Crocuses – They’re Up!

The crocuses are up! These are late winter, early spring flowers. They are early bloomers and hardy so that they can often be seen peeking out from a coating of snow. They come in purple, yellow, white, orange, and blue with variations of shading and spark an anticipation of the coming season even when the weather is still cold and gloomy.

This year, however, the weather has been atypical in many parts of the U.S. We have been having unusually warm weather here in the northeast. This may cause both a delight and a dilemma. The crocuses have come up earlier than usual and although they are certainly appreciated are the bees ready to do their part to pollinate the plants? And are the other flowers that are blooming before their natural time going to survive? Crocuses and daffodils probably will but others may not.

Plants usually take their growing cues from lots of areas such as the season, the amount of sunlight, how much rainfall, whether or not the ground freezes. Much as we can be confused by unusual weather, so can the plants. It will be interesting to see how this warm winter affects plant growth in general.

Mind you, I am not complaining. I love to see the burst of color from the crocuses and I look forward to the early daffodils and the late hibiscus and everything in between. Though, as the saying goes, they should live and be well. Us, too, so we can enjoy their beauty.

Something about crocuses:

http://www.gardenersnet.com/bulbs/crocus.htm

Factors that affect plant growth:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/plant-growth-factors.html

Thinking of Spring - Again

Thinking of Spring - Again

Lilies and irises are such beautiful flowers. They aren’t ready to grow around my way yet, though with this warmish winter the daffodils have put up leaves. So it was quite a delight for me to get an unexpected bouquet in the mail. It immediately brought to mind the prospect of spring. I actually like winter and particularly snow but if that isn’t happening then I am eager for spring to make its appearance.

We used to have lots of day lilies in our backyard adding early excitement to a sleepy flowerbed. There were also irises, tulips, snowdrops, columbine, daisies and a host of other colorful plants. That was when the garden was new. Most of them have succumbed to a) too much shade from now mature trees, b) bulb-loving squirrels or c) those wascally wabbits. That doesn’t stop me from dreaming, however, and trying new plants that a) grow in deep shade, b) are supposedly anathema to squirrels or c) are not traditionally known to attract rabbits. Only modest success so far. Did you know that rabbits like to eat hosta leaves?

The gardening catalogs are starting to come in the mail and I pour over them. What flowers will we plant this year? And what veggies will we grow? I think that tomatoes will be on the list again, maybe another watermelon plant, some carrots perhaps, and sweet potatoes, which I can start on my windowsill as I did last year. The plant itself is lovely. If anyone is interested in putting in a sweet potato crop, here is a great article from Neil Shelton at http://www.homestead.org/NeilShelton/SweetPotato/SuperTuber.htm on the origin of sweet potatoes and how to plant them. It even gives recipes!

I’m also thinking about zucchini and green beans.

And lilies again.

And irises.

Any suggestions for easy, shade friendly, animal-proof flowers?

Spring isn’t here yet but it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead. I still hope it snows, though.

The Nature of Nature

The Nature of Nature

I was placing the loaf of bread I had just baked, a braided raisin brioche, onto a serving platter when my husband came into the kitchen. “Wow,” he said when he saw it. I appreciated his obvious compliment but then he added, “Are you going to blog it?” Huh? “I write a blog about nature,” I said. “Well,” he said, “this is your nature.” That stopped me in my wash-the-pans, clean-up-the-kitchen, start-the-dinner tracks. It got me thinking about the nature of nature.

I looked up definitions in several sources. Nature is a noun with many connotations. What it basically comes down to is essence, whether of a person or thing. It takes in, well, everything. The concept embraces the microcosm as well as the universe. It defines the character of the subject, its makeup and qualities, the substance that separates it from other things and the spirit that differentiates it from related things. It doesn’t just refer to Mother Nature’s realm, as we usually tend to think of it, although one of its meanings is that which is separate from human habitation aka the natural world.

So I decided that he was right, I am part of the larger nature of all and baking is one of my attributes. It speaks to how I think of myself, which is as a supportive, nurturing person. I used to bake bread all the time but haven’t for a while though I do bake treats to have with our afternoon tea, a habit we adopted after we experienced it at a B&B in Maine one summer. And bread’s nature is that of a life-sustaining, fundamental product. What better way to express what I think of as my nature?

And not to be picky about it but bread is composed of the non-human part of nature, made of flour and yeast, eggs, sugar and butter. Yet it wouldn’t be what it is without the human influence to put it all together. Simple, right? I’m still thinking about it.

How would you define nature?

http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nature

A Sheep Yarn

Today I am writing about sheep. No, I do not own any sheep. I’m not a farmer or a shepherd. I haven’t even pet a sheep since the local petting farm turned into a shopping center decades ago. What has prompted my sudden interest, at least metaphorically, is a book I just finished reading called sheepish by Catherine Friend (Da Capo Press, 2011). Friend writes about how she got involved with sheep farming and what sheep have helped her to discover about herself and living. It also gives lots of information about the animals, shearing, and working with wool. It’s a fascinating study and as a former city girl (as was Friend) quite a revelation about sustainable farming, yarn, sheep, “middles” and spirit.

