Monday, July 7, 2008

My Garden

<---Before - This is the eastside yard - with veggie garden in center. you can see how everything is overgrown and the grass and weeds are taking over. Everything was a bit greener then, mind you, because the hot spell had not occured yet. Now, the grass is gettin' pretty brown. I'm slowly getting over it. This picture does not show the many holes in the turf where I've dug deep and pulled out dandelions (some with roots nearly a foot long!!!). Notice the beautiful apple tree on the right. It's now producing lots of green apples. And on the left are raspberries!!! They are just now starting to turn red. If posting pictures wasn't such a bear I'd post more of them showcasing all parts of the yard I've "worked" on, and the many more parts of yard that I'm simply enjoying from Nancy and Andy's (the owners of the house who are living in Zambia currently) hard work.

After - With the grass trimmed and the veggie garden weeded and planted with tomato plants, fennel, peppers, basil, cilantro, dill, sage, and oregano, it's looking pretty good. Now, let's see if it grows! In the meantime, I think Beth (my roommate) and I will enjoy the activity alluded to below as much as possible while weather permits. :)
Yes, life is good at the particular moment. That tree w/ the hammock is a giant magnolia. For some odd reason it didn't bloom this year - most likely because of the stretched out period of cold we had this spring - I guess it wasn't warm or sunny enough to burst those beautiful flowers out of their buds. I learn so much about life, even human life, from plants. Our Creator has made this world, with all of its rhythms and diversity and quirks...that I've come to realize can teach us volumes about ourselves.

3 comments:

Tracy Mae said...

richie--i am loving reading your thoughts and experiences. its almost like hanging out, but not even as good. but its better than nothing. i miss you and this life you lead. it reminds me of all the conversations over meals shared and tea. i've been thinking about blogging recently about my own thoughts and experiences (things have been bubbling up lately). so maybe i'll do that. keep your eyes peeled for a (new) blog. what a good idea someone and you had. you know, blogging. :) miss and love you terribly!

Tracy Mae said...

uh, so i misspelled "mischief" in the first one, so the new link is spelled right: holymischief.blogspot.com check out the new picture on my title. it makes me physically smile every time. :) love you dearie!

Tracy Mae said...

richie--yes i am off of proactiv! it has been a long haul, though, with skin that is still not the amazing creamy it was...here is what i am doing, though:

keeping it clean with a mild soap

exfoliating with a sugar & olive oil or coconut oil mix only every once in awhile, not everyday

exercising

drinking more water

trying to eat well. i still love french fries, though. ;)

using coconut oil on my face at night instead of washing it and then washing it in the morning. i just use a little bit of coconut oil on my face, particularly blemishes and those damned red spots on my cheeks we both get.

using witch hazel as an astringent. if its straight up, put it just on zits but i have been using witch hazel with rose water, vitamin e and aloe vera and i use it all over.

i've also been trying to see which foods trigger acne and trying to avoid them. i suspect dairy and tomatoes since those are two things i consume almost daily (salsa!) but i have yet to do a total elimination of either to really find out.

oh also i change my pillowcase like every other night (i just went to a thrift store and bought like 6 cheapie cuties from the 70s) and try not to touch my face.

it seems overwhelming at first, but i really believe in it. proactiv is hellaz expensive and benzyl peroxide/salicylic acid is rumored to be toxic to unborn babies. go figure. i thought: if babies cant handle it i cant either. love you and hope this helps! your skin will probably go through withdrawls but hopefully not. love you!!!