Cyclic

Tirelessly the earth turns,
Dusk follows dawn,
Night pursues day,
The moon waxes and wanes,
The deep ascends to soon fade from shore,
Expanding and contracting,
Warming and cooling,
Life is a contract with death.

The intellectual yearns to surpass I AM,
Ego soars before the tumble,
Stillness rises from the chaos,
Light emerges,
Darkness recedes,
And the world continues to go round.

Confluence

Confluence:

Sweet surrender,
Give and take,
Joining in concert, becoming one.
Once distinct, individual, separate,
Now the same, united, stronger,
Complete…perfect,
Until the next fusion.

Contemplation

The Withlacoochee and Rainbow rivers in Dunnellon, Florida are two that I truly enjoy.

From the boat ramp, we powered for a time up the Withlacoochee.

Then, as my husband fished we slowly made our way back to where the Rainbow and Withlacoochee merged.

I quietly meditated on the intermittent hum of cicadas….birds twittering along the shore line….the soft distant sound of traffic….the occasional plane overhead. Cypress and hardwood trees reflected on the dark water.

Portions of an old railway could be found along the Withlacoochee…echoes of the past….reminders of an age departed.

The confluence of these two rivers never ceases to amaze me….the crystal clear waters of the Rainbow intermingles with the tannic waters of the Withlacoochee. For a short time, one can witness the bright, clear waters of the Rainbow as it meets the tea colored waters of the Withlacoochee….day joins with night.

While a canopy of bright stars hung over the campsite each night, the moon was dark…a time for reflection, contemplation.

The damp, chilly, early morning is my least favorite part of the day, but sipping a cup of hot java by a warm fire makes it bearable. And, melted cheese over bacon on toasted sourdough bread….perfect!

Grateful for...

Eggplant blossoms that yield....

...beautiful, delicious eggplant!

Young blackberry bush

Corn

A turtle visited our garden...

The red eared slider turtle strolled across the yard to the garden path.

Too soon, he left us to visit our neighbor and his pond!

"Turtle reminds us that all we need for all that we do is available for us, if we approach it in the right manner and time."

--T. Andrews, Animal-Speak.

The Dragonflies

Over the years, dragonflies have become symbolic for my husband and me. When we were dating, he gave me a picture that he had painted of cattails and a dragonfly. The front of our wedding invitation included a sketch of this picture.

Since that time we have paid close attention to and been thankful for the dragonflies that have flown in and out of our lives.

"Dragonflies remind us that we are light..."

Often when we are boating Florida's rivers, a damsel or dragonfly will alight on the rail of the boat, choosing to travel with us for a time.

And, when we recently started our vegetable garden, it seemed

appropriate to call it Dragonfly.

Today, while walking through the garden, two dragonflies

posed for a photo op!

Thank you for blessing my day!

Reference:

Ted Andrews, Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small.

The Garden

In February, my husband and I decided to remove a small section of sod and plant a vegetable garden. We would spend the next few weeks researching the best gardening method for us and soon a 20' x 26' area of the backyard was fenced and then transformed into a square foot garden. The total planted area was just over 150 square feet.

March 19, 2010, one month after conception, the garden was completely in the ground. Five days later, the seeds began sprouting...peas, beans, okra...! Over the next few weeks we watched as our burgeoning plants doubled and tripled in size. At times it seemed the aphids, moths, and flys would thwart our progress, but soon we had gained the upper hand.

Pole Beans Reaching Heavenward

Young Broccoli After A Rain

Flourishing Better Boy Tomatoes

Cucumber Blossoms

Young Yellow Squash

Wilting Squash Blossom

By April 11th, we were enjoying our first harvest of lettuce. This would soon be followed by a serving of home grown collard greens. This week we began to harvest zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, and broccoli.
Happiness can truly be found by planting a garden!