September 2008 Archives

The sunflowers have dried up, the tomatoes are long and leggy and experiencing a resurgence of green after all the rain and cooler temperatures, and my son delights in picking the green peppers.  The okra's still going strong, too, but the squash were devoured by the squash bugs.  (I'm sure I'll be dealing with those again next year.)  Such is our garden now, and I'm wondering what we need to do now that it's fall. (By the way, that's not my cute dog -- from everystockphoto.com by darkpatator, photo called "Les feuilles magiques.")

Looking at several lists, these are the basics to making getting started again next year that much easier.

Clean out plant debris.  Healthy stuff can be composted, but diseased or pest-ridden plants need to go in your yard waste or burned in your brush pile (if it's legal).

Plant or tansplant your trees/shrubs.  Be sure to keep watering young plants until the first freeze.

Clean and sharpen your garden tools.  I hear that putting oil into a bucket of sand is good for storing your tools in and keeping them honed.

Save and store seeds from your favorite plants.  I use regular paper envelopes.  It makes them easy to label and keep separate.

Harvest your herbs.  If you don't already have an herb garden, now might be a good time to plan for next year's.

Feed the wildlife.  Make sure your feeders are free of wasp nests and such, clean and ready to fill for the winter time.  We have a feeder hanging right outside our dining room window so the kids can watch birds eating while we do.  We don't mind the mess, but be aware that wherever you hang a feeder, it gets messy below.

Water features need to be cleaned and drained.  Frozen water expands, and you don't want to ruin your investment.  It's not attractive, but that's why fountains are turned upside down in the winter.

Take care of your roses and gladiolas.  (See links below.)

Some sites if you want to know more:

• Assocaited Content
• Garden Guides
• Love to Know
• Suite 101 -- Cottage Garden
• (Google "fall garden chores" to find related articles)

Enjoy the early fall and the beautiful weather to get your boost of vitamin D and fresh air.  My kids are loving it, but most importantly, so am I!

Driving through town, I look at every house that's for sale, no matter what neighborhood or price range.  Could I see myself living there?  Would it be better than where we are now?  And anything I see and think is beautiful, I ask myself if I could make it.  Chances are that I could, if only I had the right tools.

Feeling the rhythmic tug of "gotta do something different," I am forcing myself to face these behaviors within.  Why do I do this?  Is it healthy or beneficial, or am I just continuing a pattern of looking for happiness outside of myself?

As for the perpetual house-hunting, I figure part of that is that we don't see the house we're living in as our house we want our grandchildren to know.  In five years, we hope to be building our eco-home, the home we'll grow old in.  Beyond that, however, I think it has to do with being comfortable with where I am in life.  I'm not exactly where I think I should be, as ridiculous as that sounds, for where else is there to be but where you are?

I'm sure my friends will attest to the fact that I have some great supplies for sewing, pottery, card-making and gardening.  I love all these things, but rarely make time for them (except for the occasional bursts of creativity which are shared here).  If I need a tool or supply, I want to get as high quality as I can because it makes the task easier, right?  Better?  There is no substitute for time, effort and inspiration -- the best tools out there.

So as I continue my inner work, taking classes like my Servant Leadership and working more in my journal, I hope to further deepen my awareness and move further into living into my true Self, being comfortable with where and who I truly am and with what I can best do.

After all, isn't that what we're all trying to do?  I believe that would help me keep every day truly simple.  We all need blessings on this journey!

When we expend a lot of energy on any given tasks, it takes a while to recuperate.  So, it makes sense after any given event that we should build recovery time into our schedules.  This week when I can't remember anything and my tolerance is nil, thank heavens that my calendar has been relatively slack.

I'm motivated now to get lots accomplished.  I have that sense that I need to be doing much -- preferably that which pays, but I seemed destined to be a professional volunteer.  Today at Target I found a lovely accordion file that I think will fit in my diaper/laptop/purse bag.  In it I hope to house all my concurrent projects without them falling out of their file folders.  Why do I hope that 13 sections is enough?  Borderline obsessively organized, maybe, but it's good to keep everything corralled.

We all have our quirks and our individual journeys.  Going off-road to put all our energy into special projects is like taking the scenic route.  By the end of the trip, everything may get all wild and hairy, but when it's time to get back on the highway, we'll find our groove again.

May we be so blessed to take the scenic route more often.

We still need to fire our kiln, so I'm working to help fill it up.  What better way than with a huge bowl?  After the Cherokee Holiday, I've been wanting to try hand building with coils, so here's my first go at a large piece.  Bumpy.  Imperfect.  Good enough for me!  My hubby fears it will take forever to dry, but it sat in the autumn sun yesterday and got a good start.

