garden – Site Title

Paradise!

I love everything or almost everything about where I live. It is like living in a place where time stood still and the “old ways” are still present. The place is green, lush, and pristine at times.

The quiet is contagious and fills your whole being. I’ve lived in places where the hustle and bustle of city life was a constant. Along with it came the noise and “thinking” the kind you do and need for writing was next to impossible. Here, it is the perfect place to get your creative juices flowing and as I sit here at my computer, it faces the big window and outside there is a tall willow tree its branches softly dancing in the breeze. The sun is shining and NOT a sound can be heard! It is pure magic.

I’ve written about the fields where I wander and it takes me places. A muddled mind filled with thoughts that don’t need to be there are wiped away as I set foot on that almost sacred space. The mountains in the distance are often shrouded in haze but they are there silently watching. The open fields against a blue sky is beautiful and the seasonal plants and trees never fail to show up on time. It’s almost like they are cued to take off when the right time comes. No work on your part is needed. The pond in the woods is beautiful and it is where the herons come to roost. In spring, the slender streams criss -crossing the forest area put on a spectacular display of daffodils all along the way. In winter, it is bare but the beauty still remains but in a subdued way.

The sleepy little village doesn’t have much to offer but if you dive deeper there is more than enough to boggle the mind. The old architecture, the beautifully manicured and well-kept graveyard, the churches with their tiny pews, and the tiny little shops, they call them convenience stores here, all go to make up a place that is carved out of history but no matter how old it gets, the beauty of a place steeped in folklore and quiet elegance still remains.

I am grateful for this place and I call it home now. I love the symphony of the birds in the trees as dawn approaches and the late evening songs as they announce the end of another wonderful day. I love the horses that sometimes walk the cobblestone streets and I LOVE the beautifully kept gardens and how the people, especially the old folks who spend most of their summer days tending their gardens with such care and love and even if their backs are bent with age, those gardens keep them going. It is something to do and it is clear that they live for those days in the sun where planting and harvesting becomes important. When winter rolls around, they go indoors and take a well-deserved rest.

I am fully blessed! I love everything about this place and I can’t see myself going back to where life was a constant mad dash and my mind was filled with the unnecessary. I hope that never happens.

Daily writing prompt

What do you love about where you live?

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A Bounty of Abundance

Photo by Elizabeth Tr. Armstrong on Pexels.com

It’s Saturday and I’ve decided to keep moving taking my cue from the proverb, “an idle mind is the devil’s playground.” I told myself to keep moving and not to let overthinking have its way. All good right? Let’s see how far I make it before my old friend, my mind, takes over and smashes it to pieces!

Morning started early. I got up at 7 a.m. and all was well. Chachi, the cat, was purring softly next to me and the world was just waking up. The birds were chirping and the pigeons were cooing for all they are worth! A little irritating but still a pleasant enough sound. The sun seemed to be peeking out after days of absence and I wondered if a walk in nature might be a good idea but nixed it because I don’t like walking on Saturdays. Too many people out and the constant exchange of pleasantries tend to be draining.

My idea for today is to clean house from top to bottom. It should keep me occupied for most of the day since I haven’t done thorough cleaning in quite a while. The dust bunnies are laughing their heads off but not for long! I’m getting the Dyson vac out and it should do a great job of getting everything nice and clean. Chachi, the cat, sans apron and Swiffer in hand, is more than ready to pitch in and give me some help. However, he thinks it is playtime more than anything else. First thing, strip the bed. Then the pillowcases and Chachi’s blankets. The little helper was more than happy. He ran across the bed as if it was some kind of a raucous game. It took about 20 minutes simply because the little rascal was getting in the way and enjoying himself in the process. I got the wash going and decided to head out to the garden to see what’s happening there. It has been days since I’ve been in the garden and I didn’t expect much except an onslaught of weeds!