My backyard isn’t large enough for sheep nor is it zoned for it but the book reminded me that despite the drastic attrition of farms here during the 80s there are still places reasonably close by that are available to reconnect with our rural heritage. Our township bought and runs the last farm within our borders to preserve, literally, our roots. Last summer we found an organic blueberry farm. For many small farms to survive, though, the price of continuing becomes an admission price for customers for hayrides, corn mazes, petting access to goats, sheep, and cows, and mini-amusements like trains, planes and automobiles for kids to ride. At least it keeps the farms working. Each spring and summer we have several areas where (reasonably) local farmers bring their produce to small, neighborhood farm markets. I like to frequent those markets – it feels good and somehow right.

The book also brought me back to one of my “middles” when I was sewing most of our clothes, knitting, and baking bread. I still have a woolen blanket I knitted to snuggle up with on chilly nights watching TV. It was in the middle of my family’s growing years and very satisfying. I am doing other things now, mostly writing, but I have a fondness for that time of my life and it has led me to where I am now. As Friend so lovingly demonstrates, every day is new with the opportunity to reassess and grow.

For anyone who would like to connect with Catherine Friend (and I hope you will) check out her Farm Tales and Sheepish Stories at http://www.catherinefriend.com/ You’ll learn about farming and persevering in a very personal way. Thanks, Catherine for sharing so much of yourself.

Juncos Enjoying a Meal

The Juncos have arrived – on masse. They are easily spotted against the thin coating of snow we had this weekend. They have dark upper feathers and white bellies and bustle about in search of seed. Sparrow-sized and sparrow related, these birds are often found in backyards nibbling under feeders. They prefer ground feeding but will hop up to a feeder if the pickings below are slim. Dark-eyed Junco is an overall designation for several forms that had been thought to be different species. The formerly called Slate-colored Junco is the one most seen in the east but Juncos range widely over Canada and all of North America. They are often called snowbirds down south because they appear in winter.

They scurry under the bare branches of the butterfly bush looking for a meal. They avoided the whole-grain cereal we had thrown out, leaving the crunchy nuggets for the squirrels, and discovered s stash of sunflower seeds that had been shaken free when the feeders were refilled. They are fairly common yet I find them appealing, with their lively movements and sweet chipping. I’m always glad when they show up.

Common doesn’t negate their beauty or value. Doesn’t everything/everyone have value and individuality? People are common but each one of the billions of us on earth is different, contributing in his or her own way to the energy of the planet. I read that Juncos eat ragweed seeds and as I am allergic to ragweed I am doubly happy to see them.

Their cousins, the sparrows, have come by, as have the finches. A lot of fluttering going on. Inside my warm kitchen I put on the teapot. The feeders will be refilled when we have all finished enjoying our afternoon snack.

Read up on Juncos here and for true bird enthusiasts sign up for their free monthly newsletter.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/dark-eyed_junco/id/ac#at_content

Fences…Defenses

Fences are made of lots of materials: wood, metal, plastic, trees, shrubs, roses, hedges, stones, pretty much whatever a person can think of to make a boundary. The boundary exists to define an area. The area may be one that is set apart to describe its contents (a garden, perhaps?) or to keep out strangers whether people or animals, or in the case of an electric fence, to keep pets inside. Sometimes a fence is more of a suggestion than a barrier, as are the trees here, but a fence always makes a visual statement – all within the enclosure is mine.

I find fences interesting. I understand the symbolism of both protection and avoidance, of keeping things in and warning things away, of maintaining control of an environment. Yet, as with physical fences, symbolic fences often have a way of getting rusty or overgrown or outliving their original purpose. We can trap ourselves behind our own emotional fences. Years ago I lost a friendship because I constructed a fence around a perception of hurt and did not allow a discussion to clarify the situation. Now I try to at least keep an open gate in any fences I construct. It’s kind of freeing. And it gives poignant meaning to the phrase “mending fences.”

Here is a history of fences and how they influenced cultural development and thought and possibly more than you ever thought about the subject: http://www.nyu.edu/pubs/counterblast/fence.htm

The Quiet of Snow

The Quiet of Snow

We had a little bit of snow last week, nothing much, just a layer of flakes on the lawns and sidewalks. It was melted by mid-morning but it was enough to remind me that the season is winter in spite of the record high temperatures. More than that, though, it brought a pause to an ordinary day. I find that snow quiets its surroundings and brings an awareness of beauty with its soft, white voice. Therese Halscheid captured this in the photo, “Autumn Snow on the Wickecheoke, 2012.”

Therese Halscheid, a poet and photographer, has been chronicling her poetic journey for the past eighteen years. Housesitting has allowed her to live simply, write and photograph unusual and rustic settings. She is scheduled for a solo exhibit, The Stockton Natural series, in early February. Her photographs document weather and its effects on the Wickecheoke Creek ind its surroundings in Pennsylvania. In this photo the interplay of sun and shadow, snow, and early morning mists capture the place’s mystical elements.

The exhibition runs February 2 to February 29 at Carversville General Store, 6208 Fleecydale Road,Carversville, PA 18913. For a real treat come meet Therese at the Opening Reception, Friday February 3, at 6:30-8:30. Maybe I'll see you there.

www.ThereseHalscheid.com

thalscheid@cs.com