Fearless, Wake Up!

This is my advice for the days we are in: be fearless. Everywhere I turn I'm hearing things like, Not in this economic climate, things are bad right now, You know, the downturn, and yes, there is the market settling out, and the folks who bought the ARM loans losing there houses. This could have happened in the 70s or the early 80s, when we had other downturns.

But things aren't the same now. There is a spiritual flux at work now that is more powerful than before. Yes, now we must work on other levels, that is, because we're waking up. What happens when you wake up? Do you look around and say, My house is a mess. I better clean up. Or do you say, My, the house is a mess, I think I'll panic and abandon ship...

I got frightened at the beginning of this financial settling out, partially because I was in a divorce and was already frightened for my survival. I was worried about how my life might turn out--was I destined to live on the street? Well, no, I don't think so, but the fear was there. Fear is a bad thing. Fear makes more fear. Better to think about what you want than what you don't want. This is a universal truth.

What would happen if we all go shopping Black Friday--make things better. It's statistics that is running the market and the media. If we do most of our holiday shopping Black Friday, then we can help the climate say, "It's a sunny day. We're not afraid." Then, after the holidays, get in there a work hard for truth, happiness, for health, for equality, and for love. Yes, for love. Gratitude and generosity, too!

Yes, all you fearless ones, Wake up! And stand tall!

With Love, Flower (and little helper)

Christmas Tree

O Tannenbaum, o tannenbaum--across the street in the apartment building I can see a Christmas tree all lit up. It's too early, right? Well, who knows these things. Lots of folks are holiday shopping at the book store. Tonight I read at the open mic at Village Books. The funny thing was I couldn't find anything to read because it's all to sexy. So I read from my novel--which is also sexy. SO I decided I'm a sexpot--what can I do. Anyway, sexpots garden, right?

Yes, and I have many plants in my condo too. Now I have a palm, and my cat is already chewing on it. I have many African violets, some I've been carrying around for twenty years, not literally, but I've carted them from one place of residence to another. They grow well for me, flower regularly. Do you know that you can root a leave easily. Just make a couple of slices perpendicular through the stem and lay it on some potting oil. Kind of cover the leaf, but not entirely. Then water it regularly. You can even cover it with a bit of saran wrap to make a little greenhouse. It won't be long before it send out new little leaves, turns into a new plant. You can have as many violets as you want--viola, more violets. See Growing African Violets for help with these plants.

This year I'm going to decorate for Christmas. I've been a Scrooge for many years. Just got tired of the mess--or just tired, or depressed. Probably that later. Depressed, then you don't do anything and the excuse is you're tired. But now I'm wired--the opposite of tired. And happy--well mostly. And divorce--completely.

That's all. Ciao!

Tiger Milk

Remember Tiger Milk and having a Tiger in your Tank, and Tony the Tiger? I have a saying, Take a Tiger for a Walk--which means, go with your wildness. I'm open to my wildness, to let it be free and spontaneous, although sometimes I embarrass myself. I like my wild side and being in nature enhances it.

Next to me right now on the bed, my cat is curled, sleeping. I was in Carolyn Wright's poetry class all day yesterday, so he was wild when I got home. He doesn't like me leaving him for long periods of time. And he's addicted to kitty treats, and I ran out. He kept going to the corner that he likes to scratch, which he knows drives me crazy. He'd scratch it, then run away. Over and over as I tried to watch a movie. Still no treats. I did capture him a few times and brushed him and held him. Anyway, he finally settled down and now he's here beside me.

Tiger in the garden. I don't think so, but perhaps roaming nature spirits. Have you ever read that book All Good Things, or something like that. I'll look it up. She talks about talking to the nature spirits to help your garden. Say if you have too many moles, just talk to them, ask them to stay over in the common area, or on the paths. It worked for her. There's also The Findhorn Story to check out.

Well, all for now-happy day, Flower

Chameleon Tulips

You can still plant tulips, you know! And when you go to the tulip store or to the catalogue, say Territorial Seed Company, you'll find some lovelies you can order. I like Antoinette tulip, also known as a chameleon tulip. Get this, it blooms yellow and then begins to blush like a maiden—that's what the catalogue says—and eventually it turns salmon-colored. Very pretty both in the garden and on your table.

