The wild Mayberries

. . .have been so abundant this year. They're also known as huckleberries, but Mayberries says when they arrive and that seems right. We have tons of wild blackberries, too - but the kudzu spraying means they are off limits this year. I lobbied hard for goats to eat the kudzu, but there's no government cost sharing plan for goats. Maybe some day.

Anyway, there's just something magical about the Mayberries and I can't get enough of picking and eating them. . . . . and they just grow - without any interference on our part! I know Paul would have thought they were really cool, too.

The past few mornings there's been a lot of moisture in the air - but no rain. And we are desperate for it, even as others are flooding along the Mississippi following the terrible storms and tornadoes. RB put a cistern on the trailer and trucked in water from his aunt's for the garden and orchard.

I think the fruit trees will live but was dismayed to see all the persimmon blossoms on the ground. Our raised beds have been hit & miss so far - but they will be successful when we get the soil built up. Trial and error - learning as we go. The cabbages didn't make heads and don't know what that's about. The strawberries look great, but we had to put down landscape cloth to kill the hay seeds (tried to use it for mulch) and has kept the runners from spreading properly. The blueberries are hanging in - the plants are strong and the Mayberries have more than made up for them this year.

Thank goodness for those great, reliable Earthboxes! Tomatoes and peppers are looking good.

So, after watering everything I was pooped and took a break. Played in the worm bin adding the 3rd tray to our new Worm Factory 360, using dirt from an old planter, wet cardboard, a bit of pumice, some wheat bran and goat poop (starter worms and goat poop courtesy of Mr. John Harrelson, 'the canjoman'). Topped it off with wet, shredded phone book pages. Each tray is a little different, but worms seem to be thriving in their new home.

Cleaned the kitchen and made banana bread with wild Mayberries. Supper included day-before chicken from the crock pot with sides of cabbage and orzo cooked in onions and chicken broth. After dinner we took the dogs for a ride - they run, we ride - in the Polaris.

All in all, a very nice day in Boston, Alabama. 5/11/11

Rewinding my clock

I've just stayed awake through the night, moving from one thing to another without interruption - calmly, slowly. No hurry needed - the night belonged to me. Unstructured, but doing things I never seem to get around to otherwise. And as dawn breaks, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction. . . . and quite rested.

About once a month it calls to me. Usually beginning with the completion of a task on deadline - and then stretching out before me those delicious few hours where my mind settles down and the constant brain chatter of 'what next' and re-prioritizing the 'things to do' list goes away - and I actually get stuff done.

It's going to be a great day!

This morning

I woke in time to say 'good morning' to a fat raccoon as it came out from under
our beach house and swam across the creek to the wetland area on the other side.

This morning I woke to the news of dead sea turtles washing up on shore in
Mississippi.

This morning I feel a sense of doom and unrelenting anger at the man made
disaster unfolding along our beautiful gulf coast.

This morning it is in my own back yard and I am in the company of much of the
world where man made destruction from war and consumption is killing the earth
and I know the earth will be better off without humans for we do not seem to be
able to stop.

This morning I would welcome a hurricane off shore in place of what is out
there.

This morning my heart hurts and it is almost too painful to think about.

Purple Martin Dawnsong

In the predawn moments of this cool, damp, spring morning - the air suddenly filled from all directions with the Purple Martin Dawnsong. And as I stood there in the chilled air, mesmerized for those brief moments, I felt like the luckiest person alive.
The Purple Martin Conservation Association

A Lonesome Dove

This morning I heard the dove before I saw it. As I searched for the source of the mournful call, my eyes located it - sitting atop a post. It moved from place to place, looking and calling. . . . .looking and calling. At one point, it landed on the railing just outside my window and I could feel it's distress. Looking and calling for it's mate. I can hear it still. The wind and storm were fierce last night. How long will it continue the search?

UPDATE: Well, that's what it FELT like, anyway. A bit of googling revealed it was likely a male dove advertising in the early morning for a mate to spend the season with. Once they find each other, they will stay together and nest several times during the season.

Either way, he was, certainly, a lonesome dove.

Things I'm leaving behind with 2007

Low self-esteem
Fear of the future
Unhealthy food
Alcohol

It's a short list, I know - but a very significant one for me. 2007 has been an incredible year for personal growth and I will always remember it fondly. And I'm not making any New Year's resolutions, either. For the first time in my life, I am perfectly content to enter the New Year just as I am.

Happy New Year everyone!

Money Angst

Just had a breakthrough over the tied-in-knots, stomach-churning emotions I've always had about money. One of those 'ah-ha' moments we all have, asking "How in the world could I NOT have seen this before now?" Of course our psychological relationship with money is complicated, yet. . . I wonder how many of us have given serious consideration to the source of our emotions about money?

I'd always thought my money angst came from not having enough of the stuff. And while that has surely been a factor at times, I now understand my physical and emotional reactions to money issues have also been as much about anticipated conflicts with others over it. I'm hoping this new understanding will help me, finally, put it in proper perspective.

More money can surely solve many issues for us - but understanding our emotional relationship with money has the power to effect our lives in ways we may never have imagined.