MLK Quote

MLK Quote

Nature's Inspiration Movie

http://www.flickspire.com/m/HealthierL433/NaturesInspiration -- Nature's Inspiration Movie: The photographs in this short video are from award-winning photographer, Ken Jenkins, and they are breathtaking. However, this video is much more than beautiful photographs! Peggy Anderson has compiled beautiful quotations from the likes of Emerson, Thoreau, and many others that truly capture the beauty of nature and solitude. Absolute must watch for nature lovers.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Seasonal Celebration

I am participating in the meme Seasonal Celebration hosted by Donna and Beth. I am also linking this to the Nature Note's meme hosted by Rambling Woods.

I do not like shopping unless it involves book or anything related to garden. So, it was a tiring morning as we had to go for groceries and other little shopping. This has been the winter with record snow-storms and winter temperature. Yesterday (2/28) night also the temperature went down to about six degree Fahrenheit (about minus 14 degree C). Snow and frozen-ice covered lands, lakes and other water-ways, and piled-up snow are everywhere. It was a sunny day and the reflected sunlight from all those accumulated white things on the ground was making the eyes more tiring. Thus, on coming home I fell asleep with the Heirloom Gardener magazine in my hand.

When I woke up it was already quarter past six in the evening. But I was surprised to see that there was still light outside. Winter has not loosen its grip with another snow-storm, Winter Storm Titan, coming in on Monday (3/3) that will dump about six to twelve inches of snow. But the hour-hand of nature has not wavered and is ticking away towards another spring. Sun is rising earlier and higher up in the sky, moving away towards east more and more everyday. It's also going down late. The morning skies are gorgeous.

The Robins have not appeared up here yet, neither the Juncos have left this winter-home but the northern migration has started as reported by the citizen-scientists here. The early mornings are filled with songs of various birds of which I can only recognize that of Cardinals. I am seeing them flying after one another -- are those the results of birds fighting for territory or chasing each other for mating? I am also seeing them trying to gather materials for nests. They must be having a tough time this winter as all the dry leaves and grasses and broken twigs are under snow and ice. Squirrels are also chasing each other running up and down the trees, always a familiar sight here before spring.
Spring is imminent but it is too cold outside for the trees and plants to wake up yet. But the longer daylights have awaken up the plants inside the home. Newer leaves are emerging on the eggplants and pepper plants. I am busy making plans for the garden, and planting seeds. Onions, chives, artichokes and even some garlics (well, I had too much garlics -- they are getting planted since Fall in every nook and crany that I can find) seedlings are thriving inside the house. As I am planning on putting in more seeds, I am thinking about my last year's experience.

Couple of years back I could not grow anything from seeds. I don't know how or when that learning happened, but eventually I learned to grow most flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs from seeds. One of the greatest mistakes a gardener can do is become over confident or lose patience or become busy. I think I either lost patience thinking that if these seeds could handle the rough outside world, then they could also handle a wee bit of negligence in the pampered world inside the house. Or I became too confident, and thus lost many seeds. Yes, I had a bumper crop of tomato and potato and fair amount of garlic, onion, okra, eggplant, pumpkins, pepper, gourd and other kinds of herbs but the amount was nothing compared to the amount of seeds I put in. And, that was a mistake -- it's very difficult to handle too many seedlings. So, the biggest lesson learned last year is to have lots of patience and not to rush. More I am twitching to put in seeds, more I am recalling the experience and really going slow this time, taking one baby-step at a time -- put in one type of seed, take care of them, let them grow to a reasonable size where a day's negligence will not matter much; then, put in the next batch of seeds.


Another lesson that I learned is to have a plan for your garden -- where each plant will go, when they will go and what will come after them. I didn't have any such plans. The result was that I didn't know where to put what, and thus some plants which needed to be in shade got put out in sun and vice-versa and that also resulted in smaller number of crops harvested. Also, when it came to fall planting, I didn't have the correct space. So, planning for the garden is an absolute must.


Keeping detailed notes is another must -- which seeds produced most; when were the seeds put in; what were their germination rate; how much space did it take -- how tall and wide did it become; were they able to handle some frost? how much flower did it produce or how much crop? How fast did a plant grow? Did they require lots of watering and fertilizer? How did it go with the surrounding -- birds, mammals and insects? -- every possible questions and ideas need to be recorded and studied. And, not surprisingly which I failed to do. I also put in the plants too close together and thus many of the plants inter-twined and created a tangle which didn't allow sunlight inside and it was also difficult to harvest.

