One Little Word ......

I was reading Mother Moon's Message and I was quite enamoured with her latest post. As I was reading, my word just came to me. It came without hesitation. Passion. Man, oh, man. That's really all I can say. Passion covers so many aspects of my life and probably most other folks, too. Time to re-kindle ones that have been lost and deepen those already in play.

When I think of the word passion in relation to myself, many things come to mind. First, there is always the passion I share with my husband and our deep bond. My anamcara. You can never be too passionate with your loved ones. Second, are my passions for all other things I have in my life. My family, gardens, music, and other creative venues I participate in. These things are always deep within me.

I've never been a "resolution" type of person. I believe everyday there are possibilities for beginning fresh. Sometimes just baby steps are all that is needed. So, I try to make the best of everyday albeit quite difficult at times.

So, if you had to choose one little word, what would it be?

One of my passions - music. Frustrating and uplifting at the same time.

A girl can dream, can't she?.....

Ah, soon - the sweet rewards of summer...

Until then, a girl can dream, can't she?
The berries available at market now are from Argentina. Somehow I have a problem with that. I'll just hang in there like I did when I was a kid and you had no choice but to wait until things came into season. I think it makes each bite more of a treasure.
Until then, I'll just dream.......

Grow It Eat It......

Yesterday was a totally lazy day. I did tidy up around the cottage a bit, but, myself and "Queen" Nuala did this most of the day. She just chillin' and enjoying the woodstove, I taking time to do research on the computer and get re-aquainted with an old friend.

Hello, guitar, remember me? I've neglected thee since I've picked up playing the fiddle.



I made a wonderful discovery while checking into the Cooperative Extension's website. I did not realize they were even doing this program.

I use the online resources from our Extension Office quite often. I check every year on the Master Gardener Program because I would love to do this. The problem I run into is that for my county, they typically do the classes on a weekday. Well, hello, I still have to work for a living.... but, maybe for 2010 it will be different. They still don't have the 2010 schedule for my county, but, all the other counties do. Hmm, we are an agricultural county - c'mon folks!

So in the midst of looking at the Master Gardener Program I saw this link on the sidebar with a little map with dots all over it. I clicked, read, and was hooked. What a fabulous idea! The State of Maryland is trying to promote home produce gardening. They have a vision of 1 million food gardener's producing their own affordable, healthy food. You can check it out for yourself here.

Now I will say this hasn't been promoted very well for it appears they started the program for the 2009 season. This may explain why there are only 3,251 participants to date. So folks, spread the word and let's get this party started! If you're not a Marylander, check to see if your local Cooperative Extension office may have a similar program. It all starts with you, one person, to help others get the gardening bug. It can be as small as a container on a porch or you can fill every inch of your plot of land. It's all good !

Okay, I'll stop preaching. Back to your regularly scheduled program... ;-)

*Grow It Eat It logo from here*

Peaceful Fridays.....

Merry Christmas! Wishing all a wonderful day. May you always find a light in the window.

Have a peaceful weekend, y'all.....

Sharing the holiday - no chickens were harmed in the making of this post....

This year we decided to opt for something different. Instead of a tree, we decorated a holly bush! It too, will serve dual purposes - once to brighten our home and second to add beauty to our yard. But, fair warning, it can be a wee bit edgy to decorate!

Decorations are simple and mostly home made. Here is one of the cinnamon ornaments I mentioned in a previous post.

Salt dough ornaments, homespun fabric tied into bows, strung wooden beads, and various birds finish off our simple holiday bush. No lights. We didn't think it would need them.

Our Yule log for the year. We get our greens from the property - this year white pine, cedar, and holly. My husband and I share this holiday with just the two of us. The rest of the family we will celebrate with on Christmas Eve. It gives us time to reflect and be thankful.

And to finish off our Yule evening, meringue cookies! They melt in your mouth and are easy to make, too. What made them even more delectable is fresh eggs from the girls. Thanks ladies!

So, the rest of today is making cookies and candy for the family celebration tomorrow. Everyone will be here with their assorted significant others which only makes the day more special.

Speaking of the girls, they are not to fond of all this "white stuff". They have opted to stay in the coop, thank you very much. They did venture out today very briefly because I threw some scratch out on the ground to lure them out. Quick treat and back in the coop. Maybe they aren't as dumb as some folks make them out to be!

Back to baking with the hounds at my side. Have a great Christmas!

Yuletide and bringing back the light.....

Looks like we've started the Yuletide season in a most beautiful way!

The gazebo is enchanting in the snow. It stays hidden all through the summer months until the trees that surround it drop their leaves. I like it that way. I have lights strung in and about the gazebo and a cafe set for dining. Just right for two people to enjoy a romantic night.

We have perennial beds surrounding the area, all shade plants. We also have mountain laurel, rhododendron, and azaleas, too.

The perennial bed along the fence is asleep, but, since I don't cut anything back until spring, the birds feed off of the dead flower heads, enjoying the seeds and berries.

Looks like some small repairs are due for one of the wren houses! I started out painting bird houses for nothing more than decorations to put around the yard and porch. Little did I know that they would be used every year for the birds to start new families. House wrens, chickadees, and house finches have all started new families within these houses. Such a treat to watch as the little ones grow.

A goldfinch and a junco dining on some thistle. I wanted to make sure the feeders had seed because most of the plants are buried under the snow.

After getting the shoveling under control and access to all the necessary spots, yesterday was the perfect day for baking and crafting. Here I made cinnamon ornaments for our Yule bush. (We decided on a holly bush to be our tree this year. We plant them after the holidays so they always are there to remind us of that special holiday year.) The ornaments are easy to make and when the kids were small, we used to love making these. All it takes is equal parts cinnamon and applesauce. To get these six stars, I used 1/2 C. cinnamon and 1/2 C. applesauce. Roll out on wax paper, cut with cookie cutter, poke hole in ornament so when they are dry you can put a ribbon through to hang. They will take several days to dry and make sure you flip them over to dry out the other side. The perk is your kitchen smells fabulous and then so will the room with your tree!

So, as we hustle about trying to finish up our errands and whatnot for the holiday season, just remember, the days now will get longer a little bit everyday. It makes me happy knowing this. It makes the sun happy, too! Ya' have to smile when you look at this fella. It's like he has a secret and is dying to tell you all about it.

But, more importantly, I wish you all peace. Peace and happiness for this holiday season and upcoming year. I think the world could use a bit of both. It all starts with what's inside our own hearts.

Have a Happy Yule!

And it's not winter yet......

Oh my, what a grand snow we've had. I don't know the official count, but, I'd say close to 18". Now, I'm not a winter person. I like one good snowfall a year and then let's get back to spring. We had my one mandatory snowfall about two weeks ago. Six inches, pretty, not much to clear and able to still get out and about. Yeah, that's my kind of snow. But, I will admit, there is an inner stirring when you go out first thing in the morning and everything is hushed. You truly feel touched by nature at those moments. Just you and the universe. You have to admit that's kinda cool. And I'm very thankful for those moments.
As the Winter Solstice approaches I get excited knowing the days will now start to become longer and it won't be long before I grumble about cutting grass. I know that in just another month or so I can start seedlings for the garden. I know it will soon be the season of mud. I know it won't be long until we will finish our evenings by sitting on the porch with a glass of wine or some of the hubsters homemade beer and play some tunes. Our ode to twilight.
Yeah, it won't be long. But, until then, I'll make the best of the winter season by being able to just dream - with my husband by my side and three spinning dogs.