tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34877651108921954642024-02-07T19:46:42.969-05:00 Hortus ConclususWelcome to the Enclosed Garden of Susan Ernst. Literal as well as figurative, this blog explores the physical gardens which I cultivate, the spiritual garden within, and the intellectual garden of horticultural knowledge gathered through decades of study, observation and practice. Come and sit with me for a while. Let us together marvel at the delicate, intricate beauty of a flower.Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-7009946511745645622015-07-29T15:10:00.001-04:002015-08-10T12:46:11.112-04:00Some Thoughts on Nature, Summer Heat, Sweating, Memories and Family Love<br />
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I spent some time today sitting on the front porch mid morning into early afternoon, reading from <a href="http://peterlondon.us/auth/excerpts/drawing-closer-to-nature" target="_blank"><i>Drawing From Nature</i> by Peter London</a>. These words prompted me to do some journal writing:<br />
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“…the entire body has intelligence…The body is constantly, critically, truthfully, telling how it is functioning. But we were never taught how to interpret its form of speech…Holistic education carefully, explicitly, constantly, cultivates the multiple intelligences embedded throughout the body.” (pages 307-308)<br />
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Responding to this I wrote:<br />
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I think of <a href="http://halikarla.com/" target="_blank">Hali Karla</a> and <a href="http://abbeyofthearts.com/" target="_blank">Christine V. Paintner </a>when I read this. They often ask, “how is that feeling in your body?”: or “where in your body do you sense this is true?” and other questions like that. I don’t know how to answer those questions. I only hear my body tell me that it is hungry, thirsty, tired or in pain. But yesterday and again today, my body has been telling me that it wants to experience time outdoors. In the heat. The heat feels good. I don’t want to escape to air conditioning. I don’t mind sweating a little. The sweat and breeze cool me off. I can somehow sense that my body needs to feel this penetrating heat. Not by physically working and getting over-heated, but by passively soaking it in. In addition, my nose has been enjoying the scents of the earth. The pines, the grass and mulched leaves, the lilies and nicotiana, the smell of my salty, sweaty skin. My skin is enjoying the gentle breeze, as are the wisps of hair that fall from my ponytail. My eyes delight in seeing the butterflies flitter through this space of air on the front porch, not noticing or seeing it as a boundary or separate from the rest of the space around it. A vole came out in plain sight, not knowing I was there to observe it. I had guessed she was living in the tangle of Laminastrium vines by the hydrangea as I had heard it a few times in the past week. And I remembered her voice. My body has also been telling me that it wants lots of cold water and fresh fruit and vegetables. <br />
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So many people I know ask or exclaim - “how can you live without air conditioning?” I do appreciate having the option to spend time in it, but I do not like how it cuts off the natural world. It is so artificial. I am so not artificial! <br />
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I recall the summers of my young childhood visiting my grandparents and other relatives in Putnam Lake. It was hot and smelled so good. Smelled like this. There was no agenda - no work that must be accomplished except for the necessities of washing clothes (which would then be hung on a line) and dishes, and the cooking/preparing of meals. The rest of the time was for sitting in lawn chairs in the shade of the maple tree and drinking iced tea. Or sitting in the screen house playing cards. Or for Pete and I, to walk the dirt road into the woods and visit the small stream there. <br />
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I was young then, younger than eight, as I am remembering a time before my father died. I can remember being surrounded by family - grandparents on both sides, my parents, Uncle Bill, Uncle Mickey, the neighbors. I was loved by all these people - I can feel that. So the feeling of being loved, cared and provided for, along with the bright, hot sun, soft breeze, sweaty skin; the scents of pine, maple, privet and grass; butterflies; and the sound of blue jays, are all wrapped up together. Wanting in my present life (and for all my adult life) to sit and be with nature is to sit again in that circle of love. I don’t remember words that were said. I do get a sense though that my mother was content and happy at that point. My life changed when my father died. My mother cracked up, first suffering from depression, then progressing through the other stages of undiagnosed bipolar disorder through the course of her life. PopPop Franz died one year after Dad, then Grandma Franz developed Alzheimers and was placed in a nursing home. We were disowned by the remaining Franz family because of conflicts with my mother and never went to Putnam Lake again. Grandma and PopPop DiFulvio got divorced. Uncle Mickey had a stroke and Mom refused to see him. All these loves of my young life left me in just a few short years!<br />
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No wonder then, when I spend time in the garden or on the front or back porch, I want to share this experience with others. I want to have that circle of loving companions around me again. It is when bittersweet memories like these arise that we often say, “we will see each other again in heaven.” Do we say that as a measure of comfort? Do we hope it will be so? Do we know, even though we don’t know how, that it is true? I choose yes to all of the above. Lord, may it be so. Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-86679802123997386832015-03-22T06:00:00.000-04:002015-03-22T06:00:01.397-04:00Sunday Morning Quote - March 22, 2015<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Spring came suddenly, bursting upon the world as a child bursts into a room, with a laugh and a shout and hands full of flowers.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Henry Wadsworth Longfellow</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Wishing you a very happy, blissful Spring Season.</span></span></span></div>
Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-49806985844187593352015-03-01T06:00:00.000-05:002015-03-01T06:00:02.068-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for March 1, 2015<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see.</span></span><br />
