full fluff body search to find and remove his companions. Malachi would collect and then pack around baby earthworms, slugs, and baby slugs in his copious fur. Then he would bring them inside with him for a sleep-over. If he was lucky enough to find a snake while the door was open, he would bring that inside too. We figured that all that would stop when we quit letting the cats out. But OH NO, Malachi loves his buddies and now that he can't get to them, he calls charms? them to him. Yep, not sure how he does it, but he still manages to bring me snakes and slugs all while not leaving the house.

He likes to lay upside down - with relish. When not upside down, he prefers to have his head propped up - on a pillow or against a piece of furniture. He loves to have his belly rubbed. And he likes to be hacksawed. N. recently discovered this little fact. Malachi used to like being brushed late at night while sitting on top of the washing machine. Apparently, one late night I was sleeping the brush was no where to be found, but the hacksaw was handy. Malachi will follow N. around the house when he has the hacksaw in his hand, floofing and swooshing eager to be hacksawed.

Turns out, my parents were right - Malachi is a good fit. And I am making good use of his fur.

Portions of this post were originally published on a private blog May 6, 2008 it is re-posted here with permission... 'cause I wrote it and can approve those kinds of things. Photos taken by Moi as well and used here with permission (see previous statement). All Rights Reserved. As if you would have any use for photos of a hacksawed cat.

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Freedom!

No, I am not starting a new protest or getting my activist hat on (though brace yourself, it may be coming!) - I just freed the ladybugs that had been living in my refrigerator.

They are sooooo happy in the garden (anything is better than a refrigerator if you happen to be a ladybug I'd imagine)!

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Lately, I've Been Talking to my Basil

I swear I have been trying to get my garden planted. I am finally caught up to where I should have been a few weeks ago... the peas and broccoli and greens are in the ground. I grew weary of waiting for the sun, and planted in the rain. Which wasn't that bad, Zeke and I just got soaked. Nothing a hot shower couldn't quickly resolve. 

I have not yet applied my nematodes (soil temp should be 55 degrees) or planted the cold sensitive plants like tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, herbs or basil. I've mentioned that we have to have a lot of basil around here, the current debate in the household is whether 6 plants will be sufficient. I say yes, N. says NO! I have six here, ready and waiting to nestle their rooty toes in the composty soil of our garden. 

 

I dutifully take the plants waiting to be planted out during the day, and then bring then back in at night. While performing this labor of love, I talk to them about what I plan to do with their fruits, leaves, pods, etc. Of course, I do this in a loving, appreciative way, not an insensitive murderous kind of way. I think the plants are pleased with my plans - the whole cycle of life thing is not lost on them. I have been whispering to the basil about the amazing pesto it will become and then N. found this recipe over on Palachinka. It's a worthy aspiration for any Basil plant.  

Basil Sherbet
225 g sugar
150 ml lemon juice
30 g fresh basil leaves
150 ml milk (we will use Fresh Goat Milk)
400 ml water

Boil sugar and water. Add basil leaves and lemon juice to the syrup, cook for a minute and then remove from heat, cover and let rest for 24 hours. After a day, strain the syrup, pour in milk, stir, and freeze. During the first 5-6 hours, stir sherbet every half an hour.

How does that sound for refreshing? Maybe 6 Basil Plants aren't enough after all...

Photo Credit: Me and my iPhone!

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New Beginnings

Time to dig in the dirt and invest in fresh produce - right outside my kitchen door. Totally local. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to keep my darling dog, Zeke from picking the perfectly ripened tomatoes off the vine before I do. There is still plenty of time to figure out that strategic plan.

There will be - Tomatoes... several kinds. We love our tomatoes (we trained Zeke with Sweet 100's and Sungold's which is why he now plucks all tomatoes and cucumbers off the vine when he wants a snack.) and will plant several varieties, most of them heirloom.... except for the Sweet Million and Sungold that I just can't go without. I want to try my hand at making simple tomato sauce this year and canning it.

Cucumbers... really all I care about are the lemon and english. My fav's.

Basil...I can not go without Basil. I use it on everything when it is ready... and of course, the pesto. I refuse to buy pesto because it is never comproble to my homemade recipe. So we have to have at least six basil plants.

Broccoli, sugar snap peas, chard, salad greens of several varieties, collard greens, kohlrabi, zucchini, and more...oh my!

N. wants more cooking herbs this year. You've got it honey! I want a drip irrigation system... What do you say N.? On a timer? Please? The plants really do prefer the drip you know.

I want to get Magnolia's in around the garden since we are planting quite a bit of leafy greens. This year, I bit the bullet and bought the BIG bag of Sluggo at the beginning of the season instead of a several bottles through out the growing year... way more cost effective in the end. Sluggo is totally safe around pets and wildlife and it works.

We also invest in lady bugs and praying mantis to help out with pests around the garden. We add beneficial nematodes to our soil as well (but not until the ground temp is at least 55 degrees). You can get all those critters from a store such as Down To Earth or online.

Any other good gardening tips you would like to share to keep bugs out, grow happy healthy plants all while staying organic? I am open to suggestions!

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