Flower Bear's Garden: Growing A Life
Monday, March 11, 2024
And So It Begins
Monday, February 5, 2024
Thank You, Phil!
I was beyond thrilled last Friday when it was announced that the groundhog did not see his shadow, meaning that Spring would be early this year. It was music to any gardener's ears, but especially to those of us in the northeast when winter can hang on well into March and even early April. Of course, having lived up in this neck of the woods for over 30 years, I know that what old Phil predicted and what can really happen between now and the official beginning of Spring can be on opposite sides of the discussion. Still, a girl can dream.
What is this girl dreaming of as we meander into February? I dream of the first tiny shoots of daffodils and crocus pushing their pointy green heads up out of the ground. I dream of waking up in the morning to birdsong instead of just crows cawing us awake (no offense to the crows ... I love them but a robin is a bit more musical to wake up to). And speaking of waking up, I dream of waking up to daylight instead of darkness and actually wanting to toss the covers back and get out of bed. I dream of digging through my trusty garden bin under my tiny garden table to see if I have any leftover usable seed packets of herbs and something to plant them in. I dream of going for walks again in the sunshine without five layers of clothes and ear muffs. I dream of the geese coming home, and the birds laying eggs, and the world waking up once more.
So for now I'll hold fast to old Phil's predictions and pray that he is right. On those days when it is cold and snowy, I'll light candles that smell like spring and watch gardening videos. One of these days I'll wake up to sunshine, birdsong, and a handful of seeds just waiting to touch the earth.
Peace and blessings.
Monday, January 22, 2024
Winter Dreams
The snow that was softly coming down yesterday has turned into a undulating blanket of white today. It is only 12 degrees!
One of the things I usually do at this time of year is to start ordering seed catalogs or look up seed suppliers to start planning my indoor garden in the spring. This year will be different. I am holding off because my seed and plant needs will be different by the time we get into the heart of growing season up here which is June and beyond. After six years in my little home three stories up into the trees, I am moving. By this time next year I will be living in an even tinier two-room-with-bath space that my daughter is creating in her home. Yes, folks, I’m moving in with my kid!
There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is that I’m not getting any younger and knowing that I have family on the other side of the door is huge to me. The other selling point is that she has a yard where I can create a small, raised garden, and a front porch where I can feed and watch the local animals, and just relax. It has been years since I had a porch to sit on and contemplate life, and it has been something I have sorely missed, having grown up with one as a child. I used to sit for hours on that porch when I was a youngster, notebook in hand, making up stories and documenting my deepest secrets and dreams for the future.
So this year I will not be looking at seed catalogs. I will be looking at raised bed kits, and small movable greenhouses, and purchasing plants to fill both of them. I'll still keep a tiny indoor garden next to my writing space for those cold days next winter, like today, when the sight of something green and growing gives me hope for the eventual arrival of spring. I will be so busy planning and dreaming that I will forget how cold it is outside and the time will fly by. Before you know it, spring will be here and along with the new buds on the trees a new home and a new life will be blooming as well.
And so it is.
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
A Time And A Season
Monday, November 6, 2023
May All Be Safe
The other day I was crossing the parking lot behind my apartment building to deposit my trash in the big metal dumpster and proceed to feed my little bird and squirrel friends. I noticed a huge tree branch sticking out of the dumpster and wondered how that had gotten in there. Clearly the trash men were not going to take such a huge branch. It would have to be disposed of another way. As I was about to put my trash bag in the dumpster, I heard a voice call to me to stop. It was the young man who cleans our building inside and out. He pointed to the tree branch and explained that he'd found two raccoons down inside the dumpster at the bottom. They had probably been trying to take refuge from the cold and find something to eat. Since the dumpster was not even half full, they had nothing to climb up on to get out. So the young man had put the tree limb in to give them a way out. I carefully placed the trash bag inside and backed away.
Everyone needs a place of refuge. Everyone needs a place to be safe, to be fed, to be well, and to be loved. These sentiments are used, along with others, in what is called "metta prayers." The idea is to first wish these things for yourself, then for your loved ones, then for those you don't know, then for the world. Phrases like:
May I be safe
May I be well
May I be peaceful
May I be happy
May I be free from suffering
Some people might have seen the raccoons as a nuisance, just some pests that needed to be eliminated or removed. I saw them as living, sentient beings who needed food, shelter, and, in the end, a way to freedom. Isn't that what we all want? Isn't that what everyone wants? No one is more deserving than others. Even the tiniest animals need to be fed, to be warm, to be safe, and to be free, and that goes for the human animals as well. So the next time you sit in prayer or meditation and ask for these things, ask for them for others as well. Who knows? Someday you might need someone to offer you a branch to freedom, too. As for me, I'll keep feeding my animal friends, and keep a lookout for those who need a hand up.
Peace and blessings.
Monday, October 23, 2023
Reflections On A Rainy Autumn Day
I woke up this morning to a perfect autumn morning. The sky is a soft blue, and the sunlight reflects the brilliant golds, reds, and yellows against it as if Mother Nature chose this vista on purpose in case someone wanted to turn it into a painting. I only wish I had that kind of talent.
Saturday morning, however, was quite different. I woke up to dark, overcast skies. Wind whipped the rain around and threw big, heavy drops against the window. My beautiful leaves were raining down as well and I grew sad at the thought that if we have more days like this, they will be gone before we know it. As I sat down at my desk with my morning coffee and journal in hand, I saw propped up against the cup that holds my pens and pencils one of my Power Thought Cards from a deck I've had for years. It was invented by one of my greatest teachers, Louise Hay. This is what it said:
"It's only a thought, and a thought can be changed,"
I remember watching Louise on a DVD of her movie, "You Can Heal Your Life." In it she said that by changing how we perceive something, we can change how we feel. Instead of looking out onto a rainy day and saying, "Oh, it's a miserable, lousy day," we can say, "Oh, it's just a rainy day." It changes the emotional charge we get from using negative words. So I decided to use the rainy day to make a list of all the rainy-day things I could do to lift me out of my sadness. This is what I came up with:
1. Chop up some veggies and make a pot of soup to bubble on the stove to make the place smell yummy.
2. Clean out my bookshelves, give them a dusting, and start a pile of donations for the library sale.
3. Bake some cornbread.
4. Find a really good book to curl up with.
5. Make a pot of tea (to go with the above book).
6. Call someone I haven't seen in a while just to say hello.
7. Write a letter or send a card to someone just to let them know you're thinking about them.
8. Take a nice, long, hot shower, break out that lovely lavender lotion you got for your birthday, and put on something warm and comfy.
9. Journal, meditate, spend time in prayer.
10 Make a list of things you are grateful for.
Wow, lots of things I could do to lift my spirits. Just writing the list out made me feel better. I didn't even mind when I had to go out in the rain to take out the trash and recycling or collect the mail. Since I'm not the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz, a little rain wasn't going to make me melt. Whatever happened to that child who liked to jump in puddles? Maybe it's time I went looking for her again.
So the next time you wake up to a rainy day, think of some fun, cozy activities you can do to take away that sadness. Change your thought and change your day ... but don't forget to jump in a few puddles now and then!
Peace and blessings.