Elderberry Flower Blessings

Forgive me, again, faithful reader, for I have spent more time in the garden and Facebook, then I have writing in this forum. I shall try to include my posting here more often, for I know not everyone sees my posts of Facebook

The Full Blessing Moon for July has just passed and the air is hot with sunshine and refreshing with cool brezes from the water. We live in such a blessed place! The Sun, the Moon, the waterways and the gardens, all combine in just the right amount to create a wonderland of sights and sounds that makes my heart sing and my mouth smile.

I have gone swimming in fresh and salt water several times this month. The ocean is still cold but refreshing on a hot day, and Muddy Pond, where my friend has a camp, was warm, fresh and delicious! I didn't stay too long on my saltwater forays, but the lake beaconed and my friends led me on a mile long journey to an island on the lake. It was way too much for my deranged back though, and I've been fairly incapacitated ever since. I know better than to swim for 2 hours without a break, but I still had fun and I really don't regret it.

The Elderberry bush is in full bloom now and I'm picking flowers to dry for tea I use for Winter colds and flu. Today I'll try an Elderflower Champagne receipe that my friend with the lake house shared with me. I'm also using her Arnica oil on my sore back, and I think that helps too.

My days have been filled with weeding, watering, harvesting and tending. I feel like I have a pack of growing kids! It's like I get to spend all day changing diapers, wiping noses, making snacks and brushing hair... but it's all weeding, watering, tending... I love being a Mother!

The Elderberry bush is known as the Grandmother of the garden and she is a spirit and presence that simply cannot be denied. From a few dried, dead Winter twigs, she springs to Life and bursts into leaf and bloom, becoming a beacon for Butterflies, Bees and Fairies of all kinds. The soft, whate fluffy blloms with the delicate scent, later becomes tiny, dark purple, juicy berries that produce an elixir of magnificent quality for a variety of ailments. And, it tastes delicious!

Elderberry brings us Healing, Beauty, and Blessings all in one! Throw some berries onto damp, sunny spots and in a few years, Elderberry will bring joy to you and your life. Learn to love this beautiful, dignified lady of the garden, for she will bring you health, wisdom and grace! Blessed Be!

Is It June?

Summer has officially begun, for the calender tells me so. The thermometer, however, is a different story. The Spring has lingered long and wet, like a melted ice cream cone, that didn't come with a napkin. It feels about as warm and cozy too.

This happens some Springs. The weather pattern gets stuck in 'Canada' mode and we suffer thru weeks of cool, drizzly, damp days that make me long for sun and shorts.

The garden has been pleased with the daily downpours and the thunderstorms add precious nitrogen to the soil. I wish now I had planted my beloved Snow Peas. I couldn't find the seed this year, and I refused anything less than a Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea. They are the sweetest and the best and I know better that to waste my time and space.

I'm cutting the Garlic Scapes this afternoon and adding them to a Chicken Corn chowder that simmers on the stove. Today the temps have climbed from the 50 degrees yesterday gave us, all the way to 60! I'm still cold and the woodstove will be going later (again!).

The lettuce is exploding and Sage is in full flower. The cukes are just now sprouting and the beans too. I may get a few Beets and Carrots, but the Chicken Girls have done a job on that bed by scratching up the seedlings. I'll consider it a good thing, when I discover I don't have to weed the Carrots... maybe! The Cherry Tomatoes have nice green globes in the green house and the outdoor varieties are thriving in spite of the cool air.

More rain tomorrow, then sun for most of the upcoming week. I'll try to mulch well before the season actually does warm up, cause I really don't like to weed! Happy Summer to all!

Rhododendrons Rock!

The Rhododendrons absolutely glow with color and literally hum with the haappiness of the Bumble Bees. The Lilacs fade and the Honeysuckle turns from white to yellow as the last blast of scent fills the yard with fragrence.

Spring is so delicious to me. The air is moist and full of birdsong and flowery smells. The soil is receptive to the coddled seedlings and the chickens purr as they pick bugs from the lawn.

Life is a wonder to me today. The tree frogs trill
from the edge of the woods.