The surprise was on me. The apple tree was bogged down with plenty of apples! This one lone apple tree in the garden has a mind of its own. Last year, there were no apples to speak off. This year, it is overflowing and the apples though small are crisp and sweet. They are just turning slightly red so probably a week or so and they should be ready to come off the tree and to be given away to the neighbors. I can’t eat them all. The lone cherry tomato plant has some ripe tomatoes on it. Last year, I planted one tomato plant and got a monster harvest so I went with one cherry tomato plant this year hoping that it will be just enough for salads and stir-fries. Looks like it is working. Next to it, the chili plant is doing well. It has four green chilies and the card on it reads, “Hot Chilies.” Keeping fingers crossed that they are. Rounding the corner, I see that the cherry tree is done for this year. I got three cherries although it had an abundance of flowers this year. Where did the cherries go? Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps, next year. The fig tree standing next to it is trying to overdo everything else in the garden. It is lusciously green and full of figs! Last year, the figs took a long time getting ripe and I had to discard most of them because the weather had turned and they couldn’t finish their ripening process. This year, it looks like they are going to make it in time and in a week or two, I should have plenty of ripe figs to give away and to enjoy.

It looks like a bounty of abundance and I am grateful. The sky above is beautifully clear heralding a gorgeous day, not too hot and just right. The birds are picking up their singing drowning out the pigeons and the air, well, it is fresh washed clean by the rain and ready to meet another day. Inside, I hear the beeping of the washing machine telling me to put the load in the dryer. It’s going to be a beautiful day and I’m going to try and make it a great one.

Have an amazing day.

Flip-Flop Days

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My feet are shod in flip-flops today. The sun is already shining and it is supposed to be a glorious day. I stare down at my feet and my toenails in a darker shade of pink are staring back at me. They are happy I presume. The black flip-flops are comfortable, perhaps deceptively so, and a soft sigh of contentment escapes from my lips. It’s been months since my feet felt this kind of freedom having been encased in boots and when at home socks or fur-lined house shoes kept them warm during winter.

Now, it’s time to let freedom reign! It’s not quite summer yet but the warm days and lots of sunshine brings me back to another time and place. I was an island girl once a long time ago. I loved those carefree days of walking on the beach barefoot or feet in flip-flops as I looked for whatever treasures the ocean had dimmed fit to throw at my feet. Some days, I would sit on the sandy beach as close as I could get to the water and let it wash my feet as I leaned back on my elbows and dreamed of faraway places. Places I wanted to visit someday. Little did I know that that dream would come true one day.

The island girl mentality still shows up when the weather takes a turn for the better and my hands reach for those flip-flops! The days of carefree wonder still runs deep and is waiting just beneath the surface waiting to be rekindled again. Today is such a day.

I am dressed for comfort in a white t-shirt and dark blue linen pants. It is still cool in the garden so a grey sweat jacket completes the ensemble of understated and laid-back dressing. The flip-flops on my feet bring a smile to my face. I can picture myself on that beach again but only then I was running around in shorts and whatever t-shirt I could find. Clothes didn’t matter way back when my life was simpler and the ocean was my best friend.

I notice the quiet in the garden but I know that nature is hard at work. I see its handiwork in the clematis drapping over the green fence, their pink blossoms simply gorgeous. The scented rose bush is awash with blooms and the lovely scent, a cross between vanilla and something sweet is mesmerizing. I make a mental note to get the glass bowls out and get some potpourri going. The rose petals make the best potpourri and instead of letting them fall to the ground and wither away, I’ll put them to good use as I did last year.

I can feel the dew drops brush against my feet as I make my walk through the garden. It feels good. The apple tree has lost its sweet-scented flowers and little apples are starting to form and there are plenty of them. A bumper crop this year? Who knows? I’ll let it surprise me. The cherry tree has more than two cherries this year so everything speaks of abundance! The bees are moving from one flower to the next and a lone blackbird is singing from the roof-top. Its song is high-pitched but sweet nonetheless. Everything is touched with sunshine, not the sticky variety that shows up when summer is in full-swing but the kind that feels good on your skin and for now sitting outside with a hot cup of coffee is heaven in itself.

I snuggle back in the chaise lounge just as a huge bumble bee goes whizzing by oblivious to my presence. It too has work to do but my mind is on relaxing today. The sky is a bright blue, the birds are singing and I am at peace. Oh, and my feet are loving their freedom shod in flip-flops! It’s going to be a gorgeous day.

Have an amazing day.