At my ex-house I planted the darkest purple tulips I could find--almost black. Next to them I planted yellow tulips. Ahhh, breathtaking. I have never grown the chameleon tulip, but my ex said (when I met him) that he was a chameleon—what I didn't realize at the time was that he meant it. He would be what someone wanted him to be at the drop of a hat. In my case, I wanted a loving husband that would be there, stand beside me, be playful, good cook, hard worker, smelled good, etc. What I didn't realize is all those years he was too busy for me was because it is hard to hold the form--you know, like the lizard people they say run the government.

Remember how on Star Trek the shape-shifter eventually lets go and returns to the slithering mass he really is. Well, the slithering mass of my ex is refreshing now. Why? You might ask. Because I couldn't ever get it why he was so testy and the look he always gave me—sort of a not-on-your-life look. But now, I'm divorced—free at last. And I have a legal name, got the drivers license changed and new checks are on their way. I'm good to go. And I don't have to interpret what is going on.

What is love really? I think I've been asking this question for a very long time. When I have my hands in the dirt and I'm focused on weeding around my vegetables, I don't think much about love. I just have this wonderful feeling of wholeness and goodness inside. Other times I'm wondering, can I love, have I loved, am I lovable? It's a tough one for me, and perhaps for others. I think the answer is yes to all of these questions, and the right guy will come along, eventually. I also have asked myself if I'm a chameleon. Maybe a little. But faking it doesn't last long for me—I'm not a good actress nor a good liar. Nor do I return to a shivering mass. I do blush like a maiden on occasion.

How about some tulip shopping or daffodil shopping for the holidays. Spring flowers are just so enlivening. Happy to see them push through the ground because it says spring is not far off. Here's a book to help you grow them-- Gardening with Tulips

Happy, happy,

Flower

Plot Next Door

I overheard the woman in the plot next to me saying her husband was good for nothing. Those might not have been her exact words, but she was complaining about how much there was to do, to garden and to keep house and to sell the dahlias she grew. Her sister was there with her and she was commiserating, also having a ner-do-well husband. And I'm hoeing away, recalling my ex saying that he wasn't going to have a honey-do list and me saying, what's that? And he has a scrunched up forehead as he blurts, you know, me doing this list of things that the wife says to do. You and all the others are all the same. I laughed. Because I was the mechanic and plumber and electrician of the family. It was the way I was raised, wiring panel boards at my dad's office, fixing my sink drain when I lost a contact, rebuilding the duel carbonators on my Volkswagen hatchback.

But if I had a honey-do list, it would read like this: Hold me, feed me, tell me I'm beautiful. Make me feel safe. Bring me breakfast in bed. Oh and turn over the garden. Please add the right mulch, and those leaves at Brenda's, haul them please. Ha, that's not much though compared to what I do, feed and feed and feed. But that's my work, to love unconditionally. The psychic told me, unconditional love is a good goal for a soul. Just spread it around like sweet jam.

Well, I had acupuncture yesterday and still my head hurts. But I slept deeply and dreamed of this large open boat going down these waters; there were lots of us aboard and we were standing up, admiring things. Other boats where they grew great bunches of oysters and the walls of the river, if it was a river, where rock and covered with plants. The guide told us to sit down and then there was a crack and the boat started to sink. I started to swim and the guide said not to swim. And I imagined crocks. So then this ugly guy was climbing the rock wall. I was climbing after him. I just didn't know what we were going to do next. And the alarm went off.

Okay, gotta go. The grandbaby is coming today.

LOL, Flower

Swiss Chard

There are many varieties of Swiss Chard. Some, like Bright Lights are so colorful in the garden. They light it up all winter long--in milder climates, that is. I've grown Golden Chard and Rhubarb chard, too. And the common chard of course. (Sorry, this is kale, didn't have a picture of chard.)

One of my favorite dishes is French Lentil Soup with Chard. I took a recipe, it might have been Martha Stewart's originally, and I changed it, as I do. Here is one of my favorite dishes. Saute onions and carrots until tender, add a cup of french lentils and a can of stewed tomatoes. I like the Italian seasoned. Then add some water and simmer until the lentils are tender. Then add chopped chard or kale. Ah, this soup is so flavorful. I like to drizzle olive oil on top. You can dunk crusty bread in it and serve with a salad. Good for cold winter days. 400 Best Soups Ever

Today it looks like rain. Yesterday everything was way frosty. Now that I have a handle on this dark early thing, I think I'll be doing more garden reading.