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Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-59590247319666200772015-02-22T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-22T06:00:00.207-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for February 22, 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">One kind word can warm three winter months.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">-Japanese Proverb</span></span></span></div>
Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-11640317497855813692015-02-15T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-15T06:00:01.716-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for February 15, 2015<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;">Take an axe to the prison wall.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Escape.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Walk out like someone suddenly born into color.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Do it now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"> You're covered with thick cloud.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"> - Rumi, from <i>Quietness </i></span></span></div>
Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-30462861058004093822015-02-10T10:24:00.000-05:002015-02-10T10:51:25.208-05:00Trying to Love Winter<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATfuTNmrBy_b4AE2mycZF9M3RkFpAHf72Cp8EdEQlJWO0ZI3Gg3KOOJdk8U2kCz0ytSdN7-zvJV6DS387wb5LqeQWA2K9_Hn9FoXnDVVZClJ9vKKHZ4t1l6qCqr3ARP3x5n-T9WhCLUY/s1600/IMG_20150206_071151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATfuTNmrBy_b4AE2mycZF9M3RkFpAHf72Cp8EdEQlJWO0ZI3Gg3KOOJdk8U2kCz0ytSdN7-zvJV6DS387wb5LqeQWA2K9_Hn9FoXnDVVZClJ9vKKHZ4t1l6qCqr3ARP3x5n-T9WhCLUY/s1600/IMG_20150206_071151.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text2:0:$end:0">In every winter's heart there is a quivering spring. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text2:0:$end:0">And behind the veil of each night there is a smiling dawn.</span></span></div>
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<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text2:0:$end:0">-Kahlil Gibran</span></span><span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text2:0:$end:0"> </span></span></div>
<br data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$newline3:0" />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"></span><span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"></span><br data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$newline5:0" />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"></span><span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">I
have tried gallantly this winter to accept and embrace this season. </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">This season that shuts me inside for too long a time. </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">It is that time
when cabin fever, or worse, the winter blues, has set in. </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">I feel I can
take no more of the grey days, the white ground, the confinement to the
house because of hazardous driving conditions. </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">I feel so alone. So
desolate. </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">Turning to the words of poets, I am comforted to learn that I
am not alone. </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">Despair from long dark days can only be overcome by
believing and anticipating that spring will be here soon. </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">Why do I feel I
cannot lament? </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">Because I don't like listening to others complain? </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">Because when I do, someone is quick to correct me and to tell me to look
at the positive? </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">Now I must search myself for the quivering spring that
is inside me. </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">If I continue to live in this winter in my heart, I will
become so cold and brittle. </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">I feel that beginning. </span></span><br />
<span class="sCaption" data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1"><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:0.1.2:1.$text6:0:$end:0">It is time to melt my
inner snow and let the buds begin to open.</span></span><span data-reactid=".4.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0:1"></span>Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-78214740748997381682015-02-08T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T10:56:31.327-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for February 8, 2015<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shed no tear! O shed no tear!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">The flower will bloom another year.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Weep no more! O weep no more!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Young buds sleep in the root's white core.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">-John Keats</span></span></blockquote>
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Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-65028138916759290862015-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T10:52:46.984-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for February 1, 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Write in your heart that every day is the best day of the year.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">- Ralph Waldo Emerson</span></span></span></div>
Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-75757518097396800092015-01-25T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:04:36.409-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for January 25, 2015<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sitting with quiet, folded hands, </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">content and peaceful</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And smiling a mysterious promise,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My winter garden waits.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">- Caroline Giltinan </span></span></span></blockquote>
