Thank you for all of this. I subscribed to your new newsletter for writers. I also put that book on my good reads list. I appreciate the reminder to wait to mow. We have a tiny lawn - mostly an urban garden but it still teems with wildflowers and life and it kind of drives me nuts sometimes so I’m going to try to look at it differently. And that pie, oh my!! Love the hen on the crust.
I think you have a good plan, to change the way you think about things. This is how I got over my childhood fear of snakes. Now when I look at them I see how fragile, gentle, and interesting they are--so easily broken, so easily scared, so fascinating. And also I'm thinking that many dominant narratives need to change in our world.
I once planted a Mulberry tree, knowing it would take many years before I would see any fruit. Then I moved before seeing results. But that's how it goes. I really enjoyed reading your post and particularly loved to see the sward of green growth in your yard. Such a joy. In England we have 'no-mow May', when many people leave their lawns untouched to flourish for the benefit of the wildlife for the month.
Even(especially, in actuality) your goal is to graze livestock.
If you don't let the leaves grow enough to drive the photosynthesis that feeds sugar to the roots so the roots can take up nutrients to grow the leaves to feed the roots......
Metaphors and parables abound.
I was thinking about the legumes like black medic fix nitrogen and the connections of their roots and others while I was signing up for the newsletter.
To the extent it didn't register with me it's the rhizophere.
A great name! And connection with your story, but you knew that before it occurred to me.
That mulberry pie looks amazing! I remember trying to beat the birds to the mulberries on my parents’ farm but I always ate as many as I could. Never could save enough for pie.
Please consider doing the Kittridge workshop again in the future. I wanted to take it this time but it didn’t work with my schedule.
Enjoyed the read. We had mulberries on our hobby farm in Ohio. My daughter loved to read under the tree, eat the fruit, and make pies too! They always tasted better if we had not had a lot of rain. We are each growing some mulberry trees on our properties now. Oh, and the waxwings! I ran into a flock of more than 200 in Chula back on March 14th. Then a good size flock moved through our back 40 in Kennesaw a couple of weeks later. Your story reminded me of trying to beat the birds to the cherries while standing on the roof of my grandpa's place. Saw that moon too. It was butter yellow for us too! Oh, I see a lot of field madder and black medic in your lawn pics too. They are all over mine too.
Thank you for those names. I was embarrassed not knowing what those little purple flowers were. Now I have a place to start. And such names! Field madder & black medic. Yes!
Beautiful and real. We stopped mowing. Around the trees first and now the bulk of the acreage. The wild violets are spectacular this year. Thanks. Nature knows how to do this.
Fantastic info
I love the immersion photo!
Thank you for all of this. I subscribed to your new newsletter for writers. I also put that book on my good reads list. I appreciate the reminder to wait to mow. We have a tiny lawn - mostly an urban garden but it still teems with wildflowers and life and it kind of drives me nuts sometimes so I’m going to try to look at it differently. And that pie, oh my!! Love the hen on the crust.
I think you have a good plan, to change the way you think about things. This is how I got over my childhood fear of snakes. Now when I look at them I see how fragile, gentle, and interesting they are--so easily broken, so easily scared, so fascinating. And also I'm thinking that many dominant narratives need to change in our world.
I once planted a Mulberry tree, knowing it would take many years before I would see any fruit. Then I moved before seeing results. But that's how it goes. I really enjoyed reading your post and particularly loved to see the sward of green growth in your yard. Such a joy. In England we have 'no-mow May', when many people leave their lawns untouched to flourish for the benefit of the wildlife for the month.
You have blessed me with 2 things--the word "sward" and "no-mow May." Thank you, Yasmin.
Oh, yes on letting it grow!
Lots of good reasons.
Even(especially, in actuality) your goal is to graze livestock.
If you don't let the leaves grow enough to drive the photosynthesis that feeds sugar to the roots so the roots can take up nutrients to grow the leaves to feed the roots......
Metaphors and parables abound.
I was thinking about the legumes like black medic fix nitrogen and the connections of their roots and others while I was signing up for the newsletter.
To the extent it didn't register with me it's the rhizophere.
A great name! And connection with your story, but you knew that before it occurred to me.
That mulberry pie looks amazing! I remember trying to beat the birds to the mulberries on my parents’ farm but I always ate as many as I could. Never could save enough for pie.
Please consider doing the Kittridge workshop again in the future. I wanted to take it this time but it didn’t work with my schedule.
Yes to us doing the Kittredge schema one fine day soon.
Our mulberries are not quite ready here outside of Houston. A few more weeks and it will be game on for squirrels, birds, and my son.
Lucky squirrels, birds, & son.
Enjoyed the read. We had mulberries on our hobby farm in Ohio. My daughter loved to read under the tree, eat the fruit, and make pies too! They always tasted better if we had not had a lot of rain. We are each growing some mulberry trees on our properties now. Oh, and the waxwings! I ran into a flock of more than 200 in Chula back on March 14th. Then a good size flock moved through our back 40 in Kennesaw a couple of weeks later. Your story reminded me of trying to beat the birds to the cherries while standing on the roof of my grandpa's place. Saw that moon too. It was butter yellow for us too! Oh, I see a lot of field madder and black medic in your lawn pics too. They are all over mine too.
Thank you for those names. I was embarrassed not knowing what those little purple flowers were. Now I have a place to start. And such names! Field madder & black medic. Yes!
So many Lilliputian wonders`
I love that your metal fruit-harvesting pan has a scratch in it.
I love that you lie down in the yard to take pictures for us readers.
I love that there's a chicken on your pie crust.
Most of all, I love how you use words and shape sentences. And I love how I feel when I read your posts.
And I love you.
Beautiful and real. We stopped mowing. Around the trees first and now the bulk of the acreage. The wild violets are spectacular this year. Thanks. Nature knows how to do this.
Gosh, I wish I could have been there to harvest violets. Ours were sparse this year. I'd like to try some culinary experiments with violets.
My daughter harvested a lot of violets from our yard....after I assured her the dog had not gone potty there!!
There is always that. The violets process the nitrogen.
Good thinking, Mark.
I loved reading this, Janisse! The pie looks delicious (and so does your yard).
Oh, Marianne, a slice of pie while sitting in those clovers would be a wonderful thing to share with you.