tropical botanical garden

So much unique beauty was here.  Thanks Bill and Lucinda.  Have a great weekend all.

winter harvest

Oh, what to season the soup with?

Displayed on our newly sanded and oiled table, rose and tomatoes for color. 

I love the feeling of possibility I get from a stroll through the garden.

The soup was great. 

corner view~my favorite hang out

forest in France

Ever since I was a little girl my favorite hang out has been the forest.  Growing up in the countryside in New York we had a small forest in our back yard -- My brothers made up a version of baseball using hard rounded pine cones. They played this in our back yard for hours.  We would walk down our street past our two neighbors, then there was open forest land and cornfields as far as you could see.  I spent many hours of my childhood roaming this land, picking flowers for my mother, playing hide and seek with my siblings.  Although there were certain woodland flowers we were not allowed to touch, somehow I could distinguish those from the "weeds."

My grandparents also lived in the country in Pennsylvania, and we would walk up their street to "the woods," as they called it there.  In the wintertime my grandfather would pick ground pine and make beautiful wreaths out of this woodland treasure.      

I love how forests everywhere nourishes me -- walking among the tall trees on a hot day, shaded by their magnificance, embraced by their gigantic branches.  I love the tiny ferns, mosses, berries and wildflowers that grow there.  I love deer, squirrels, chipmunks, racoons, wild birds.  I love the smell of forest dirt, layer upon layer of leaves and bark that have been left untouched.

I also love open natural spaces, vast expanses of green, and the feeling I get when I see them -- I want to explore into the openness.  "If I walk for five minutes," I tell myself, "I will be surrounded by nature, and only nature."       

I guess green is my color.

Pittsford, New York

 

path in San Ramon, California

castle in the Dordogne region, France

park in Paris

reservoir in Lafayette, California

To see various people's favorite hang outs around the world go here.

generations of flower lovers

My mother is notorious for unique gifts.  My sister too.  A few years ago my mother gave me a framed set of 2 old schoolwork assignments that belonged to my great aunt, my grandmother's oldest sister.  A simple dried pressed geranium attached with white tape, with some handwritten notes she had written about it.  And one about a bachelor's button as well.  No Wikipedia, just a botanical book for a resource.  No font to choose, just her elegant script.

I never met this aunt, the woman whose name we chose for our second born.  Annabel. 

My grandmother loved her sisters, there were many of them growing up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania.  I knew most of my great aunts, Molly, Sib, Frances, and of course, Aunt Ella.  My grandmother was the glue, one of the youngest, but good to all of her sisters, different though they were. 

The framed set now hangs in my hallway as a reminder of my grandmother and those aunts who are long gone.  A generation's love of and dependence on growing things, not only flowers for beauty and medicine, but of food for survival.

swami's visit part 2 - trip to a country beach town & teachings

farmer Bill takes a moment

We traveled with Swami and a group of people to a neighboring area where he conducted programs for two evenings.  The people who hosted live on a beautiful country property and have a nearby tropical fruit farm, that we got to visit.  We got to eat delicious tangerines, grapefruits, rambutams, longans, fresh herbs, and awesome enchiladas!  We also fed horses, went to a remote beach for some reflection, and toured our hosts' gorgeous tropical gardens, which I will post about later.

I will include what my time over the last few years with Swami has taught me, not with words, but by observing him:

Stay calm.

Be considerate.

Care for the elderly.

Include everyone.

Help others when you can, even if it's just a smile.

Be loving.

Don't complain.

Take life in stride.

Serve.

Show humility.

Encourage people who are shy.

Don't overreact.

Thank people.

Really listen when people talk to you.

Remember your sense of humor.

The main ingredients in every religion are love and compassion.

Hours a day of prayer and meditation make you composed and peaceful.

When people scream at you, remain calm.

There is strength in contemplation.

Quotes from his talks:

"The way to God is very simple. It is not filled with complication."

“You eventually get to a point in your faith where you can feel love, or God’s love, leading the way in every decision and conclusion about life. Because faith is not a state of mind, it is far deeper – it is where love begins to show you the way.”

"Our job is not to try to figure out what happens after death. Our job is to find happiness here in life. But not what we think of as happiness. Fullfilling desires does not lead to happiness, but rather leads to either getting pleasure or avoiding pain. Of course, this is temporary, because even if you get what you want you soon find yourself wanting something else just as much. The mind never stops wanting and fearing. Happiness is finding the peace of mind to be happy about your life whatever comes your way, whatever is given to you. If you can, you’ll be happy when you’re sick, or sad, or happy. It’s about feeling joy, rather than desiring joy. It's about enjoying the experience of life. This is the key to happiness. Everything else will leave you lonely.”

Swami's spiritual teacher is Amma.

corner view~my style

These days I'm partial to pinks, whites, antiques, florals, handmade, and of course, thrift shop finds.  However upon meeting, I am far from a well dressed lady.  More of a farmer in shorts and a tank top, with small hat perched to keep the sun off my face. 

For more corner views from around the world go to the sidebar here.  

swami's visit part 1 - our home

We just spent the last week having a monk ("Swami," of the papaya dish) in our home.  He came to our neck of the woods to host two evening programs.  For us it was like a retreat from our busy life.  He came with a group of six people, all of whom stayed with us.  We knew some of the people, and others we met for the first time.  Every person who came was gracious and helpful, and we thoroughly enjoyed having them in our home. 

This is the third time we have hosted Swami, and everytime he comes it is such a special time.  There are lots of meals shared, walks on the beach, prayers and singing, laughter and love.  And stories.

Oh, and cooking.  Yes he made the papaya dish again, after hearing how much people have loved it.  We were picking the green fruits from a tree in my yard at 5 p.m. for a program that started at 5:45.  And guess what?  I have been leaving out an important ingredient.  Fresh grated coconut.  Just a tad.  I have to say, his dish was better than mine. 

After the program we fed a group of about forty people, there were many dishes to share, but the papaya dish was most people's favorite.  He grates the fruits by hand, not in the food processor, he uses a little less oil than I have, and cooks it for less time so the papaya is firmer.

During this visit the earthquake hit Haiti.  Swami will be going there with a team of doctors.

I think people who live a life of service and contemplation are good for the world.  It's good for all of us to be shown an example of love and compassion, patience, and humility.  Swami has a great teacher for that, no doubt.

This is where we will be sending our donations to help the people in Haiti.  The power of prayer is also not to be underestimated.