State of the Garden (Indoor)
This is the first time an African violet has bloomed for me. I don’t know what I did differently, if anything, but I am delighted.
Similar Posts
State of the Garden
When I was out working in the garden on Christmas Day, and it was unseasonably warm, and unduly dry, and the kale was thick with aphids, I looked at the sky and said that all I wanted for Christmas was some measurable precipitation.
New Spinach (and Udyamo Bhairava)
The fifth sutra in Abhinavagupta’s Siva Sutras, is “udyamo bhairava” — the great upsurge of consciousness. When we are open and aware, we can witness this upsurge, the very pulsing of life energy in all that is in and around us, from the springing up of thought in our minds to the burgeoning of spring. The more we practice and live attentively, the more we will see the joy in this upwelling.
When I go out into the garden on the early spring days to see what needs to be cut back, what is volunteering, and what is coming up from fall plantings, I approach with great openness. When we plant in the fall, we do not know with any certainty what kind of winter we will have. Although the long-range forecast was for colder than normal with precipitation near normal (which translates into more than average snow), who could have expected three mammoth snow storms?
I plant with hope and some expectation, but am ready for the loss of some perennials, the failure of some seeds to germinate, and the unexpected pleasure of experiments working or welcome volunteers. This steady planting without specific expectation, with openness to discovery, with joy and attention to the miraculousness of what rises up in the spring, is a very tangible example of what I read in the yoga philosophy. It is how I, I believe, we most optimally would approach asana and meditation, as well as all aspects of our daily being.
Below: new spinach coming up in a container from seeds I planted around Thanksgiving from an expiring packet.
Urban Wildlife
When I was out gathering vegetables and herbs and doing basic tending for the day, I realized a cardinal, who is a regular visitor, had let me get closer than ever before. Then I saw that he was about to try and swallow a praying mantis. I got almost face to face before he let go.
At first the praying mantis was turned upside down, and I wasn’t sure if it was ok. Then I realized it was holding on to a bee.
Untitled
In the late afternoon, after it did not really rain again in this pocket of the DMV, I went out in the garden to get fresh herbs and greens to go with tomatoes picked earlier in the day. This was what the clouds were doing. I was called to pause and, with awe and appreciation, observe.
