Let me tell you all about gardening here. I have two gardens! What a lucky little beast I am. One is here at the house and it’s a good size but the deer fence needs some work and a few days ago that little, velvet antlered buck that haunts the shade behind the chicken coop managed to mow my lettuce patch, nip the tops of all the beets and consume most of my pea vines. On the bright side, that darn deer doesn’t seem to like tomatoes — what luck! Over at the smokejumper base, we have our community garden and my oh my, it is utterly spectacular at the moment. The boys take so much pride in growing things and beautifying the base, it’s very dashing to watch. I mean, they’re just such darling men. The garden is a verdant, rich, diverse space that is literally frothing with ripe veggies right now. Since most of the boys are currently deployed to other bases in Montana and Oregon, or out on local fires, I have taken the very great liberty of picking everything that is ripe, a few days in a row now. Robert calls it raiding (and he is home at the moment, by the way, which makes me very happy) because if it’s ripe, I pick it, put it in my garden tote, bike it home in the milk crate I have attached to the back of my bicycle and then I ferociously eat it all like the veggie glutton I am. I promise (maybe), I would share if the boys were home. If it’s any consolation or proof of the quality of my character, the last time the bunkhouse boys came home after being on the road, I cooked them a beautiful garden dinner that was scrumptious, I mixed them all refreshing cocktails and we relaxed together in the living room and watched a movie. It was so very nice to have them all home, all at once.
This morning I picked peas, a full bag of cherry tomatoes (of various persuasions), a few onions, a few pattypan squash, beets, and some herbs. Robert hovered over me the entire time, once he was back from his morning briefing, warning me not to step on his prize pumpkin (he’s always growing a prize pumpkin) and proudly pointing out the melons in the melon patch. He has such a green thumby plant tending soul to him.
This is all to say, I love to be in the garden. I also love to sit with house plants all around me on quiet winter mornings when the world outside is sleeping and white. That green. It’s a quiet therapy, you know, the dazzling green all around. It’s such a peaceful thrill, the sudden realization, when a space is more silent than noise, the turning of a book page is thunder, when I hear a chloroplastic humming and the everchance of root reach deeper and wider into soil — those moments of natural high always happen in the presence of the deepest greens. In the garden, there’s the scent of growth, thick in the air, widening in concentric circles, foot by foot, like the reaching of the melon vines and the creeping stretch of corn husk. My arms smell like tomato vines, my toes tingle. The squash blossoms are a ricocheting-feist-orange, I want to press them over my face to breathe in some deeper chroma-harmony until I feel a sudden music trilling in my veins. The garden is such a beautiful drug. I always go back for more.
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Now, I do wish you were all coming to dinner this evening. I’m going to stuff a couple squash with bell pepper, onion, country bacon, goat cheese and quiona and I’m going to partner these little stuffed squash with a delicious and gorgeous gem-toned beet salad. If I make it into town this afternoon, I’m going to buy a nice bottle of something or a fizzy beer to go with it and if I’m really feeling generous, I might garner a ruby red steak for Robert because my fella seems to love a piece of meat to go with all the veggies I’m always feeding him. Later in the day, once I am finished working, I’d like to make it to the lake to cool my heels and read a book in the shade between swims. I’ve had a hithery tithery sort of week here, lots of annoying errand running gone wrong (which is the price to pay for living in such a beautiful little remote and inconvenient spot, frankly) and I’m ready for an afternoon of bliss-itude near some tranquil blue beneath the kind trunks of stalwart trees. It’s such a beautiful day here. The sky is clear blue and celestial cooing as far as the eye can see. As I biked home from the garden, every time I had a slight push of breeze against my back, I found myself in a pool of scent sense: green onion and basil whiffs swirling up over my back and down my arms. The dogs are passed out on the lawn in the shade, it’s already hot, Titus is cheeping for grasshoppers.
Duty calls.
XX
:::Post Scriptus:::
A heartfelt thanks to every-lovely-one who visited my shop yesterday while I was listing a handful of rings. Your support means the stars to me. If you have a second, check out this beautiful essay by Wally on the topic of home — it’s going to make you want roots, if you don’t have any at the moment. Also, put this on and turn it up and see if you can keep your body still (thanks Dana). It’s impossible. I’m freaking out all over the living room floor right now, leg slapping, hand clapping, knee jerking, hair shaking…if it doesn’t make you dance, you’re hopeless.
:::Post Scriptus Scriptus:::
I should share with you here a cocktail that I invented the other week that has now been officially named “The Jumper Wife“. It is utterly refreshing and fizzy, including the melon cubes at the end of the drink. Here are the ingredients:
*Italian lemonade — the bubbling sort
*gin
*cubed honeydew melon
*one fresh basil leaf from yonder garden
(a few blueberries are also a lovely additional option, if you’re in the mood)
It’s such a gorgeous, refreshing flavor combination and and is still delicious if you choose to skip the gin — I am a free-pouring gal and I mix to my personal taste so I apologize for not including pour ratios here. Pair it with a spectacular sunset, if you can. Bottoms up!
i love your blog and your work, I just recently discovered it, thank you x
Welcome here, Helen! Thanks for being in my world. X
Leave it to Led and Jillian to make my Friday hop. I just keep playing it over and over. Thank you. Thank you – for all that you do!
Hey little beauty! I played that song all day long yesterday too…just suited August 17, 2012, so very well. XX
I was wondering about Titus! Your drink sounds refreshing and deeeelicious! Happy weekend.
Titus is doing wonderfully! In fact, he just had his very first self-feeding moment this morning wherein he hopped down to the bottom of his cage, picked up a wild cherry, and ate it all on his own! There was cause for celebration! I’m watching him as I type this and he’s attempting to eat one more. His beak is getting VERY strong. He bit my finger with it yesterday and I could feel the new strength in it!
