A Pea Picking Garden

Ken showed us what kind of pods to look for, the ones that are plump are the best pick he said.

Peg had just introduced Ken & I to each other, not only was he most welcoming, but he took his time showing me the various details of the garden sharing a lot of information regarding some of his methods of how he would approach things...

The peas above on their vines, with some turnips at hand & a carrot just about to see the light of day..

And really how does one refuse a fresh head of cabbage from the cabbage patch, I know I couldn't.

Good day one & all, a beautiful summer day today!

The seasons of a lifetime, always turning, forever changing...

Last night some very heavy duty storms rolled in across the country. Our son who lives in D.C. said it was really quite turbulent with 75 mph winds in the city. He also said that the police were literaly directing the people to take shelter. I heard about the storm early this morning on the news while checking my emails. Our other friends who live along the Jersey Shore said it was like a hurricaine coming through. Thankfully everyone we know are all safe & well, & hopefully all by you are too.

This morning when I checked my email around 7:30 or so, what would I find but a delightful note from my friend Peg. Peg is my friend who she & I co authored a childrens book together, she invited me to join her literally for a mid morning garden venture. Am not by nature a morning person, yet I know most of the world is, nonetheless have been rising early these days, as it seems when I think so much of what concerns me during my waking time, it is with me even in the far reaches of my sleeping mind.

After a quick breakfast of oatmeal fortified with wheat germ, oat bran, raisins, & several cups of coffee of course, I was in good enough shape to don my pair of navy scrubs, & a fave faded red tee with the porqupine island logo. Oh yes & a short version of some Peppi Longstocking type socks to pull over the legs of my pants as a barrior for ticks.

It was a wonderful morning. How my friend Peg knew it was just what I needed, I really can't say. She just knew! Oh it was just so wonderful to be out there in this marvelusly remarkable

garden. Gardening for nutritional sustance has never been a skill I've litereally cultivated. It has always facinated me, but being I've always been a hands on kind of learner I have never had the opportunity to learn this skill throughly. Ken the warm & welcoming person of whom this garden belongs to has offered it up for limited membership to individuals in the community. And what an exciting venture this is to be! I visited Ken's Community Garden for the first time this morning & ventured down the rows of peas, beets, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, turnips, potatoes, & more... It was a lot of fun to pick all these beautiful organic vegetables, espically since over a bit of time I've seemed to have lost that loving feeling towards cooking, but now I'm hooked! Fresh organic veggies from the garden, & being out there in the fresh country air which is a good thing, as it forces me to push myself out there, & as I look around this beautiful abundant garden it reminds me to not take all of life way too seriously, as we all have our seasons.

A special thanks to our friend Ken who through his generosity of sustainable organic gardening is of course a special individual who we feel fortunate to have connected with in our own individual yet interconnected gardens of life!

Am Only Human~

Am only human, when I share a thought

Am only human when I need to talk

Am only human that calm's my mind

Am only human this here's a rhyme~

Am only human yes it's a quest

Am only human doing just my best

Am only human there can you tell

Am only human can't unring the bell

Am only human I know you know

Am only human my heartbeat goes

Am only human sure's been a trip

Am only human some say it's hip

Am only human if we knew better

Am only human been on a tether

Am only human yes been reigned in

Am only human my thinking spins..

Here on our planet multi molecules

We'll all sing one a blaring a tune

Some days it's worth it, all days it is

We're only human it's what it's been...

****************************

These past two postings have been part of the Peace Garden's ongoing~ Poetry A Muse In Motion project, of which we thank you all so very much for all your caring visits.

Forgiveness An Enduring Exercise~

~Forgiveness~

my eve of self discovery

I shook it up

the u & i

we children in

in space

& time

there is no time in space

an anger deep was ever mine

it touched my spine

my very soul

no not your fault

or nor was mine

it is what was

it is

*************

After this poem was written the author Norman Cousins came to mind, as I thought of his groundbreaking book Anatomy Of An Illness, which so many of us read decades ago. I still keep it at the top of my list as it was truthful, & ever so influential to essential aspects of the~ mind, body medicine movement.

As not to muddle the artwork shared above with letters of text, & such am including the credits just below of the wonderful artists who have shared their enduring talents~

Painting #1 } Remedios Varo, 1908-1963 La Liamada [The Call] 1961

Painting #2 three segments} Hollis Sigler, 1948-2001 To Kiss the Spirits:

Now This Is What It Is Really Like 1993

The photos of the paintings above are part of the permanent collection of~

The National Museum of Women In The Arts, Washington, D.C.