The gardens are mostly planted, though I have few more beds to complete. So far there are 19 Tomatoes - 6 Brandywine, 6 Cherry, a Sungold, and several mixed heirlooms, a half dozen Cayenne Peppers and 8 Sweet Peppers, slicing and pickling Cucumbers, Dill, Sweet and Lemon Basil, Summer Savory, Bush Beans, Italian and curly Parsley, Acorn Squash, Zuchinni, Sunflowers, a Potato hill and the Onions and Garlic. Carrots, Beets, Onions and more lettuce and sprouting from seeds, though it is a race with the chickens for the sproutlings. I've erected a twig fence, which does not deter them, in fact I believe they are playing a jump the twig game...

There are still a few Pumpkins and Beans and more Sunflowers to plant too. The 'cool and cloudy' forcast actually became a drizzly day, so I got little gardening done today. I did snap a few pics of the Rhododendrons.

I'm off to watch the final leg of the Triple Crown - the Belmont. I love horses and the thrill of the race. I only hope for an mishap free race and all the best to all. I don't bet and I don't like any abuse of the horses - enen the whipping bothers me. I just like the beauty of the beast, the nobleness of the horse touches my heart and makes it beat a little quicker, a little stronger. The feel of the horse, the smell, the speed and power of the animal - it appeals to me on such a viseral level. I remember wishing on the evening star for a pony... I still wish for one and perhaps on day the wish will come true.

The Lilacs, Forget me Nots and Lily of the Valley bless us with their presence, their beauty and their Heavenly fragrence, while the Bleeding Heart nods with approval.

Spring has arrived at Windsong Woods at last! After such a long, cold, snowy Winter, I relish a walk in the woods with my 6 year old neighbor and the dogs.
The mosquitoes and blackflies were still in the early stages of sucking blood and fertilizing their eggs, so we were left alone as long as we kept walking.
The Lily of the Valley has begun to bloom and the Lilac just popped open a flower this morning too. The Dandelions and Violets are just going by and the beautiful Lady's Slipper are now starting to show their beauty.
I wish I could let you smell the Lily of the Valley, for I am sure that Heaven must carry this scent on the breeze. The birdsong fills the air with joy and the plentiful rains have left the gardens lush and green, with flowers and leaves as green and vibrant as ever I have seen.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The Full Moon has brought us a solid week of cold, wet, drizzly days that only Maine in May can produce. It's cold enough to light the woodstove every day and wet enough to add inches to the new rain gauge.

The garden loves this rain of course. The weeds grow thick and lush and full and laugh at my feeble attempts to pull them from the ground. There is a prolific weed that smells of garlic and has a prett whirl of white flowers, that literally takes over at this time. I somehow can't find the name, though I know I have it in one of my books. I should know it, but I call it the garlic weed.

The rain has dampened not only my enthusiasm, but really put some of the blossoms at risk of not being pollinated. Bees can't fly in the rain. My pretty Pear tree is trying to bloom too.

Here is a rainbow to brighten your day... I'm off to dig some Dandelion roots. Or light the woodstove.

Spring Has Hope

May is the month of hope, of Life, of plans. When all our dreams can be realized and all things are still possible. We have survived the cold death of Winter and are reborn into a new day.

It's a time when I know all the gardens will be weeded and planted and all my dreams will come true. I can taste the sweetness of the tomatoes to come and feel the weight of the damp, cool carrots that will leap from the ground into my hand in late September...

I smile because I know that the truth will never be close to my fantasy garden. The Tomato Hornworms are due to hit again this year and a cool wet Summer will mold even the nicest Pepper.

It doesn't matter to me now. For today I will sow seeds and pull endless weeds. I won't know or care that the seeds will dry out and die or that the weeds will only pop up faster after the sun and rain hit them a few times. Selfsown plants may flourish instead and some weeds are delisious as well as beautiful.

By July this urge to create the garden will be gone. I'll hide from the hot sun, yet long for the breeze at Pemaquid Beach. I'll water and caress the flowers as they arrive in their colors and artful dresses. But I'll realize the futility of it all and finally let the garden have it's way. The Beets may surprise me this year and the selfsown lettuce will be the best of the season.

Yes for all my sins and inadequacies, the garden shall thrive, and grow and be the best that it will be and I'll be happy just the same.

May your Spring bring you out to play in the garden too. It's fun out here! Come on... Join me!!!