Ciao! Flower

Down Coats and Warm Blankets

Well, now it is so cold I'm wearing my down coat to take my walks. But I can't complain, because we're having sunshine. Shine on! And last night I couldn't sleep as the trains kept whistling all through the night, and now again this morning--train whistles. It is interesting how the conductors blow their whistles. Some, it seems, play with the echo across the bay. I'm betting this, as it really is a sort of music as they push and back off on the whistle. And then there are the conductors who lay on the horn straight away. Like I do my car horn when someone has turned in front of me. Yes, you know the drill.

If it hasn't started snowing where you live, you may have leaves to rake yet. These leaves are one of the best mulches and aerators for your garden. Pile them on in big heaps instead of bagging them and putting them out for the garbage men. This is my job still--are I pathetic or what? No, just too busy. Last night I laid awake, groaning from too much dinner. I picked up my grandson and then drove through rush-hour traffic--it's nothing in Bellingham compared to other places, but it was busy--even in Fairhaven. We headed to my daughter and son-in-law's new home. They just moved in yesterday--I was surprised at how organized everything was. They had lots of help--which is good in a move. And we ate some dinner and looked around. All those warm blankets on the beds, a good thing. I heard on the news on the way there that the Obama girls--Milia and Sasha --have been invited to star on Mili Cyrus's show. I was thinking that these girls will be interesting to watch. Perhaps more public than most White House kids. Is there a vegetable garden at the White House? A pea patch close by? Fall leaves to rake? There's a good book about fall that all kids will like Fall Leaves Fall! A good gift for Thanksgiving. Ahhhh! Turkey and stuffing.

Well, I'm off to editing and to see my naturopath. Happy day. Smile, the sun is shining. Flower

Getting it Done

All gardeners really want is for things to be beautiful, for plants to grow, to sit at the table with a plate of steaming vegetables after a hard days work. I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to put food by, how easy it is to dry fruit—pears?—with a food dryer, to steam and freeze vegetables—if there are any left. Sour kraut from your cabbage—you could still have some cabbage left in the garden. I made sour kraut once. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted. Not like this stuff you buy in a can or in a jar. It was just salty enough and just tart enough. I made it in a crock. I don’t know where I got a crock, but I had one.

It was the first house that Jack and I owned—my first husband—and my kitchen was awful—a stove, a bit of counter, and a farm sink. All this on one wall, on the opposite wall, the refrigerator, the door to the basement, the door to the back porch. The other two walls, door to the dining room and window to the yard. So that was it. My kitchen in the condo has more counter space. I think I had a rolling table, that’s where I kept the kraut, by the window.

So all you do is chop the cabbage and salt it, put it in the crock. I think it makes it’s own juice—cabbage is juicy you know. You weight it down with a plate and wait. Everything has to be super clean. If not, you could grow mold and nothing else. Well it worked, and then I baked rye bread and made corned beef. Jack and I ate this meal more than once, as I grew lots of cabbage. I also made pickles this way. I wanted to farm, but it didn’t work out so well this lifetime. It's just too exhausting.

A psychic once told me that Jack and I had been together for four lifetimes. Once I left him, once he left me, once we stayed for the whole shabang. We were farmers. And here we were in this life, living on mini-farms, making pottery and selling it at craft stores. Up there where the council sits and observes us humans (theoretically) they’re nodding, yes, they did it again.
This sounds weird, but it’s early still, what can I say? I’m tired. Yes, and it’s about time for my spinach and egg omelet. Today is a writing day, tomorrow a garden day. And the weather, still holding.
Ciao! Flower

Fall Sky, a Delight!

I started to write this morning, but then my internet was being a pill, remember when everyone was a pill, or was that just in my family? Anyway, I couldn't get it to save anything, then I couldn't get the blog to come back up. Then I lost what I wrote. Now I don't recall what I was thinking, but I can tell you the light now is fabulous, during the morning and evening that is, that pink and blue sky we get around here. It is particularly pretty when the color lights up the peaks, I guess they call that Alpine Glow. I just learned that recently. When I lived on the water I fixed the spyglass on the Cascades, where the peaks were covered with the most snow and then when the sky turned pink as the sun went down, wowsa, it was fabulous. That same color colored the garden, the big maple, the yellow flowers on the kale, ahhhhh! I'm a sucker for color.