The last three photos were taken at what truly is another special place worth visiting~

the U.S. National Arboretum

Washington, D.C.

I thank you ever so very much for visiting today at the Peace Garden, & look forward to our future time together on yet another page.

We wish you peace true peace.

An Evening of Jazz at The Sulpture Garden

A special cultural treat, with my husband & son for a picnic dinner.  Just love the garden!

The Nature of Nature~

A beautiful greeting in the central lobby at Yale-NH Hospital,

even the ceilings in the patient treatment rooms are embellished with color & delicate form.

We next have scenes from two gardens~

above is the Tranquility Garden which is on the roof at Yale-NH Hospital. This magnificent garden is a place of pure peacefulness, it is truly a labor of love, with beautiful trees, flowering plants, & a rock laden stream too. All on the roof of the 7th floor of a very busy city.

Below are the roses our son Mike gave to me one Mother's Day almost a decade ago. They are of the variety named Lincoln. This springtime these sweet roses were espically happy & abundant, of which I made sure I e-mailed a pic of them to him as I was sure he'd certainly be glad to see that his choice of flowers are still bringing forth their special home grown charm!

We have below some blueberries, not yet blue of course. We've been way busy in these here hills, but if we want to enjoy a snippet or two we had better protect them from the birds, or else..

I do believe in the possibilities of our strengths & abilities. It does take hard work & determination to sift through a lot of it, but it can be done. Often times not easy, as we all don't start at the same starting gate. When we remind ourselves of that, & take time to connect with nature, it does continue to improve our own nature too.

It has been quite a while since I've been able to reestablish a regular rhythm of Peace Garden postings. Reason being,~ life does get complicated at times, & due to all of that, a lot of what ordinarily would make me want to write , to reach out & share... well the complications that have presented themselves during this varied season in a lifetime, so much of which has been written about in books, plays, essays, & composed to music; for me it's been a constant exercise of realizations, & a deep complicated season of extreme contrasts. But that is what any given life is all about, & how we fathom through it all is what lets us know who we truly are.

Many years ago when I was taking an English Lit course entitled the Literature of Meditation we were asked to do an exercise of facing another classmate, & to then take turns of asking the other Who are you? We each were required to answer this question, & every time it was presented, over & over & over... distilling it down until words could take us no further. The question always seems to boil down to that basic one of who & the self, which I have always felt is all of us. We are all mere mortals, & it is through the Arts that I have found an essential connection to our mutual links in the chain of what at times seems like a free floating experience of life unfiltered. It is that delicate balance that is so important, finding fulfillment in sharing & being connected to that wider view of our common humanity. Friends are in so many ways our chosen families, as friendship is not a born into situation. From friendship we learn from one another to accept, respect, & to treat the other simply as we would like to be treated. I don't know if the families we were born into can ever achieve that, but it's certainly a goal of many.

The golden rule never gets old, & the golden years may be called golden, but in many a family they are laden with landmines that individuals learned over time to walk gingerly around. But during times of extreme stress, all steps may not be purely measured, & situations that can come up at times be so heavily laded that for some that spark of creativity may go untouched for sometime, only to be re kindled after a long period of some heavy soul searching. Thus my story.

Peace is fragile, it's personal too, but very necessary to work on. It starts of course within our own selves & must be nurtured & well cared for, otherwise there's a withering on the vine & never a full flowering. I've gotten a lot better at balancing all of this, but am only human of course, & there's no perfection, but in nature. We are after all a part of nature, so ultimately there is hope for every single bud.

Taking Time During Life's Seasons

It's taking a bit of time, but am working on getting those creative juices flowing again. Working out in the Peace Garden doing tons of mulching is helping greatly. When life presents challenges it is best, as for all I'm sure, as an ole Broadway song thus went,... to pick oneself up & start all over again. And am doing it, but it's never been easy.

Enjoy the Tonys tonight one & all. Oh to see a Broadway show once again, just love those NYC family roots!

