Mindfullness and trying to achieve it

Tags

flowers, mindfullness, nature, postaday2015

   
 The cone flowers are just starting to share their beauty, the majority of mine are a delicate pink with two or three white ones in the mix, just enough to highlight the pinks in their grouping. The delicate lavender flower up above is something that pops up in my garden haphazardly, I have never planted them, they just make their presence known every year, this year I don’t have many, I hope they haven’t decided to pack up their bags and head out of town.

   
   
I have been pushing back hard against these feelings of panic, dread and anxiety that are cropping up despite my best efforts. Mindfullness may be a buzz word, I know, but I believe in it, I went out in the garden to take pictures, detailed pictures of nature as its best or at least how she rewards me in my little backyard.  Sitting back on my heels, patiently waiting for clarity and detail of petals to come into focus on my screen, along with the gradation of the background, I could feel my center shifting back to calm. The moment was shortlived because my mind became distracted by the work needed to be done right now in the garden, I often fail to see the beauty of what I have planted and nurtured, for the sight of all the weeding that needs to be done and bang boom, back comes the nauseating flutters of panic, dread and anxiety. I can’t tell you where it comes from, it is somewhere buried deep, I prefer to bury these feelings and concentrate on my more normal setting, easy-going and optimistic, though there are days when being optimistic, despite being a natural way of being, is too exhausting to maintain.

Mindfullness and centering, two words that have taken up the internet, they may seem trite to the uninitiated, but to those who have practiced yoga and/or meditation, the results are pretty wonderful, if only for the peace of mind it can bring.

Writing this down helps a lot, it gets my mind to deconstruct my emotions and while I sit here, typing on my little keyboard, I practise cleansing breaths, they feel really nice; I can hear my yoga instructors in my head, speaking slowly and hypnotically, reminding me to focus on my toes, breathing the tension out of them, then gently proceeding up the legs, next the belly, the arms, the shoulders and finishing with the neck and the head.

Sometimes, it’s as easy as taking a deep breath.

Thank you birds and bumble bees

Tags

bees, birds, nature, plants, postaday2014

These are snapdragons that are growing in the gravel on top of the sand filtered septic system. I have never planted snapdragons before and so I looked them up and discovered that they bloom in cooler weather, they are considered a tender perennial so that means that here in the Northeast; they are annuals for all intents and purposes since they enjoy warmer climes as their permanent home. I learned that bumble bees are the chief pollinators and that since I wasn’t the one who planted their seeds, I can only thank the birds for disseminating these seeds, no matter where they landed.

I do like where the snapdragons ended up, I think that the flowers really pop when contrasted against the pretty stones in the gravel bed. It never fails to delight and amaze me how nature works so harmoniously amongst the plant and animal kingdoms; I only wish that we humans could be as harmonious in turn.

Watson Park on October 2nd.

Tags

autumn, fall, leaves, nature, postaday2013, Watson Park

For a small town like Blandford, we are very lucky to have such a lovely park as Watson Park. The Park’s benefactor was Doctor Watson who was a member of the Blandford Historical Society and left a sizable trust to the town designated solely for the upkeep and maintenance of the park for future generations. Our current groundskeeper, Doug, takes his duties very seriously and keeps the park very nicely groomed and trimmed.

I walked to the park to take pictures of what makes New England such a tourist lure, the changing foliage.

As I walked up the hill and to the gazebo, I was a little surprised that I got prettier pictures from midway up the hill, than the very top or even from the gazebo itself. It goes to show that I have a lot to learn with perspective and camera angles, the light was nice and I like the way the sun was hitting the colors, especially the golds and the reds. The air is starting to smell different as well, a certain crispness is developing and getting stronger day by day, it is very enjoyable because the temperatures are still on the warmish side. I have just been getting a hankering for apples and pears, the crisp air translates perfectly to apple and pear weather.

Nature will find a way

Tags

compost, flowers, growth, nature, postaday2013

Today I made it a point to rest because I was feeling very rundown from the past several days. I went outside with Jack in the back instead of taking him on his usual walk and I went over to compost pile to throw away a fallen branch and there I saw a blooming Bleeding Heart growing right up in the middle of the compost pile. This is mid September, so not the season for a Bleeding Heart to be blooming and growing, especially in the middle of a compost heap. Now what I call my compost pile, is the pile where I put the bamboo cuttings, the weeds, lawn clippings and everything plant based under the sun. Nothing besides plant life goes in, so theoretically, the product of everything that has broken down over the past seasons should be very healthy and nutrient dense, perhaps this is why a Bleeding Heart has sprung out of nowhere and decided to make the compost pile its new home.

I can tell you this, seeing the Bleeding Heart definitely put a smile on my face. The power of Mother Nature.

Daily prompt: the wonders of nature

Tags

city, nature, postaday2013, rural, urban

Describe your first memorable experience exploring and spending time in nature. Were you in awe? Or were you not impressed? Would you rather spend time in the forest or the city?

When I was little with my sister, who was littler still, on those autumn mornings in early October; my parents used to throw us into the Ford Pinto hatchback and head up to the Adirondack mountains early Saturday mornings to get us out of New York City and into the countryside. My sister and I loved hiking up the trails, they were easy trails to walk, we were all of six and nine years old, and I would tell her pretend stories that the small caves that we would pass by, were home to the Grizzlies and we had to be very quiet as we walked past those caves. Occasionally I would peek in and try to see further in, but my parents would call for me or so I thought, so I never ventured far into the caves. The trails were very well marked to make sure that hikers wouldn’t get lost and even with my very active imagination, I didn’t want to get lost.

I have to say that the majesty of the Adirondack mountains in the fall was not lost on me or my little sister. These adventures were a high point of our weekends and the best part was the trip to the local diner where they served the best B.L.T’s that my sister and i had ever eaten. We always went home with a bag full of leaves to bring back home for my sister to bring to school for her class. I think that I also had use of those leaves for my science classes in discussion of the different trees that made up the forests of the mountain range.

These are very special memories, spending the entire day outside of the city with the four of us having a really nice time being together.

Singing in the rain!

Tags

mud season, nature, postaday2012, weather, weather pattern, weather phenomena, wild fires

Hooray, it’s raining! I am relieved for many reasons, many wells up here in the mountain were getting awfully low in water, the potential for wild fires was steadily increasing and our gardens were looking sad and droopy. Bad enough that we didn’t have any snow from this past winter, this spring was practically bone dry so what should have been mud season was dust season. This weather phenomena isn’t limited to my neck of the woods, it has extended throughout the whole Northeast region plus the Central Plains and even the Southeast. I don’t know if this unfortunate weather pattern will start to change the climate change deniers minds, I hope that they don’t attribute this state of events as a fluke. I hope that this will finally be accepted as proof that we all need to come together and work toward the common goal of finding alternative ways to use and store energy such as solar and wind energy.

Attempt at poetry

Tags

grey landscape, nature, peaks and valleys, postaday2012

Thoughts floating in the breeze
Riding the currents that meander
Through the peaks and valleys
Of a grey landscape
Forever swirling
Never coming to a rest
A hint of floating down
Borne away by another swish
Only to land and be lost
To memory