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Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-13573097275441116302015-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:24:26.205-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for January 18, 2015<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Oh Winter! Ruler of the inverted year - </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I crown thee king of intimate delights, </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">fireside enjoyments,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">home-born happiness,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And all the comforts that the lowly roof</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">of undisturbed retirement,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and the hours of long</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">uninterrupted evening know...</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- William Cowper, from <i>The Task</i></span></span></span>Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-47920669504617002502015-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:14:48.905-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for January 11, 2015<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Night</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stars over snow,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And in the west a planet</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Swinging below a star - </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Look for a lovely thing and you will find it,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It is not far -</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It never will be far.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">- Sara Teasdale</span></span></span></blockquote>
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Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-62657013460132896562015-01-04T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:10:23.659-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for January 4, 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I do not wonder at the snowflake, a shell, a summer landscape, or the glory of the stars;</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">but at the necessity of beauty under which the universe lies.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- Ralph Waldo Emerson</span></span></blockquote>
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Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-90961569187222861042014-12-28T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:33:06.469-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for December 28, 2014<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It is important from time to time</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">to slow down,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">to go away by our self,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">and simply be.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">- Eileen Caddy</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wishing you a cozy winter season of relaxed time to yourself. - Susan</span></span>Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-73785229871597208582014-12-21T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:32:29.296-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for December 21, 2014<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not without enchantment then where is it to be found?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- J.B. Priestly</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Wishing you an enchanting winter season. - Susan </span></span></span>Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-24779357835930387632014-12-14T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:21:50.038-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for December 14, 2015<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As we approach the Winter Solstice ... </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To Know the Dark</span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To go in the dark with a light</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">is to know the light.<br />To know the dark, go dark.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Go without sight,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">and find that the dark, too,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">blooms and sings,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">and is traveled</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">by dark feet</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">and dark wings.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- Wendell Berry</span></span></span></blockquote>
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Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-61483428745962831662014-12-07T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:36:15.586-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for December 7, 2014<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I Heard a Bird Sing</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I heard a bird sing</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the dark of December</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A magical thing</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And sweet to remember:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"We are nearer to Spring</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Than we were in September,"</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I heard a bird sing</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the dark of December.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- Oliver Herford</span></span></span></blockquote>
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Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-70464958337326557012014-11-30T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:40:49.705-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for November 30, 2014<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Have courage for the great sorrows of life</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And patience for the small ones:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And when you have laboriously</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Accomplished your daily tasks,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Go to sleep in peace.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">God is awake.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">-Victor Hugo</span></span></span></blockquote>
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Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-88030813831173818692014-11-23T10:37:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:38:52.828-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for November 23, 2014<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To exist is to change.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To change is to mature.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- Henri Bergson </span></span></span></blockquote>