I also want to work more with slab pieces, so here's another go at a different piece.  It's to be a gift, so hopefully it will turn out, too.  I pressed some fresh maple leaves onto the top (the leaves are still in place for the photo but peeled off fine after drying a bit), and the impressions turned out well.  I'll probably wax-resist them before glazing to preserve the detail.

I am very much still in the learning process, and I've given up that practice makes perfect.  Better to tell the kids (and myself) that practice makes it better.

If you're lazy about composting like I am or are prone to leaving fruit/veggies on the counter too long, no doubt you've been plagued with fruit flies.  Then they linger for days.  Lucky for me, my hubby found this link to a fruit fly trap.

Hopefully you won't have to use it, but if you do, may it come in handy.  Look around the site.  There are other interesting things to find there, too, particularly if you're into "green" living.

Pregnancy is an exhilarating time -- all the anticipation, excitement and sacredness of what's happening within.  Then there's birth.  Ah, words can only try to capture what happens. We understand what's going on physiologically, but for every woman, there's a different psychological and spiritual story unfolding.  Let us not forget postpartum.  After all this excitement and focus on the mother, now the focus is on the baby; the woman that was once treated like royalty in her pregnant state is now a slave to this infant who is solely dependent upon her.  Hopefully she had a wonderful birth experience and developed the mama bear bond with her babe and gives of her time and body with a happy heart, for what wouldn't she do for this new love in her life?

For the past week in my blogging absence, I've been working with our BirthNetwork for the BOLD Red Tent and the play "Birth."  My time and energy were absorbed in the planning and nurturing of the events, and I had to draw some boundaries for myself (coincidental that that was my last blog topic, eh?).  Then, one by one, the events were born.  I suppose we had triplets!  Two Red Tents and one "Birth" play.  The events were fabulous, and I have earned a new level of respect for the women in my community and the talent and generosity therein.  I was amazed at the beauty of sharing, the diversity of stories, the openness of women's hearts given the space and even amazed at my own ability to help pull something like this together -- not by myself but with the help of others.

Now in our postpartum phase of the BOLD events, I miss the excitement, anticipation and connection with other women.  Those elements are too few in our society.  Yet it was a lovely birth, and I come away knowing that I have much work to do for improvement in maternity care.  In the words of one of my former midwives, I'll "do it with a happy heart."

I believe our lives are meant to serve, and I'll consider it a blessing to serve the wonderful women in our community.  May we all be blessed with beautiful births, whether it be of children or of creative endeavors, and may we all feel the support of one another.

For women, this topic is HUGE.  Boundaries?  What is this of which you speak?

As women, I feel there's a general expectation that we are to be loving and compassionate to all, and little thought is given toward our personal, individual well-being.  Champions are the women who sacrifice everything for the sake of others.  Selfish snobs are those who have a defined sense of their personal space and time.  Shame on us for letting such boxes be drawn.

For all that we do, may we do it with love, but may we first make sure there is love for ourselves.  My work with Time for JOY has taught me that our offerings to others are more enriched if they come from someone who has nourished her own spirit.  (After all, JOY stands for Jesus, Others, and Yourself.)

I just spoke with a friend moments ago who canceled an early-morning obligation because stress was rising too high.  I had to commend her boundary-setting.  I know how hard it is to say no.  I don't do it often enough; just ask my husband.

One of my fears of boundaries is that I will limit my ability to receive a true gift or <gasp> will let someone down.  Other times I'm afraid that if I don't do something for cause x, no one will.

Fortunately, I'm working through those apprehensions.  I know that Spirit is stronger and smarter than me . . . and much more patient and persistent.

We do well to make sure that we are in a good place in every step.  First, be healthy, strong and wise, and then give and grow.  The cycle is something like that, right?

Have a wonderful weekend, and don't forget to
 
For more information about BOLD events in Northwest Arkansas, visit BirthNetworkNWA's site.

You better believe it!  Using King Arthur's cinnamon roll recipe and my husband's wood-fired oven, our family and a friend enjoyed some delicious morning goodness.  It's a treat we hope to have after every pizza night!

Following the recipe, I mixed the dough using our bread machine, rolled it out and then spread the filling.  I rolled it up gently and sealed the edge with milk.  Using a sharp serrated knife, I gently saw through the roll, making about 1 1/2 inch portions.

The air gets cooler every morning now, and while it's not officially autumn yet, the leaves in places on our cherry tree are turning a deep red.  Being a fall baby, I always feel like I'm coming home as it turns cooler and the skies are gray.  It's a time to be honest with myself and others, a great time for reflection.