With all these lessons in hand, I am again marching forward to another year of gardening and another small step towards the grave. I cannot help but have such morbid thoughts as this time of the year always stir up the philosopher inside me as I experience and observe the cycle of season and life. Just like Death, winter spread out its cold tentacles and took away the lives of so many tender plants and reduced the trees to its skeletons. The earth fell silence as birds and mammals hid away in their nests and dens, coming out only when hungry; they forgot to sing and play. But now things are stirring up, waking up and that also creates a flutter in my soul. Something happens inside me and which is very difficult to describe; I get the feeling that something big and profound will happen; I feel like dancing and rejoicing and sucking up every ounce that life can offer before death overtakes me. Thus, I rush to plant in more seeds, order more plants, read more gardening-books and browse more catalogs and wait for that something unknown but beautiful to knock on my door.


19 comments:

  1. Spring is just around the corner, no wonder you're having such positive sensation and excitement!

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  2. Watching seeds sprout and nurturing seedlings is indeed exciting. I've done the same happy dance here many times. As for Death, it can kiss my ass. I'm going to be here for a long time!

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  3. Good luck with all these seeds. I hope they do well. I haven't started any yet. I am afraid they will have to spend too much time indoor if I start them now (we are colder than you are). There is so much snow to melt.
    As for life and death, they are part and parcel of the same thing aren't they? We are alive now, let us enjoy life.

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  4. I say Casa has the best philosophy!

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  5. This is such a nice reminder that I have seeds I need to plant (indoors) soon. ;)

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  6. When we die, we will have a seed sown in the ashes, that then grows into a mighty tree :-). The cycle of life and death, thus will be unbroken.

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  7. I am glad you feel you are mastering growing plants from seed better, it is such an easy way to get lots of plants for nearly nothing :-) Soon spring will arrive to your garden and the whole thing will explode in colour, not long to go now!

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  8. Keeping detailed notes is an excellent idea, something I'm very bad at though. I do keep a word document on my laptop where I put ideas that come to me.

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  9. I used to grow a vegetable garden but don't do any kind of gardening any more...I love to read about it tho...brings back good memories. We patronize local veg farm stands and I love fresh produce. I hate shopping excep for that kind,

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  10. I can so relate to your thoughts on this years winter. It has been a long one for us as well. And your garden planning strategies are fantastic! It is such a balancing act and takes so much work to map everything out! I must admit that I am a bit behind in planning this year as the beans have been sick with one thing or another and I have been lacking sleep. Your post has inspired me to get moving! I can not wait to see your garden this year! Nicole

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  11. Hi KL, I can relate to many of the lessons that you have learned, especially that a gardener needs to be patient and that a plan for my garden is required, where plants should go. Being a rose aficionado, I made the mistake to become too greedy and ordered too many roses as bands. Rose bands are quite sensitive and need constant attention and I lost some, because I couldn't give it to them. Then I somehow overlooked how long it takes to dig a decent rose hole in my garden and how much space I have altogether to plant roses, with the result that I have now way to many roses in my pot ghetto, waiting to be planted. Last hot summer I lost quite a few as well, because they simply boiled in their black plastic containers :-(! This year I will be giving a some roses in containers away to clear the pot ghetto somewhat and will hopefully make some progress in planting the ones that I truly can't live without. Wishing you that spring will reach you soon!
    Christina

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  12. This has been a crazy, cold winter! Even though my winter can not compare to yours (and after seeing your pictures in March I should complain less about our winter!), it has made me more and more excited about spring this year. Like you, I love watching seeds sprout and hopefully grow and survive. And yes, planning is a great thing. I usually make elaborate plans, but then don't have them on hand when I'm actually planting and things get all out of sorts. Here's hoping Titan will be the last of this crazy winter!

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  13. This would be a great Nature Notes post too if you want KL....Michelle

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  14. It is so nice to be able to look forward to the gardening season... Great post KL and post anything nature that you want to Nature Notes,,,,Michelle

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  15. Beautiful post. I enjoyed growing seeds last spring -- but I lost many of them in the transplant phase (the peat-based root balls fell apart). I'm probably not going to try this year, but maybe try again next year. I've though about growing them inside toilet paper tubes or paper towel tubes that can be planted to biodegrade in the ground. Any thoughts on that?

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  16. I love your lessons and celebrations. I know by now that spring is inching further ahead for you. I hope the birds have returned. I am awaiting the red-wings soon. Thanks for joining in!!

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  17. O my goodness--sorry about my late reply but I just found this post now. It's great! Thanks for reminding me about the joys of the birdsongs--sometimes that's among the only things to get me through the last teasing days of winter. That, and the promise of the amazing season that now is just around the corner! Yay! Thanks for participating in the memes!

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  18. Same here not very interested in shoppinng unless gardening related stuff.
    No time to read book nowadays.
    Shopping is a bit tiring when you have to make sure 3 kids constantly safe by your side.

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  19. Gardening is really something you have to practise and practise.
    No short cut about it.
    More failure the more you gain experience and knowledge.

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