Oh, thanks for posting that essay. It’s the kind of thing that’s always on my mind.
Mine too, sister.
Woman, love you. Miss you.
I am sad to admit that I am a terrible gardener. I have a great capacity and love of caring for animals (which now consists of dogs, cats, hens, meat chickens, horses and two milk goats) but am not very good with plants. I have a feeling it has something to do with living in sand…
I could supply you the goat cheese with which to make your beautiful dinner, I’ve been thinking about making another batch.
And always (freakin’ ALWAYS!) too late for your beautiful rings. I pouted unabashedly.
Some day.
Much love to you, have a great weekend!
Hey babe!
Ok. Is your soil sandy or LOAMY??? If it’s loamy, you could grow a killer batch of carrots, you know? And goodness gracious, what manure you must have on hand! 🙂
More rings shall come. This I promise. I won’t stop until every woman on the planet is wearing one.
XX
No, sand. All sand. But yes, the goats, horses and chickens are doing their level best to remedy my garden!
XX
Everything about this post… The menus and recipes, the music (!!!!!), the green gardening poetry… Is wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
Hugs to you and your jumper and your pooches and that incredible little titus.
B
My pleasure, sweet gal!
well blow me down! IF that post wasn’t just crammed full of goodness.. I was right there in the garden with you… all the senses tingling! Congrats on your hotter than hot-cakes ring sales (as usual!). Delighted you’ve got your carnivore man back in the nest. Enjoy your read! (Speaking of which.. may have unabashedly mentioned you again – since you did point the way to a delightful read… in case your ears were itching – this is why: http://needleandnestdesign.blogspot.ca/2012/08/confessions-of-mel-part7.html)
Lots of love to you Bird Woman… or are you the ‘fizzy drink’-making Angel? ;o)
mel
needle and nest design
I am SO GLAD you have loved Freckles! Seriously, one of my favorite books of all time. A friend gave me a copy of it when I was about 26 or so…I read it at least once a year. NEXT, you’ll need the companion book, “Girl of the Limberlost”.
I have been accused of being Bird Woman, Swamp Angel & a Female Freckles…many times over. I’m not sure which one I am!
XX
Well, I just think you’ve overdosed on beets and tomatoes and squash, now you’re high on life! There’s so much action going on, you are one mean green machine! Those boys are one lucky bunch of jumpers. I tried so hard to pin down one of those deer rings. Man, I never get lucky!
But, I am lucky to have discovered you. Thanks again…for everything you are.
I totally overdosed on beets last night… 🙂
Hope you have a gorgeous weekend, sweet one!
Oh… I love your description of the garden treasures you enjoy. I so miss having a garden. I plan on having one again someday soon… The smells, the soil, the sun on your back– savor these times for me as you have been doing. 🙂 Cocktail sounds yummy and so do the smokejumpers- brave men who garden, what more could you ask for? Off to listen to the danceable tune- and I downloaded the home essay to read Sunday morning. 🙂 Have a worry free weekend!
The weekend has been worry free so far!!! I’m going to work today — no sense going anywhere, it’s too busy in town with weekenders. I’m about to brew a pot of coffee, chop some fruit for a bowl of yogurt and do my morning writing. I hope your weekend is free and beautiful!
well, golly… if you haven’t gone and done it again! this post is a delight for the senses, and you haven’t missed a single one! you constantly amaze me in your ability to turn what some would see as the ordinariness of a day into an experience worthy of being captured on film with musical accompaniment. you teach me to pay attention and live deep. xx
We must love the ordinary and find the beauty in it. What else is there?
Live deeper, sister, as deeper as you can go.
XX
You have such an interesting life! Everything is so fantastic and storybook-like, full of truly inspiring elements. I hope that when I come to have a place of my own with any future family of my own, that my adventures can be as fascinating and fun as yours. Thanks for sharing your stories and adventures — they keep me daydreaming about what my life is going to be like!
I think, rather, I have a pretty ordinary life (most of the while) but I’m a good storyteller. 🙂
aren’t gardens a glorious bit of heaven here on earth??!!??
i sense joy and peace and pure unabashed love in you and all around you….
xx
You sense right!
XX
bahaha you’ll be happy to know that i clicked on the link for the song and Everett promptly started grooving in the livingroom. He loves music, this kid – wakes up every morning and turns on steve’s clock radio so he can dance. adorable.
xo
He is SUCH A GROOVY little man. Can’t wait to kiss on him next time I’m home. Trying to make it up this fall — keep your fingers crossed for me.
ALL LOVE, good dear friend,
XX
you are the pearl to my turquoise, love…
i
am
blessed.
XO
You’re the turquoise to my pearl.
Love having you here.
XX
Love that old Led Zep tune. And I have a blue-eyed merle. We have been gorging on tomatoes. We’ll have a garden next year – we moved too late to have one here at the new house. Looking forward to my little green ring!
Here’s a drink my friends ask for again and again: the Creamsicle. OJ, whipped cream flavored vodka and a dash of tonic water. Dessert in a glass.
Oh! The tomatoes!!!
Here too.
I’m headed to the base this morning to pick a few.
That drink sounds scrumptious!
a bit of time in the garden is time well spent – and sounds like you are reaping the benefits in the form of gorgeous veggie bounty right now. beautiful. if i could come over for dinner i’d be right there! (and i know all about a man who’d like a big steak with all the veggies i cook up!)
LOL!!! 🙂 I just read this and cracked up. See, that is exactly the way I thought you would respond to that song. If only I was a fly on your wall…