the morning dawns under cover, accompanied by a steady drumbeat of rain. a low ceiling, not quite grey and not quite white. throughout the day this curtain rises and falls, its feathered hem revealing glimpses of the mountains beyond. raindrops drip off leaves and eaves, steady; an invitation to meditation. while i long, on the one hand, for the warm summer sun, i find myself sinking into these rainy days. slowing down: physically, of course, but also slowing down the frettin

Daybreak reveals a heavy grey blanket of sky, coming to rest just above slate mountains’ rise into icy peaks.  It looks like November.  Filtered light makes its way through, silhouetting skeletal trees, whispering across brittle, tawny grasses breaking through the snow’s thin crust. We’re easing into winter this year.  Cold, snowy days followed by mild, almost springlike weather; this past weekend saw nearly 50 degrees, and I took the opportunity to harvest the remaining 7 lb

When I think back on all of my years of schooling–everything I read, everything I heard, everything I memorized (and the many things I promptly forgot)–there are a few little gems that have stuck with me.  One of them, from my college soils class, is this: “Dirt is just misplaced soil.” How perfect.  Dirt is just misplaced soil.  A weed is just a misplaced plant.  These are the things I think about as I’m digging in the garden.  And the digging is starting to pay dividends! G

This past weekend, we had a one-day break in the rain.  There is nothing quite like feeling the sun on your skin after so many grey sky days.  Muscles sequentially relax–muscles you didn’t even realize were tense in the first instance.  Couple that with the bouquet of floral essences that hangs in the air after a rain, and it’s a little slice of heaven.  I’m pretty sure everyone in town took full advantage: hiking, biking, gardening, barbequing.  I joined them–going for a hik

Zone 4 It’s almost time … We’re so close … But not quite there yet … With the sunny mild weather we’ve had this spring, it’s taken every ounce of willpower I have not to start planting (the foot of heavy wet snow we got a couple of weeks back reminded me why I’m waiting). But just give it a week or two and the cool weather seeds will be sown and home-grown deliciousness will soon follow. My love affair with gardening began when I was as young as I can remember. One of my ea