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Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-34512272461934489742014-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:00:01.292-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for November 16, 2014<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To know how to grow old</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">is the masterwork of wisdom.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And one of the most difficult chapters in</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the great art of living.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- Henri Frederic Amiel</span></span></span></blockquote>
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Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-83100942603550197412014-11-09T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T10:36:04.248-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for November 9, 2014<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Why not go into the forest for a time, literally? Sometimes a tree tells you more than can be read in books. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">- Carl Jung</span></span></div>
Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-30855849483441935512014-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:002014-11-02T06:00:04.717-05:00Sunday Morning Quote for November 2, 2014<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span id="goog_483469243"></span><span id="goog_483469244"></span> Creativity is the fire of love.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">- Hali Karla, </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">contemplative artist </span></span></span></div>
Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-21482370232309926272014-10-29T20:44:00.002-04:002014-10-29T21:25:16.804-04:00Transplanting Onions and Other Reflections<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eFPauBmvwtKxE1UrPNWGakQvfbaCG1rZWrGfH0rCmTWWEMNg7jYPd-Rlb4eQonlggrpbLkA5AD9R9XjJnpKuvGQzCfcR80trUdhcVKV2kZaLVhfvWOqmKYVNgsV7RMGKM6PAeZ0KQRk/s1600/IMG_1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eFPauBmvwtKxE1UrPNWGakQvfbaCG1rZWrGfH0rCmTWWEMNg7jYPd-Rlb4eQonlggrpbLkA5AD9R9XjJnpKuvGQzCfcR80trUdhcVKV2kZaLVhfvWOqmKYVNgsV7RMGKM6PAeZ0KQRk/s1600/IMG_1206.JPG" height="334" width="640" /></a></div>
I transplanted onions today. Walla Wallas. It isn't customary to plant onions in the fall, that I know of, but they were already growing and needed to be divided. Here's the story.<br />
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I bought young onion plants in the Spring of 2013 from Pinetree Garden Seeds and <a href="http://hortusconclusus-se.blogspot.com/2013/04/spring-planting-underway.html" target="_blank">planted them upon arrival</a> in a 4 x 8 foot raised bed. They were growing well, until the weather got really hot in mid June. This triggered the plants to go dormant. At that time, however, they were only about one inch in diameter. Walla Wallas usually grow to 5 or 6 inches in diameter. I left the bulbs in the bed. Just because. In early autumn of last year they began to grow again. Still too small to harvest, I left them in the ground over the winter.<br />
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This spring they grew, but they also divided and tripled! Instead of one large onion, there were two or three smaller ones. In August, I harvested onions from half the bed. These were more than we would be able to eat and as I didn't have time to chop and freeze them, I gave away more than half of these. Walla Walla onions are not storage onions. They are wonderfully sweet and mild, but don't keep for too long. <br />
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The ones left in the bed began to grow again in early autumn. I could not leave them where they were for another winter. The double and triple bulbs were so close together they had no more room to spread out. So today I pulled them out, divided them and planted them in a new bed, again filling a 4 x 8 foot area! I do hope that these will continue to grow next spring to that classic Walla Walla size and that I will have the time to chop and freeze some when they are ready. If not, you may get some too!!<br />
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I could get philosophical and say that life is a lot like growing onions. That sometimes unforeseen events happen in our lives that stunt our growth. Or make us feel stuck. Or unable to move ahead. And time passes. And maybe we don't realize it, but all of a sudden we are green and alive again! Or maybe we've become complacent. Not growing and thriving, but maintaining our small, familiar world. It is only when we allow ourselves to be transplanted, to move onto something new, that we feel freedom. We have room to expand. And when we allow ourselves to do so, we get to experience just what our true potential really is. But I think you already know this.Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-68804675581086836352014-10-27T09:20:00.000-04:002014-10-27T09:20:21.343-04:00The Farewell Ball<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Farewell Ball</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A Poem</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">by Susan Ernst</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is that Golden time of year</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> again</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The maples, birches and sassafras</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">are dressed in their glowing gowns</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">of crimson, gold, russet</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the farewell ball.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I will miss these friends</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">who have been my companions,</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">who have surrounded me and</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">welcomed me in</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Who created a sanctuary for me</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Though they are gone,</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> I am not alone</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now I can easily see the</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">birds among the naked branches</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bluejays, sparrows, finches.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">They too miss the sanctuary, the protection and</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">loving embrace of the trees.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We will keep each other company,</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">encourage each other,</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">remind one another that</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">although the days are dark and gray,</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Life will return again.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We will not despair.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We will sing together</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and eagerly await</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the Green and Golden</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Days ahead. </span></span></span></div>
Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-39803696606808006332014-10-26T06:00:00.000-04:002014-10-26T08:58:52.485-04:00Sunday Morning Quote - October 26, 2014<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Take care you don't know anything in this world</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> too quickly or easily. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Everything is also a mystery, </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">and has its own secret aura in the moonlight,</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> its private song." </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">- Mary Oliver </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487765110892195464.post-87329874464952378682014-10-19T11:09:00.001-04:002014-10-19T12:54:24.034-04:00Bird Watching, Old Age and a Lesson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlyMnIC7E_-sSDOT28M79tTKQgRVzDDgsBDCRXhtAB3d_OThQ1fKsUXTPHM4FO7xhNGZ-Jo7qv6O1eu58BR9_CP0hQKb8TUJbHlPpZd65PZPaUhX6CU5XrHhFbdpA_cT3PlncQM7QwMM/s1600/Phoebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlyMnIC7E_-sSDOT28M79tTKQgRVzDDgsBDCRXhtAB3d_OThQ1fKsUXTPHM4FO7xhNGZ-Jo7qv6O1eu58BR9_CP0hQKb8TUJbHlPpZd65PZPaUhX6CU5XrHhFbdpA_cT3PlncQM7QwMM/s1600/Phoebe.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Eastern Phoebe</div>
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Phoebes, Ruby Crowned Kinglets, Juncos (they have returned), I think a Kingbird, Downy Woodpeckers, Nuthatch, an unidentified Sparrow and the many regulars are all out in the perennial garden, visiting the birdbath, hopping through the privet hedge, looking under the rhubarb leaves in the Hortus Conclusus. I so love watching them! I never get tired of it. A phoebe has spent a good amount of time here on the roof outside the dining room window, so I have been able to make eye contact with it and admire its soft feathers. It seems so much smaller up close than how it appears from further away.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFXSWdgdR65s8FBvsHWZydcfKaDwy-XoJJRVYjZW9ZHz532jFpRc2hUW0iU91ENZWXexNAfaObn4o8iIIy9G5ZihBTkxpSwDDZZjGeKUVth_2LamY8Up34oJpcg1F_a0U0b0zR2Vo_0Q/s1600/IMG_1113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFXSWdgdR65s8FBvsHWZydcfKaDwy-XoJJRVYjZW9ZHz532jFpRc2hUW0iU91ENZWXexNAfaObn4o8iIIy9G5ZihBTkxpSwDDZZjGeKUVth_2LamY8Up34oJpcg1F_a0U0b0zR2Vo_0Q/s1600/IMG_1113.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from my seat in the Dining Room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is Sunday morning and I am sick. I have a very bad head cold. Stuffed up and face pain. I did not go with Bob to church today. I don't have much energy. So it is a delight to sit at the dining room table with my coffee and watch the birds outside. Especially since Bob removed the screens yesterday as the temperatures have begun to drop. No more opening the windows this season.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTxrK4Zfqh2yF7k4Pazsqk9rqzC8RojXKykY5e_cw_U7jypxzS5A_VDivWkgld4yZ9O_xzdImQ0ITcnIqdvF_8aSzOikSmIx3m3WuXG48RHco8awv4WqDr7r8g5wdrBGlznVy7bhIcwU/s1600/IMG_1111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTxrK4Zfqh2yF7k4Pazsqk9rqzC8RojXKykY5e_cw_U7jypxzS5A_VDivWkgld4yZ9O_xzdImQ0ITcnIqdvF_8aSzOikSmIx3m3WuXG48RHco8awv4WqDr7r8g5wdrBGlznVy7bhIcwU/s1600/IMG_1111.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where I sit each morning with my coffee to write my Morning Pages, read, reflect</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At this moment I think that if I had to pick one thing that I could do for the rest of my life, it would be to sit here and watch the birds. I must make it known to my husband and children that in the event I have a debilitating stroke or develop Alzheimer's, they need to place me each day in front of a window that overlooks a garden. A garden that contains a bird bath and feeders and that isn't overly manicured. I would be content.<br />
<br />
This reminds me of Pops. Pops was an old man who lived with his family two houses away from us in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Beach,_Queens" target="_blank">Howard Beach</a> (a suburb of NYC, in Queens) where I grew up. There were no houses across the street from us. There was a ten foot or so wide strip of sandy soil between the street and the fence that marked the back of the Big Bow Wow parking lot. Pops would go to that area across the street from his house each morning with a coffee can filled with bird seed. He would scatter it on the ground with his hand. Then he would sit at the window and watch the house sparrows and starlings come and eat it. He did this every day. I remember there came a time when he couldn't go out to scatter the seed anymore, but he still sat at the window. I believe his family members continued to put the seed out for him, but I don't recall seeing them do so. I do remember at least one time when I scattered the seed for Pops. I don't recall if my mother suggested I go over and ask if I could, or I was already outside and the neighbor invited me to do it. Regardless, it was a special privilege! I do remember my mother telling me when I went out to walk our dog, to look up at the window (it was one of those large bay windows that they put in raised ranches in the 1970s) and smile and wave at Pops. I did that often. He would always wave back. Until one day he didn't. He was still sitting there, I would wave, but he didn't wave back. He looked somehow different. It wasn't too long after that that he was no longer there to wave to.<br />
<br />
Reflecting back on this now, I realize that was good advice my mother gave to me. We can, in even a small way, pay attention to someone and let them know that we see them. Simple, yet powerful.Susan Ernsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07711663371096722391noreply@blogger.com0