Blogger Down

I was almost ready to accept a blog award and was preparing the post when I received a call from my son.  He refused an assignment at the farm, which meant he had to leave.  (A writing assignment!)  I would tell the whole world about it, but I better wait ’til I calm down.  I’m just a bit peeved.

And, I’m sick.  I feel like I have a high fever, but the thermometer says not.  I have shingles, at least I think that’s what it is, and it hurts, but worse than the pain is the feverish feeling, nausea and fatigue.

Between being sick, finding ticks every single day, literally, embedded on my skin, and being um, just a bit peeved at my son, well, this blogger is down.

I’ll be back. 

From my blog, Green Healing Notes. You can listen to a cow’s moo, just in case you haven’t heard one in a while 😉

DOGKISSES's avatarGreen Healing Girl

“Where are we?” my mother asked.

We were in the heart of North Carolina mountains.  We were also lost. 

“I’m not sure,” I answered, “but I think we’re in Heaven!”  I was trying to keep things light.

“Lord!” she remarked, and rolled her eyes at me the way she does when she doesn’t take me seriously.  I don’t especially like it when she does that.

We were going to a farm and when we arrived at this one, (pictured below) I thought we had found our destination. 

(Click on images for a more intimate view)

I was at the wrong farm, but I really didn’t mind.  I was in awe at the beauty of the surrounding mountains, which live in my heart, and the rolling green pastures.  A cute farmer on his tractor waved at me, which caused butterflies in my tummy.

Mother made a remark about how she wished…

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Green Healing ~ Plant People and a Bucket of Beets

“That’s a picture right there,” a staff member remarked today when she saw the red bucket of beets. 

Beets in a Bucket!

Green Healing Happening!

She was right and it’s a wonderful image, but the best part is that we each took home a beet or two.  I’ve already eaten a little orange one.  I’ve never seen one that color and wanted to try it right away.  It was great!

We also ate our first carrot today. Yum!  Fresh vegetables taste better than ones that traveled thousands of miles, and it sure feels good to eat food that I helped grow.  It also feels good to see and experience the gift of life from nature.

It seems like most days I meet a garden friend.  I saw a few butterflies and many bees today.  My friend and co-volunteer touches bees and said she once kissed a bee! 

Bee Kisser and Milkweed

She kisses Bees!

The creatures of the gardens always captures the heart of Plant People.  I met the little green guy, pictured below, in a garden behind a restaurant where I had lunch with two friends after group today. 

Garden Friends in Nature

A Green Healing Garden Friend

Today was another good Green Healing day in the Horticulture Therapy gardens.  We were blessed with good food, each of us had something to offer and as always, we shared a mutual kindness and empathy that soothes my spirit and makes me feel a little lighter. 

We ended our day with hope that the newly planted sunflowers will grow big and tall, which will bring smiles to many different faces.  We also planted Loofah seeds!  Isn’t that exciting? 

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Hope Grows in the Garden

Horticultural healing

Horticultural Healing

Green Healing Days

I hope the little Squash grows well.  I believe it will.  With that said, I must tell you that I am so tired, I can’t write much of a post, but I simply had to share something about yet another, Green Healing Day!  I’m actually quite amazed at the opportunity I have in my volunteer work.  I had no idea that my time in the gardens, and with the people I’ve met, would offer me so many blessings, but it most certainly has! 

When I have more energy, I’ll tell you more about what makes this Squash special to me.  Perhaps by the time I can write another post, the Squash will have grown a lot more. 

Today, while I was taking a photo of it, the petals on the flower were a little wilted from just having been watered.  Just before I snapped this photo, the wind blew gently and the petal opened for me.  It was like that flower posed just for my camera.  I’m quite sure I’ve turned into one of those people who talk to plants. 

That’s all for today.  Thanks for visiting Dogkisses’s blog.  I hope that you too have some ‘Green Healing’ days!

One Green Healing Day!

Today, I’m practicing accepting the moment.  My other options don’t look good.  I have a lot on my mind, some of which I simply don’t know what to do about.  I’m taking a break from trying to come up with solutions, at least for a little while.

I’ll take another break in a few minutes, with my pretty, insect-hunting four-legged companion, Ruthie Mae.  She needs me, and I need her. She let me know today how much she loves me, and how she misses us spending more outside time together. 

She walked over to me, as I was rubbing Tiny’s belly, which he loves of course, and put her paw in my hand in the sweet way she has always done,ever since the first time she introduced herself to me.  Ruthie does have good manners, even though, she doesn’t use them a lot of the time.  She looked me in the eyes, as if to say, hey thanks for loving us, and then she gave me a soft little kiss on my hand!  I promise you she is one of the sweetest dogs in the whole wide world!