As we speak my husband has just completed cycling 40miles, he & a good friend of ours are participating in a fund raising cycling event for the Diabetes Foundation. They are cycling somewhere along the Rhode Island coastline, which sounds good, for along the shoreline there are less hills, & here in New England we are always climbing the mountain~

Mavis Staples & Bonnie Rait

We were off to Mohegan Sun last night to attend a concert of icons.  First on stage was Mavis Staples & her fam*, & what a penetrating performance they all gave.  Deep, strong music that goes back some sixty-two years as Mavis told us, with Papa Staples way back then leading the pack.  With references of Martin Luther King, & our  country's dream era it was nearly impossible for this fan to hold back the tears, but no matter when it's heartfelt, that's what it is!

Bonnie Rait was the headliner of last evening's performance of which she too held back nothing.  Her deep true voice, also soulful just about brought the house down with some of her classics.

My husband & I are not too keen on the casino scene, & we can certainly understand the Native Americans need to do something creative in order to earn a decent income for the people of their tribes. After all it was the invasion of the Europeans hundreds of years ago that forced the tipping point, & later of course a true lack of honesty & integrity on behalf of the U.S. Government.  The casino gambling scene must have seemed the only way out.

We only go to to one of the casinos in our state once in a blue moon, & when we do it is always with mixed feelings as we don't approve of, or support gambling & seeing the multitudes of people risking their hard earned incomes playing for chance does cause us both unsettling thoughts & concerns.  But then we just have to keep walking, knowing ever so well that gambling is just another aspect of an addiction be it for pleasure or sport, no matter the motivation.  And as we wrestle with these thoughts we always seem to speak a loud, we find our way through the maze, looking for the music scene of which is our planned purpose for an evening of what proved to be superb in all of it's musical heartfelt renditions!

Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained~

My husband & I are about to go out in a little while, as I've been looking for a special something for this Peace Garden project.  It's an object that has been on my mind for several years now, & hopefully the beginning of this search leads me to a good source of~ where it's at.


I'll certainly be sure to keep you all posted for nothing ventured nothing gained can definitely be the word of this day.  These artsy gardening projects are just the per usual part of my life's daily musings. What to plant, & how & where to plant it.  What to assemble for an assemblage, & just how to put it all together. Found objects incorporated into a multi dimensional work has always been one of my most fun, & must do projects, no matter how weird or funky they may be.  The weeds here in the garden are boundless, yet so too are the ideas that spring forth... & I never truly know how it's all going to work out, but isn't that life too always full of the surprise element? One person's junk, is another person's... object that can offer endless ideas of reuse, recycling & yes there we go~ viva la art!


The object I am seeking this evening, is nothing of a artistic high end, just a very basic object that I hope to incorporate into a fun, often funky, yet serious landscape of which this Peace Garden is created from.  Have a good weekend everyone, & hope to be back with you before too long to update you on our latest finding!

Rhythm Of The Universe - Anthem For The World **EXTENDED VERSION**

The above video was shared with us by our dear friend Lyn who is a member of our interfaith group.  When I clicked onto the link this evening it really did create a stirring emotion.  I hope you enjoy it, & will share it with the special people in your life, as it really is inspiring & a true uplift.

United Nations One World Festival

It's been several months since visiting with you all here at the Peace Garden, since then like all of us so very much has occured in this small space.  As my extended family & friends know my mother continues to be in the midst of a very serious illness.  The elder of my two brothers, David, he & I rescued our mother from her situation down in Forida which began at the end of December 2011.  As of March when our mother was able to travel, & we ourselves had our own situations taken care of & in order so we could travel down there to bring her home.  Since then it's been many a rocky road, for she has had two additional hospital admissions since her arrival back.  All in all since January of this year our mother has had two majory surgeries, & also another additional hospital admission.  Thankfully she is stable at this time, & weve been able to take in a deep breath of this season.

I have not posted much since March 2012 as I didn't want to get into a mode of e-emoting.  So there, we have it, the main reason I have not be blogging due to a mood that has not been all too colorful.  But springtime is here, no matter the rainy weather it brings, & like any season in life there is always a silver lining.  The silver lining I have experienced has of course been the wonderful support of my husband, our adult children, & my friends who really do understand, & are ever so caring & thoughtful.  I thank everyone so very much for just being who they all are, very fine helpful & thoughtful individuals.

Am closing this posting really quick as my husband & I will be off fairly soon to visit my mom in order to share a little of life's sunshine her way too.  For all of the Peace Garden's friends out there I wanted to be sure to put out this link of what the United Nations will be sponcering this month.  If you have the opportunity to attend it certainly promises to be an unforgetable event,~  a reafirming of our hopes for a loving & peaceful world.

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