Blossoms Around Town
It was, I think, after having been eaten nearly alive when painting the exterior of my house, that my handyman asked me whether I wanted him to put up a bat house. “Oh yes,” was my enthusiastic response. “I love bats.” The bat house is up. I hope against hope that some bats will make their way into my little yard in an inner city alley and come to feast on the mosquitoes. I am not holding my breath, but anything can happen. One day, a couple of years ago, a hummingbird appeared out of no where to hover in my garden.
This week I have really noticed the light changing. When I start my morning meditation, the day is just dawning, not full daylight. The cat is not waking me up an hour before the electronic wake-up call, but is rather showing up just before it goes off (he is acting in sync with my routine rather than with the birds’). Even though the days are still hot, there are hints of autumn in the smell of the leaves and certain breezes. The first of the late summer fruits and vegetables are starting to come.
Are you noticing the subtle shifts? Has it changed what you want to practice and how you are feeling when you practice?
Yesterday morning, when I was starting to pack to leave for Oregon today, the most critical elements for getting ready (after making sure I had my wallet, camera, and some yoga clothes in a suitcase) were to water the garden well, pull some weeds, pick ripe vegetables, and cook.
I’d given away some produce a couple of days ago, but still had eggplants, peppers, tomatoes from the garden and half an onion from something I had cooked earlier in the week.
I cut everything in half, slathered it in olive oil, sprinkled the vegetables with coarsely ground pepper Himalayan pink salt and put it into the toaster/convection oven (my favorite kitchen appliance). The vegetables roasted while I was doing other chores. Now, on my return, I will be able pull from the freezer ingredients for a wonderful pasta sauce.
As much as I am looking forward to a week of yoga and exploration, I’ll be delighted to come back to garden and my own kitchen. It is almost time to start planting greens, beets, and turnips for fall.
That kind of day.