I’ve regressed.  I meant to talk about butterflies.

I’d like to share a photo of the beautiful butterfly that I was friends with today. 

Beautiful Butterfly

A Green Healing Moment!

I make a lot of garden friends in Horticulture Therapy.  First it was the lizard, then the ladybug, and recently my son spotted a lizard by the bog that had an orange throat, and of course, butterflies!  I love the butterflies, but I’ve noticed that I do love all my garden friends.

I must go check my books of butterflies, my favorite of which is, BUTTERFLY GARDENING, FOR THE SOUTH, by GEYATA AJILVSGI, if I can find it.  I have nature guide books, but let’s find out what Geyata has to say about this amazing and beautiful creature.  

ZEBRA SWALLOWTAIL (Eurytides marcellus) 

Family: Papilionidae

Size: 2 3/8- 3 1/2 inches

Range: All 

 Flight Time: March-October 

Broods: 3, possibly more  

Overwinters: Pupa

Though the Zebra Swallowtail has bright striking colors, when it goes to rest in the shade, it gets a little darker and blends in with the environment. 

I know one thing this butterfly likes, and that’s drinking from Asclepias Tuberosa, commonly known as Milkweed, which is a nectar producing flower, but is also the plant that Monarchs lay their eggs on.  Milkweed is the only plant Monarchs use to lay their eggs on.  Something in the plant makes the Monarch poisonous to prey.

I once dreamed I was a Milkweed plant.  I was happy and lived in a great large field with many others like me.  But, that’s a story I’ve told in this blog.  Ruthie Mae says I don’t have time to give you the link.

That’s it for today.  The sun has gone down, and my girl needs a walk.

Thank you for visiting Dogkisses’s Blog! 

From my blog, Green Healing Notes

DOGKISSES's avatarGreen Healing Girl

Hands, Dirt, SeedsMy son has gone to live on a small farm for a little while, which means he can’t attend the Horticulture Therapy group with me until he returns.  It won’t be the same without him, but it’s temporary, he needed something more in his life, and he’s a grown man.

The farm is a place for healing.  There are about eight or nine other men who also live there.  I hope and pray that he’s enjoying his time.  Last I heard, he had spent the day shoveling mulch, an activity I used to love because the labor was intense and took my mind off my problems.  Pulling weeds is like that too.

Community service is part of the farm’s healing program.  The guys go to the local church each week to serve food in their kitchen where people can get free meals.  The most recent time I called, they said…

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Hello from my new blog, Green Healing Notes, where I’ll be documenting, hopefully creatively, holistic and horticultural healing happenings.

I’ll continue to post in Dogkisses’s blog.

Hope you’ll come visit me at Green Healing Notes (http://greenhealinggirl.wordpress.com/)
Peace, Love and Green Healing Wishes,
Michelle.

DOGKISSES's avatarGreen Healing Girl

Green Healing Days

Yes Indeed… Hello World!

This blog is under construction, which I guess, is obvious.

Feel free to add your ideas and suggestions as I create this ‘Green Healing’ space for Holistic and Horticultural notes from the garden, and wherever we may find those sweet moments in time, when healing happens.

See you soon!

Michelle.

note: I am not one of the ‘Gardening Girls’ in the photo.  I’m the amateur photographer.

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Green Healing ~ Horticultural Notes

And the beat goes on…

life in the gardens

Quietly and Softly

soft and cheery, from Mother Nature.

Colorful Communications

We always begin Horticulture Therapy by gathering in a circle to share plant news.  This time together is good, interesting and takes us in many directions.  We often visit our past of garden or plant memories and look to the future with hopeful or creative garden dreams and ideas.

Last week I arrived just in time to hear another participant sharing his idea for a creative planting container.  The young man was more engaged than usual and when he smiled and became excited about what plants to choose and where he would put his new container, I felt like I saw the heart of horticulture therapy.

I like to call these times Healing Happenings, which are moments in time when hope or happiness fills my heart and mind.  I’m not talking about everything being right or all problems being fixed.  I’m talking about a little piece of time when worry and stress take a back seat and the beauty of life emerges.

healing horticulture

Sweet Peas make Smiles

Personally, ‘healing happenings’ include moments when I enjoy what I imagine most Mothers do, which is seeing our children, no matter what age they are, smile and be happy.  They’re also moments when I feel that my family will be okay.

a view of the big picture helps us stay hopeful

Therapeutic Gardening

“Drop by drop would make a lake.” (Azerbaijani proverb)

there is hope

The Intern in an early Garden

And then, there is faith.

We hope the garden grows and have faith in a plentiful harvest.

new lettuce and a few sprouted carrots

our garden grows

lettuce and carrots growing