Last night I went for a long walk on the boardwalk that scoots out over the bay where it touches into shore in Fairhaven.It was cold but oh so beautiful--perhaps prettier than I've seen the sky in a long time. And it was so cosmopolitan--german, russian, american, french, you name it, the language was floating on the boyant air. Good moods everywhere, sunny and warm on a fall day. Fab.

Okay, so I'm including pictures of Taylor Dock and shots toward the ferry terminal where the Alaskan Ferry comes in. In the distance you can see Lummi Island and beyond, Orcas.

Ciao! Flower

Garlic

If you live in the Pacific NW you could probably still plant garlic. It's is a fall planted crop, which gives it lots of time to grow. Territorial Seed Company has many varieties. I had a friend once who grew and sold many different varieties. It's amazing how the flavor from one to the other is so different. Some are easier to peel than others, and the elephant garlic, a gem.

If you buy local garlic, peel it and keep it in a jar in your fridge—rather than buy big jars from China, you will be doing local economy a favor—and with all the poisoning coming out of China these day, perhaps doing yourself a favor too. Try Chet's Garlic, Fireball, or Purple Glazer. There is Elephant garlic and Northern White. Garlic is high in good antibiotic-like qualities. It will keep you well. When I get a cold I make chicken soup with a 20 cloves of garlic. This is a healing remedy that works. I even have heard that sticking a clove of garlic in your ear when you have an earache, it will do the job. I'm not going that afar, but garlic is good. Last night for dinner I had sautéed leeks with garlic. Yum! Don't forget keeping the vampires away.

All is well if the garden is well, Flower

Unagi Don

Seasoned eel on a bed of sushi rice. Strips of julienned Daikon radish. Wasabi & pickled ginger. Yummy! No not the babies dinner, the mean Eileen and I had last night in Canada. We drove to Canada, about a 1/2 hour drive from here, to listen to another friend, Elke, talk about spiritual discernment. This was in regards to following spiritual teachers—like Eckhart Tolle--or new ones that will be coming out of the woodwork. She was advising us as to how to know if a teacher is right for you. She talked a bit about cults and those who wish to have power over others. And those of us who wish to give up our power.

Discernment is mainly a function of trusting the inner messages—hearing "walk away " and following the message is one way to listen to the self. Feeling ill may be another message to walk away or finding yourself checking out. I know both of these well but didn't link them to my situation—which wasn't a situation with a spiritual leader—but was a situation with someone who wanted power over. So eventually, after getting very sick, I walked away. Perhaps it's easier to listen and act--no big deal.

Now back to the meal. It was a Japanese place next door to a metaphysical store in White Rock. The food was excellent. We drove up, crossed the border without too much trouble. I still have junk in my car from moving, and the guard questioned it. He was a bit imposing, but then said, "Goodbye" like the woman says on that show, The Weakest Link. Is that still on? Well, that's beside the point. Anyway, it was a nice evening and the food was great.

Today I'm cleaning out—yes, I told you about Peter Walsh. Cleaning out is the way to get free in life. Okay—I'm willing to try it. First the closet. Yes, then the dresser. Yes, then…. So get Peter's book and see how getting rid of stuff (gurus and husbands too) will set you free. It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff And if you go to Oprah.com you can sign up to get assignments from Peter. We can clean up together.

All for now—LOL, Flower

Raccoons, Rats, and Bears

Cats and squirrels, chipmunks and starlings. Dogs. Sea otters. Opossums. Bear. Yes, I've had all of these in my garden. And as far as I know, it's only the raccoons and deer that cause real problems. Raccoons will dig up table scraps, so if you are the type of composter who digs your bucket of scraps into the soil everyday, and then you find it dug up the following morning, you may do better with one of those black bins with a closing lid. Animals of all sorts are drawn to compost. Once I opened the bin and there was a rat sleeping on top of the compost. It's warm in there, right? Once I headed to the garden and a blind raccoon was digging through the compost. When I hollered at him, he stood on his hide legs and squinted, weaving back and forth like a drunk. Once I came to the garden and saw that I'd lost all my peas to the deer, and once I came to check on my new seedlings and the cats had dug them all up—ah, new kitty box.

Well, some of this just can't be prevented. The most important thing to prevent is rats nesting under your house. That also happened to me. If you have this problem, get an exterminator. Rat poo causes a disease that is deadly. They got into our crawl space, and then nested in the furnace. Eek! The stink!

Okay then, the grandbaby is coming today and hopefully it will be sunny.

LOL , Flower