Sunday, June 17, 2012

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Saturday .. a mix of rain ..and clouds.   Outside for a little bit.  The day was for puttering around.  Not a day for massive amounts of work.

I like these kinds of days.  Time to relax, be creative.  Perfect opportunity to just focus on some little things to do.  Those things that get cast aside when the urge to work hard and dig and move hits me.

So yesterday I took advantage of this little window of fun.  Started off by putting more empty pots in a container .. to be washed out and either given away or recycled.

Next, time to clear off my little outdoor working table.   It’s one of those white plastic patio tables that I bought many years ago at Sears during a Saturday sale.  The umbrella is long gone .. but the usefulness of the table lives on.  Just the perfect size and weight so that I can easily move around the yard for my various projects.   The legs are easily undone and the unit stored away when not needed.

A quick scrub and a rinse with the hose and the table’s surface is proper again.

The rain continues … it changes from a light mist, moves on to a drizzle and then pours down.  Oh, it feels wonderful to be outside at this time.  Nice and cosy.  I tuck my i-Pod and camera into one of those new little clear plastic storage boxes, purchased at Canadian Tire yesterday.  Handy little things, these are and perfect for the rain.

First chore … is to finally pot up some miniature rose plants …. gifts from the Christmas season.  Nicely watered with EM and time for them to be planted in some real soil, instead of the shredded coconut fibre that they were packed in.  So now they are sitting pretty in some cheerful blue coloured round garden pots.  Did I hear a sigh of relief as their roots settled into real soil?  Or was that just my imagination???   🙂

Well, I feel better anyway!

Then, time to pot up some flax seeds.   These have a good history to them.   And a special importance.  They are from a collection belonging to a person who was quite ardent in permaculture, in recycling, in all the healthy and non-pollutant ways of living.

I was lucky enough to ask for and receive one of the packets of flax at her service earlier this year.   And promised to share these with friends.   I’d originally intended to repackage the seeds into several small envelopes, but, seeing that I’d inadvertently left a lot of my seeds outside (oops)… it was time to just plant them the best way that I could.  Thus the little pots.  Once they start to grow a bit more … then it will be time to share them.  And for me to plant some in my yard.   Positive memories and inspiration for the future.

During some breaks in the rain, I wandered around the yard, admiring the beautiful crystal clear droplets of water that bejewelled the leaves and flowers.  Such decadent beauty.

Finding more garlic scapes (they will keep on growing after I’ve broken off the scapes) .. .and gathered them all up.  Yum …. more garlic pesto!!

Looking forward to harvesting the garlic .. that will be just so much fun, like Christmas morning!

Just last October, I’d reshaped the garlic bed and carefully planted lots and lots of these wonderful bulbs.   And now, with the lovely mulched soil, lots of EM and a healthy topping of seaweed .. I have a true garlic forest!

Stopped for a while and watched the little Chestnut-Backed Chickadees foraging for insects and spiders in the white lilac tree.  Loving their little nasal chirps.  Wonder where the Red-Breasted Nuthatches are …. as these two travel together, or so I’m told.

Looking forward to the new baby Bushtits.  Last fall & winter there were so many in the yard.  Then spring arrived and there was one couple .. so I was wondering where they might have set up a nest in the yard.   There are plenty of places around our yard for them to set up a little home.

Spent some time just relaxing outside, enjoying the peace and quiet, the sounds of the birds.  The sounds of the raindrops pelting the leaves.  Breathing in the wonderful earthy smell of the wet ground around me.  Utterly content.

🙂