In a dream night before last, I was talking with my midwives about my new pregnancy.  (Just in the dream was I pregnant, so no one needs to get concerned about me having 5 kids!)  Of course I'll be having "pregnant" dreams now; I've just started two new journeys -- one the women's spirituality group (which meets Wednesday nights) and the other a Servant Leadership course (which meets Monday nights).  Also right now we're having rehearsals for the play "Birth" by Karen Brody for our local BOLD events.  The time is ripe for potentiality even though the light will be less and the earth will be retreating into slumber.  It's a good time to go inward.

For a reality check, where are you in your journey of life, of spirit, of health?  It's time to be open to new discoveries, to be aware of what Spirit might reveal.  O, if only that could be how I live every day!

Blessed be.

Some days are better than others, of course, but most of the time we're left questioning whether we're doing the right thing, whether we're setting ourselves and our kids up for years of therapy, or whether it really makes a difference at all what we do.

Fortunately I found a wonderful resource in our town called Pages of Parenting, and the proprietor there is an incredibly knowledgeable woman.  She encourages the 1-2-3-Magic method of discipline, but even more highly recommends Connection Parenting.  She said parents usually move from 1-2-3 to Love and Logic and then to Connection Parenting.  It's another evolutionary process.  Imagine that.

There are books and self-helps galore, and I value tremendously having experts sort through the rough for me.  I barely have time to feel like a good parent, let alone BE a good parent.  So far the Magic method is working wonders for us.  In a few months we'll study up on Love and Logic; or maybe we'll go straight to Connection Parenting.

Either way, I feel we're evolving as parents, becoming more loving and kind.  There's a lot less yelling in our house, that's for sure -- at least on the parent side!  Parenting involves discipline, which to me is about setting boundaries for the kids, teaching them what is acceptable and what isn't.  When they truly think about it (even if that's not until years from now), the kids will know we are being loving and truthful with them. 

When it comes to making our world a better place, I think being a truly loving parent and person makes all the difference.

I haven't tried this yet, but for all the pottery we'll be doing for Christmas, I figure we better start saving boxes now!  You have to know we go through lots of cereal with four kids!

Also, Make Magazine is one of my hubby's faves.  Give it a look.  You might like it, too!

View the instructable here from Instructables.com, another very inspiring site!

I'm guilty.  I've spent years on sites and never contributed.  Now in the blogging age there are blogs I follow semi-religiously, but few I ever comment on or contribute to.  I'm trying to get better, to be a better blogger in the community.

As I try to improve, I'd love if you helped me, too, by voting on The Blogger's Choice.  Just click on the quote icons up to the right of the page.  You'll have to create an account, but then you can vote for your other fave sites, too.  This comes around every year, and I'd love to grow every year in my loyal readership.  I'm not planning on going anywhere!

Thanks for being here, and I enjoy sharing with you.

We spent Saturday and Sunday in Tahlequah at the Cherokee National Holiday, and I'm so glad we went.  I thought I might post yesterday with some reflection, but there's still processing going on in that department, so I'll wait a bit longer.

While there, we browsed through all the arts and crafts booths and art shows.  There's lots of jewelry, but I get a feeling that basket weaving and pottery were main crafts.  Also, there were delightful gourd masks, beautiful wooden flutes, drums and dress.

The pottery has inspired me.  I'll admit that watching the hand-building and seeing the works in the art shows convinced me not to give up on pottery altogether.  Maybe I just need to work off the wheel.  I also feel like we could try to pit fire some pieces (after first firing them in the kiln to give them a better chance of making it!).  Here is one example of Cherokee pottery, but most at the art shows were done in the blackware style, I guess.  (Both are examples from Joel Queen, who apparently is a prominent artist in this tradition.)

I'm hoping that all the jewelry inspired my daughter, who has lots of jewelry-making supplies.  Or maybe she'd like to try basket weaving.  The demonstrator said she used commercial dyes on commercial reeds, but on natural reeds, she used natural dyes just because that felt right and was in line with what she was taught.

I believe that creating is in all our heritages.  Beauty of creation itself is a gift and one we have the privilege of sort of re-enacting . . . on a very small scale.  Our real gift may just be the conscious appreciation of the act and the joy in sharing our divine inspiration with others.

(basket photo by cherokeebasketweaver from everystockphoto.com)

Birth on Labor Day.

It's an event, an action, and, I daresay, a state of mind.

Watch the information on the official site.  Find an event near you.  Participate.

Be BOLD.