Native Foods, Beauty and Generosity of Spirit

Hi friends,

Have we told you how much we appreciate you? Truly, we do. You make our lives so much richer for your existence and the mutual sharing of heartfelt experiences and joy. Thank you for joining us on this journey of meaning, compassion and gratitude.

As I write my eyes continually wander to the door bathed in sunlight. The sun wanes and the black walnut in my view holds the last of the rays. What am I doing inside? Sitting down indoors challenges me more with each passing day. I love the coziness of a wood-warmed house, but I feel constantly that I am missing the most important moment of my life. What is happening outside? Who is heading south? Is the blue wood aster still blooming?

Are the robins gathering and chatting in the top of the maple? Is there another American woodcock probing in the recently moistened Earth beneath the rough-leaved dogwoods?

The gift of persimmons sit on our table waiting: giving us great joy in their presence, in their delicious flesh and in their hope-filled seeds.

Our refrigerator houses baggies of these persimmon seeds from our second annual autumnal pilgrimage to our Indiana homeland, marking an important ritual to gather these delicious native fruits and to revere big trees, limestone-weathered Earth, good people doing good work and the ecology of the land.

George Donaldson: you are one of our heroes; please know you made a difference. You preserved a piece of Indiana that we very much needed to see and that gives us such hope.

Caterpillar lives continue to mingle noticeably with our lives and teach us almost daily that it truly is the greatest miracle that we are all alive and that we get to bear witness to other lives and gift one another with appreciation and love.

American Dagger on a long journey...

Virginia Ctenucha benefiting from the long fall...

Possible Tufted Thyatirin feeding on hazelnut...

Brown-hooded Owlet from aster...

Syncronicity of spirit or intuition? I am not sure which, but this box turtle reminded me to listen to what cannot be heard. A venture off trail to visit some pawpaws in search of any lingering fruit inspired me to tell Steve to make sure to watch for box turtles....a few minutes later look who we found.

The kitties tolerated our traveling and are learning to appreciate new lands and new experiences. It's a joy to not leave part of our family behind and to feel new opportunities opening in front of us.

Meeting Carolina Buckthorn and Seedbox again thrilled us. 

Spending time with old trees strenthened us and heartened us in ways that is as necessary as breath, but is as hard to understand as tides and moon cycles. 

Our travels out into the world always inspire such action on our little patch of Earth. They ignite something deep within and we get lit, I mean LIT, on fire. We come home and we visit the plants we share space with and we plant more and we dream about persimmons and learn about native foods and dream some more and then form plans.

American Chestnuts will rise again and we vow to support their rise. The local economy of native foods is so damn satisfying and we feel like there is giant bright spot before us, if we just open our eyes, look around and support others on their life paths doing meaningful, important and most certainly imperative work.

Winter hardy greens in a junk built lean-to cold house... 

and homegrown saffron...

offer nutrition and satisfaction. That's a key piece of life isn't it? To feel satisfied and proud of your life and at peace with what is and what is not.

We savor autumnal light like it might never return again. "Yes fence, we will continue removing you. First though, we must lay on Mother Earth (Mother Shelter, Mother Shelteress; thank you Anais Mitchell), feel her strength and soak up the rays." Weakening rays, but still our mightiest and most longed for winter friend.

Mother Shelteress, creator of perfect mud homes. There is much to admire here: beauty, builder, earth materials, innate know-how, protection of young...

remnants of what was and what will return once again to yes, Mother Earth, Mother Shelteress. We humans have much to learn.

We wish you joy, more and more "awake" moments and meaning-filled discoveries.

Hugs,

j and s

Find an extension of our travels and some more of our joy here.