Life...A Changing Kaleidoscope May 2024

Unscramble the words. Hint — nature

ROSFET

DAHES

SMAIANL

AVEESL

No, I did not plant all of them. I am told that way before my time, an elderly lady who lived here was a true gardener. She planted naturalizing bulbs and over the years they just kept multiplying. I am the happy benefactory of her gardening efforts which I must say, lift my spirits all season long.

I check my wildflower garden every day when I put jars of raw honey out at the little honey stand in front. So far, I see wild strawberries blooming, lovely purple violets, the heads of ferns starting to poke up and then, what I call the mystery of what will show up each week. The joy of a wildflower garden is the element of surprise. I never know what seeds the birds, wildlife or just the breeze left last year, and will sprout and bloom this year. It’s almost magic.

The songbirds are returning providing a melodious orchestra early each morning and again at the end of the day. Carnegie Hall could not be sweeter.

Each day there is something new — tomorrow my hummingbird feeder will go out waiting to provide nectar for the travel weary hummers when they arrive.

We know life is far from joyful for many people right now. Even more reason to take joy and sustenance from the small wonders’ nature provides.

I want to thank you for your continued support. We strive to keep getting better.

See you in June.

It’s no secret: the Japanese love cats. Their folklore abounds in felines — from Maneki-neko, the beckoning feline who brings good luck to Bake-neko, the “changed cat” who shape-shifts, sometimes taking the form of a woman or a Neko-Musume (“the daughter of a cat”). And with the exceptions of the Vampire Cat of Nabeshima (who waves his two tails happily in the air while he feeds on a victim) and some other highly questionable felines, they bring luck with them wherever they go.

Welcome Pollinators to Your Garden
For those who still want a lawn, try a meadow lawn. Combine low-growing flowers, clover, and various grass seeds. This eco-friendly lawn trend is a beautiful yard that can attract and feed bees and other species.

We’re all in this together. You can help pollinators significantly by growing a diversity of native plants in your space, large, small, or even in pots.

Tip from the Kitchen
Just finished a jar of your favorite pickles or other pickled veggies. Don’t throw out the brine. You can cut up carrots, celery, peppers, onions, whatever and add them to the brine in the jar. Two days in the fridge and you have your own pickled veggies.

Daily political strife, wars raging with endless heartbreaking news, depression, and anxiety — I think we must limit the noise. While mankind seems bent on doing stupid and destructive things, our natural world goes on providing us with its beauty — if we stop, look, and listen.

Plant a garden, watch a sunset, observe the birds and wildlife. It’s all ours — free for the taking every day.

Take a daily pause and refresh your mind.

FOREST

SHADE

ANIMALS

LEAVES

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