I just saw this video on Gardening Gone Wild and felt the need to share it with you.
In honor of spring, and changing the bit of earth where you live, be it in the country, suburbs or the city; I submit to you this encouraging video! In all fairness I must warn you that he likes the “s” word, but he has some awesome thoughts to share!
“If kids grow kale, they eat kale. If they grow tomatoes, they eat tomatoes!” Ron Finley: A guerilla gardener in South Central LA
Now, go plant some [stuff]!
It’s been raining for seven days straight. It started with temperatures in the seventies and as the storm pushed through it was closely followed by temperatures in the thirties! The air at ninety-seven percent humidity suddenly becoming so quickly chilled causes it to condense on the inside of the window panes.* Like a cold drink in summer it collects and runs over the panes and down to the sill. The windows were wiped four times day before yesterday, and still it collected.
The wind blew, the rain kept coming, and it has just stopped raining as I type. The heavy clay has become a mire, slick, slimy and dangerous. It has rained so much that the earth could no longer take it in. The rain fell and then lay in an inch deep sheet covering the surface of everything on the ground, then flowing to the lowest places it sat and produced puddles and ponds where none should be.
There is more rain predicted, ‘freezing rain’, ‘chance rain’, and ‘possible snow’ as the day continues, and all of it under leaden skies.
We needed the rain after all those summer days of drought, but getting it all in one go is hard to take. These endless gray days seem to seep inside you, make you sad, dull your senses…
I dream of spring and a sunny day.
Today the sky is throwing little frozen snowballs down to earth.
Some the size of peas
They collect in the crevasses, and pretend they are snow…
In the meantime,
I keep the little lights on to chase away the dark that lurks in the corners,
and Benny Goodman is keeping me motivated not to just crawl under the covers and sleep the winter away.
Benny Goodman Sextet, with Peggy Lee singing
On The Sunny Side of the Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*The inside humidity would not normally have been equal to the outside humidity, but for the smoking dinner in the oven three nights ago, which set off the smoke detector, thus causing us to open the windows and doors to clear the air. The smoke cleared, but the open house let the hot, wet air in. With the house then closed the outside temperature plummeted forty degrees in less than two hours and this caused the inside condensation to occur. We learned our first year here, that too much moisture allowed to sit on the sills will cause mold to grow there.
Posted in Life on the Farmlet, Seasons
Tagged Benny Goodman Sextet, Humidity, Peggy Lee, Rain, seasonal affective disorder, sleet, snow, Weather
The last day of fall went out quickly, having been swept away by an eager winter storm. Yes, Winter blew in early with four inches of rain, and by noon she had begun a swift and frigid blowing. She howled around the eaves, worked her way into the house through invisible cracks and then came in through the windowsill sounding for all the world like a flute!
That will need fixing!
The lights began to flicker, and hearing all this horrible blowing pick up in speed, I decided to stop what I was doing and go have a look. Opening the back door I felt Winter’s frigid breath blow right past me. Too cold!
Standing in the doorway with my sweater pulled tightly round my neck, I listened as dry leaves hissed and tree branches rattled like dry bones. Eerie, I thought, and shivering I closed the door tight.
~*~*~*~
This morning it is 32 degrees and while the wind isn’t quite as bad as yesterday it is unrelenting. It is also making the air outside feel like it’s in the 20s! Winter and I don’t get along.
The cold, the short and cloudy days all get to me.
~*~
Yes, it is officially winter, but I have decided to greet it differently this year, to be more upbeat! I think this might help.
Posted in Life on the Farmlet, Photo Friday, Seasons
Tagged cold weather, nature, seasonal affective disorder, Wind, Winter, Winter solstice
This fall has been particularly lovely. I can’t tell you if it is only my perception of the season, or if in fact it is truly better this year, but I find that I can’t help but add just one more view…
I stand looking out my window and see that the rain has washed away the dust from the far-reaching windstorms generated in Hurricane Sandy’s fury. This wet and overcast view enriches the fall color. It is an enigma to me that with all the rich, warming, color of the season, I should have to bundle up to go outside, but I want an unfiltered view for my portrait.
Thus bundled and standing on the front porch I set up my camera and try to capture that warmth, saving it for this winter when it will be truly frigid and seemingly bereft of life.
Finding what I’m looking for, I capture the moment.
CLICK…
I study the treeline trying to decide on another suitable view, when suddenly the cloud cover breaks allowing a single shaft of light to fall in the center of the trees.
There in the middle of all this loveliness burns the heart of fall, and I think to myself,
“This will do.”
NOTE: Today’s images are best viewed full size. Please click the photos for best color and clarity.
UPDATE: For those who can’t get enough fall color you can find plenty more from all over the US on Growing the Home Garden’s website ~ www.growingthehomegarden.com/2012/09/the-fall-color-project-2012.html
Posted in Photo Friday, Seasons
Tagged Autumn leaf color, country life, photography, seasonal changes, seasons, treeline, Weather
